The Mainsail is amazingly lightweight, and you gotta love that blue.

The polycarbonate Mainsail is one of my absolute favorite everyday, all-round sunglasses, which is saying a lot, given that Costa makes some of the best glass lenses in the business. Click here to read about the spiffy glass Hammerhead. But no glass lenses come close to the gossamer essence of Mainsail, the kind of shades you simply forget are on your face. Until you take them off, that is, and glare and wildly scattered light are restored to their cornea-stabbing norm. Mainsail may be wondrously lightweight, but its gently curved rimless nylon frame with supersoft rubberized nosepiece holds this pup firmly in place throughout any active pursuit—I gave myself whiplash trying to jettison it. Behind the spiffy blue mirrored lenses is a gray base tint that delivers a realistic world view along with just a smidgen of exterior attitude. The lenses are polarized, of course, and permit 10 percent visible light transmission—just right for long days anywhere but atop K-2. I’m already ruing the day that Mainsail acquires a scratch, but Costa’s standard hard case, lens cloth, and sunglass retainer increase the odds of Mainsail’s living a long and active life. Not Rx-able. $169 from Frames Direct. Click here for free shipping.

Maui Jim Kapena: Bronze God

When it comes to fine sunglass lenses, glass is the gold standard. Glass imparts a crispness of vision that other materials can only dream of. Covet the Maui Jim Kapena with the same reverence and self-satisfaction as you would a Rolex watch—but happily, Kapena’s craftsmanship and cachet come at a fraction of the price. Kapena is a bargain for what you get: vision that improves on reality. I’ve been wearing it in MJ’s polarized, high-contrast bronze tint with 12% visible light transmission, and I love what I see. Astounding detail. Brilliant contrast. A way of resolving chaos into clarity, such as the day I drove into a thunderstorm while a brilliant late sun was stabbing my eyes and creating crazy road glare. None of that was a match for Kapena, which set everything right, eliminated the glare, made sense of the road, the traffic, and the setting sun. Bronze’s high contrast is a great advantage in those situations when technically, there isn’t much light, but what light there is wreaking visual mischief. And, of course, when the sun is at full mast as well. I also dig Kapena’s updated aviator flair, its spring-loaded nickel/silver hinges, and its adjustable nosepieces. Caveat: Although Maui Jim uses super-thin glass, Kapena is heavier than an equivalent polycarbonate model (not that anything is quite its equal), and can take a toll on a sensitive nose. And, of course, glass can shatter; don’t wear Kapena in any circumstance that could entail impact to your face. Frames Direct has a great selection of Maui Jims and offers a free protective hard case and microfiber cloth with every pair.

Carter Wears Julbo Shades

My nephew Carter gets it. He knows that shades make him look cool. The chicks dig ‘em, even more than that tat on his arm. But he also knows that UV exposure is a cumulative thing. The damage starts in infancy, and he’d no sooner head out into the Rocky Mountain sunshine without his shades on than he would sunbathe sans sunscreen. Babies need sunglasses. Kids need sunglasses. Carter wears sunglasses. His shades of choice are the Julbo Looping 1 infant sunglasses with 100% UV, adult-quality lenses in a kid-friendly configuration. Now, Carter’s a smart dude for a three-month-old, but occasionally he does things like put his shoes on the wrong foot or his sunglasses upside-down. No prob with the latter, because these puppies are symmetrical. Upside-down is right-side up. Are you thinking he’ll lose them? Nope. They come with a comfy head strap. Break them? I doubt it, but we’ll do a full review when Carter’s had a chance to thrash these things a bit. My guess is that they’ll stand up to the abuse. They’re $34, and you always get free shipping at zappos.com

Got a license to be hip? Then you can legally wear Tron. But you’ll give up nothing optically in the course of making your stand for total coolness. Tron boasts a shield look that’s increasingly popular on the street—that is, a one-piece lens crosses over the nose bridge, and though the wrap is 6-base (seems more like 8), it protects your eyes with gogglelike aplomb. The nonpolarized CR-39 lens with gray base tint is tapered—that is, thinner to the sides of the optical center (see “Optical Clarity” in our handy Glossary). It’s not a lens for super rough stuff, but my, is it at once sharp and restful. But the real reason you want Tron is for its frame detailing—namely, gala side temples, huge and louvered, and outrageously decorated. Mine was black with a splatter paint job, but behold here Tron in pink. And then some. $125. Buy it: Free Shipping at Zappos

Click here for tips on buying the right shades for summer beachgoing.
If your beachgoing sojourns might include stints of sailfishing off Isla Mujeres, Hammerhead is for you. Costa is all-polarized, all the time, and they’ve got that act down very well. Hammerhead is a supreme tamer of glare. Especially in our test shade, featuring Costa’s premium 580 glass lenses in a soothing yet thrillingly crisp gray base tint. The “580” stands for the ability of the Rx-able multicoated glass to block annoying yellow light around the 580-nanometer wavelength. Not that you’d know it per se, but you do know that colors appear saturated and the eye just plain feels good looking through. The shiny wrapped 8-base frame has beefy temples for side protection and spring hinges for rough-stuff durability. I could wish for an adjustable nosepiece or at least some nonslip features, but I couldn’t wish for better glass. $149 from Frames Direct: Click here for free shipping.

