http://stores.ebay.com/Keystone-Corporation

Has anybody bought lenses from these guys? They have a lot of custom penny lenses not ever offered by Oakley and I wonder if they are top quality like they are priced.


I'm not a total fanatic like most of you. But I enjoy lurking on this site. I just have a single pair of titanium Pennies. ...and I'm itching for a change up.

chris aka cferr got a set liquid metal lenses for md from them

They aren't Oakley lenses at all but I've heard the quality isn't bad.

The liquid metal one isn't Oakley but the other ones are. They are cut from mostly M frames I understand. Many members here have done the same and if your willing you could do the same. In the custom lens cutting thread there are many tips on how to do it.
There is a problem with the M frame being a torical lens though and thus optical quality of the custom cut lenses is not up to the same standard as standard (spherical) lenses.
Some say that wearing them for more than a few hours will give you a headache.
Mind you I have no personal experience with these lenses so maybe I'm completely wrong. ifinanceu has a lot experience with custom cut lenses. Ask him

Actually they sell more and more non-oakley lenses. Not only liquid metal, also bluesky and metallic purple. I think they're going to release their own red "ruby like" lense soon. But I don't know nothing about the quality of their in-house lenses.

I, too, don't have any first-hand experience with Keystone. However, everything I have seen and heard would lead me to believe that they are reputable and on the up'n'up. They are up front and don't really decieve folks - saying their lenses are cut from ____ lens (I have seen m-frame and crosshair pretty often).

So if you are fine with the prices charged (although it would certainly be cheaper for you to get your own lens cut - it is up to you if the surcharge for convenience is worth it), I think you are fine with Keystone.

Well, the oakley cuts are one thing, but 70 USD for some non oakley lenses... I think that's way to much for not knowing what you get.

They sell a lot of lenses on ebay, check they feedback. And they advise that some lenses are made from another OAKLEY lenses. There are 2 or 3 color that aren't oakley made. But i think this is a pretty good deal to who doesnt have enough time to seat down and do your own.

We've bought several lenses from them (all cut from Oakley lenses), and each one is great. Couldn't be happier with the pairs we bought.
Very much considering the Liquid Metal and Metallic Purple ones, too.


~Yukio

David (eBay I.D.s Keystone Corp, and InitialTech) really knows his stuff, I have bought quite a few pairs of Oakley lenses as well as a pair of his Liquid Metal lenses. His customs fit perfectly everytime, even in the more complex situations such as the new Square Wire. I also love the fact that he has access to discontinued lenses for the Juliet such as Blue Iridium.

you can get blue iridium at HQ...Keystone is a member here, and everything I have seen appears to be very good. I know they (I May be off on this one) were producing many different lenses for Oakleys (not for the company, but for buyers on ebay and Oakley frames) that looked nice a couple of years ago...

Some say that wearing them for more than a few hours will give you a headache.

And what a headache I tell ya. I wore my custom pups yesterday for a 45 min drive...and holy F...I had the worst headache when I got home. Dunno if it was a combo of the lens color and the lens curvage. I Will try it again today and see if the same happens. If so, I truely own a piece that is for display only...Just stating my experience...

that is the odd part...I have never experienced a headache on any of mine, but I don't have a spherical frame with a torric cut. I have tried my Dogs with Pink, no issues, but that was a goggle lens, and my Violet Riddles I guess are torric, but I had zero issues there. My G26 Gascans wear well, but that's torric to torric...

I have had no trouble with any of my G26 customs. G26 is one of my everyday lenses. Yes, I drive with them also. Maybe it is the color more than the shape? I have them in pennys, juliets, and of course M Frames. I know it will give a slight 3D effect with the reds, but that would be the reason for it being a shooter lens (bringing the target out more). I say this because I suffer from migranes, and have never had a reaction from a G26 lens. I had a friend on a jobsite who could not see pink when it was sprayed painted on a cement floor for referencing. My wife cannot wear polarized lens. It could be all of the above, color, lens shape, or the red jumping out more for some than others. The best of luck to you. They are still a great lens to look at and they steal the show in any display arrangement.

It might be worth re-reading the excellent thread on lens geometry:

http://www.o-review.com/forum_detail.asp?ID=7523

If you do buy Keystone lenses make sure they're cut from a lens that adheres to the priciples described in that thread

I have 4 sets of lenses from keystone. 2 emerald pennys, 1 24k gold penny, and one juliet G26. The emerald lenses are perfect. The 24k Gold has a tiny mark on it. I tried exchanging it and they honored it with another pair with a larger mark. They were gracious enough to send me the second pair to compare with the first and told me the gold is hard to deal with. So I kept the ones with the lighter mark. The G26, which is the last pair I bought, well- lets just say it was the last pair I bought. But in fairness to them, I have gone to a couple oakley stores and they will sell you a marked or scratched lens and tell you that it is ok. I also notice that they have horrible lighting over the counters at some of the stores. I have had to point out a couple of times the better lighting in that particular store and show them the marks. Of course I am one picky customer, but when you pay that much for something, you want all marks to be yours. So if you are not anal, like yours truly, then you will be quite pleased with the product over all. Please understand this is not a reflection on the oakley staff. It is hard enough handling my own lenses without scratching them. I can only imagine the horror of handling these day in and day out with customers. Oakley lenses are the best but they require alot of care. There is not a product in the world that effects the emotional fabric like a brand new pair of iridiums and there, right in the corner, very far off in the micro world, is an ameoba who had figure skated on the surface. Which makes me wonder, are there others like me or is everyone else more relaxed with it? Or do you mind a triple lutz once in awhile on the skating surface.

That was very well said Archer and thanks for the info on keystone. I'm very anal too about my new lenses and want them to be perfect. My everyday beater pair might be scratched up but none of the scratches are in the normal field of vision and more importantly. I personally did all the scratches, not the store or anyone else.

I have the Liquid Metal for Monster Dogs and I love them. They are realllllly dark though, if black iridium is around 11%, I would rate these are about 3-4%. They were a little tight getting in the first time, but I have taken them out an put them back in twice and they are perfect. I scored them for $27 on one of there ebay auction. Very Cool, and it is staight mirror on the outside. Hope this helps

i bought a pair of titanium iridium lenses for my penny and they were cut from a monster dog lens. i like them look and fit great i have had no trouble with headaches either

from keystone:
1 penny emerald
1 titanium iridium
1 xx twenty liquid metal

all are perfect fit, very nice to deal with

Great info guys. Thanks for the feedback.

seen them on ebay and I believe they do have some sick a$$ custom lenses. they're priced reasonable too

Thanks for the compliments and really sorry about the imperfections. I do have staff that is not as anal as I am. Just returned from the HQ with some pics. Unfortunately, one of the pics was really shaky. Care of guess who's office that is???

EDIT: photos removed because of security issues.
-mod

Also, just to clarify. That custom pup giving a headache can't be ours, as we've never made a custom lens for the pup. Most of our lenses are made from spherical, but some (+Red & G26) are made from toric (although, sperical/toric are technically not correct, it's a good shortcut for this discussion). It's just not easy to find spherical +Red or G26.

that's Jim's office...