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I'm bad at making decisions, help me out.

pupp

Oakley Enthusiast
80
143
Charlotte, NC
So I have a big dilemma. I went to my optometrist and guess who's selling Oakley now?! I have a couple of decisions to make since I found out that I could get the frames for just my $10 copay assuming I stick with a sunglasses frame. If I go with the optics that my doctor's office provides, I would end up paying $26 total for frames and lenses. So here are some of the key decisions I need to make, I've pretty much decided on Holbrooks making them my fourth pair but I'm still open to deciding on a different frame given suggestions. Another thing I need to decide is if I should just go ahead and get Oakley's own lenses and that is dependent upon whether my prescription is or is not any worse than -4.00 each eye, also my insurance would almost completely pay for doctor's office optics. It gets even more complicated if I consider that I could potentially get optics from OakleySI for $80, clear. One last thing, as if this isn't complicated enough, what color do I chose??? I had to at least lay this out in text since there are many decisions to be made and I need everyone's help. I'm open to any suggestions and obviously the frames have to be currently sold. HELP ME PLEASE

Definitely forgot this, I want these for normal eyewear which is why I'm going with clear, not to mention I already have 3 other pairs and can swap frames and lenses and I also wear contacts. Like I said, complicated.
 
I just went through something similar a couple months ago. My insurance would've fully covered a sunglasses frame converted to Rx, but I fell in love with the Transistor frame because of how many similarities it has to Xmetals. Unfortunately for me I had to pay about $100 out of pocket for just the frames. Then came the lenses. To get Oakley lenses I would've had to ship my frames to Oakley for them to do everything, then send them back. It'd also tack on another $150 or so after my insurance (my insurance considers Oakley lenses a premium option, and only covers like 30% if another option is available). My optometrist lenses were made on site so I could've gotten them same day. They'd also only cost me about $15.

What it finally came down to for me was a talk with the optometrist about the advantages of each lens. The in house lenses didn't offer transitions, Oakley did. The in house lenses weren't polycarbonate, and they told me openly that they were less scratch resistant than the materials Oakley used. When I asked about the xyz optics that Oakley has patented vs their lenses they said they weren't aware of how they compared, just that their own lenses were "top quality optical grade" and that all the staff used them.

To me there were enough advantages of the Oakley lenses to justify the cost vs trying something new and unknown. While I'm sure the lenses they make in house at my optical shop are fine, I went with the company who built the frames in the first place. I've had no issues with them and I would gladly make the same decision again.
 
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Luckily the frame will be completely covered, so I'm happy about. So far my best choice is either Flat Root Beer Brown or Tortoise. As for which optics to buy, I need to see how much my insurance would cover on Oakley optics. Separate of that, I always have the SI route if I want to get the Oakley optics later.
 
I think part of the reason you haven't gotten a lot of response is these are decisions usually made on a personal preference. If you feel the Holbrook is the best fit and is the style you're looking for, I would go with that.

If it were me, I would go with the most basic color because it sounds like this will be almost every day eyewear. As for optics, I would most likely go for the in-house option. An optometrists lens should be optically clear. If these were for safety glasses, I would go with Oakley.

So, I would go with flat brown and the optometrists optics.
 
Thank you for your input, I'm pretty much going to do that now seeing as I already have flat black, crystal pink and Fallout Edition. I almost want tortoise color but always scratched those polished frames. I'm sure when I get them and post them I'll get a lot of feedback no matter what I get.
 
A couple other reasons you may not have many replies are that many members here are contact users specifically so they can wear their other pairs, and lasik surgery is getting so cheap now that a lot of people are opting for a one time fix so that they don't have to buy contacts and Rx lenses every year.

To add to my previous reply, I wouldn't EVER buy an all day wear Rx frame that didn't have some type of nose pads. These days I wouldn't get an Rx pair with curved stems either. What's the longest you've ever worn a pair of Holbrooks for? You need to consider if you could wear them from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed without comfort issues. Weight on an Rx frame makes a big difference. If you can't see when you take them off, maybe something a little lighter would be better if you actually MUST wear glasses to be functional in your daily life. My last pair of Rx frames were non-Oakley titanium frames that at the time I thought were super light. After a couple months of wearing them the hard plastic on the curved part of the ear stems really started to bother me, and the weight of the frames/lenses put more pressure on the bridge of my nose than I could stand for more than a few hours at a time. Now that I've gone to the Transistor frame, which is also titanium, its like night and day. They are much lighter and the stems are straight with unobtainium ear socks, making wearing them for a full day a pleasure rather than a pain.

I don't know what you have now for Rx frames but speaking from experience its often better to spend more now for a pair than you'll enjoy and be sad to see go when they need replaced than to rush into whatever is cheap right now that you'll stop wearing in a month. Rx glasses aren't any good if you can't keep them on long enough to use them!
 
I actually did this exact same thing with Ray Ban new wayfarers in 2012 and they don't have an adjustable nose piece and they were perfect. I actually wear contacts as well so that I can enjoy wearing sunglasses. I'm doing this, for the most part, to get a free pair of frames and what you say actually does make a lot of sense and somewhat applies to me here. I think I should go with in house optics first just so I can experience wearing Holbrooks as regular glasses, that way I don't spend too much money on the lenses. When everything is said and done, I will have a huge discount on sunglasses. Also, since I wear contacts, these will be glasses that I wear infrequently so the duration of wear isn't even a big deal.

The main reason I am seeking input is for people's experience with Oakley optics and color choices, which I know is a bit personal for color but there are so many great choices.
 
I actually did this exact same thing with Ray Ban new wayfarers in 2012 and they don't have an adjustable nose piece and they were perfect. I actually wear contacts as well so that I can enjoy wearing sunglasses. I'm doing this, for the most part, to get a free pair of frames and what you say actually does make a lot of sense and somewhat applies to me here. I think I should go with in house optics first just so I can experience wearing Holbrooks as regular glasses, that way I don't spend too much money on the lenses. When everything is said and done, I will have a huge discount on sunglasses. Also, since I wear contacts, these will be glasses that I wear infrequently so the duration of wear isn't even a big deal.

The main reason I am seeking input is for people's experience with Oakley optics and color choices, which I know is a bit personal for color but there are so many great choices.
Well, frame-wise I'd say between the rootbeer and the tortoise, I'd go with the tortoise just because both will look pretty similar from most angles but I like that tortoise has a little bit more going on subtly and looks interesting when light shines through it. I also think tortoise is just a really classic pattern in glasses so will give the Holbrooks that classic, classy feel. Just my opinion of course.
 
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