New releases for April

[Dallas O Hog]

Does that include the radarlock?

Eww I didn't ask that. Wouldnt think so. Radarlock fairly new

 

[joscejrod]

Does that include the radarlock?

I don't think so.

 

[Oakster]

Some classic models with good reputacion shouldn't be discontinued...like rayban aviator or wayrfare.

Let me go back a few years when RayBan was completely dead, not a soul wanted it - probably in part to not moving forward as a company. Lux bought RayBan for NOTHING, then spent a pile of cash rebranding and remarketing stale pieces by putting them on movie stars and in magazines.

 

[Rustpot]

They're still working the tier system.

Since the Flak 2 and Radar EV fill the role of that pricepoint it makes sense that the Flak and Radar are gone. The M Frame never had a direct replacement until the M2 showed up. The Radar was technically a tier above, and the Radarlock came in a tier above that. Same reason they're staying with the Half Jacket, Flak, and Fast Jacket. They're not that far off from fit and function, but there's clear price demarcations in the lines.

 

[Oakster]

They're still working the tier system.

Since the Flak 2 and Radar EV fill the role of that pricepoint it makes sense that the Flak and Radar are gone. The M Frame never had a direct replacement until the M2 showed up. The Radar was technically a tier above, and the Radarlock came in a tier above that. Same reason they're staying with the Half Jacket, Flak, and Fast Jacket. They're not that far off from fit and function, but there's clear price demarcations in the lines.

Fast Jacket is discontinued completely in May (leaving room for Flak and Flak 2.0 to coexists while they figure out what the next move is).

 

[joscejrod]

Jawbreaker is the new "revolutionary" model, but radarlock will continue as top of the line. M frame is much nicer that any other sport model...

 

[Rustpot]

Really? Is the Flak 2.0 more expensive than the Flak, or does it come with two lens sets like the Fast? They don't tend to leave two pairs competing for the same spot in the lineup.

 

[Oakster]

Really? Is the Flak 2.0 more expensive than the Flak, or does it come with two lens sets like the Fast? They don't tend to leave two pairs competing for the same spot in the lineup.

The 2.0 lenses are far bigger than Flak XLJ (similar to Fast XL). The kiss of death for Fast Jacket was that it came with 2 sets of lenses, effectively making it was more expensive than Flak Jacket which really hurt it's sales. The average kid at the mall SGH didn't have a clue that they came with extra lenses which bridged the price gap, so most customers just went with Flak.

 

[Rustpot]

That's part of the whole price tiers. Generally each subset of a category has 3 tiers. The lowest sits below $100 for non-iridium/non-polarized, and you jump $50 per tier, with the top level near $200.

M Frame -> Radar -> Radarlock
Half Jacket -> Flak Jacket -> Fast Jacket
Split Jacket -> Racing Jacket (-> Jawbreaker?)

Generally sizing is a bit different to push your decision one way or another. Added styling or features (Switchlock, extra lenses) being selling points to justify the expense at higher tiers.

Unless the Flak 2.0 is priced above the Flak OG they're likely off the tier models and back to size like they were starting back in the Four/Five/Ten era.

 

[Ventruck]

Wouldn't want to get ahead of myself, but I wouldn't be surprised if Oakley is trying to rid of the need for (as many) different lens cuts. They did market the M2's cut like it was a do-all being a combination of previous cuts. I think behind that particular pair the philosophy was just make the lens fit as close as possible and consider that the most ideal coverage instead of having a larger lens option; the Asian Fit version simply slims the lenses to clear cheeks. I still think they should've offered an optional nosepiece size. Just because a lens clears cheeks doesn't mean it sits right on every nose.

I could see myself finding the Radar EV to top the Radarlock functionally if the stems and sizing are on-point. As it is, the Radarlock's Switchlock isn't really a big deal, and the lenses of the EV seemingly add legitimate peripheral coverage. In all that is Radar, I personally never understood why the latter wasn't standard for every cut. If Range existed for the Radarlock, I wouldn't really get why Path and Pitch exist.

Same thing with the Flak 2.0. Even if the lenses dwarf the Fast XL, that might not necessarily mean they're actually too big from a general standpoint — especially if the cut and fit were done right. It could be a case of "yeah could've gotten away with bigger all along" vs the previous Flak, and anyone REALLY needing a smaller lens can just opt for a Half.