Oakley's (I know, not another thread)

knivesandguns

knivesandguns

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Mar 6, 2008
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I've searched. Yes I have. ;)

So... I've been thinking about getting a pair of prescription sunglasses--just wanted to hear your opinions on Oakleys. I've been looking at their Flak Jacket XLJ's because they are similar in shape and form to my existing glasses that I wear everyday.

I've been using polarized clip-ons that work, but I've been wanting to get something stylish and a little more lightweight when I'm hucking off the jumps on my mountain bike, and just daily activities in the summer like driving.

Couple questions:

Polarized: Is it a must? I picked up some clipons that are polarized for like $15, so why does Oakley charge like $25 extra for that option?

Do they scratch easily: both the lenses and the frames--how do they hold up. I'm not one to abuse my gear at all, just thought I'd ask.

Warranty: what happens if I put them on my face and they break? Or if screws fall out? etc.

Better brands that are prescription for the price: not really looked around at other brands, just Oakleys, but thought I'd ask.

I do want the "hydrophobic" coating on my glasses (Flak jackets have them) since Oregon is wet most of the year.


Ok I'll stop yakkin', I'll listen to you guys now :thumbup:
 
If you are looking for something for rough activities, like mountain biking, try a company that is more focused on that area, like Rudy Project. I love my Oakleys for driving and their optics are about as good as they get (watch their laser through the lens videos sometime), but I prefer other designs and materials for mountain biking and such. I personally use some Smith Slider sunglasses (District IIs) for mountain biking since switching out lenses is super easy and they can quickly adapt to different lighting conditions. I do not know if Smith does prescription Slider lenses though...

To answer your other questions, polarized cuts down on glare, so there is not really any good reason NOT to get it, other than cost. Polarization does not affect optical clarity as far as I can tell. I don't think it makes much of a difference in mountain biking, but polarization makes a HUGE difference for me with anything on the water, driving, etc. where there is a lot of reflection and glare.

Pretty much any of the $100+ glasses will be plenty durable as long as you exercise reasonable care. I have had a pair of Oakley Straight Wires for several years now, and have zero scratches on the frames or lenses. Same goes for the Smiths. I do take pretty good care of my gear though.

As far as warranties, I can't really speak to that. The only pair of decent sunglasses I have ever had break were a pair of Smiths that my brother demolished while he was using them. :rolleyes:
 
Thank you for taking the time to reply Storl. I'll take a look at Rudy project.

Just thinking out loud--I have never really wanted to get contacts, maybe I should though to avoid the costs of Rxing lenses? They seem so annoying though, ugh decisions decisions.
 
Personally I don't like the idea of contacts in the outdoors. Too much potential for them falling out, and at the worst possible time. Imagine taking a spill, one of your contacts falls out, and you can't see how to get out of the hole or how badly you're bleeding.

Not to mention that your hands won't exactly be clean if you need to adjust them, etc. etc. Better to stick with Rx lenses. JMO of course.


knivesandguns said:
Polarized: Is it a must? I picked up some clipons that are polarized for like $15, so why does Oakley charge like $25 extra for that option?
Click to expand...
Because they can. :p
More seriously, there is a big difference between straight polarized, and high quality polarized. Quality polarized lenses have better light transmission, less distortion, better color accuracy and better overall polarization.

If you take the example of polarized filters for cameras, you could get a Hoya for maybe $50, while some people will pay $100 for a B+W. Some people can not tell the difference between the two, and those people should buy the Hoya and be happy. Others will look and see better color, less light loss, etc. from the B+W and they need to spend the extra $50 to remain sane.

Same goes for sunglasses; some people won't be able to tell the difference, and for those people it makes very little sense to spend an extra hundred for Oakleys when something else would work fine.

As far as quality, in my opinion it doesn't get much better than Oakley. Yes, they are overpriced, yes completely to them being overhyped. But the fact remains that they are extremely high quality, have almost no distortion, protect your eyes in impacts, etc. etc. The list of little features that they offer that most people don't even think about is quite long, but all those features really add up.

I haven't been impressed by Rudy Project. I'm not the expert on them, I just haven't been impressed. Also for what it's worth, Oakleys are made in the States; for me that matters, for some it might not.

