We breakdown Oakley Plutonite Lenses so you can know before you buy!
What are Oakley Plutonite Lenses?
You’ve likely seen Oakley Plutonite lenses mentioned on a pair of your Oakley Sunglasses before. But have you ever wondered what Plutonite is? Oakley Plutonite is a high-quality Polycarbonate plastic material used in sunglass lenses. The material blocks out 100% of UVA, UVB, and UVC rays plus blue light up to 400nm.
Keep reading as we break down exactly what Plutonite is and how it’s made!
To start Plutonite lenses are a marketing term created by Oakley to describe their purified polycarbonate lenses.
Polycarbonate is commonly found across the eyewear industry for eyeglasses and sunglasses. The material is light and impact resistant making it perfect for lenses.
Scroll down to the next section for our breakdown of the benefits of Plutonite lenses.
What are the benefits of Plutonite lenses?
Oakley Plutonite lenses offer several key benefits in your sunglasses including:
- Impact Resistance – Oakley lenses offer ANSI Z87.1 impact resistance, meaning when struck by most projectiles they won’t shatter into your eye like plastic lenses
- Lightweight – Plutonite and polycarbonate lenses are lighter than your average plastic and therefore don’t add weight to your favorite sports pairs
- UV Protection – Oakley lenses block out 100% of UVA, UVB and UVC rays to protect your eyes
You can see these benefits in action in the below Oakley video from Hypebeast which shows a variety of impact tests on Plutonite lenses.
What is Polycarbonate and How is it Made?
Now if you really want to understand the science of Polycarbonate lenses read on.
Polycarbonate is a thermoplastic that actually starts as a solid.
Originally pioneered in the early 1970s for use in aerospace programs and visors. By the 1980’s it had found its way to the sports eyewear world, thanks to its impact resistance and lightweight properties.
When creating Plutonite lenses the material often starts as small pellets in solid form.
Then the process of injection molding is started by melting the pellets under high heat and rapidly injecting them into a lens mold.
Finally, the lens mold is compressed under high pressure and cooled, leaving you with perfect Polycarbonate or Plutonite lenses in minutes.
Looking for more?
If you’re looking for more information on Oakley Lenses or Prizm Lens Technology, be sure to check out those respective guides, or join our 35,000+ members on the #1 Oakley Community to talk more about everything Oakley!
