Some Misconceptions Cleared Up On Oakleys From China.

[bad fishy]

Thanks for the reference! I heard this number from the manager at my local store too and wondered why no frames say Made in USA anymore. So now we will never know which O matter frames are made in USA or China. Wires and women's frames are labeled China or Italy.

Also, they "why" question on this flier has such an ambiguous answer....

 

[leo46]

Aaahhhh yes my brain was nourished bec of this thread.
My frogskin vr46 fire iri last year has made in usa at right temple then after 6 months i got the 2nd pair jupiter lx acetate frame with no made in usa (now i know acetate frame are manufactured mostly in china)
But indeed a very high quality frame. Then 3 days ago i got my latest pair jupiter squared jade iri with made in usa stamp at temple. Then i saw my friend wearing also a jupiter s + red iri with no made in usa and hes shocked of what i have told him. Then i tell the story about this thread.

My only point here is still it is a legit oakley even some parts are produce/manufacture in china (the most hated country bec all stuff in the world are made in china nowadays specially here in philippnes) but regards in how it was produced for me its always be the same quality and build. People in us is human people in china is also human, production line in us and china is also a machine get my point? Compostion materials blah blah are same i think but more cheap in china. thats the reason, COST CUTTING. Cutting means profits and thats is all about. whos company in the world dont want profit anyway??? Still i love oakleys

 

[Monkey]

I was going to write about something about this and I'm glad that I found this thread. I do apologize if you guys had already put this "baby to bed" but I do feel a little more "enlightened" after reading this.
I STILL do have my reservations in regards to the whole "Made in China" thing. Especially when it comes to Oakley. When I hear "Oakley" it's an automatic knee-jerk response that so synonymous to "USA". I find that "Made in China" seems to seriously put a bad stamp (no pun intended) on something that should be again, exclusively to the USA. Nothing more satisfying than buying any item that's born and bread in the US right?
I was at my local O-Store today and was browsing through the pairs that they had on display and couldn't help but notice the "Made in China" thing and then, I noticed that about 90% of the pairs all had them. I felt that it just lost its credibility (especially being at an actual Oakley store!) and became almost "turned off" by it...
Now, I'm at a fork in the road here. While I'll forever wear Oakleys until the day I die, the whole Made in China thing...boy that's a tough one...
EVERYTHING and ANYTHING is made in China and I don't want Oakley to just be ANYTHING to me and I'm sure there are many people that'll agree with that. Furthermore, does Made in China mean that the quality of Oakleys have been compromised? Who knows...
I'll definitely be more selective in my eye wear now that's for sure.

 

[digi7alph0enix]

Here's some food for thought for those of you who can't stomach Oakley being made in China.

I work for one of the top wire and cable manufacturers in the world. Fortune 500 company and exclusive wire supplier to more than one automotive company. All our wire (copper, tin, or otherwise) is sourced and made in the USA. Same goes for all of our compounds that are used in the extrusion process to put jackets on that wire.

Here's the thing. A large portion of the wire and cable we make is sent to China. Its used to make your car, your TV, phone, computer, and just about everything else. When you buy those products the label will read "Made in China". Most of you will likely assume that because its made in China it was made by some kid in a factory with low quality materials when in fact it could be made with some of the highest quality wiring in the world.

The same could be true for Oakley. None of us really knows what is done in China. How much of the materials are sourced and crafted there, etc.

I'll agree that there is something a little unsettling about seeing a Made in China stamp on an Oakley frame, but at least they are upfront about it.

