Being a 20 year die hard Oakley collector I sadly have to completely agree with you. Lux has gutted Oakley and they are a shell of what they used to be. I stopped collecting when Jim sold the company.

A video with better alternatives to popular Oakleys would be awesome!

This is true. I just returned a pair of Oakley Bottle Rockets because they felt super-cheap. I miss my old Oakley Tapers.

I'm a huge Oakley fan but like you said the plastic ones do feel cheap that's why I like to stick to their metal ones they're heavier and they feel like better quality like the Oakley Holbrook metal frame edition those feel expensive also they just came out with the Ahyris collection those are all made with titanium and steel

I'm still rocking my X metal Pennies from 2001. I missed those Oakley days. I have a pair of Alphas but I wish they had at least a little customization in terms of fitment. For that price you would expect it.

I just bought a pair of Holbrook Rx with photocromatic, iridium coated prescription lenses for my everything glasses. They seem to be well made and the digital lenses are amazing.

My first $100+ sunglasses are Oakley an I honestly just went for them because of the name. My dad was always an Oakley fan and that was enough for me to spend the money. Lenses are absolute game changers, yet the frames are creaky. Still happy with my purchase but for 200 they could be better.

I have My Oakleys I got in 2004 and they are awesome and you can definitely see the quality difference. I can rip the 2004 glasses apart and they go right back together, the new ones not so much.

Appreciate your opinion but disagree. Being in the military I cant say enough about both the ballistic lenses that can save a life, as well as the Prizm tech. Your can get other glasses that can stop a bullet but Oakley tests products around the clock and the ballistic specs meet military requirements which are more stringent than civilian. The Prizm tech is far greater than any other sunglasses I've tried included all the top brands. The dyes they use create specific filters depending on the environment which for military among other fields is incredible important for clarity. Do they make X-metals anymore no, but they are lighter, more comfortable to wear, they don't slip off easily and have hundreds of styles to choose from. I have yet to try on a pair of Ray bans or Maui's where the Prizm tech polarizations cant meet or exceed. Just my 2 cents to respond to the video, that's all.

I got a pair of Holbrook XL Woodgrain textured, wanted something more 'contemporary' and comfortable, wasn't big on the athletics other than maybe trail hiking etc. I do agree that the frames for the most part do kind of feel pretty standard plastic (especially the typical matte black pairs that have no texture). And for frames alone I wouldn't want to pay retail. What I did buy them for was their selection of Prizm lenses with my preference being towards the rose bases, so Prizm Shallow Water Polarized, Prizm Trail, Prizm Daily Polarized. So in that respect the only thing I feel worth getting the Oakley for are their Prizm selection and wouldn't bother buying a frame if it didn't come with least something of that lens line. PS: Noticing that the newest stuff particularly the metal ones like Savitar, Ejector, Wire Tap 2.0 etc that came out this year now say "CHINA" on the side, particularly boldly on the Savitar, with the slightly older Holbrook XL saying "USA Assembled" (so... overseas parts, and just snapped together in the US?). Nutshell : I really really like their "Prizm" lens offerings, and that's probably the only thing worth closer to the cost for moderns especially if the manufacturing of them remain consistent.

I have been wearing Oakley for about 30 years now, while I have questioned some of their latest design cues I still believe their lenses are some of the best on the market. I have converted so many people, the contrast is unbelievable and the protection they offer (SI Ballistic range, even everyday wear). I usually buy on average a pair a year. I do a lot of cycling and the lenses have saved my eyes from rocks and large insects so many times. I’m sure the lens would have cracked or the rock gone through with other glasses. I also Ski a lot and their googles are just amazing! Ok I am a long time fan so I’m a little biased but I have tried so many other brands and I have never found that level of comfort (fit and sun protection). Their RX sunglasses are probably the best out there. The clarity and contrast I get with mine are unbelievable. I agree the Luxottica politics suck and I know someone who worked in one of their Italian factories, they treated employees like crap and the health issues for the products used has had consequences on that persons health. The latest designs are a little too main stream unfortunately but luckily not all of them and I haven’t run into any build quality issues yet . At the end of the day it is up to personal taste, preference and budget. Having bought sunglasses for my kids Ray Ban and Julbo (90EUR-100 EUR for kids sunglasses) I don’t find Oakley over expensive (except for some models). Most of my models are made or assembled in the US. Hope they keep it up. I wish they have a better spare parts catalogue too. I have about 30 pairs from the 90’s to nowadays and it would be good too find parts (nosepieces, ear-socks…). I wish Luxottica would give Oakley more freedom on designs (wishlist respecting a budget as at the end of the day it’s all about $).

