Oakleys shattering?

[MountainandRoad]

One of our members wrote that her Oakleys had shattered in an accident, leaving shards of lens embedded in her face, and that the paramedics told her that Oakleys were notorious for shattering. I wanted to find out myself about this because I need glasses, so I wrote that I would write Oakley and see what they said. Here is what their customer service person wrote me back:

"I receive hundreds of emails from military members thanking Oakley for protecting their eyes from shrapnel from improvised explosive devices. Oakley lenses are impact resistant and don't shatter. Perhaps the paramedics saw some counterfeit Oakley's."
Sincerely,

[bcipam]

Actually I have to agree with Oakley's response. Their glasses are well worth the money and the lenses are guaranteed to be shatter proof. And there are alot of counterfeit Oakley's out there which is one reason why Oakley spends alot of money each year litigating against the counterfeiters. MAke sure if you buy Oakleys they are real. If they are cheap - they aren't Oakleys. If you buy them at a swap meet they aren't Oakleys. If they are sold in a drug store they aren't Oakleys. Oakleys are only sold through Oakley stores and high end sunglass/optical stores.

If your friends had shards of glass embedded in her face she must have had one hell of an accident... I wish her well.

[massbikebabe]

I've had several pairs of Oakleys and have nothing but bad luck. The darn lenses always pop out on me. They are very good about replacing them for me. On my bike I have switched to Tofosi, they are cheap, give you 3 pairs of lenses, and I've never had a problem.


karen
practicing snow angels in shades

[caligurl]

bike stores sell real oakley's too!

i love my oakleys.. clearest optics around! and i've read that they are shatterproof.. thus safe!

[DeniseGoldberg]

I wear Smith sunglasses, which are another good option for folks for whom Oakleys don't work. They also have shatterproof lenses - which I can vouch for since my sunglasses apparently had a severe encounter with the pavement when I crashed (wow, a year and a half ago!) based on the bruise on the bridge of my nose. The lenses weren't even scratched.

--- Denise

[Blueberry]

Are Native Sunglasses. They have an anti-ocular intrusion system that is supposed to keep the lenses from hitting you if you have an accident. I've fallen on my face (not biking related, don't ask) and they did NOT shatter.

What's really neat about Natives is the lifetime warranty. You pay $20 and they send you new sunglasses if you scratch/step on/wreck in them. I've taken them up on it once already

Carrie Anne (just a loyal customer...)

[bcipam]

bike stores sell real oakley's too!

i love my oakleys.. clearest optics around! and i've read that they are shatterproof.. thus safe!

Yes reputable bike and outdoor gear stores should also carry Oakleys. I love mine (have several different kinds). I have tried Smith's and other brands and find them nice as well, but love the fit of my Oakleys anmd love the fact if a lens does get scratch ( and eventually it will) it's easily replaced. And the clarity of the lense is awesome. I've not heard there is a shattering problem but you can probably google around ot see if there are any reports if that is a concern.

PS - with the lenses popping out - I had that problem as well but it was because I didn't put them in right. Since I've learned, no problems. There is a technique.

[Eden]

I've had several pairs of Oakleys and have nothing but bad luck. The darn lenses always pop out on me.

maybe a little OT, but if the lenses pop out that can be dangerous too - reminds me of a story my dad told me. When he was a kid and shatter proof glass was fairly new he used to play baseball with a kid who wore glasses. He hit the poor kid (not intentionally of course!) with a line drive right in the face - his glasses did not shatter, but the lenses popped out and cut his face neatly in the shape of each lens....

[massbikebabe]

Yeah,

I had two pair of the kind they called Frogskins. Neither had changeable lenses. I would just be riding along and the lense they came with would pop out. Kinda of a pain in the butt when you are on a long ride and have not packed a second pair of sunglasses. I was really disappointed in them because so many of my friends had raved about them, so I went out and bought some and then had all the trouble. I finally switched to Tofosi, and have been really happy with them. My husband and son still use Oakley, and have been really happy with them.

karen

[DirtDiva]

I hate sunglass shopping! I wear sunnies all the time, but it's so hard to find anything that doesn't sit too high on my nose and let masses of light in the bottom or sit too close to my face and rub against my eyelashes (maddening sensation). Oakleys tend to be guilty on both counts. Nike and Adidas seem to consistently fit well, but it sure would be nice if they were cheaper - my current pair are in dire need of replacement and I just don't have a spare NZ$200/£80 at present.

[Technotart]

Honestly all the medics I know (and I know many!) wear nothing BUT Oakley! I did ask around and none of them had ever heard of them shattering.

One did say that there are a lot of bootleg Oakleys out there and THOSE might shatter but that he personally had never seen or heard of a pair of Oakleys shatter.

So - if you buy Oakleys - or any other "branded" sunglass for that matter - be sure you are getting the real thing. The only way to do that is to check with the manufacturer to be sure the dealer is an authorized dealer.

I bought my Oakleys at an optical shop with Rx lenses - the reason I chose them over the other brands is that the RX lenses extend all the way to the full width of the lens. Most others have a sub lens or the Rx is only in the middle of the lens.

[Eden]

I bought my Oakleys at an optical shop with Rx lenses - the reason I chose them over the other brands is that the RX lenses extend all the way to the full width of the lens. Most others have a sub lens or the Rx is only in the middle of the lens.

I have Columbia Sports for the same reason. I need RX lenses, but didn't want the clip in style that many use. I found several brands have at least one style that lets you put in RX lenses, but I have a small narrow face and the optician had a hard time finding a pair that were wrap around that were narrow enough for me. I really wanted Rudy's but he said that even their version for small faces was going to be a bit too big for me, bummer.