Oakley Radar EV Advancer

[NomadOakley]

After around 1.5 years of use, the photochromic lens has started to bubble and peel off. I am ordering a replacement lens, how do you avoid that or really wear and tear?

 

[Ventruck]

After around 1.5 years of use, the photochromic lens has started to bubble and peel off. I am ordering a replacement lens, how do you avoid that or really wear and tear?

Avoid mixing/leaving chemical and oils.
Avoid sudden temperature changes.
Avoid putting them in a hot enclosed space.
If cleaning the lens and frames, dry everything thoroughly before putting the lenses back in.

And that's really as much as you can do unless someone else can chime in to add more.

Otherwise it's luck. If you're cycling or something, debris that hits you could be the start of the failure. But the lens did its job.

Sometimes it happens even if you store and never use the lenses

Sometimes it happens shortly after purchase for no reason.

Sometimes you can do a bunch of wrong things but the lenses are tanks.

1.5 years of continuous use, with some possibility they saved you without realizing, is fair imo.

 

[NomadOakley]

Thank you. I do use this for cycling, trail and road, but alternating with other sunglasses. After usage, I make it a point to wash in running water then pat dry with microfiber cloth except the actual lens, which I just let air dry. And yeah, 1.5 years seems fair for its usage.

I did not have this problem with my Rudy Project photochromic lenses, but all my Oakley glasses even the non-photochromic have shown signs of bubbling and peeling, worse actually peeled off large portions. I suppose even for the Prizm lens will eventually have this? My Prizms are only a few months so still good. Much thanks for sharing your thoughts.

 

[Ventruck]

Yeah, I have a Prizm Road in that "wore" out at the edges. It was progressively a daily wear from 2015 to like 2021.

I'm currently wearing a Prizm Black Polar since end of 2021 (black friday deal made that easier to swallow). Minor wear but still going strong.

I haven't touched Rudy Project much since wearing Oakley ~ 2012. I do remember one of my frames were just cracking lenses. Would like to believe that was more of an isolated situation specific to that design. Either way, I personally haven't experienced delamination in that however relatively short time I wore their products.

Smith was a similar story. No peeling, but stress cracks at the Pivlock interface.

Not to drag this on as a story, but basically Oakley stuck for me because of the fit in particular. Even though Rudy had an adjustable fit, it wasn't as reliable for me. Being able to ride without having to adjust my glasses frequently was a huge quality of life change — and this was with a Radarlock that relatively speaking doesn't fit all that great compared to the EV/Advancer/Jawbreaker that came after.

 

[JK_Cycling]

From my experience it also comes down to plain luck. 1,5 years is quite early for a lense peeling. I ve had that as well, but more like after 3-4 years. On other lenses so far I don’t have the problem.
I cannot see any difference in usage between the mentioned lenses.

And I use my Radar EV‘s for cycling and running only, after all they are sports sunglasses and are meant to be used like that.

After such a short time I would get back to Oakley (assuming one still has any proof for the purchase - I often delete mails after a while).

In the end with a Radar EV I can live with it assuming I had used the lense a lot, as Ventruck said it has done its job the and over here you get replacement lenses for a very fair price.
However if that would happen on frame where I cannot change the lenses like on some Encoders I have…

 

[NomadOakley]

Thanks again, guys So even the new Prizms may eventually have these. That is the reason why I got Raybans for driving as all my earlier Oakleys peeled off (monster, wires, etc.). And I agree, the fitting is always much better with my Oakleys, compared with my Rudy Projects and Raybans.

And I was about to check out the Oakley Radar EV advancer replacement lens for about $110 (I do not want non-Oakley since I am not sure of how good their photochromics are) but decided to just get a new Flak XL 2.0 with photochromic lenses for $145 after discounts. I think I got a better deal since I can still use the flaking Radar EV. LOL.