Leech X2 Dusk polarised sunglasses review - £84.99 here in the UK

Back in June I wrote a blog post about some cheaper polarised sunglasses I have been trying out - let’s call them sunnies here - and I am really glad to see the very nice people at Chesil Bait’n’Tackle are now starting to stock the Leech brand I was on about. I am even more pleased to see that the Leech Moonstone Orange sunnies I really like are being sold for the almost ridiculous price of £24.99. Please note that none of these links are affiliate links because I don’t have anything set up with Chesil Bait’n’Tackle, but this doesn’t matter one bit. They are some thoroughly good people, and the more I see of the Leech brand of sunnies, the more impressed I am……….

It’s a big thanks to the bloke who is now bringing Leech sunnies into the UK for getting me access to a pair of their sunnies which I was really interested to try out from day one of finding out about this brand - the Leech X2 Dusk sunnies. The very expensive but seriously lovely 580G Green Mirror lenses from Costa del Mar are my favourite polarised lenses in bright sunny conditions especially, but let’s be honest here and think about our weather here in the UK and Ireland together with the fishing that many of us do and also when we actually do it. Big blue sky days are not exactly the norm, and I would argue that as stunning as the very expensive 508G Green Mirror lenses are, are they the most suitable polarised lenses for light conditions which are often rather changeable? From bright and blue to overcast to harsh to low light to drizzle and everything in between is how I would classify a lot of the light we get when we go fishing, and because I do like wearing sunnies which cut out as much glare from the top of the water as possible I want to wear them as much as possible.

So why not think about a pair of sunnies fitted with lenses that are well suited to our ever-changing weather? I reviewed the (not cheap) Sunrise Silver Mirror lenses from Costa del Mar a few years ago, and I really like them, but for a lot less money I will genuinely take these Leech X2 sunnies with what they call their “Dusk” lenses instead. Bloody hell these things are good, and the actual lenses aside I really like the Leech X2 frame and how it works well with a big wide head like mine. I am also trying out a pair of the Leech X2 “Water” sunnies which have a lovely sort of warm up/copper type lens which reminds me very much of the Costa ones I really like, but more about them another time. Let’s talk more about these sub-£100 X2 Dusk sunnies which I presume are a bit cheaper than say the mirrored “Water” version because of exactly that - these Dusk ones aren’t mirrored.

Any sunnies I have worn which purport to be really good for early and late in the day plus overcast conditions and so on tend to have a fairly strong sort of yellowish boost type of colour to the lens. Instead of trying to bring very bright and harsh light down a bit, I am assuming that the high contrast yellowish boost feel to these types of lenses are designed to help boost any available light to your eyes. I still want these lenses to be polarised though, but I don’t want them to be so damn yellow and ridiculously high contrast that my eyes can’t get used to them. For sure a pair of sunnies such as these Leech X2 Dusk are a bit different to wear compared to your more usual copper or grey based sunnies which a lot of us are used to, but five minutes after putting these Dusk ones on and they feel very normal - nice and bright and high contrast, they are working just fine as polarised lenses albeit I am not exactly sight-fishing for bass, and I really like how these Dusk lens make as much as possible of lower light situations.

I like my sunnies to be of the wraparound variety, but not all are born equal. I am happy to report that the Leech X2 frames are very good - very lightweight, very comfortable, and although I need a lot more time with their sunnies, I can’t see any obvious weaknesses. The only slight niggle I can find is that compared to my beloved Permit frames from Costa del Mar, if it’s hot and a bit muggy and I’ve walked a fair way whilst wearing these Leech X2 frames right up tight against my face then without a doubt they fog up a bit more than those Permit ones which I know so well. It’s easily solved by making sure you aren’t wearing the X2 frames right up against your face - leave a little gap basically - but it’s something I have noticed which might not actually flag up for you if you don’t have a great big head like me or you don’t get nice and sweaty on a good long walk etc.

Gotta love a decent case and cleaning cloth

These are some serious sunnies and I really like them, to the point in fact that as polarised sunglasses for much of the fishing and guiding which I might do here in northern Europe, I happen to think these Dusk lenses on the Leech X2 frames are pretty much ideal. For sure I will turn to my more usual copper based, warm-up sunnies if I am out and about and I know I am in for a big blue sky day, but as for a pair of sunnies which now permanently live in my waterproof rucksack because they are so damn useful in so many different light conditions? It’s these sub-£100 Leech X2 Dusk sunnies now, and yes, they are also very nice indeed in much brighter conditions if you give yourself a bit of time to get used to them. I know that £84.99 is still a good wedge of cash to spend on a pair of sunglasses, but a lot of us have dropped a lot more than this. I consider a good pair of polarised sunnies to be a vital part of my fishing, so it’s some buzz to find a pair as good as these Leech X2 Dusk ones for under £100 here in the UK. You all have a good weekend and enjoy the third Lions Test match if like me you have been bricking yourself about it all week. Can we do it?

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