Want to buy Oakley for hubby for Xmas-need advice

[Rustpot]

Geeking out is a bit of an understatement for some of us.

This is mostly just the M Frame parts I have.

As for the prism choices- Oakley used to publish data on their lenses like % transmission and base color, and have a handy tool that kind of showed you the tint vs none on several backgrounds. No more, now you just get vague names and people like you are in no man's land trying to pick a lens.

Field is a lighter color, Golf I believe is the G30 tint, which is great but still a bright 30% lens, and I have no idea what Cricket is, the photos look almost like Ruby over G20.

Might be a good idea to go to a store and look through them and pick one you think is the right darkness.

 

[Mamabear]

Geeking out is a bit of an understatement for some of us.

This is mostly just the M Frame parts I have.

As for the prism choices- Oakley used to publish data on their lenses like % transmission and base color, and have a handy tool that kind of showed you the tint vs none on several backgrounds. No more, now you just get vague names and people like you are in no man's land trying to pick a lens.

Field is a lighter color, Golf I believe is the G30 tint, which is great but still a bright 30% lens, and I have no idea what Cricket is, the photos look almost like Ruby over G20.

Might be a good idea to go to a store and look through them and pick one you think is the right darkness.

That's a pretty sweeeeeet collection. Is that like 30+? Cool. I considered M Frames or M2s originally, since it is the one that comes with a strap. You look to know a lot about that, would that be another good option?

And yeah, all I could find on PRIZM is this: Oakley - Men's & Women's Sunglasses, Goggles, & Apparel , which isn't really all that helpful. I did look for parallels for Ultimate/outdoors, some similarities with golf and cricket and field, all have grass and open sky and "flying objects" you're trying to follow. And I was hoping they'd have some smart tool, where you enter what types of conditions you play your sport, and the system spits out a recommendation. Wouldn't be too hard to build a "recommendation engine" like that. Headed to an O store today, will ask.

 

[Rustpot]

I would 100% recommend an M Frame, trouble is parts are getting scarce. They started to pare the line down close to a decade ago when the Radar came out and was set to replace the M Frame, so people like me went out and bought up all of the stock of lenses. My local vault let me use a 30% off promo along with a few other creative things and I walked out with 10 lenses a year or two back, cleared out everything they had in the shapes and tints I liked.

I wholly and fully believe they are the best and most versatile pair of glasses Oakley ever made, longest service record at 25 years and counting, basically every sport and military adoption. At one point you could walk into a store and find 20 different tints in 5 different lens shapes. With the military pairs they added a strap and a gasket to make them passable as field-expedient goggles. A fixed-stem model was offered for a long time, which also had an optional strap system for sports. Nothing has come close to that type of adaptability.

...but they're a bit garish. But the haters be damned! There's a reason my name has "M Frame Lover" written under it.

The M2 isn't nearly as good. The grip isn't there, the style is already feeling outdated, the lens support was minimal, the shape selection is paltry. If they work for your husband more power to him. They'll take M Frame lenses, albeit a bit loosely. And they're a fair bit cheaper than the Radar options if memory serves. They're also much simpler to change lenses, as the nose bridge on the Radar pairs is part of the frame and the lens has to be unclipped and worked free. The M Frame line, including the M2, is a simple friction fit that will quickly pull apart and a new one clicked in.

 

[Mamabear]

I would 100% recommend an M Frame, trouble is parts are getting scarce. They started to pare the line down close to a decade ago when the Radar came out and was set to replace the M Frame, so people like me went out and bought up all of the stock of lenses. My local vault let me use a 30% off promo along with a few other creative things and I walked out with 10 lenses a year or two back, cleared out everything they had in the shapes and tints I liked.

I wholly and fully believe they are the best and most versatile pair of glasses Oakley ever made, longest service record at 25 years and counting, basically every sport and military adoption. At one point you could walk into a store and find 20 different tints in 5 different lens shapes. With the military pairs they added a strap and a gasket to make them passable as field-expedient goggles. A fixed-stem model was offered for a long time, which also had an optional strap system for sports. Nothing has come close to that type of adaptability.

