Most of the attention for the Zero lineup is centered around the Sub Zeroes and 0.1 to 0.7s. Fans go on and on about their greatness and uniqueness, yet there’s relatively little praise for the new Zeroes (either the Zero, Zero S, or Zero L). So, do you think Oakley failed with the latest iteration of the Zero? Or are we simply underappreciating it because it’s still available?

I think they missed out on the opportunity to continue the uniqueness that makes the zero line what it was and could be. They needed to carry over something from the past. I would've settled for someone drilling holes in the lenses. I understand a new direction needed to be taken, but it also brought us the L, which is just plain off.

I do like the departure, but I just feel it doesn't quite live up to the Zero name-maybe because more attention was paid to the arms/ ear stems than the lenses themselves???

yea i think the new zero isn't very good. i really liked the uniquness of the originals. they could have kept going with great designs, i believe the vintage zero design potential remains untapped

The only New Zeros that I like are the Ducati ones - with the slimmed down lens shape. It would've been nice if all the New Zeros had that lens shape so that there would be more color options other than the Grey/Black Ducati and the hard-to-find versions like Dann and Yukio and Dawn have been lucky enough to add to their impressive collections.

I don't think they failed, they're just too new. When I started collecting, the 0.4 and 0.7 were still in production, and they weren't all that hot. Now they are in a similar league with the originals. Ditto to the ducati comment though. Those are awesome.

I don't think so.

The new Zero line is an awesome continuation of an old series. Sure, they're not quite as unique as their backwards cousins, but they definitely have their own distinct flavor.

Personally, I love the new Zero line. It's been a while since I tried on a Zero L, but I don't remember being quite horrified with it. Just a little thrown off.


~Yukio

Two different beasts sharing the same name.

With the resurgence of the razor blade and frogskins, it was asked at the co-pilot event if the zero line might make a re-release. From what I recall, the rationale behind the 'no' answer was that they don't quite meet the super-functional model any longer.

That is a bit what I see from the new zero line - more functional for sports, or shopping.

when i asked if they would ever retro them.. all i got was.. well its our 35 anniversary next year and great things are coming.. well it would be sweet even if they did a limited run on some of the old zeros like they did with the frogskins.. but not sure how they will do because everyone wants the skateboarder frogskin throwback look now

IMO, the new Zero is simply underappreciated because it’s still available. I've always thought the new Zero was ahead of its time in terms of aesthetics, too. Admittedly, it does have a slight fashion feel to it, but it does have it's own uniqueness to it that goes way beyond fashion. I felt people just weren't ready for it yet.

The Zero line has always been "weird" to look at, at least in the eyes of the normal person. You tended to look like a sci-fi character than anything else. The new Zero provides the same effect; it looks like you've got the optics of some Transformers character, only no one realizes this yet. In terms of functionality, the new Zero lives up to it's name. It provides awesome functionality and it's certainly lightweight.

I think the new Zero (except the Zero L) is definitely a match for any of the old Zeroes. It's only a matter of time before Oakley fans will realize this.

I remember when I was about to get my second pair of Oakley.
The Dartboard and New zero had just been released and they were the models I was looking for.
As my local shop had not these models yet, I was only able to make my decision with the pics on Oakley.com
At that point, I was really convinced about the Zero design. The design of the stems was the point which really got me.

Then they finally came to the store. I tried them and ended very disappointed. Not that the stems were not what I expected, but the lens was not curved enough and seems to be very far from the face.So I left the store with the Dartboard night camo.

All that to say that I don't think Oakley really failed with the New Zero. But as the Romeo 2, they did not inherit the "aura" of their predecessor.

I think it will be tough to match the aura of any sunglass prior to the collector era/O-review era. There's always a mystique to things prior to when they were "discovered".

Personally, the 'new zero' 0.4 and 0.7 fell pretty flat for me. I can appreciate their ability from a technical aspect, but don't think they fit the bill for me in the looks department.

being a lover of the vintage zeros, i dont really rate the new zeros other than the zero S, with its smaller profile and flowing shapes and the dartboard, which is similar is design,style and weight.

some more lense colours on the new stuff like you use to get on the vintage styles would go down with me ie positive red, blue planet x etc...

i still think to re-release the old style zeros would work just for fashion, not for sporting use though....ive never been a fan of the 0.4 or 0.7, bit too plain in comparison to the 0.1-0.3, 0.5 and 0.6.....

Someone else mentioned something similar above, but I don't think it's a failure. Most of us love the original Zeros and Sub Zeros. Had they named the new Zeros something else, we may not even associate the two. I think it's just that they're different. Who knows what could have been made and called zero and kept us happy...if anything.

Another great thread, I dont think Oakley failed with the new Zero at all, I like the model a lot, and yes it has a fashion sense instead of a sci-fi/OTT look.

But am not sure they needed to make the Zero L and the Zero S, maybe its another factor why its underapreciated, kind of like the Monster Pup or the Gascan s...

I'm probably fairly alone with this, but I think the new Zero's are way nicer than any of the old ones. The old 0.1 to 0.7 series did nothing for me. Personally I think they're hideous, but that's just me. I'd take a Black Chrome/Titanium Iridium new Zero over any of the old ones any day.

When they released it I couldn't tell if they were pushing it as a sport glass or as a fashion glass. The initial 5 colourways were kind of strange; 3 of them had relatively high transmission rates (G30 Black Iridium; G30 Persimmon, and Bronze).

I really like the design and wouldn't call it a failure at all.

Trivia: When this version of the Zero came out, the description on the website said that polarized models were forthcoming. This was removed a few months later.

Great info on the polarized ones, I also think Oakley was trying the fashion market while still being Oakley with that one before they went all fashion on some later models.

More trivia: The base model was going to be the New Zero 0.1, and the L was to be the New Zero 0.2

And if I recall, they were still trying to get Polarization working properly on toric lenses. The M Frames showed up a bit later, but I guess it wasn't finalized.