In 2016, Oakley Prizm lenses changed sunglasses forever. And now Oakley has been on a streak of releasing tons of Prizm lens colors over the last few years, including Prizm Violet.
This is the first purple Prizm lens we’ve seen, and since we were fans of the original Violet lens, we were excited to get our hands on it.
Keep reading for our full Oakley Prizm Violet review. Plus, why Prizm Violet may not live up to our expectations.
What is Oakley Prizm Violet?
Oakley Prizm Violet is a Prizm Everyday lens designed to increase contrast, optimize color and reduce glare.
As we covered in our complete Prizm Guide, Oakley has released a variety of sport-specific Prizm lenses for golf, fishing, running, and more.
But they also designed Prizm Everyday lenses, like Prizm Violet, to use the same technology to enhance colors and contrast in a natural way for everyday life. This means your lenses help to make your environment vibrant but not overwhelming.
You can find the complete Prizm Violet lens features below.
Prizm Violet Lens Highlights
- 13% Visual Light Transmission (VLT) for bright light conditions
- Optimizes color to create a vibrant environment around you
- Increases contrast to highlight details you might otherwise miss
- Reduces glare to avoid eye fatigue and squinting
- Grey base tint great for everyday conditions
You can see Prizm Violet in action in the comparison below.
Keep reading as we dive into our Prizm Violet review and answer your top questions.
What Color is Oakley Prizm Violet?
Oakley Prizm Violet is violet/purple colored. But there’s a catch.
The lens is only violet or purple from the front. That means when you look in the mirror or take off your sunglasses to admire them, you’ll see the bright purple color of Prizm Violet.
But when you look through the lens, it appears more of a warm brown color similar to Prizm Tungsten.
This is particularly interesting since Prizm Violet has a grey base as compared to other Prizm everyday lenses with a Bronze base. Typically bronze is the warmer color, but thanks to the Violet outside coating, this lens provides a nice warm tint. You can see this effect demonstrated in the pictures below.
Are Prizm Violet Lenses Polarized?
Yes, but luckily Oakley offers both Prizm Violet Polarized and non-polarized lenses.
Prizm lenses are already effective at cutting glare without polarization, especially for streetwear.
But if you prefer polarized lenses or want even more glare protection, Prizm Polarized Violet is the right for you. And as you’d imagine, Prizm Polarized lenses tend to cost a bit more than standard Prizm lenses.
At the time of our review, Oakley offers 14 frames with Prizm Violet lenses and 5 frames with Prizm Polarized Violet. As you might guess, most of these frames are performance lifestyle designs.
Is Prizm Violet Mirrored?
Yes, Prizm Violet lenses include an Iridium coating that creates a “mirrored” appearance when looking at the lenses.
This also means when you’re wearing these lenses, people won’t be able to see your eyes through the lenses.
Our Review: Are Prizm Violet Lenses Worth It?
The short answer: Yes, if you’re looking for a bold pop of color in your sunglasses.
We reviewed a pair of Oakley Frogskins sunglasses with Prizm Violet lenses and had a great time. And while Prizm violet can still perform in a variety of conditions, it’s the bright purple color that is the big selling point of these lenses.
If you are looking for a top-performing Prizm lens, we’d recommend Prizm Sapphire or Jade, thanks to their versatility. But let’s be honest, if you’re looking at Violet lenses, it’s the bright purple color drawing you in – And in that case, these lenses steal the show!
Top Oakley Prizm Violet Sunglasses
Sylas
The clean lines and modified keyhole nose bridge combine with a few well-placed planes to give the Sylas a modern classic look. This full O Matter lifestyle frame is lightweight and comfortable as well as casual and versatile.
Read more in our full Oakley Sylas review.
Sylas Highlights
- Frame and temple are slightly modified to make the Sylas compatible with hats
- Three-Point Fit
- Available with prescription lenses and in Asian Fit
Holbrook
Who doesn’t love the Holbrook? With styling inspired by Hollywood’s Golden Age, this is a classic lifestyle frame with outstanding Oakley quality. This particular frame comes with a violet icon and violet metal temple rivets with the Prizm Violet lens.
Learn more in our full Oakley Holbrook Guide.
Holbrook Highlights
- A classic, versatile frame that is flattering to most face shapes
- Lightweight and comfortable with a classic Oakley keyhole bridge
- Available with Authentic Oakley Prescription lenses (also available in Prizm Violet), in Asian Fit, and XL
Coldfuse
The Coldfuse is part of Oakley’s Ahyris lifestyle frame collection. The full frame is made of O Matter and titanium, with rounded square lenses and a double bridge bar. The Coldfuse is contemporary and notable as an Oakley disruptive design. This frame is not available with prescription lenses or in an Asian fit.
Read more in our Oakley Coldfuse review.
Coldfuse Highlights
- Three-Point Fit
- The Ahyris element holds together 24 pieces of this distinctive frame
- Combination of O Matter and titanium boosts style while keeping the frame lightweight and comfortable
Latch
The Latch is a fun, retro lifestyle frame made of O Matter and featuring a big keyhole nose bridge. The round lenses and simple styling make it a versatile, flattering frame. The most unique feature of the Latch is that it comes with an integrated system to keep it secured to clothing. This terrific addition makes it a perfect style for running errands without losing your sunglasses in the grocery store.
See more in our complete Oakley Latch Review.
Latch Highlights
- Clip hinge mechanism to secure the sunglasses to your shirt
- Oakley offers prescription lenses for the Latch, and it is available in Asian Fit.
- Lightweight and comfortable O Matter construction
Spindrift
The Spindrift is part of Oakley’s Women’s Collection, though is a fairly unisex style. The full O Matter lifestyle frame has round lenses, clean front styling, and geometric angles on the stems. The front temples are also slightly pronounced for a little bit of a cat-eye effect.
See more in our complete Oakley Spindrift review and guide.
Spindrift Highlights
- Some performance features including Unobtainium nose pads
- Unobtainium socks are molded into the inside of the stems to prevent hair snagging
- Available as prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses
Where to Buy Oakley Sunglasses?
When you’re looking for proprietary Oakley technology like the Prizm lens, the first place you’ll want to head is Oakley’s website or its authorized retailers.
But if you’re looking to save when you buy, you may want to hold off buying directly from Oakley.
When buying new and current Oakleys, you can often find 20-30% off retail prices with only a few seconds of work. This includes most of the frames with Prizm Violet lenses.
Learn how to save in our guide to Never Pay Retail Again for Oakleys.
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