 

[Sunglass Shack]

That's the way we look at it in our store. I can tell you this, out of all the brands we sell Oakley flies the most and out of all the glasses we get in I think we have only ever had two with a defect, out of thousands. Normally these glasses come to us perfect. They are straight as an arrow and function perfectly. One arrived missing a secondary lens (no big deal they sent me the second lens) and another one had a bad "hinge". They replaced it. Now compare this to Ray Bans that we get in where they don't sit flat on a tabl, some lens that have fallen out, etc. Oakley's attention to quality and detail (even if made in China) has been perfect. And remember, the most important part (the lenses) are still made in California, plus the whole thing is assembled here. It's just the frame. So if you owned Oakley and you can make a metal frame in the USA for $8 each and in China you can make it for $0.65 cents .... where would you go when ordering a million of them? The quality is just as good, but I do get people's comments about the fact we are not supporting business within our boundaries. I too hate seeing everything outsourced.

And the BIGGEST thing to remember is we hat seeing Made in China because we think "junk." But that is not China's fault! It's the fault of the greedy business wanting the cheapest product to maximize profits. For instance, I now am outsourcing some of my products direct from China. I have the option of paying .33 cents for a particular item per unit or for an item with a better hinge and slightly better lens I can pay $1.50 each unit. If I know the customer will buy that item no matter which way it is made and I know I will sell thousands of them, which do you think I am going to buy? I am going to maximize profit and buy the cheaper one. So again, China could give me a better product ... I just want the cheapest thing I can get. At least I'm being honest about it.

And to clarify, we're talking about cheapie "off the rack" kind of shades for a couple bucks. =)

 

[Ex_Oakley_employee]

Here's some food for thought for those of you who can't stomach Oakley being made in China.

I work for one of the top wire and cable manufacturers in the world. Fortune 500 company and exclusive wire supplier to more than one automotive company. All our wire (copper, tin, or otherwise) is sourced and made in the USA. Same goes for all of our compounds that are used in the extrusion process to put jackets on that wire.

Here's the thing. A large portion of the wire and cable we make is sent to China. Its used to make your car, your TV, phone, computer, and just about everything else. When you buy those products the label will read "Made in China". Most of you will likely assume that because its made in China it was made by some kid in a factory with low quality materials when in fact it could be made with some of the highest quality wiring in the world.

The same could be true for Oakley. None of us really knows what is done in China. How much of the materials are sourced and crafted there, etc.

I'll agree that there is something a little unsettling about seeing a Made in China stamp on an Oakley frame, but at least they are upfront about it.

I do. I've been out there a number of times. I see absolutely no difference in terms of quality standards as to when they were made in the US, if not slightly higher.

One thing though, I know the thread was set up to clear up 'misconceptions', but there are still quite a few being thrown around in this thread. Not that it matters really, the product is still good, it's nothing really to get upset about. When the glasses start falling apart them it might become relevant.

 

[theafroman]

I just wanted to put some info out there to help uphold Oakleys commitment to quality. I have seen a few posts concerning Oakleys and the possible manufacturing of their glasses in China but wanted to clear some things up to the best of my ability for Oakley's sake. Back in the day, Oakley in California had a plant on one side of the road that made just lenses, and another plant on the other side of the road that made the frames. They would then truck over the lenses from the lens factory right across the road to the frame factory for assemblage. Since the "merger/absorption" with Luxottica a few things have changed but overall their quality remains the same. I am still guaranteed that ALL (100%) of the lenses are made in the USA.

**chime in National Anthem, planes flying overhead, NASCAR crashes in the background and Budweiser commercials being played on a TV at McDonalds ... AMERICUH!**

... but I continue. The lenses are the most important part of the sunglass. It's what you look through! I even have reps from other sunglass lines telling me that Oakley truly does have the clearest ploy lenses on the market. Here is how that is accomplished. Polycarbonate lenses are made up from 2 things "poly" which is your plastic and "carbonite" which is carbon. Carbon is very dirty, and that is why when you put on a real cheap $5 pair of sunglasses from a convenience store they are all foggy looking, not crisp at all. Oakley uses a special technique in which they let all of the carbon settle to the bottom of their tanks and essentially scoop off the crystal clear remains at the top. The other companies that offer cheap sunglasses simply use everything in their vats to make their lenses. Oakley also uses a single pour method to actually make their lenses. It's a 1 piece lens that is not layered like some other companies do. The only benefit of a layered lens I have seen is the fact they can "sandwich" their lens coatings between the layers. So for instance, chemicals won't remove the iridium coatings when sandwich unlike when they are externally applied. Another thing, lenses are typically either polycarbonate or glass (some very cheap ones are just plastic). All polycarbonate lenses will/can scratch. After all it's just plastic, no matter what coatings they put on top.