I'm trying to find a decent pair of oakleys at the moment And Im with you on the design there not like they used to be theys Oakley Square Wire will be my last Sunglasses with them sadly

I had some Plaintiffs and one of the screws fell out. Asked Oakley if I could buy some replacement screws. It was pretty much "lolno we'll you sell you a different pair at a slightly reduced price." Pretty much bailed on the company at that point.

I've noticed the build is off too, almost all my Oakley's were built in America. My Twoface and Tincan are made in China, but the quality build is not there. I ended up bending and replacing my Tincans, my Inmates(bought in 2009) however seem to be a much stronger alloy and haven't shown any rust or bending.

I switched from Ray Ban to Oakley for the exact point you motioned, Ray Bans break and I have a pair of Holbrook XL's from 2012 that are still holding up along with 4 other Holbrook pairs. I've also bought Oakley Snowboarding goggles and out of all the dozens of pairs I've tried, the Oakley's are by far the most durable/better fitting. sucks that now they are made in China but so are iPhones and most phones and pretty much 80% of things are made in China...

Agreed I still wear them many Flak Jacket 2.0 while in the military the Standard Issue line is a great deal. Now I sport Halbrooks I like the Metal and Poly combo, wish they were still US made but they hold uo well and have bent to many wire frame aviator types to spend that much one them.

Their sport glasses are still good. However I agree with you regarding their lifestyle glasses.

Prizm lens has flares effect, and the polarized version even more.

Always been an Oakley fan, but prefer the classics. My Juliet & Crosshair Ducati are the favorites in my collection but I still rock my XX ( Twenty ) from '99, A-Wire and Splice. Great quality.

As someone who worked for them for a few years, every time you said "a big blow to Luxottica" it made me smile. This is a company that seriously doesn't care about their employees, their products, and, despite the facade, they don't care about their customers.

Which are the better brands?

Definetly you are right! I have some different pairs of Oakley. The old ones, and some new ones. The last one I bought its the Oakley Clifden its on the way to be delivery to me. But yeah, unfortunately they dont have more the x-metal which were hard and well made, some others too the lenses were tought, now I have some Holbrooks which the lenses are so bad that seems to be fake sunglasses lenses. That's terrible. Even my wallet from Oakley is endind, I left a few time on the drawer and start to peeling off the leather... what a shame!

I agree with your video. Use to be great when I bought the romeo and romeo 2.0, now it seems like the unique factor is gone. It's a shame.

They still make a lot of their glasses in the US, and in fact they are planning to expand their already very big manufacturing plant in California. So maybe all is not lost. And their prescription lenses are friggin' awesome - super-precision lens grinding.

Thanks for this.

My oakley oil rigs from 2011 lasted until I sold them last year as I needed money for bills. I have some holbrooks from 2018 I found but I’m really looking at some wayfarers.

impressive research where do you find this information

These new Terrigal frames have really caught my eye. Not a sunglasses kind of guy, don't know a whole lot, but I've never seen anything like them before.

Every single of my Oakley sunglasses had problems with the lenses. The protective film(s) begin to bubble and peel after a few years. Very unhappy with the lens.

I bought a pair of Oakley split shot in the clear water prizm lens feel cheap and they can't compare to my Costa Diego with the green inshore 580g lens but I like my fuel cell in the deep water prizm lens

If you had to recommend a pair, which one would it be, both pre and post Lux? Do some of their carbon frame sunglasses still feature some degree of quality?

I wish they didn’t get rid of the Jupiter squared. Those were nice sunglasses

Man i miss my og wiretap...lost them in high school😢

Specifically, would you say their prizm lenses separates them from the rest of all the other big brands, or are they the same

I have a sunglass hut and an Oakley store in the same outlet near me

I have a pair of Tightropes that my friend gave me. They are crooked as hell but they're cool

I had a pair of Oakley t wires when they first came out and they were great. I think after that, they went downhill. I wouldn't buy another pair now. The Chinese are the worlds best at making cheap rubbish. Regardless of the name on the product.

Spy Helm 2 is my pick

Totally agree with you. Oakley has reduced dramatically the quality of their sunglasses. My Last three sunglasses have been replaced by quality issues. Additionally, they're producing sunglasses with frequently encountered designs in other brands. Now, they don't nothing similar to Juliet, for example.

