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My New Singlewide "Stretch Line Eyewear Display" / "Stretchline" / O.G. Cab

MJLSr

I am Jim Jannard...
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I am sharing what I have seen in person and have been told directly by forum members and Oakley folks. If anyone has any additional information, including clarifications on any of the details in this post please chime in :)

Some are calling this the "Stretch Line Eyewear Display", or "Stretchline", others just refer to it as "The first style of display cases Oakley ever made..."

...and I have one now! :D

Background: I was informed by a fellow forum member of a couple of cases [on CL] that were available in my area, very inexpensive. A couple of newer single-wide's, one aluminum and another...? Having one doublewide that filled rather quickly I questioned ever buying a singlewide. Of course these local cases were gone by the time I reached the Seller. I kept an eye on CL for a couple of days to see if maybe one or both would be flipped locally, and much to my surprise I found this... I had never seen one before. I posed the question on the forum: "What case is this?". The responses I received were quite interesting, suggesting the case was not just old, but the original - as in the first Oakley made/released, or a variant thereof, likely from the late 90's. Based on the inputs and asking price I made I went for it. There was some back and forth with the Seller and it sounded like a fair deal. I made an initial offer, but there were others who chimed in for more - a LOT MORE! Lucky for me that the Seller was honorable and gave me first shot at it. Once the deal was confirmed it was a half-day trip, 2 hours each way very early during the weekend to avoid traffic. The Seller told me she had the case for about 7 years and believed she was the 2nd owner... After I got the case I gathered some more specifics - looked for tags/stickers, removed the drawers, then reached out the some of the Oakley folks I know. One of them has a very similar case, with the exception being the his has the O-icon on the front instead of 'Oakley' as mine does. I shared some pics and confirmed all other things being equal we had the same case otherwise. Then I heard something even more interesting - these were actually initially released in the late 80's and ran for about 10 years, maybe a little more, until the late 90's when the aluminum cases became the standard. I spoke to another Oakley guy who did not have a case, but shared similar, offering that he knew these cases were around in the early 90's but deprecated by Y2K. Considering all inputs this case is somewhere between 15 and 25 years old and is in very good to excellent condition for its age. It is straight with no rust, minimal discoloration (if any?), one broken lock, and a couple of scratches on the plexi (glass shelves are squeaky clean). Seriously - It is entirely possible that this case is 20 years old +/1 with what I consider minimal wear. Notice that one of the pictures shows the front plexi with a good reflection in it as an indication of how clean it is, less a couple of scratches.

About the case: It is a gunmetal/pewter finish with some colorful variants that are pleasing to the eye [as shown in the pictures below, with a link below to the full set on Flickr] - Think X-Metal with a slight rust tone with X-Metal plasma-colored 'bolts'). It is a 72" tall x 16" wide x 12" deep. It has a single starburst light for the inside and another atop for the POP inserts on the sides, which is controlled by a separate switch. This way you can have either/or/both lights on. The sidewalls and back are plexi. The front door is very thick, about 3/8" - it is one of the thicker doors I have seen [the sides and back are thinner]. The hinges are as sturdy as they look (i.e. VERY). There are two drawers on the bottom that are good size. The doors are mounted on well built rails that glide with ease. They pop in and out with minimal effort, very well designed IMO. There are also 9 slots to position the [glass] shelves to optimize the layout. I like that, especially in a narrow cab.

Having looked at at least a dozen different types of cabinets this is a tie for first [along with my black 3.0 tower]. This cab is amazing! It is thick, sturdy, and although not perfect - it has as much character as any I have yet to see. It SCREAMS X-Metal!!!!!!!! :cool-20:

My biggest decision will be trying to figure out if I should put the high-end X-metal's in there (they kind of match) or make it an Elite case, of which it is also worthy... decisions, decisions.... I do know I am going to place this next to my double-wide and also in close proximity to my 'mini O-Lab' and lightbox. I am going to sit down with some graph paper and draft a few options - that will be my task tonight, review tomorrow, maybe some time to paint, with setup on Monday. Hopefully by Tuesday I'll have more pics to share of the setup as intended/imagined/hoped :biggrin:

So that is what I know, or think I know.. if you have more to offer about this case please share! :)

There are a few pics below. I included a few pics with display items to provide some perspective, some stands and C SIX vault. The rest are @

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mjlsr/sets/72157644815914241

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CARGUY has a few of them

I know... I've seen pics... I hope he and others can contribute to this thread as the Oakley folks I have spoken to consider these to be VERY RARE, especially in good or better condition.

I thought my 3.0 black tower was the bomb - until I saw this!
 
The production number on these as I understand is 80-ish. They are very unique towers and if I can help in any other way let me know.
Enjoy yours!
 
Thank You CarGuy - 80-ish...? Wow! One of the Oakley folks I know who has been with them since the mid 80's, before these were made, said he thought there were only a few hundred of them in general but could not confirm, but 80-ish??? o_O

Does the "80-ish" include the various finishing touches (O-icon vs 'Oakley', other)? Or does the 80-ish apply to the specific type I have (O-icon vs 'Oakley', etc...)

Another interesting thing I heard was that many (most?) of these suffered significant corrosion due to their construct. People would buy them, leave them in a humid garage for a few days or transport without climate control - and they would begin to rust out, before they knew it they were toast. Have you heard of this before?

Honestly, I think this is probably one of if not the most interesting piece of my collection so far!

I will be in touch if (eh... when) I have ?'s ;)
 
They do rust but a little rust gives them a nice patina. A light coat of a light oil like a gun oil should keep the surface rust off but I don't believe that they would rust out with the rapidity that you have been led to believe.
The 80 some would be inclusive of both finishing touches to the best of my knowledge. And they do scream x metal!
 
That is good to know. I have been blessed with a well cared for display. I was sent a pic by the Oakley guy who got his in the late 80's (88-89?) - he still has it. He has the 'O' version and his is showing some signs of 'rust' reddish colored wear, much less patina and more putrid IMO.

He was the one who explained it to me as he was involved with the storage and transport of others that were less fortunate. He knew people who kept them in suboptimal conditions and they were a PITA to restore according to him. He said I was very lucky to have one in such good condition.

Apparently there is also some paperwork that goes along with them. I guess mine got lost over time. He is going to send me some more info at some point soon. if you have that detail please send it my way :)
 

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