Spyderco Forums

I'm thinking about taking the plunge and getting a nice pair of wire-framed Oakley's. Anyone here own a pair and care to give your input? Are they really worth the price?
I'm looking at two pairs in particular:
Square Wire 2.0 Spring Hinge http://oakley.com/o/o1282d
A Wire http://oakley.com/o/o1245d

Anyone have experience with those two models? I absolutely love the Juliet model but I can't justify it's price tag.

Hey afultz,

I don't own, nor have I ever tried on, those particular models that you linked to, but I do own a few pairs of Oakleys. I know they are pricey, but personally, I think they are worth the money. First off, they're great shades. Period. Second, they come standard with a lifetime warranty. You break them, you send 'em in and get a new pair. My local dealer will even let you bring broken Oakleys into his shop even if you didn't buy them from him and he will give you a new pair. I guess he has that much trust in their W&R department (kind of like Spyderco's W&R :D - they're that good).

I own the Juliets, Valves, Unknowns, and Fives. I used to have two pair of Juliets, the x metal/black iridium and the plasma/fire iridium. I ended up selling the plasma ones because I just never wore them because they were so expensive. I sold them off and got the Valves, which I pretty much wear everywhere. I keep the other Juliets for "nice" occasions, the Fives stay in my Jeep, and I wear the Unknowns for running, hiking, or anytime when my Oakleys might get beat up.

http://oakley.com/o/o1274d
http://oakley.com/o/o1235d
http://www.backcountry.com/store/OAK039 ... d=LFxsw2sL (I've got the grey ones)

Couldn't find the Valves on the Oakley site. Guess they've been dc'd along with the original Fives.

Check out ebay. You can get a pair of Juliets for the same price as what you would pay for the wires. Just make sure you check out the feedback and get pictures of the actual product. Ask questions too... are the hinges tight, is the nosepiece tight, any scratches on the lens, etc.

Good luck hunting.

:spyder:

--Edit--

I don't know if you are planning on buying online or from a brick-and-mortar, but if you order online, find a local shop and try on the pair you think you want to buy. Oakley has different styles designed for different size faces. I had really wanted a certain pair called the Plates (which are now dc'd). They looked like they would fit when I saw their picture on the website, but I went into a shop and tried them on and they were huge on my face. I looked like a goober. So I would definately try before you buy.

The one thing to bear in mind about Oakleys is that the lenses take on hairline scratches with great ease. Other than that, i've had no negative experiences with Oakleys.

I own Square Wire 2.0 polarized, Monster Dogs, and XX Metal polarized and I have had excellent service from all three pairs-no problems, superior construction, excellent optics.

I'm looking at Oakley's to use when shooting and as back-ups, primarily non-polarized Fives 2.0 and/or Gascan. Public safety employees and members of the military can get a 50% discount on certain frame styles (both O-Matter and Wire) through Oakley's Standard Issue program. I currently wear ESS ICE shooting glasses though don't like the style (i.e only wear them while shooting). For everyday and especially on the water, I wear Costa Del Mar Fathom or Swordfish. All CDMs are polarized and both the plastic and glass lenses are very scratch resistant. They are $$$ but have a great warranty program.

My head is is on the large size so I have never found a pair of Oakely's that fit.
I wear a Ray ban predators.

I have 2 pair of Magnesium M Frame Oakleys and a Pair of older "C Wire" Oakleys. The "C Wires"...... I've had for about 7 years. I've also had several other pairs of the "O Matter" M Frames..........they took a BEATING :eek: racing and playing baseball. I have nothing but good to say about Oakley. If you are also looking at various other brands, another I recommend are the "Rudy Project" sunglasses, also very good quality. Good Luck and Take Good Care.

God Bless :)


-raven-

I have one pair very similar to the square wire you reference with the spring hinge. Best eyewear I've ever owned. I run and cycle alot and they require no additional retention, very comfortable. Since my eye surgery I need to wear them when it's bright out. Before surgery I wore prescription glasses and nothing ever was as comfortable or worked as well. Not cheap, but I think you get what you pay for.

I wore Oakley sunglasses for a long time but got a small sponsorship from Spy Optics when racing mountain bikes. I've stayed fairly faithful to them since. They, like Oakelys, are very good glasses as well and I've never had a problem with any warranty or replacement from them. They have a performance line and a fashion line, so you can pick and choose if you want a certain type of eyewear.

I've got a pair of Straightjackets that I have worn practically everyday the sun has shined for the last 2-3 years. The only scratches on them are from dropping then on asphalt or worse, no lense scratches from normal wear or cleaning. Well worth the money. (the "O" has completely worn of the center nose piece though...)