Warranty on Oakleys isn't what it used to be. They used to take their lifetime warranty seriously, apparently these days it's a good one year warranty, but after that you're mostly SOL.
 
bobofish said:
Personally I don't like the idea of contacts in the outdoors. Too much potential for them falling out, and at the worst possible time. Imagine taking a spill, one of your contacts falls out, and you can't see how to get out of the hole or how badly you're bleeding.

Not to mention that your hands won't exactly be clean if you need to adjust them, etc. etc. Better to stick with Rx lenses. JMO of course.
Click to expand...

I've worn contacts for almost 20 years and having one fall out is really a very, very small chance. In fact, I don't think I've every had any fall out. I have had them "move" around and get lost, which can make you totally mad trying to determine where it is exactly on the eye.

You can adjust them without actually coming in contact with you eye, just keep the lid closed, but it is more efficient if you actually touch the contact.

From my experience with glasses and contacts, I think you would have a better chance of breaking a set of glasses then having a contact fall out w/mountain biking.
 
I've worn prescription Oakley's for several years. Mine are regular eyeglasses, not sunglasses. I love them. Best glasses I've ever worn in 30 years. Very durable. Stay on my head & face much better than other glasses. You can't go wrong IMO with Oakley's.

AJ
 
I haven't had a contact fall out accidentally either. I'd say the chances of busting a pair of prescrip glasses in the field is a lot greater. However, I have had stuff (like a small insect or a spash of mud) irritate my contact really bad. When that happens, yes, you would need to wash your hands and remove the contact in order to rub/rinse with the saline solution.

On the subject of Oakleys, wonderful sunglasses! I love mine. When indoors I put them on the bill of my cap like a baseball outfielder and they STAY PUT. Other glasses fall off or rub the back of your ears so bad it's better just to take them all the way off (usually resulting in losing them or getting them all scratched up). The optical quality is great. They scratch easily which is why I have a "grunge" set of lenses specifically for wearing to work. Vacations and special occasions and my ice lenses go back in. Mine is the half jacket model, BTW, but I think there's other models with interchangeable lenses also.

Yep they're expensive. But I also think they're a great value for what you are getting. Take care of them and after a decade of faithful service, you can divide up the cost over the years and realize you got a bargain. Cheers.
 
Thanks for the replies folks.

So do typically all sunglasses "scratch" easily? Poor coating on the lenses for the Oakleys?

The more I thought about it, I'm going with contacts--too much hassle.
 
I wore Oakley prescription shooting glasses playing airsoft for several years. Had no problems with bb hits, no scratches, and generally held up well. Also tested the skiing goggles, and they not only stopped the bb without a scratch, they actually dissolved the damn thing. The only thing left was a smear of resin on the lens.
 
Oakley Monster Dog are the coolest sunglasses. I find no reason to buy any else. That's just me of course :-).
 
i like polarized, but i know some friends who have tried my polarized oakleys and found that the polarization makes them dizzy or feel uncomfortable. i'm not sure why.

i hear that pilots aren't supposed to wear polarized sunglasses while in flight though because the (anti-glare?) coating on the flight instrument panels aren't readable with polarized sunglasses on. i don't have any experience with that, but it makes sense if you know how polarization works and you consider that the polarity of the sunglasses might not match the polarity of the instrument panels.

i've noticed a similar effect when driving though: when i wear my polarized oakleys, i can't read the radio LCD screen. also, the LCD screen on my motorola handheld FRS walkie gets distorted. so if you plan on needing to look at any LCD screens while wearing the polarized sunglasses, i'd give it a second thought.

on another note though, i've had no problems with colour LCD screens like on my garmin gps or my laptop.
 
I'm not a fan of contacts since I could never find a pair that was comfortable for me to wear for 8 hours. I've tried everything from the one day disposables to the newer Acuvue Oasys with no luck. I've gone back to wearing just glasses.

I just ordered a pair of Oakley prescription glasses. I have not received them yet. I plan on ordering a pair of prescription sunglasses as well but I haven't decided on the style. I've owned a pair of polarized Oakley sunglasses for about 4 years. They have been the best sunglass purchase that I have made.

If you're LEO or military check out the Oakley discount website:

www.usstandardissue.com
 
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