Oakley Razor Blade sunglasses are one of the most iconic sunglasses of all time. But, that wasn’t always the case. Find out how the Blades surged in the 1980s and 90s to dominate the market and where they are today.
Keep reading as we review everything to know about the Oakley Razor Blade Sunglasses and the Blade System that put Oakley on the world’s radar!
Table of Contents
Background and History
Birth of the Blade
Just 2 years after the successful launch of the goggle-like Eyeshade by Jim Jannard, Oakley recognized the need for a less sporty version of the sunglasses. So, in 1986, Oakley Blade sunglasses debuted along with the Razor Blade Sunglasses in 1987.
These frames appealed to the young 1980’s crowd with a modern and “hip design.” Today if you looked up a definition of the ’80s, you’d probably see the Oakley Blade, with its shield lens and bright colors.
Oakley marketed the line as the “Blade system”, with the same frame being used across the 3 available lenses – the Blade, Razor Blade, and Slit. This Blade system offered over 22 million frame color combinations and a world of customization available to consumers – something never before seen in sunglasses.
You often hear people talk about the Oakley Razor Blades and Blades, but at the end of the day, they’re all the same system. The most popular frame in the system was the medium-sized Razor Blade since it fits great on most face sizes.
While the Eyeshade got the sports world to look at Oakley, the Blade and Razor Blade sunglasses got the mainstream public’s attention.
Between 1986 and 1994, when the Blade line was ultimately discontinued, Oakley sold hundreds of thousands of Blade sunglasses. This is especially impressive given the retail price of $60 for standard lenses and $110 for sunglasses featuring Iridium lenses.
In comparison, the average rent in America at the time was under $400.
Ultimately the Blade pioneered the sports performance market and paved the way for similar sports frames to come like the M Frame and Radar.
Rerelease and Heritage Collection
In 2005 Oakley released the Stretchline Razor Blade Sunglasses. Available in 6 colorways, they improved upon the original Blade system but only stuck around for a year.
Then in 2010, similar to the Eyeshade, Oakley began re-releasing limited collector edition Razor Blade sunglasses, followed by the larger release of the Heritage Collection in 2014.
Since the Heritage Collection sunglasses, the last release we’ve seen was the Oakley x Kith Aspen collection in 2018.
These re-release collections and a resurgence of vintage styles have helped fuel modern interest in this iconic 1980s design. Plus, Oakley has used these sunglasses as inspiration for countless other pairs like the Hydra.
Now let’s review each generation of the Blades and Razor Blades.
Original Oakley Blade and Razor Blade Sunglasses
Frame and Design
The Oakley Blade and Razor Blade sunglasses feature a half-rimmed design, replaceable earstems, and a wild amount of customization!
The frame builds on the goggle-inspired design of the Eyeshade by removing the bottom half of the frame, which offers increased downward visibility.
Made of the original O matter formula, these frames can become brittle and crack. So if you still have a pair, you might want to be careful how you’re wearing them!
Additionally, with the Blade, Oakley began marketing the idea of customizations. The Blade and Razor Blade offered replaceable lenses, earstems, top brow plastic, and nose pieces in varying mix and match colors which let you create over 22 million different combinations of customization!
Finally, building on this popular feature of the Eyeshade, Oakley reintroduced variations in Earstems. Each pair of Blades and Razor Blade sunglasses came with two options of earpieces that could be swapped relatively easily.
Keep reading for the complete breakdown of these earstems.
Earstem Variations
As mentioned, each pair of sunglasses in the Blade system came with two earstem options.
The first was a pretty standard earstem similar to what you’d find on most modern sunglasses with a straight-line design that curves around your ear.
The second is the trigger earstem which features a unique design reminiscent of – you guessed it – a rifle trigger. This trigger ear stems profile features a sharp angle downward then a curved design over the ear for a pretty funky 80’s design.
Lenses
The Blade system comes in 3 lenses – the Blade, Razor Blade, and Slit Lenses, which offer distinctly different sizes/shapes.
This is similar to the distinct lens shapes within the Radar line today. And like modern Oakleys, Blade lenses were made of Plutonite that are ANSI Z87.1 rated to protect the wearer’s eyes from projectiles.
Looking at all 3 lenses, the Blade lens is the largest, primarily in height and width. Followed by the Razor Blade, then ultimately the Slit lens offering the lowest profile lens (pictured below).
Of all three, the Razor Blade was the most common lens, while the Slit was the least. Unfortunately, that means today, it can be very difficult to find original Slit Blade lenses.
Original Colorways
While Oakley did offer numerous original colorways, in the spirit of customization (and to avoid 22 Million combinations), we’ve listed the colors available of the various components below:
Frame
- Berry
- Black
- Blue
- Carbon Fiber
- Cinnamon
- Crystal Black
- Desert Camo
- Green
- Jungle
- Matte
- Matte Clear
- Neon Yellow
- Orange
- Pink
- Planet-X
- Platinum
- Seafoam
- White
- Yellow
Lenses
- + Red Iridium
- Black Iridium
- Bronze
- Clear
- Grey
- H.I. Yellow
- Orange Iridium
- Violet Iridium
Ear stems / Brows
- Berry
- Black
- Blue
- Carbon Fiber
- Cinnamon
- Crystal Black
- Desert Camo
- Green
- Jungle
- Matte Clear
- Neon Yellow
- Orange
- Pink
- Planet-X
- Platinum
- Seafoam
- White
- Yellow
Nosepieces
- Berry
- Black
- Blue
- Grey
- Green
- Orange
- Pink
- Seafoam
- Yellow
Oakley Stretchline Razor Blade Sunglasses
Frame and Design
Oakley Stretchline Razor Blade sunglasses build on the original design with some key improvements.