I have my first ever pair of Oakley XX sunglasses, the rubber edges and tips have worn down but the lens are in good quality despite being simple. Since that time I own the Gascan, Flak, Oilrig and Frogskins...all are still made in the USA and are great but have noticed that they make more and more overseas now which is a real shame. To be honest any time a company needs to scale or grow they can't seem to maintain the quality, in the case of Oakley I wouldn't knock the "plastic" too much, I mean look at a brand like Maui Jim which is either made in Italy or Japan and it's flimsy as hell but the lens are good, I would argue the same logic applies to Oakley, maybe the frames could be better but the lens and the quality there depending on the model is still high.

I've been wearing the same pair of Radar EV's for 3 seasons of baseball.They've had ground balls come up and hit them, they've been knocked off, and they've been thrown around quite a bit. And they're still in pretty decent condition, i did have to replace the lenses after being hit by a baseball a few times but the frames are still going strong.

I would love for Oakley to re-release the x metal Juliet’s and Romeo’s. I lost my x metals in a car fire. I still have the half x. Have you ever owned any of the x metals? If so what’s your thoughts

I have prescription lenses inside of XLJ frames. The edges of the lenses break and the glasses become useless. Been through 3 pairs.

What durable glasses do you recommend???

This price comes from the lenses correct?

I still buy Oakley. I like the Flak 1.0 - 2.0 because they're light and all day comfort. Also like the prizm polarized lenses. My first pair the lenses started peeling after about 5 years but this pair of frames allows for switching out lenses. I just bought my son a pair of Flak 2.0 and so far he loves them. I also bought a pair of "Portal" from Oakley. They are large lenses but top notch quality. I love Oakley unobtainium and O-matter tech. Helps keep glasses from sliding off your face when you sweat. Stays tacky for nice grip. I love both pairs and am very satisfied with purchase.

Thank YOU FOR MAKING THIS VIDEO IT NEEDED TO BE MADE WE NEED PEOPLE LIKE YOU TO KEEP THESE COMPNAYS IN CHECK

I had an 2 oakleys and on both the film on the lens started coming off 😳😳😳

Oakley still has How do the lenses peel off?

Whats your best sunglasses company

Well said well said. I was a huge Oakley fan. Now I'm just kind of like I don't know but I still like the brand somewhat. I was a little sad they stopped making the watches being made. Not the same quality sunglasses that used to be. The prices can be too high for what they are.

I’ve been collecting Frogskins for years and I can’t recommend enough that you budget for a pair of Revent Elite lenses for your Frogskins because they’re way better than the ones that come in them.

Same here. All my oakleys were made in usa. Now I’m just turned off to the brand.

How about the quality of the batwolf? I'm owning a pair of Maui Jim canoes now and these are pretty epic. I'm looking at the batwolf as they seem decent and I really like the one-piece glass.

what specific model is that in the middle?

REKS is my go-to brand new. Good quality and reasonable pricing.

I just bout a pair of sliver xl in gray or clear. With blue lenses. Awesome 😎 50% off

People say the same thing when Costa del mar moved to LUX. They are still good glasses

This video is very missleading.... You are correct, Oakley has outsourced some of their lineups to China such as the T-wire frames and a few others. But Most of their product is still being Hand made in the U.S.A which is amazing.

I will say that Oakley prizm polarization is top notch for the price. Hard to compare to maoi Jim's but still damn good

Are the Oakley clifden made in the USA ?

Thank you for the info, not buying these sad 😢

Huge difference in quality in the last 3 years! They feel like cheap drug store sunglasses now!

In Milan where I was last week (August 2022) no-one was wearing Oakley glasses; people wore Ray Bans, or high designers like Prada, Gucci, Armani and so on. Oakley are sports glasses mainly now, and made in China mostly. If you want style, get RB/Prada/Armani/Gucci and so on. If you play sports and need glasses, buy Oakley.

Nice thanks

Hi. Do you have any insight on the Crossrange "R" (round) of oakley? I would very much like to hear it. Thnk you..

What’s your opinion on the portal just paid a 100 bucks for them there in the mail

I have 7 pairs of oakleys, fortunately all usa made...

The second pair to your right with the blue lens on the stand. What’s the name of that color lens? I bought a pair just like that a few years ago and the guy at Oakley said, they discontinued that particular lens so I bought them (my favorite lens on Oakley). I recently lost my pair and I need to find out where I can possibly purchase them again. I looked everywhere and they don’t have that particular one. Help buddy. Lol

True, a bad move for sure, but they are still designed in the USA and the military line (SI) is still manufatured in USA. You pick designs that really don't have much to offer, it's a different story in the sports glasses world (cycling especially) where Oakley still sets the bar IMO with some amazing new designs like the Flight Jacket. As for the quality, I don't agree - if you feel some of the ZERO frames from 1990's the plastic can feel chaeper than the stuff from today, also it seems they improved the composition of the UNOBTANIUM that used to degrade and get sticky over time. I personally think the new rubber is more durable, maybe a tiny bit less grippy though.

