I heard from an eye doctor that Oakley uses the bottom of the barrel in terms of polycarbonate lenses. As so they can make the shapes of lenses / glasses they do now.
If they choose to go to a much nicer raw material, the cost would also go up.
I say....
Im for that. Being an avid collector since 75, I would love to see more of the older styles to come back at a much more refined and 21st century look. I would not mind the price hike at all.
And to those at 1 Icon Ranch reading this. PLEASE , no more late 05 early 06 eyewear. They are looking tired, and faddish!

bottom of the barrel?!?! no way! oakley is the best! but i dot agree with that last part... lets hope the juliets and mars days come back

Talk to anyone who knows lense material , and they will tell you. Dont get me wrong. I love Oakleys too!!
But a nicer lense material would be nice.

But what kind of lens material are you talking about. Anything out there that will give Oakley that BALLISTIC use? We use the most durable and optically clearest part of polycarbonate. It's so great we had the ability to patent with our own name...PLUTONITE! Dude...we use the best, given our objective. Grant it Glass is the most Optically correct but you have the thought of Shatter! We use the best and im stickin to it.

yeah thats exactly what i thought!... its like the top of the polycarbonate when its gets melted down.. the most optically clear/ pure stuff right?

OK - OK proving me wrong!!!
I just thought there were more materials out there to compete with what they have been using, or a bit above.

I think your doctor is more interested in price margin seeing as though they usually mark up there lenses 80-90%.

did you know the lenses acturaly cost more than the frame material, they only cost few dollars, what cost the most is the oakley brand and the design.

Not to be mean but,

You were talking to an eye doctor not an optical physicist right.
You were also told not shown, so while he could be informed he did not show you a paper correct.

First of all private Pilot does a independent survey that includes many brands that are also prescription lens makers.

Secondly with ophthalmologists (the actual MD) there has been what many consider a long standing professional conflict and that is the fact that most are involved in selling their cure (surgeons aside).

The conflict is that they stand as a person of trust and as a salesman with a interest in the bottom line.

I am convinced that even if Oakleys are not at the "top of the barrel", they are definitely not at the bottom. I wish that another pilot test is conducted since the one they listed on the Oakley's website. There have been many advances in lens technology since then and some brands have actually caught up in terms of technology but not design of the frame.

Some of the medical practitioners know close to nothing about materials engineering. While others obviously knows something... I recently saw an ad for lasik with a caption and photo of the surgeon and guess what? He was wearing glasses.

The thought that it is the bottom of the barrel of lens material is absurd. It is impact resistant and in most cases optically perfect.

It's not like plutonite is some cheap bulk polycarb they buy from a plastics reseller. It comes from Gentech, a military contractor and flight helmet/body armor manufacturer. They're the only company that produces it for Oakley and Oakley and Gentech are the only two companies that use it. Gentech isn't even allowed to lease it to another group. Needless to say, it's a very pure, high end polycarb.

ohhhhh... so putting two and two together... thats how CAL has so many cool contacts!... and cool stuff

Cal works for Genentech not Gentech two completely different things

oh... nevermind

But a nicer lense material would be nice.

I'm not even going to try to....ahhh...never mind!

edit: ok...have to get it off my chest: there's no such thing as a nicer lens material!

Oakley had the ANSI test shown live with Colin Baden speaking at the Volvo Safety Forum at this year's Winter ISPO in Munich, Germany. And trust me, the lens material is by far superior over any competitor's lens. No matter which name was on the frame, no other pair of sunglasses was even close in terms of impact resistance and clarity. Plutonite is still the best lens material available.

there is a post by Jim somewhere here that he states that the defence (i can't remember if he said Contractor or department) had to significantly increase their expectations based on the Oakleys own specifications.

Thanks IP, for explaining. And welcome to the site, of course.