Strong, unobstructed sun. Absolute need to look very, very good. Glare everywhere. Heavenly bodies to ogle surreptitiously. No question: You need shades that protect and defend. But there’s more to the story. Maybe you haven’t exactly been pumping iron. Maybe you’re looking a little pasty. No worries: Spiff shades will carry the day, kick-start the chat-up, set the mojo in motion. From either side, the world looks better through great sunglasses.

Here’s what to look for:

• 100 percent UVA and UVB protection. For sure. No compromises. All the shades I review have it.
• A bit of wrap to prevent assaults on your vulnerable flanks. Look for 6-base or 8-base wrap.
• Plastic frame. However the maker slices it—nylon, Grilamid TR 90, zyl, whatever—the beach isn’t the place for spindly metal. The downside: You have to hope the frames nose bridge dances with your own. Nonslip rubber inserts help.
• Broad temples. You get strength and side protection, plus they happen to be in fashion. The poindexter look is very out this summer.
• Visible light transmission (VLT)—something in the 10 to 20 percent range is good. Any lighter and you’ll head home by noon wearing a permasquint.
• Polarization. Not mandatory, but what if you’re trying to watch Kelly Slater or Malia Jones navigate the curl? I’d opt for taming whatever glare gets between you and them.
• Hydrophobic coating. Also known as oleophobic coating. Nice to have: Water, sweat, and Bullfrog run right off your lenses, leaving no trail of tears to stain the view.
• Plastic or glass lenses? Either way, unless you play a lot of beach volleyball or you suck at catching a Frisbee. Then it’s polycarbonate for sure. Just be sure to rinse the grit off before you wipe crusty lenses.
• Gray/green or brown/copper base tint. Either way. My cheat sheet: Gray or green makes you utter a blissful “Ahhh…” Brown/copper elicits a “Wow!”
• Big lenses. Happily, these too are in fashion. Lots of pro.

Not much more to it than that. Now it’s a matter of selection. You can’t miss with any of these top choices for summer 2008.

Kaenon lenses are impeccable in any tint. They’re fashioned from a proprietary plastic called SR 91 that rivals glass for clarity, yet passes impact tests with polycarbonate-style flying colors. These happen to be an oh-so soothing gray that let in 12 percent light. Polarized? Kaenon is all polarized, all the time, a certified hydrophobe, and antireflective. Baton has a frame that begs to be fondled. Clear on the inside, a nifty wood-grain exterior that they call Ocean Reef. See that side logo? It’s screwed into the frame—nice bit of detailing, as are inset nonslip rubber bits where frame meets nose. Baton is beefy yet sleek, an 8-base wrap styled to suit normal-sized faces. You can’t look bad in unisex Baton. Comes with a bomber case and lens-cloth bag. $209. Buy it: Free Shipping at Zappos

See the logo on the temple? Hijinx belongs to Oakley’s Square O collection, the fashion-forward arm of the outfit so associated with sports optics. You still get the best of that world, starting with shatterproof lenses (Plutonite, Oakley’s proprietary polycarbonate kin) that rank with the best in the world for optical acuity. Others might match Oakley from time to time, but Oakley’s lenses are consistently brilliant. They do the QC to make sure that’s so. I went with gray polarized for my black-frame Hijinx. Gray often provides a flat view, but Oakley’s gray pops, reveals brilliant detail, and is restful to the eye; 10 percent light transmission is just right. They’re also hard-coated and hydrophobic. You gotta love that little “Polarized” etching in the corner, which is like “Your Ad Here”—the Big O will etch your own inscription for $20. As I said, cool shades can kick-start conversation. The swarthy frame is stylishly large and indestructo. $160. Buy it: Free Shipping at Zappos

The large, very masculine Embargo was issued to me in the leopardlike Havana frame with a polarized brown lens (14 percent VLT), and I wouldn’t have it any other way. (Though you’ve got lots of frame and lens options.) The 8-base wrapped frame is superthick at the corners of your eyes for max pro against sidelighting. Smith works wonders with lenses. These issue the expected “Wow,” but with a small side order of “Ahh.” Clarity is excellent—Smith tapers its lenses for impeccable resolution. Every detail at the beach will pop, even as the sun sinks slowly in whatever direction it’s going. $119. Buy it: framesdirect.com.

Wiley, you rascal! You’re so well known for extreme-conditions sunglasses (war zones, NASCAR, bass fishing). Now you’ve gone stylish on us, with no sacrifice in quality. Nice broad temples have tons of attitudinous wrap and a narrowish cut that suits every sex I can think of. The lenses, smoke or copper, are impactproof polycarbonate—that’s Wiley X’s deal—and swallow 80 percent of visible light. Optics? Quite decent. Nonpolarized, but look at that price. Also give Wiley X credit for the extras: rigid case, lens cloth, and lanyard. $100. Buy it: Free Shipping at Zappos
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