I bought an Oakley e-wire on ebay a few years ago, it's a very old model. I fell in love with it when it first came out. I wear it all the time, I'm sure you won't be disappointed by Oakley. :)

I won't buy anything but Oakley. I've had such great customer service from them and have been wearing them for over 10yrs. I wear "A-wires" but I don't think that's what they were called when I got mine almost 6yrs ago. I've dropped them many times and still don't have scratches on the lenses. The only complaint I have: none. hahaha

I did have a problem with sending in a pair one time. The arm broke off so I sent them in with a check for $20 to fix them. They sent back the same pair I sent in, but w/o the arm! I called them, calmly stated what had happened, then demanded to talk to the supervisor since the first level didn't help. The supervisor was great and gave me a different address to ship them too... the new box came back with the newest model that I had sent in(which was 5yrs old at the time). Brand new glasses is what I got. Wore them for about 3yrs before I got my current set. I still wear those others when I'm working outside.

If you look at the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan most are wearing Oakelys or Gargoyles.....that should tell you something about their durability and scratch resistance. The government buys and supplies 'em in mass quantities. If you're near a base and have a friend with access, they also stock and sell them in the BX/PXs.

I have to wear scripts so I don't buy Oakelys solely for their prescription add-on cost. I stay with Serengeti or RayBans - their perscription service is less and the cost of frames is also cheaper. Serengeti vermillions are the shizz-nezz for driving or shooting and heighten the reds while watching a blazing sun sink slowly through a scattered cloudy sky into the Pacific. Beauty!!! :cool: Peepsun.com has a great lineup of sunglasses for sale at good rates........but they carry not the Oakely brand for some strange reason.

Buy what you like and can afford. The quality of the top lines is very much alike. Happy hunting..... :D




J

I have never owned Oakleys. I have heard many good things about them though. I have a couple of pair of Wiley X sunglasses with transition lenses that I like very very much!!

Ron

I've worn nothing but OAKLEY lenses for the last 11 years. Right now I have 2 pairs of Straight Jackets and one pair I believe are called the "MINUTES" which have Gold Iridium lenses which are great for glare on water. My Straight Jackets are the Polarized, Carbon Fiber frames and Blue Polymer frames with Black Iridium lenses.

I have had nothing but great performance from OAKLEY. I even suggested an OAKLEY-Spyderco collaboration of some sort over a year ago. Strange however I got a rather cold response from most on the Forum with that suggestion :confused:

Finding happiness in life has a list of ingredients. Spyderco Knives, OAKLEY Sunglasses, & Surefire Flashligts.
The Spyder bit me and I saw the light!!!!! The light was so bright I had to put on my OAKLEYS :cool: Why compromise?

I have been wearing Oakley prescription frames for years now, and I swear by them! They've been the best I've ever had, and I've seen some poor frames. The only thing that wore is the finish around the nose bridge, but no biggie.

I say go for it, IMO, you can't beat a pair of Oakleys.

JD Spydo wrote:I have had nothing but great performance from OAKLEY. I even suggested an OAKLEY-Spyderco collaboration of some sort over a year ago. Strange however I got a rather cold response from most on the Forum with that suggestion :confused:

Spydoakelys remind me of Ned Flanders and Spydercoakelys sound too much like a collaboration with the Medellin drug cartel..... :p

Oakelercos???





:D
J

JD Spydo wrote:... I even suggested an OAKLEY-Spyderco collaboration of some sort over a year ago. Strange however I got a rather cold response from most on the Forum with that suggestion :confused: ....

hhmmm... like those mp3 sunglasses, but w/ blades... interesting...

I used to own a pair of Oakley's. About 3 years ago I broke them. They were nice sunglasses. I paid about $85 for them and they lasted me about 3 years.

I don't think I will ever own another pair of Oakley's. I don't think they are worth the money. I currently have a pair of sunglasses that I paid about $6 for at a local Drug Mart. They have lasted me 3 years and they still look new. I take good care of my sunglasses.

I now feel the same about watches. I own a $300 Seiko and I've had it for about 8 years now. I will never buy another one or any watch for that kind of money. I'm leaning towards a good old $50-$80 Casio G-Shock from now on.

As I get older I no longer want to pay simply because a brand name is on a product. Knives however are another story. :D

Once you own a pair of Oakleys you will not go back to anything else. I've been wearing Oakleys for quite a few years for Mt Biking and Road Riding. The optics are second to none. The warrenty and service are also very good. The problem is finding good deals on them. Hope this helps :D