• Take 30 seconds to register your free account to access deals, post topics, and view exclusive content!

    Register Today

    Join the largest Oakley Forum on the web!

G26 Iridium Question

I've worn G26 twice, and probably won't again.

It was fun to wear, and all of the road lines and signs really popped, but the purply color just didn't feel good. I didn't get colors distorted that I could tell, but it's definitely not a lens I want to wear for very long.

That's actually the reason Oakley developed the Jade Iridium lens in the first place. People loved the external color of the G26 lens but it was virtually unwearable for anything but target shooting (for which it was designed). Oakley doesn't recommended it for general wear. So they gave us Jade Iridium on a neutral base so we could have the great looking green without completely screwing up our color vision. I believe in certain places it's actually illegal to drive while wearing the G26. Jade has no such restrictions.
 
They say to not wear while driving and it was a big factor in why the lens was not available as a replacement or retail purchase option for a long time. I have tons of experience with both jade and G26. G26 is a nicer color with more yellows in it and blues. The Jade however, generally has more purples, but that is all a matter of the base curve of the lens as well (for the jade). Flatter lenses like frogs and Holbrook yield different color appearance than say a Fast Jacket. Both are very brittle coatings though. What I mean by that is when they are cut (or get a good scratch), the iridium flakes off of them much easier than any other lens I have ever seen. Trust me, I cut lots of both, although G26 has died way down lately...Probably more due to availability.

Jade is a more universal lens to wear, while G26 is better for contrast situations like hazy or foggy days. Personally though, I wear Amber Black Polar or Shallow Blue Polar in most hazy situations, and HI Yellow is most foggy situations. That's just me though lol..
 
Yeah on the paperwork that comes with the glasses, I think it is stated the various restrictions of the G26 and other tints. Can't rem what the others are though.
 
rock it on cloudy days lol...My very first cut was a G26 Monster Dog...Still have em too lol..
 
I never had any issues using them for driving etc. this thread gave me the inspiration to rock my Chop G26 brooks today. Ha! Cloudy but no chance of meatballs though.
 
How old is Jade Iridium? I could have swarn I saw it years ago but maybe it was g26


Here is a Jade Iridium Juliet my buddy cut and owns.....these are a few months old.... Not sure how long Jade Iridium has been around and if it has changed hues like the Blue Iridium.

yqety9av.jpg


e5enaqaq.jpg
 
How old is Jade Iridium? I could have swarn I saw it years ago but maybe it was g26
Jade is a fairly recent tint. G26 has been around a while just as Emerald has. Like I mentioned above, Oakley introduced Jade because people were wearing G26 for the look and disregarding the warnings not to wear it for anything other than shooting...and many felt Emerald Iridium didn't look as good (which it doesn't).

To be honest, if you're looking for an all-purpose lens, there's no reason at all to buy the G26 over the Jade. Unless you compare both lenses side by side, it's extremely hard to tell the difference between the two. To me, Jade looks just as sharp as G26 in a set of frames. Unless you shoot competitively, buying a G26 lens is a waste, IMO. It's a tint that's been optimized for one thing and nearly useless for anything else. I'd rather have something a bit more versatile.
 

Latest Posts

Back
Top