Im so fortunate to own some vintage x metal oakleys from the late 90s and early 2000s. I miss MADE IN USA oakleys

Hey, quick question. What is the name of the third pair of sunglasses (starting from the left side)

like I get the other points but the "uninspired designs" like I mean what do you expect when you buy the uninspired designs? they have tons of really unique ones if you dont go on their looking at well the basic square frame uninspired design ones lol

I want to get some Holbrooks but dang, the plastic frames feel soooo cheap. Plus I’ve been hearing a lot about the lenses bubbling and peeling.

I probably have about 14 pairs of Oakley. I have never had any issues with them at all. But, that's just my experience.

What is your favorite brand of sport glasses ?

worked 6 years at optics a life guard show me his old holbrooks matt black with purple mirror lensses said it was heavy used for more than 4 years.The sunglasses were in consider time and use in good shape,he ask for a new ones got "Oakley" that made by Luxottica came to me after 1 year with the lensses coating start peeling.They buy and destroy many brands Oliver peoples is also on the list and you can see how quality went down from original ones made in japan than the ones made in Italy.rather get used ones than new ones.realy a shame to the industry.

That’s why u look for the vintage ones lol had my fuel cells for 4 years only thing wrong is my lenses are scratched as I work in concrete construction my fuel cells basically a tank lol

i have bought straightlinks yesterday i have a mark USA MADE in red white are mine not orginal anyone knows???

Any suggestions for Oakley Ejector alternatives in other brands?

Not mine. In 2022 I got the sutro S w prizm lenses. Straight 🔥. 180$ so good price too

Just because they produce in China nowadays just means the frames are feeling less of a quality. The lenses are still a banger! The filter isnt just printed on, its molded in the lens itself. Therefore its totaly centered, you don't get a dizzy feeling in light changing situations and they are still shrapnel proof. So maybe think twice before you belive everything said in this video.

Agree 100%.. I stop collecting Oakley.. too expensive for a low quality material they use nowadays ...

What brand would you recommend now?

Think hstn model is pretty cool 😎

For me it’s the fact that Oakley doesn’t have metal hinges that will rust or easily break. I use the Holbrook XL as my prescription transition glasses because I tend to break all my raybans right at the hinge. The rayban club masters are definitely a timeless classic that I’ll probably always deal with breaking hinges on though lol.

mine say there made in the USA is that false

Why did you pick the most boring designs for your video?

So true. Though the frame is durable, the lenses are bad, with them peeling off the iridium coating about 1-2 months after use

What are the ones you are wearing at 3:05? I like the lense color

What I did was buy glasses from a new company that was family owned! They used to own Native and then ReflecT & now they are part of the Clean Water Initiative with 4OCEAN. I wish 4OCEAN made sunglasses

Bought oakley wiretap 2.0 sunglasses. Nose pad fell off and was lost. Try finding one. Impossible. Even oakley doesn't have them. Insane! Now i have no idea what to do.

How sad, the words of JIM Jannard. Founder of Oakley inc.1975 - 2007 7/28/2016 From Jannard's Facebook: Devastated. LUX has officially dismantled everything it took decades to build. Shakes head. Rolls eyes. Deep depression. Building Oakley took inventions wrapped in art and an army of great people. It now has been reduced to a bottom line number. Sad day for me and everyone who invested their heart and soul in the "O".

Bring back the x-metal Juliets!!

So what are the brands you recommend that are better than Oakley?. I had a pair of fuel cell and gascans for like 7 years and I have to buy a new ones . But looking at the new models I felt the same you are pointing

It's the design and quality control, some of the USA made oakley feels like cheap plastic too, with a loose hinge.

What would be another brand that offer quality sunglasses for athletes?

Have you reviewed Oakley X FRAGMENT - Frogskins Titanium ???

I agree thats alot for plastic but they spend alot on research. Mine fit i cant find many brands that fit so ill pay.

Hi Shade! I'm from Brazil! Here, Luxottica produce the sunglasses of oakley here in my country... But, some of those has "made in brazil" on frame. And others have made in usa. But, comparing one to another, both are quite similar. If you know the difference of they, could you tell me?