Frame: X-Metal
Lens: Black Iridium Polarized
I know I'm gonna get it from the Juliet camp, but the Romeo 2.0s are vastly superior sunglasses. And I own 2 pairs of Juliets already (with a 3rd on the way). Weight and eye coverage are 2 areas where these beat the Juliet. I know a lot of people don't care for rimless designs (I'm a big fan myself) but there's no way to argue against the fact that less metal results in less weight. Adding peripheral vision to the mix only helps the situation.
Since this isn't a lens review, I won't get into what I like to call "astonishing clarity" when I wear my Romeos. For my head size, the Romeos fit much better. Even with the 15 T-Shox in both, the Romeos have less squeeze than my Juliets and let me wear them from sun up to sun down. The "Hammer" earstems aren't as pronounced compared to the original Romeos (and X-Metal XX) but still lend to the comfort factor. Plus they have real, honest-to-goodness "O" icons on them.
I only have one pair of Romeo 2.0s, but I haven't noticed any lens looseness. Compare that to the 8 pairs of Juliets I've had a chance to check out, of which 7 of them had loose lenses.
Frame: Carbon
Lens: 24K Gold
This is a factory custom I purchased off a fellow collector. The combination of the dark Carbon frame with the explosive gold hues of the 24K combine for a spectacular looking X-Metal with loads of personality and oodles of exclusivity. This is something I feel honored to own. I cannot imagine a cooler and more unique Romeo 2 colorway.
Frame: Carbon
Lens: Fire
First of all: the Romeo 2.0 is nothing like its predecessor. The half frame design, the flex coupler, the lens shape. I don't know why they didn't rename it. There are no similarities between the old one and the new one...
Back to the glasses: The fit is perfect, seeing that my head is kinda small, these fit me much better than the old Romeo's!
The reduced weight due to the half frame makes the Romeo 2.0 easy on the ears and nose. These will be comfortable to wear all day long. Too bad they incorporated the Icon logo in the earstem. A part of me says that an Oakley needs an Icon in the earstem, but this is the first X-metal that truely has one and that really makes it a little bit akward. It's kinda like an oversized wire.
They say the Gary Scelzi Romeo 2.0 is limited to 500, I believe this is not the case seeing that my serial is #709. Nontheless, the Scelzi edition is the best color combo out there, so when you do get the chance, take it!
Frame: Polished
Lens: Titanium Iridium
I like these. Like a fine utensil, they are not for the casual sunglass wearer. Expensive and need to be taken care of. For people who can appreciate the materials, design, and craftsmanship.
Styling? I like the styling. Polished titanium half frame with the titanium iridium lense is a good combo. The sculpting of the metal is very modern and I can tell alot of thought went into the arms.
The titanium iridium lense is amber based (which I prefer to grey based). The lense coverage is excellent and I like the half rim design which unlocks the downward field of vision.
The frame is titanium (light/rigid). Frame flex comes from two 1/4" strips of metal in the gaps of the nose bridge peice. I reccomend you try a few on before buying, as there is symetrical variation going on due to the construction process.
If the arms don't open the same distance, check to see if the hinge shocks are inserted flush. A little twist of the flex coupler can fix some issues too. I also had a couple bumps under the left nose bob that I swear I could feel through the rubber, which I carefully filed down.
I'm giving these 4 stars not 5 because of the nose bobs. They could have been done better for comfort. I recomend to Oakley, connect the 2 sides with a bridge to distribute the weight over a greater surface area on the nose for greater comfort. I wear these for hours on end at work and it's alright, but as one poster mentioned they do give 2 red marks on your nose.
Also, for the price, you should get a tool with these and the option to order/switch lenses. They don't sell the lenses seperately like they do with the other half frame models.
The glasses come with alternate hinge shocks (one opens a tiny bit less) and alternate nose shocks (thinner).
Frame: All
Lens: All
I walk around work with these around my head and I have to say that they just don't quite feel as good to me as the original even though they are very nice indeed. Most other sunglasses I would rate rather blandly, but these get high marks even though I like the original Romeo for a number of reasons.
First, I'm kind of an X-Metal purist (Most on the Oakley review know my general tastes: don't like spring hinges, conservative color combos, etc.). I'm a little disappointed that Oakley had to design-out the hole in the temple that I had come to love so much in the Juliets, Mars', Romeos, and XX's. I didn't like the Penny's much because not only because of the aforementioned reason but also because they were spring hinged.
Secondly, as I'm only luke warm on the idea of Oakley's rimless designs, I'm especially luke warm on a rimless X-Metal. I've come to think of the X-Metal line as lending itself to abuse (looking like it anyway). To me, the rimless design steps on that ideal a little.
The price hike is a little much too. The increased cost without the option of a pure X-Metal/ Black Iridium non-Polarized combo which I loved in the original Juliet, Romeo, XX, and Mars bugs me.
Onto the good. The peripherals on the glasses are really good and clarity is quite nice. Admittedly, they do generally fit most people (that I've seen) better than the Romeo I and the design is a bit more forgiving to most face shapes. I guess the trouble with Romeo I is that you almost had to have a face born with the purpose of wearing them.
Holding both pairs up and examining them at a wide variety of angles, I've concluded that the lines of Romeo I are much more elegant and streamlined than Romeo II's. The Romeo IIs are a just a little too busy for my tastes.
In summary, it seems that the very reasons I don't seem to love these glasses are those that prompt most others to laud them as some of the best X-Metals out there. I guess I just like the ultra chunky feel of the original whereas most people don't.