Polycarbonate
A light, shatter-resistant plastic lens material. Cheaper and tougher than glass, slightly less optically sharp.
Polycarbonate is the default lens material for affordable fishing sunglasses because it is impact resistant to the point of being effectively unbreakable, and because it weighs about half what glass does. For a lure travelling toward your face at speed, that impact resistance is not theoretical.
Glass gives better optical clarity and much better scratch resistance, at the cost of weight and the risk of shattering. Premium brands use it, and it is a genuine upgrade if you can live with the weight.
Trivex sits between the two: nearly as tough as polycarbonate with better optics, and priced accordingly.
Polycarbonate is soft, so a scratch-resistant hard coat is effectively mandatory rather than a bonus feature, and it is what separates a lens that lasts three seasons from one that goes hazy in a summer.
It also floats better than glass, which matters more than it should. A pair that goes over the side of a boat is gone either way, but polycarbonate at least gives you a second to grab it.
Polycarbonate for a first pair, for kids and for boats. Glass only if you value clarity above weight and toughness.
Related terms
Where this comes up
The guides that use polycarbonate and show it on real gear.
Polycarbonate is one of 206 terms in the glossary.
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