I know alot of people here are massive collectors of oakley, and even though im new here ive had a look through some peoples collections and have to say they are truely increadible! alot of time and effort (including money!) has been spent on them, but it has allways intreagued me as to how people choose what to go for? do the big collectors just go for everything and anything? do you find a model that suits your style and collect all the colours of them? or maybe theres other reasonings behind what you choose?

I started with Straight & Eye Jackets back in the day. Loved the colors and the way they fit. Later down the road though, the Monster Dog became my piece. I hated them when I first saw them. Too big, ugly, and just not cool. Go figure. Once I tried them on, I realized I was WAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYY wrong in my judgment. Now, I have managed to acquire every pair released for retail sale and some not. I love them and that is my pair of choice. Funny how my initial thought was so far off and I wound up getting them all.

I used to buy Oakleys because they suited me. After building a decent rotation and becoming a collector, I just bought things I thought were cool at the time even if it didn't fit me. That led to many pairs that, if I were to look at them today, I would say “What was I thinking when I bought this?” Happens a lot when the novelty wears off. Nowadays, I just buy items I’m pretty confident I would be excited about years from now. No more time (or money) for the mundane.

I think, like most collectors here, I’m headed in the direction of vintage more than newer product.

Oh, iridiums and specific colorways influence my decision. Despite how beautiful I think the X-squared is, I don’t think I’d be interested in buying one had they not included the classic X-metal/Ruby Iridium combo.

I also suspect a lot of us would include peer pressure as an influence on our purchasing decision, at least in our rookie collecting days.

I think a lot of people were going for the limited editions at one point, but now theres so many, that I think a lot of people are just buying what they like, and maybe what they will wear as well.

Except Dann and Lee because they are crazy !

I think on some base level, I gravitate towards selecting what I think is the niftiest colorway on any new style that seems to suit me well. Of course, the trouble with that is that Oakley is bound to release awesome new colors, limited editions, artist series or OCE on all those given styles as well. I've almost come to learn that 3 is the magic number on any style that I particularly enjoy, just seems to work out that way often times.

Of course, things can get a bit crazy when it comes to gascans, hijinx, frogskins, etc. On some of these models where I find myself with 10+ pairs, it's interesting to look and realize that very few of them are 'standard' sort of colorways.

In the end, my choices are directed pretty much based on what tickles my fancy. As Oak said, there is certainly some sort of learning curve or maturity that tends to come with time. After being a fan for a good 18 years, the last 5 have been incredibly fast-paced after getting involved with o-review - but I feel I've gotten better because of it as well.

This is a very interesting thread, with many aspects of collecting to consider.

The Razorblades were my first love. Back in highschool a fellow classmate had a pair that he was selling in gym class. Up until that point I had never even heard of Oakley, but once I became familiar with the Razorblades I immediately knew that there would be no turning back: I would become an unwavering Oakley fanatic.

Despite the fact that the Razorblades served as the "catalyst" of my Oakley fanatacism, I no longer care for them. This is due mostly because of their replacements: the M Frames. IMO the Razorblades look a bit outdated, and I far prefer what the M Frames (both hinged and Pro alike) have to offer. On that basis, I've attempted to acquire as many different colors of the M Frames as possible. However, I still respect the Razorblades for their place in Oakley history, as well as being a predecessor to many other designs that have been emulated by numerous other brands afterward.

I also collect only those pieces that I truly admire, and rarely add anything to the collection that I would not normally wear - with very few exceptions. One such exception would be the Purple and Pink Splatter M Frames. Because I already had the Grey Splatter and Yellow Splatter, my desire to "complete the set" overrode the fact that I would probably never be willing to wear the other two colors. This same principle holds true for the Gascans: they're a decent style, but far too large for my noggin. But again, the first three artist series (David Flores I and II as well as the C100) really caught my eye and interest. After that, it seemed that the "artist series" just got way out of control, and pieces were released almost incessantly. But I am very satisfied owning the first three artist pieces, even though I would never wear them.

I also ignore "popular opinion" when it comes to collecting. For example, few have any interest in the Half X, but I like them. Altough they're no Juliet, they still hold a special place in the X-Metal ranks IMO, so I acquired some customs that I really wanted.

One of the few regrets as an Oakley collector would probably be not having given the Monster Dogs a chance earlier on (I share many of your sentiments regarding them, Josh). Instead of trying them on, I simply assumed that they were just "too large". Big mistake. Years after their release I finally gave them a quick "test drive" at a SGH and realized how great of a pair they really were. But alas, I feel that I'm so far behind the "Monster Dog Set" that I would never really have ample opportunity to acquire a decent number/set for the collection...

In essence, it's about what "you" like as a collector - not what everyone else likes... because at the end of the day "you" have to be satisfied with "your" collection. You're not collecting to please or satisfy anyone else!

I could call myself a 'collector' but in reality I don't have all that much stuff compared to some of you loons. :)

I look for things that are different and undeniably oakley. Like all of their plastic fashion-style glasses? Couldn't care less. Even if they were $30, I doubt I'd buy any. Now the xmetals? Sign me up, but only to a point. Except for my extremely low serial Romeo, I wear all my glasses, so even if I come across something rare I'm not going to spend the money unless I can wear it, it fits, and looks good on me. I'll definitely get a pair of the new Square X, but only because I will like wearing it, and I'll look for the most classic color (bare xmetal is always the best).

So in that sense, maybe I'm not really a collector. I'm an avid wearer.