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Just Got Linegear Premium Red Lenses for R1s. Honest Review.

Esscaster

Oakley Expert
98
623
Colorado
My Photobucket links seems to be disappearing lately, but hope this works out. But yeah, wanted to get a close to the 1st Gen Ruby Iridium look for my Romeos while also getting the benefits of a polarized lens. After much research and posting here decided to give Linegear's Premium Red a try. After nearly a month in US customs, they've finally arrived. They come in a package which protects them well and Daisuke clearly labels them. Sorry for crappy pics by the way.

Started out life as this, Fire Iridium lenses with the real Ruby Juliets in the background. When I take pics of the Premium Red later on I don't even bother comparing to Rubies because it's so obviously more a match for the Oakley's Positive Red rather than the original Ruby Iridiums.

20150427_104740_resized_1_zpsyccywvvv.jpg


And this are the results after putting new lenses in:

20150505_095937_resized_zpsizymm5y2.jpg


At the very onset you notice that naked and with a same conditions and lighting above, the mirror is super reflective but it's just not as "thick." You can clearly see the stems through the lenses whereas with the Fire Iridium lenses you can barely see them. Hard to describe, but it's just not as reflective, kind of like the difference between a car that has been waxed vs. a car that has not.

Also, you'll notice that with no background to it it does kind of look like the 1st Gen Ruby lenses. Deep purple spot in the middle fading out to red and this sort of sunset orange.

20150505_094404_resized_zpstj4hjvxp.jpg


However putting a black background behind it to simulate it being worn, the lenses become of a different animal with deep royal blue fading out to a bit of purple and then to this very rosy sort of pink. Not much in the way of a Cyclops sort of red. Very unexpected sort of effect, but awesome. Really grown to love them. Never ever had real Oakleys positive iridium lenses so I don't know if this is how they go about transitioning with different angles.

20150505_094410_resized_zps5nrzncqp.jpg


Wearing them out in public they are a real showstopper. Super beautiful lens to behold outdoors, but given how I work in a city, I was too embarrassed to selfie myself out in public. The darkness of the lens really contrasts the plasma frame well.

Thoughts on the lenses themselves?

20150505_094530_resized_zpss5by2yeq.jpg


Well... to look through they are a perfectly clear and fine. I know Infinite Hero has done tests under extreme zooming that shows they are not as clear, and I respect him for that, but to me they seem fine. The tint is surprisingly similar to the greenish-brown sort of tint you'd get through Fire Iridium. Not super dark, but not super light either. I prefer this actually to blackish grey tints.

Never had real Oakley polarized R1 lenses before, but compared to my BIP in my Juliets, the polarization effects doesn't seem nearly as strong, which is a good thing in my view because with the BIP in my Juliets I would struggle to see my nav screen while driving or my phone. With these I can, although my iPhone screen tends to look a very flat sort of pink. I don't know if there are differing degrees of polarization or if this is because of the nature of Romeos vs. Juliets, but these are very noticeable differences to me.

Overall thoughts, they are a splendid lens. I love them. Waiting so long for them in US customs I asked Infinite Hero to cut me real polarized Ruby Iridiums and thought about returning these, but I think I'll keep them and swap between the two. They are really a quality lens to me, but there is something about them that tells me they are not real Oakley lenses. It's a "hardness" and extra polish on it that these just don't have. Not necessarily a bad thing because with Oakley lenses I frequently tend to see a reflection of my own nose bridge whilst wearing them.

If you can't afford or get custom cuts, I feel you'll really not be disappointed with these.
 
Thanks for sharing. It is always good to see a thorough review and this is a topic that is important. I am sure many members will find this information useful. Most modern lenses are just fancy pieces of plastic, some fancier than others.

I have not used Linegear but others - VL, Revant, Fuse, and others ... The issues I have noticed most often:

a) Eye strain: Most aftermarket lenses I have tried are harder on my eyes the longer I wear them. This is obviously not as much of an issue for a shorter duration. Please let us know how you feel about them after you've worn these a few times for a couple few hours at a time. Maybe check back in a week or so and let us know how you're feeling? :)

b) Longevity: Some lenses do not last as long, and are more easily damaged than others. It would also be good to get some feedback on durability if you can provide that. Optical quality aside if you go through more lenses that may even out the monetary savings in the end. This is obviously going to vary depending on how you wear them and the environment, but any opinions are good opinions!

c) Strength: There may be more than just the visual 'thin' going on? I think of this as putting saran wrap in your car where the windshield would go. Strength is part of the X-Metal DNA so to put anything less may reduce the amount of protection. This also become a factor if you get a small nick or scratch as they can expand quickly, very quickly.

Not trying to hijack your thread, just facilitating followup and further conversation. ;)
 
Great review. I have not tried aftermarket lenses, and have been tempted to because they seem inexpensive in comparison. In the end, I guess it really comes down to the old adage that, "you get what you pay for." Based off of reviews like this, it can help people decide if the price is worth the trade off in quality.
 
