Prizm Tungsten vs. Tungsten Iridium Polarized?

[DKO]

Has anyone bought Prizm tungsten yet? Willing to do comparison shots vs. tungsten iridium polarized? Opinions? Are they polarized? Iridium coated?

I"m mostly interested on if there's any iridium coating on the front of the lenses. And if you think they are better to look through than trusty old tungsten iridium polarized?

 

[Carrera1963]

I'm holding fire until someone can actually confirm that they really are Prizm or if that is now just a marketing term. So I'll be interested in the answer too

 

[Delorean2006]

I'm holding fire until someone can actually confirm that they really are Prizm or if that is now just a marketing term. So I'll be interested in the answer too

All the new Prizm lenses they are releasing like, BIP, Prizm Sapphire and Prizm Tungsten all have the new Prizm Universal base, so they are true Prizm, for instance I have the Prizm BIP and have swapped for a normal BIP and I can definitely tell there is a difference in color and clarity between the two lenses. Lastly, myself is waiting for someone to put up a review for Tungsten since that's what I would like to get next.

Oakley PRIZM Tungsten Polarized Lens | Review

Complete Oakley Prizm Tungsten Polarized Lens review. Plus we compare Prizm Tungsten vs. Tungsten Polarized so you know the difference!

www.oakleyforum.com

 

[Tayman15]

I have a pair of tungsten prism holbrooks

 

[Oak Heel]

Subbed. Also interested in this new Prizm Tungsten. I love the base tint of regular Tungsten polar. Such a versatile lens. Would love to see some more opinions/reviews/pics of Tungsten vs Prizm Tungsten.

 

[pjd1234]

Oooohhh prizm tungsten sounds like an awesome lens.

 

[pjd1234]

A review and comparisons would be very much appreciated guys.

 

[Patient_Cero]

I'm holding fire until someone can actually confirm that they really are Prizm or if that is now just a marketing term. So I'll be interested in the answer too

They are slowly replacing all existing lenses with a Prizm counterpart from everything I've read across both forums. So eventually all lenses will be a Prizm base and mark another defining of "generations" among lenses in Oakley history.

 

[DKO]

So I stopped by my regular Oakley store here in Bangkok. They finally received the new models with Prizm Tungsten. Sorry no pictures. But here's my observations on the differences of Prizm Tungsten vs. Tungsten Iridium Polarized.
First if you like Tungsten Iridium Polarized as a daily wear, then you should like Prizm Tungsten as they are very similar. So similar it took me awhile to discern any differences at all. Prizm Black and BIP are quite different, but Prizm Tungsten and Tungsten Iridum Polarized are nearly the same.

Base Tint: Prizm Tungsten is lighter. So Tungsten IP is a bronze type of tint. Prizm Tungsten is more of a gold yellow tint. This is how I perceived it while looking through the lenses.

Light transmission: I don't have numbers but in terms of comparison I would say that Prizm Tungsten is 25% lighter than Tungsten IP. It felt alot like the way Prizm Daily is lighter and can be worn even indoors without being too dark. Although it might mean that in bright sun Prizm Tungsten may not be bright enough. The store I was in has no outside facing windows, so there were no bright sun conditions to test in.

Clarity: Just like Prizm Daily seems clearer and sharper, Prizm Tungsten seems clearer than Tungsten IP. Not alot different as Tungsten IP is already a high contrast sharp lens. I would guess that Prizm Tungsten is 10% sharper. I have a feeling this partially due to the lighter tint and higher light transmission like Prizm Daily does.

Polarized: Yes Prizm Tungsten is polarized. The store had one of those small polarization standup displays and turning the lens sideways on both blacked out the picture.

Iridium: Tungsten IP already had a very light iridium coating, being only reflective from some angles. Titanium IP, a sister lens to Tungsten IP, had a very mirrored iridium coating. Prizm Tungsten is even lighter, where its similar to Prizm Daily, where I'm not sure there is an Iridium coating or just a shiny lens surface that reflects light from certain angles.
Also in the same way with Prizm Daily, less Iridium coating means less glare reduction. Looking into the overhead bright halogen lights at the store, Tungsten IP was very good at cutting out most of the glare from the bulb. While Prizm Tungsten removed only about 50% of the glare from the halogen bulb.

Eye visibility looking in: I know this one matters to many people. Some already think Tungsten IP lets people see the wearer's eyes too easily. Prizm Tungsten allows someone to see your eyes easier. It's not a major difference. But I would say it allows someone to see the wearer's eyes about 10-20% easier. Its rather negligible, but it is slightly easier to see the wearer's eyes with Prizm Tungsten.

So my opinion in summary is that Prizm Tungsten is a nice lens if you like bronze based contrast lenses like Tungsten, Titanium, Gold, Bronze, etc. But are looking for a slightly lighter version of Tungsten IP. It's lighter with less Iridium coating, which would make it more useful in lower light situations or indoors vs. Tungsten IP. However if you want a more bright sun outdoor lens, stick with Tungsten IP or Titanium IP.

Would I recommend buying Prizm Tungsten instead of Tungsten IP? I wouldn't. I still think Tungsten IP is a near perfect lens, with contrast, glare reduction and varying light condition versatility. If Oakley intends on replacing Tungsten IP with Prizm Tungsten in the product offerings, I think I would be satisfied with Prizm Tungsten as the replacement. However, I would like to see a heavier Iridium coating option of Prizm Tungsten in the future, maybe a Prizm Titanium, that can handle bright sun conditions and glare better.

And for my own usage, I have some Prizm Daily lenses, and would probably just use Prizm Daily for lower light or indoor/outdoor contrast use, instead of buying new Prizm Tungsten lenses.

 

[Oak Heel]

I still think Tungsten IP is a near perfect lens, with contrast, glare reduction and varying light condition versatility.

Thanks @DKO for that in depth review!! I agree 1000% about Tungsten IP being a nearly perfect lens. Kinda bummed to hear that Prizm tungsten is maybe not quite as versatile as old trusty tungsten. Guess we'll have to start hoarding up the old school tungsten IP .. Also agreed, something like Prizm Titanium would definitely be intriguing. Thanks again for the write up, much appreciated.