...but they're a bit garish. But the haters be damned! There's a reason my name has "M Frame Lover" written under it.

The M2 isn't nearly as good. The grip isn't there, the style is already feeling outdated, the lens support was minimal, the shape selection is paltry. If they work for your husband more power to him. They'll take M Frame lenses, albeit a bit loosely. And they're a fair bit cheaper than the Radar options if memory serves. They're also much simpler to change lenses, as the nose bridge on the Radar pairs is part of the frame and the lens has to be unclipped and worked free. The M Frame line, including the M2, is a simple friction fit that will quickly pull apart and a new one clicked in.

I did notice the M Frame Lover that's why I asked you. (I also did find your awesome review from a couple years ago). And why, oh why do companies do that? Mess with a good thing? And replace it with something way less awesome? Gah... Maybe they'll revive it with an "Anniversary Edition" at some point... I can see it now... "M Frame Classic"... I did see some on eBay and elsewhere, I guess risk it you may not get authentic.

So, went to my local O store today, and the guy there recommended M2s over Radar EVs for basketball... He also spoke about versatility, so even if inferior, his vote was for M2s or RadarLocks - also because of the strap, which he'll want to use w/basketball, so may take care of the grip being less than M's. Decisions, decisions...

 

[Ventruck]

I chatted with Oakley to figure out which version of PRIZM to pick, and they said that for basketball they don't recommend wearing any eyewear because they'll "fall off your face when running" but for Ultimate (which involves a LOT of running) they said OK to wear... Must be company policy not to support basketball with their products? I am trying to pick between Field, Cricket & Golf, since conditions are somewhat similar for playing Ultimate. Any thoughts on that?

There's no way to "support" basketball other than with a clear lens. Every indoor court is colored and lit differently. NBA and lower-tier organizations usually enforce the use of clear lenses only.

As plain as Prizm sounds, it's supposed to be that way. There's not many people who actually think Prizm comes up short in what it's advertised in doing.

Of the selection, they all share a type of rose base with slight fine tuning. Golf has the highest transmission rating for better low-level reads in various conditions. Field handles the brightest conditions. Never tried Golf to completely know the difference in hue. Same with Cricket.

Wouldn't be surprised if Cricket is just of what used to be Prizm Baseball Infield.

Between the Radarlock and the M2, I'd go with the Radarlock. Tighter fit, AF nose pad option, and quite frankly feels like a premium frame in comparison to the M2. You do lose out on peripheral viewing range, but the M2 generally has a less agreeable fit with wearers. In pro sports I've definitely seen more Radarlocks than M2's. Even Alberto Contador (pro cyclist) was seen using the original M-Frames before ever being seen in the M2. But of course, try before you buy. It's not impossible that the M2 is the right fit for him.

 

[Mamabear]

There's no way to "support" basketball other than with a clear lens. Every indoor court is colored and lit differently. NBA and lower-tier organizations usually enforce the use of clear lenses only.

As plain as Prizm sounds, it's supposed to be that way. There's not many people who actually think Prizm comes up short in what it's advertised in doing.

Of the selection, they all share a type of rose base with slight fine tuning. Golf has the highest transmission rating for better low-level reads in various conditions. Field handles the brightest conditions. Never tried Golf to completely know the difference in hue. Same with Cricket.

Wouldn't be surprised if Cricket is just of what used to be Prizm Baseball Infield.

Between the Radarlock and the M2, I'd go with the Radarlock. Tighter fit, AF nose pad option, and quite frankly feels like a premium frame in comparison to the M2. You do lose out on peripheral viewing range, but the M2 generally has a less agreeable fit with wearers. In pro sports I've definitely seen more Radarlocks than M2's. Even Alberto Contador (pro cyclist) was seen using the original M-Frames before ever being seen in the M2. But of course, try before you buy. It's not impossible that the M2 is the right fit for him.