Thank's a lot for your complete review, very useful for the forum ;)

From my experience in other areas, "made in japan" stuff means excellent quality, and this review is probably the proof that Linegear lenses aren't so bad as described here and there. Maybe not at OEM level, but for sure wearable for long period without issues
 
Nice review. An aside- why so long in customs? I get my Linegear in about 10 calender days...granted I'm in California but I wouldn't think another 3 weeks would be needed to get across the USA.

To your point about tint- Premium Red is most definitely more Positive Red when being worn than Ruby- in fact its a dead ringer to my eye. Linegear doesn't really have a "true" match for even early gen Ruby IMO nor for the prop Cyclops red- Mirror Red is as close as they get but that's only the case at angles as straight on they're mostly black.

I tend to agree that Linegear is very very good and I'm considering putting a set in one of my XS again; I will say that unless you're looking for a certain tint, custom cuts aren't THAT much more...I think Linegear polarized is about $70-$75 and you can get custom cut OEM for about $100
 
Great review. I have not tried aftermarket lenses, and have been tempted to because they seem inexpensive in comparison. In the end, I guess it really comes down to the old adage that, "you get what you pay for." Based off of reviews like this, it can help people decide if the price is worth the trade off in quality.

Yeah I mean they are actually almost as expensive as real Oakley replacement lenses, but of course because you have to have Oakley lenses custom cut for something like the R1s, the Linegear stuff ends up being around half the price.

But to be fair, I am not the best at judging "quality." and can defer to Infinite Hero to talk about the merits of base prizm, curve 8, and all that. I can see through them fine for long periods of time and have tossed them around a bit and they haven't broken yet. As a sunglass lens they seem just fine.

The fact that the mirror finish is noticeably thinner and not as reflective or as dramatic as a real Oakley lens is the only drawback as far as the lens that I can figure. I didn't mention this in the review, but the way it bursts into different colors at different angles doesn't seem as nuanced or as dramatic as a real Oakley lens, but again I've never had Oakleys with real Positive Red lenses, so I'm not sure if it's meant to be this way or not.

I think overall if you appreciate that the lenses are a different sort of animal rather than a perfect clone of an Oakley lens, you'll like it just fine.
 
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Nice review. An aside- why so long in customs? I get my Linegear in about 10 calender days...granted I'm in California but I wouldn't think another 3 weeks would be needed to get across the USA.

To your point about tint- Premium Red is most definitely more Positive Red when being worn than Ruby- in fact its a dead ringer to my eye. Linegear doesn't really have a "true" match for even early gen Ruby IMO nor for the prop Cyclops red- Mirror Red is as close as they get but that's only the case at angles as straight on they're mostly black.

I tend to agree that Linegear is very very good and I'm considering putting a set in one of my XS again; I will say that unless you're looking for a certain tint, custom cuts aren't THAT much more...I think Linegear polarized is about $70-$75 and you can get custom cut OEM for about $100

I have no idea. It's pretty odd because in this economy where the dollar is pretty strong, I've been buying a lot of foreign goods and most of the time it passed through customs in just a few days. Everything sent to D.C. goes through a facility in NYC and I guess volume was just super high at the time. I almost gave up hope on ever seeing them.
 
My Photobucket links seems to be disappearing lately, but hope this works out. But yeah, wanted to get a close to the 1st Gen Ruby Iridium look for my Romeos while also getting the benefits of a polarized lens. After much research and posting here decided to give Linegear's Premium Red a try. After nearly a month in US customs, they've finally arrived. They come in a package which protects them well and Daisuke clearly labels them. Sorry for crappy pics by the way.

Started out life as this, Fire Iridium lenses with the real Ruby Juliets in the background. When I take pics of the Premium Red later on I don't even bother comparing to Rubies because it's so obviously more a match for the Oakley's Positive Red rather than the original Ruby Iridiums.

View attachment 150731

And this are the results after putting new lenses in:

View attachment 150732

At the very onset you notice that naked and with a same conditions and lighting above, the mirror is super reflective but it's just not as "thick." You can clearly see the stems through the lenses whereas with the Fire Iridium lenses you can barely see them. Hard to describe, but it's just not as reflective, kind of like the difference between a car that has been waxed vs. a car that has not.

Also, you'll notice that with no background to it it does kind of look like the 1st Gen Ruby lenses. Deep purple spot in the middle fading out to red and this sort of sunset orange.

View attachment 150733

However putting a black background behind it to simulate it being worn, the lenses become of a different animal with deep royal blue fading out to a bit of purple and then to this very rosy sort of pink. Not much in the way of a Cyclops sort of red. Very unexpected sort of effect, but awesome. Really grown to love them. Never ever had real Oakleys positive iridium lenses so I don't know if this is how they go about transitioning with different angles.

