Oakley sunglasses - advice?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m thinking of getting some new sunglasses, and have narrowed my search down to Oakley’s “X Metal” line.

The Juliets fit my head OK, but seemed a bit small in the lenses - there was a sizeable amount of vision not covered by lens, so on to the XX. These also fit my head, and have much better lens coverage - no bright spots around the edges. The shop I was at didn’t have the Romeos, so I don’t know what they’d be like.

What concerns me, and brings me to the actual question here is the folded size of these glasses. They stay pretty dang big, and being big, may be more susceptible to damage when not on my head. I had a pair of Eye Jackets that suffered a snapped earpiece, and replacements aren’t available. Oakley is at least being good enough to give me some trade-in value even though I lost the receipt for them. The metal frames seem like they can absorb a bit of abuse - presumably they’d bend first before cracking.

So, for anyone here that’s got Oakley’s XX (or any other X Metals), how durable are they? Have you had any “close encounters” with them getting squashed?

Before anyone jabs me about the lofty price of these things, not many styles or brands of eye or sunglasses fit my head - the cheapies wind up with the bent-down tip of the earpiece resting on top of my ear, rather than behind it, which looks stupid. When I needed eyeglasses, extra-length earpieces were extra money, but nobody seems to have sunglasses with such an option. Oakley’s straight earpieces just keep on going and don’t care where the top of one’s ear is. I can only dream about taking ZZ Top’s advice to go get myself some cheap sunglasses. :smiley:

2

I had a “slight mishap” with my OOs. They fell out of my pocket and next to the tire of my car, and I ran over them the next day. The surprising thing was that Oakley actually replaced the frames free! But since the lenses were scratched I ended up paying for new lenses and they just swapped out the damaged pair.

The OOs were hidiously expensive, but I really liked the style and no one else had glasses that looked “just right”. Style-wise, they’re great. Durability-wise, I have had no problems with the frames (except for running over them with my car). The lenses… I can see a few slight scratches. I’d prefer glass lenses.

3

In reviewing my teenage daughter’s checkered history with the $ 165.00 pair of C-wires I got her a year or so ago, I was sorely distressed that the exotic “Plutonite” lens afforded about as much scratch protection as a 25 cent styrene CD case and the “ultra-strong and ultra-lightweight, constructed of a 5-metal compound and cast through a unique process” frame proved to be as pliable as butter in her apparently Kryptonian mitts.

I have to admit, however, that Oakley was pretty good about replacing the frame even though I had to pay for new lenses.

4

CORRECTION: The mishap involved my Straight Jackets, not my OOs.