I didn't ask about PRIZM as related to basketball. PRIZM would be for playing Ultimate only, I will get him clear lenses for basketball - I just asked about which Oakley frame he would recommend and he basically said "none", as in, Oakley sunglasses are not to be used for basketball, period. I grabbed the chat transcript, because I was so surprised (edited out rep's name). So, the guy had to go "ask someone" before answering, thus the apology for the delay, so my confidence wasn't exactly boosted. Plus... "fall apart from his face" ?

In the O store, today, I spoke with the sales guy who totally contradicted the chat guy, said "those guys are all outsource" (so what - shouldn't they know the product line???) and said use baseball outfield for Ultimate (grass/sky). He also said his professional basketball player client (plays in Europe) wears M2's, but in the end he recommended I get RadarLocks since it is easier to swap lenses in/out, while maintaining good fit. Both RadarLocks and M2s are set up for a strap, and that's definitely a big plus to keep them on his face. He said it would be a challenge to find those in AF and a good range of options (which is weird, considering I am in the Bay Area, where the Asian & Asian American population is quite large).

M2s do come with AF nose pads, but mostly XL lens, which might actually make sense if I went that route. I haven't found a single article on how to decide which is best, how to measure to determine if XL makes sense for him.

 

[Ventruck]

Intwresring that M2's now come with AF pads. I'd personally consider a pair again myself.

When it comes to the Radarlock, a total AF option would be the straight stem, but otherwise all Radarlock pairs come with AF pads. Haven't been to an O-Store lately but I'd be surprised if the Radarlock actually phased out now.

Regardless of on-paper speculation, it's better if you take in your husband to try pairs on. All I can say furthermore is that the M2 fits closer of the two.

As far as CS goes, yeah it took a bit of a turn lately...

 

[Mamabear]

Intwresring that M2's now come with AF pads. I'd personally consider a pair again myself.

When it comes to the Radarlock, a total AF option would be the straight stem, but otherwise all Radarlock pairs come with AF pads. Haven't been to an O-Store lately but I'd be surprised if the Radarlock actually phased out now.

Regardless of on-paper speculation, it's better if you take in your husband to try pairs on. All I can say furthermore is that the M2 fits closer of the two.

As far as CS goes, yeah it took a bit of a turn lately...

Yeah, they even have M2 in AF and XL lens. RadarLock they have in AF, I bought it, but it looks like no AF XL lenses exist for that, and I couldn't figure out even if lenses for AF and standard are interchangeable. Chat has been down / off during "officially" open hours, so yeah, CS not awesome. The guy at the store also seemed to know less than what I got here.

 

[Ventruck]

Yeah, they even have M2 in AF and XL lens. RadarLock they have in AF, I bought it, but it looks like no AF XL lenses exist for that, and I couldn't figure out even if lenses for AF and standard are interchangeable. Chat has been down / off during "officially" open hours, so yeah, CS not awesome. The guy at the store also seemed to know less than what I got here.

The Radarlock's equivelent to an AF lens would probably be the Edge cut. Does without some of the...you guess it, edges.

My understanding of the M2 AF previously was that it was just the lens. This thread is only like the second time I've heard about the nose being introduced as a couple years ago I was trying to obtain such a piece, and CS found out that both types of M2's were assigned the same nosepiece number.

 

[Mamabear]

The Radarlock's equivelent to an AF lens would probably be the Edge cut. Does without some of the...you guess it, edges.

My understanding of the M2 AF previously was that it was just the lens. This thread is only like the second time I've heard about the nose being introduced as a couple years ago I was trying to obtain such a piece, and CS found out that both types of M2's were assigned the same nosepiece number.

What would make the lens be AF on its own? The only option I've found for M2 AF is XL lenses: Oakley Search M2 frame Asia

There are XL lenses for RadarLock, but wasn't sure if the lens fits both regular and AF nosepieces in a RadarLock Path, or is there a separate AF XL nose piece needed... Oakley RadarLock XL Sunglasses Replacement Lenses in CLEAR | Oakley