Down Under Optics: Seeing Clearly with Mako’s Polarized Sunglasses
 

Total Score: 8.58 - EDITOR'S CHOICE

Introduction: Australia is known for some of the harshest conditions so it really is no surprise that it is in the Down Under that Mako Polarized Sunglasses was born. This Australian brand has now come to the United States and offers anglers a line of premium polarized sunglasses that are designed to offer the ultimate in comfort and clarity for outdoor enthusiasts.

Have you heard of Mako branded sunglasses before? Most likely not unless you live in Australia

Impressions: We first learned about Mako at the last ICAST from U.S. Managing Director Terry Baksay who showed us a few of the new styles and what made them different than other sunglasses including their lightweight yet scratch resistant glass lenses. He explained that Mako Eyewear in Australia has been in business for over twenty five years and now offers a large range of sunglasses, everything from wire framed aviators to plastic framed wrap-around styles geared towards fishing and boating applications. Mako sunglasses make use of both high quality Italian and Japanese lenses as well as proprietary High Definition and Infra-Red filters that are added to the lenses to further improve performance.

Mako has come to the U.S. and now offers a range of polarized sunglasses designed with anglers in mind

Here in the U.S. Mako is focusing on six primary styles (Apex, Blade, Covert, Escape, and GT), all of which are designed to excel in angling applications. I found most of these styles somewhat similar looking in that they all featured black plastic frames and larger lenses designed to help block out and isolate sunlight. While somewhat analogous looking they do very much look like a family of sunglasses and there is plenty enough variation to meet the tastes of both freshwater and saltwater anglers.

The GT frame is a stylish option in a variety of lenses including the Blue Mirror shown here

The two frames that I gravitated towards right away were the more traditionally styled Blade and the sporty GT, which looked like great beach, inshore, and saltwater styled frames to me. As with any quality pair of fishing sunglasses one of the most important features is polarization, and in this area Mako has anglers covered. All of Mako’s lenses feature advanced polarization technology that is designed to provide excellent glare reduction from all surfaces, not just water, and improved visual acuity. They then pair this with 12+ anti-reflective coatings on the back of each lens to provide better protection from reflected light and glare.

The Blade in traditional grey lenses

Each pair of Mako sunglasses comes with a pretty rich bundle, including a durable rigid bodied case and polishing cloth. The case has a soft touch exterior that is not slippery, even when wet, and even comes with a clip to secure the frame to a bag, all while keeping your sunglasses safely protected inside with a robust zipper.

It didn't take long for me to appreciate just how light and clear these distortion free optics are

Operation: When I first received the Mako Blade and GT sunglasses I immediately felt that they were surprisingly light for glass optics. My go to pair of sunglasses has been the Costa Harpoons which also make use of glass lenses and weigh in at 1.5 ounces. Though the Blade and GT have very different styled frames they both weigh in at exactly 1.2 ounces, and that lighter overall weight helps translate to improved comfort as some sunglasses can be so heavy they not only feel heavy on your ears and nose but can slip down during outdoor activities.

Even on very bright days the Blade delivered comfortable UV protection and excellent polarized views all day long

It is hard to comment on comfort and fit on any sunglasses as each and every pair will sit differently on each of us. Mako considers both the GT and Blade styles to be suited to a wide variety of head shapes and head types, and I can say that I have a pretty big head and have trouble with the width of many sunglasses in the past but both of these sunglasses were wide enough that I never felt them pinching my temples. The GT fit more naturally to me right out of the box and no adjustments were necessary.

The green mirrors a rose base tint that enhances contrast and clarity in a wide range of light conditions (right slice taken through Blade lens)

The Blade on the other hand was just a bit narrow and I felt the lower section frame on my cheeks, so I decided to attempt to adjust them. Though I recommend a professional glasses or sunglass store make modifications to your sunglasses, especially any really expensive frames, I see so many sunglasses that I’ve actually become pretty used to making adjustments.

Mako's lenses come from either Italy or Japan. The GT came from Italy while the Blade came from Japan for example

To do this I use a heat gun in our lab (you can also use a high powered focused hair dryer) and heat up the bridge on both sides and very slowly, and carefully, bend the frame. With this slight adjustment outwards the Mako Blade fit me perfectly. Once again, I don’t recommend you do this unless you are willing to risk damage to your frames, as overheating can cause the plastic to become damaged and I’ve even broke sunglass lenses in the past by making overzealous modifications.

I'm usually not a huge fan of green lenses but Mako's execution with the rose base color and various filters changed my mind