7 months!? I'm going back to bed. Someone wake me when they show up.

I hope the prices aren't crazy, I mean I hope they stay below the $400 mark.

If R2s price is any indication, don't get your hopes up.

But isn't the R2's high pricepoint due to the fact that it was a half-frame?

It was made differently. Machine carved instead of investment cast, so there's more waste.

hmmm.. I would think less material = less cost, but obivously that's not the case otherwise the spikes wouldn't cost less than the why 8.x series.

oops I posted slightly after you. Thanks for the info. Does this also mean better QC?

I suppose it was because achieving the thin stems of the R2 would be impossible, or very hard in a casting method.

that's true. I would think that also with machined parts you wouldn't have to worry about the shrinkage that occurs from ceramic casting that Oakley does for the Juliets. That would eliminate the problems of loose lenses that plague the Juliets.

7 months?? anyone has a time machine??

im w/ hotguy, i wanna see an x-metal splice. there are how many different x-metal finishes... they should combine a few with a wee bit of frame tweaking in terms of the style. i think most of us would agree that the splice was is of the best frames ever produced. they could even make it customizable for the people who are smart enough... like us.

From what I've heard from all of you guys, the newer x-metals that have been coming out havn't been as high-quality as when they first came out.

Hopefully this doesn't plague the new ones.

Also, are you guys sure theres 4 new x-metals? I was thinking just 4 new frames in general including the new x-metal.

They average 10 frames a year, so we can hope.

i think they need to expand the frame color options on the xmetal. even the ones currently available. more loud options like the 24k xx.

if the latest offerings of frame colours and lens are the indication, i'm not optimistic that Oakley would release crazy color combos for the new xmetals. but then again, they might have reserved the crazy colors just for xmetals and let other series have more conventional ones. :D

it's always exciting to wait for a new xmetal family member! :D i remember the fun days before R2..

Imagine Cinder Red X-Metal...that would be aggressive and a half !

Personally, I have a very limited imagination, so I'm just waiting to see what the Oakley design team has come up with. I am pretty sure I'll love whatever they do since I am a slave to the 'Metal.

It will be very boring indeed if the new x metal is basically a design from today's catalogue made with X metal material.

We need new designs... and obviously without any design flaws or QC failures. I do like the idea of spring hinges to accomodate bigger heads.

I hope they don't do anymore spring hinges. I have a big head and I prefer my non spring hinge x-metals over my Pennys.

Hmmm, that's a new one to me: I didn't know that Romeo 2 was machine carved instead of lost wax cast.

I don't really know about the comment about thin temples not being feasible with casting as investment casting is pretty much known as one of the most reliable ways of getting super fine integrity and detail for minimal material. I may be missing something, though.

Yeah, seven months. I'll be paying my next insurance statement by then. I'm so relieved to say that I won't be expecting much. Maybe Oakley will release another color for the X-Metal line but PLEASE make it an interesting one and not one that looks hacked.

I should have made it clearer. The reason I like spring hinges is so that it facilitates the removal and wearing of glasses. They also help to protect the flex couplers from becoming overly loose over time.

They are not to be worn such that the spring hinges are in a constantly expanded/ stretched state where I've seen some people with large heads put on. If this happens, obviously it's because the Penny is too small. If spring hinges were flexed such that their main purpose was to accomodate larger cranials even after it has been put on, then I will rather they do not have this feature in the first place.

I think that could be the reason why people would think/ misunderstand that spring hinges were bad especially when they compare the penny and juliet and prefer the latter.

Thanks EC!