I am not a fan of this frame. The shape is that of a generic late 70's/early 80's prescription frame. With that said, I've seen a couple people on which these look awesome. Also, different color combinations look better than others. For example, Matte Black/Grey didn't look right at all, but the Polished Black wasn't so bad on my face. The thing that makes these cool is the interchangeable Icons. I'm surprised that Oakley hasn't done this earlier. The Clementine colorway is one that needs to be done much more often. As soon as I see a pair for sale, I will own them just for the fact that they remind me of a creamsicle.
Aside from the overall shape, I hate the fact that half of the options in this frame came with a Grey Lens and still have a price point $20 higher than average. Oakley is mirroring the marketing strategy of new technology: Set the price high for a new base model that people want, the fanatics will pay anything to get it first, and when they drop the price later and add better lenses, more people will buy the extra options.
By the way, these are the largest frames I have ever seen from Oakley. Bigger than Trenchcoats, Eye Patches, and Monster Doggles. With that knowledge, buy accordingly.
Frame: Shaun White polished black
Lens: 24k Gold Iridium
I've been wearing these for around a couple of months now and I have to say they are the best pair of oakleys I've owned yet. When I bought thses I had originally went to the O-Store looking for a pair of the Shaun White Holbrooks. I found that they, like the frogskins, are a little on the small size for my head. The Dispatch has no such problem, as it is a huge pair of sunglasses. I find that it fits my face almost perfectly, with the exception of the orbitals, which are slightly big and tend to rest on my cheeks sometimes.The lenses are very eye catching and easy on the eyes to look through for long periods of time. The only caveat is that the iridium coating is a magnet for fingerprints and I've found that these are one of the hardest lenses to keep clean. I would definitely recommend these to someone looking for a stylish, awesome piece of eyewear.
Frame: Dispatch Rootbeer
Lens: Bronze Polarized
Just bought a pair of Matte Rootbeer/Bronze Polarized Dispatch at the O-Vault in Carlsbad, CA. I went there with the intention of buying a pair of Clear/Ice Batwolfs and after trying on the Dispatch I was sold (for a number of reasons):
First: My wife has been pushing me to buy a pair of retro aviator style sunglasses, but being an Oakley fan I never ponied up the cash for a pair by another brand. Second: One of my favorite Oakley lenses is Bronze Polarized. However, I hate how they look on my Oils Rigs and on Batwolfs because of the lack of Iridium. But, on the Dispatch they look great! In this type of retro sunglasses I actually like that you can see the eyes.
So far I'm stoked on them. I love the look of them on my face with a hat and they fit pretty well. The downsides are that being flat, light gets in from the open sides. Also, the top covers my eyebrows and therefore pulls sweat towards the top of the lenses. From previous experience, my sweat eats up Oakley Polarized lenses so I have to remember to keep them clean. Maybe they are not as popular here because they do look ugly on the shelf. Great on a face though. If you are cool enough! :)
PS: Big plus on the interchangeable O's. I did not like the supplied extra O's, but that's an easy problem to solve.
Frame: Moto GP
Lens: Grey
I love the style and shape of this glass. The only downer in that I get alot of light let in around the orbitals. This is the best pair of beach shades I have ever owned!
James R -
Frame: Dispatch Matte Black
Lens: Grey
I do have a big head so these are the best. Better than my Hijinx.
Big question - how do you change out the "O"? The sales staff did not demonstrate this feature.