While they resemble the Original Razor Blades, the Stretchline frame is made of updated O Matter that is less likely to crack or become brittle over time. This just boiled down to close to 20 years of continued innovation by Oakley in enhancing its products.
But they didn’t just stop with the frame. These Stretchline Oakleys also got upgraded lenses.
Lenses
Oakley Stretchline Razor Blades also featured slightly different lenses than the original design. Mainly increasing curvature of the lens compared to the originals, which were a flatter design. You can see this demonstrated in the image above and description below:
The Original Razor Blade has a cylindrical lens (L/R curvature only) making for a flatter lens curve, where as the Stretchline Razor Blade utilizes a toric lens which allows the bridge to retain a tighter wrap shape. If you were to overlay the two frames on top of one another you’d notice the Original Razor Blade is flatter in comparison.
Member BoostBear (Resident Razor Blade expert)
Whether you like this change or not, it did result in one consequence. Unfortunately, lenses cannot be swapped between the original Razor Blades and the Stretchline Razor Blade sunglasses.
Colorways
The Stretchline Oakley Razor Blade sunglasses were available in 6 colorways we’ve listed below for reference:
- Matte Clear / Blue Iridium
- Pink w/ Black Earstems / Grey
- Polished Black / Fire Iridium
- Polished Black / Grey
- Polished Neon Yellow / Fire Iridium
- Polished White / Grey
And be sure to scroll down for our full comparison across all 3 generations of Razor Blades.
Oakley Collectors and Heritage Collection Razor Blade Sunglasses
Frame and Design
The Collectors and Heritage Collection Razor Blades are similar to the Stretchline design, with some minor enhancements.
First, the angle of the lens mounting hook is slightly steeper on the Heritage Collection Razor Blades, along with slight differences on the ear stems. However, these features are not noticeable to most average wearers.
Unfortunately, these slight differences once again mean you can’t swap parts or lenses across generations.
Lenses
While these lenses maintain the same shape as the original Razor Blade sunglasses, as mentioned above, they can’t be shared across generations. This is due to slight changes in the frame’s angles where the lenses connect.
But the Collectors and Heritage Razor Blades did have one major enhancement – Prizm lenses. This was the first Razor Blade sunglasses we saw released with contrast-enhancing Prizm Lenses as a part of the Kith x Oakley Aspen 2018 releases.
Colorways
Between 2010 and 2018, as a part of the Collectors and Heritage Collection, Oakley released 17 colorways we’ve listed below for reference:
- Heritage Collection Black / Fire Iridium
- Black / Fire Iridium
- Kith Black / Prizm Golf
- Kith Black / Prizm Grey
- Blue / Ice Iridium
- STPL x Blue w/ White Splatter / Ice Iridium
- Kith Prizm Trail
- Heritage Collection Matte Clear and Black / Violet Iridium
- Kith Navy and Yellow
- Neon Yellow and Black / Fire Iridium
- Pink and Black / Grey
- Red / Fire Iridium
- Kith Red / Prizm Tungsten
- Heritage Collection Red and Black / Fire Iridium
- Heritage Collection Seafoam and White / Grey
- White / Fire Iridium
- Kith White / Prizm Ruby Iridium
- Heritage Collection White / Violet Iridium
Vintage vs. New Razor Blades vs. Heritage Oakley Eyeshades
The Stretchline and later Re-releases (Collectors, Heritage Collection and Kith) had the same general design as the original. Bu,t there are still key differences if you review each of the pairs.
First, the Strethline and Re-releases are made of the updated O Matter material. This improved frame material features a new formula that is less prone to the cracking and brittleness of the Original Blades.
Second, there are slight variations across the lens hook angles on the frames. Unfortunately, this means you cannot use lenses interchangeably across different generations of Razor Blade sunglasses.
Oakley also upgraded the lenses on the later generations. While all models are made of Plutonite, later lenses include XYZ and High Definition Optics (HDO) for a clearer and more durable lens. Not to mention the Kith x Oakley pairs, which feature Prizm lenses.
Overall these three generations of Razors Blades are very similar. And if you’re looking for an everyday pair to wear, you’ll want to go with the Stretchline or latest re-releases. Otherwise if you’re looking for the most collectible pairs, it is the original Razor Blades.
Now let’s find out how and where to find Razor Blade sunglasses for sale.
Where to Find Razor Blades for Sale?
Depending on the generation of Oakley Blade or Razor Blade Sunglasses you’re looking to purchase, your options will vary.
Original Blades are both hard to find and expensive. And depending on the condition, pairs can range from hundreds of dollars to over a thousand dollars!
But luckily for later generations and re-releases, it’s a bit easier.
In either case, you’ll need to buy your Blades and Razor Blades from aftermarket sites. Your best options are the Oakley Sunglasses Exchange here on OakleyForum.com or auction sites such as eBay.
Just be sure to know what you’re looking for and how to spot fakes!
Final Thoughts
The Blades and Razor Blades forever have a place in our history. They catapulted Oakley to global recognition, became an icon of the 1980s, and laid the groundwork for decades of Oakleys to come.
The legendary M Frame and Radar sunglasses you see on the faces of athletes across sports all exist today because of the innovation from the Blades system. And we hope to see Oakley continue with re-releases of this iconic frame for many years to come!
Looking For More?
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