View attachment 150734

Wearing them out in public they are a real showstopper. Super beautiful lens to behold outdoors, but given how I work in a city, I was too embarrassed to selfie myself out in public. The darkness of the lens really contrasts the plasma frame well.

Thoughts on the lenses themselves?

View attachment 150735

Well... to look through they are a perfectly clear and fine. I know Infinite Hero has done tests under extreme zooming that shows they are not as clear, and I respect him for that, but to me they seem fine. The tint is surprisingly similar to the greenish-brown sort of tint you'd get through Fire Iridium. Not super dark, but not super light either. I prefer this actually to blackish grey tints.

Never had real Oakley polarized R1 lenses before, but compared to my BIP in my Juliets, the polarization effects doesn't seem nearly as strong, which is a good thing in my view because with the BIP in my Juliets I would struggle to see my nav screen while driving or my phone. With these I can, although my iPhone screen tends to look a very flat sort of pink. I don't know if there are differing degrees of polarization or if this is because of the nature of Romeos vs. Juliets, but these are very noticeable differences to me.

Overall thoughts, they are a splendid lens. I love them. Waiting so long for them in US customs I asked Infinite Hero to cut me real polarized Ruby Iridiums and thought about returning these, but I think I'll keep them and swap between the two. They are really a quality lens to me, but there is something about them that tells me they are not real Oakley lenses. It's a "hardness" and extra polish on it that these just don't have. Not necessarily a bad thing because with Oakley lenses I frequently tend to see a reflection of my own nose bridge whilst wearing them.

If you can't afford or get custom cuts, I feel you'll really not be disappoin review ,i was planning to get one myself Premium Red

My Photobucket links seems to be disappearing lately, but hope this works out. But yeah, wanted to get a close to the 1st Gen Ruby Iridium look for my Romeos while also getting the benefits of a polarized lens. After much research and posting here decided to give Linegear's Premium Red a try. After nearly a month in US customs, they've finally arrived. They come in a package which protects them well and Daisuke clearly labels them. Sorry for crappy pics by the way.

Started out life as this, Fire Iridium lenses with the real Ruby Juliets in the background. When I take pics of the Premium Red later on I don't even bother comparing to Rubies because it's so obviously more a match for the Oakley's Positive Red rather than the original Ruby Iridiums.

View attachment 150731

And this are the results after putting new lenses in:

View attachment 150732

At the very onset you notice that naked and with a same conditions and lighting above, the mirror is super reflective but it's just not as "thick." You can clearly see the stems through the lenses whereas with the Fire Iridium lenses you can barely see them. Hard to describe, but it's just not as reflective, kind of like the difference between a car that has been waxed vs. a car that has not.

Also, you'll notice that with no background to it it does kind of look like the 1st Gen Ruby lenses. Deep purple spot in the middle fading out to red and this sort of sunset orange.

View attachment 150733

However putting a black background behind it to simulate it being worn, the lenses become of a different animal with deep royal blue fading out to a bit of purple and then to this very rosy sort of pink. Not much in the way of a Cyclops sort of red. Very unexpected sort of effect, but awesome. Really grown to love them. Never ever had real Oakleys positive iridium lenses so I don't know if this is how they go about transitioning with different angles.

View attachment 150734

Wearing them out in public they are a real showstopper. Super beautiful lens to behold outdoors, but given how I work in a city, I was too embarrassed to selfie myself out in public. The darkness of the lens really contrasts the plasma frame well.

Thoughts on the lenses themselves?

View attachment 150735

Well... to look through they are a perfectly clear and fine. I know Infinite Hero has done tests under extreme zooming that shows they are not as clear, and I respect him for that, but to me they seem fine. The tint is surprisingly similar to the greenish-brown sort of tint you'd get through Fire Iridium. Not super dark, but not super light either. I prefer this actually to blackish grey tints.

Never had real Oakley polarized R1 lenses before, but compared to my BIP in my Juliets, the polarization effects doesn't seem nearly as strong, which is a good thing in my view because with the BIP in my Juliets I would struggle to see my nav screen while driving or my phone. With these I can, although my iPhone screen tends to look a very flat sort of pink. I don't know if there are differing degrees of polarization or if this is because of the nature of Romeos vs. Juliets, but these are very noticeable differences to me.

Overall thoughts, they are a splendid lens. I love them. Waiting so long for them in US customs I asked Infinite Hero to cut me real polarized Ruby Iridiums and thought about returning these, but I think I'll keep them and swap between the two. They are really a quality lens to me, but there is something about them that tells me they are not real Oakley lenses. It's a "hardness" and extra polish on it that these just don't have. Not necessarily a bad thing because with Oakley lenses I frequently tend to see a reflection of my own nose bridge whilst wearing them.

If you can't afford or get custom cuts, I feel you'll really not be disappointed with these.
Great review , very useful info, i was thinking to get one my self , either Premium Red or Ruby Mirror 👍🤔
 
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