So you may be asking, "where does China fall into all of this?" Well since the Lux merger, Oakley still runs somewhat as it's own independent company with its own HQ, design team, marketing team, etc and wasn't simply just absorbed completely by Lux. However, Lux being the actual company's owner now, has their own facilities in Italy and China for both lens and frame production. I personally feel Lux says it is way more cost efficient to manufacture the frames overseas in China. We know 100% that all acetate frames (like News Flash) and all metal frames are manufactured in China, shipped to America and then assembled here with the USA built lenses. Acetate is a nasty material to work with when raw and there are very few plants that even will work with it, metal frames are by far much cheaper to manufacture overseas than here in America. However, it's a very touchy subject when discussing the OMatter frames. You might be asking, "well where did the Made in USA go on the inside of the temple?" Good question! The best information I have been able to get is that the frames are manufactured in pieces in a top of the line and heavily monitored plant in China but then shipped to the USA for painting and assembling here. Since more of the work is being done here in the USA they don't have to have the words "Made in China" inside the temple. I also personally feel they are discontinuing to put "Made in USA" inside the OMatter temples because they are not out to lie to the public about the process since parts are not all made in America. It's like buying a brand new Chevy. Let's say the truck is designed here in America, painted here in America and built in America but all of the gaskets on the motor and tranny and the cloth for the seats as well as the radiator came from China. Well we still think of it as an American product, and the same should be said for Oakley. Lux of course is clearly in it for the money (who wouldn't be!) but I think they have done a fair compromise by letting the majority of the work stay here in the US. Plus not all factories in China are as portrayed on TV, from what I have gathered it's a very top of the line factory with heavy quality control (hence why the product remains so good).

So hopefully that helps to clear a few things up. All of that information is what I have come to know as being truthful. If perhaps an Oakley rep or employee would have further insight it would be greatly appreciated. Again, this was simply to help uphold the high standards and quality behind the Oakley name. It seems as if I am not letting "the cat out of the bag" since pretty much everyone here has known Oakleys don't seem to say Made in USA anymore. I simply wanted to clear the air because I have came across 3 threads now with people talking about their lenses being made in China. Not the case! =) All lenses are made in California, USA.

Wait... Are there any frames still being made in the US today?

 

[i am rich]

Wait... Are there any frames still being made in the US today?

Read post #59.

Why is there a difference where it is made? By ignoring all of the times when things go right (and the "made in China" works just as expected) and only noticing when things go wrong (that is, when the "made in China" breaks), you are cementing the idea into your brain that made in the U.S.A. items are better.

How about the spider cracks on Romeo lenses, the paint fading on Oakley Plates, the corrosion on Magnesium frames? All are made in the U.S.A. but nobody is making a big issue "Because it is made in the U.S.A."?

Cheers.

 

[Dallas O Hog]

Read post #59.

Why is there a difference where it is made? By ignoring all of the times when things go right (and the "made in China" works just as expected) and only noticing when things go wrong (that is, when the "made in China" breaks), you are cementing the idea into your brain that made in the U.S.A. items are better.

How about the spider cracks on Romeo lenses, the paint fading on Oakley Plates, the corrosion on Magnesium frames? All are made in the U.S.A. but nobody is making a big issue "Because it is made in the U.S.A."?

Cheers.

My TV isn't made in the USA lol

 

[i am rich]

My TV isn't made in the USA lol

It should be broken by now.