I’ve been looking at both brands, and both of them get great testimonials (of course). It’s kind of hard for me, or as I’m sure anyone else, to take a stab at which would be better.

I’ve owned a pair of Wiley X XL-1 goggles and they love to fog, which drives me bat-sh*t insane. I was taking a look at the WX Spear Goggle, but I’m wondering if that $90 includes fog-free performance, not to mention that I want to be able to sight a weapon with one of these on.

I’ve never owned a pair of Oakley sunglasses, but I’m wondering if it would be the better choice, as they seem to pride themselves on optical clarity in a big way. (Yes, I’m buying the hype and I think they would be better.) I’m looking at a Half Jacket right now, but of course their military sales program doesn’t offer it in what they call Asian Fit, not to mention that they don’t seem to have the lovely military-approved fashion of straight black.

What do you guys have or prefer, as far as tactical application? Heck, how about just sharing your experiences with either brand, any model?


Wiley X Spear Goggle


Oakley Half Jacket

im not sure if those Oakleys are military issue version but my brother is a Marine and he was a issued a very nice pair when he was sent overseas, and one of the big bonus is that he had them perscribed for his vision. and from what he told me is that it was alot better since he didnt need to wear goggles and what not, but I also know that he does alot of Airsoft stuff on his time off and he still preffers using them over goggles

I am a huge oakley fan, as I dropped about $400 on my current sunglasses about 3 years ago, had a pair of wiley's in Iraq, heck we actually got issued them when we were in Iraq . That is hte thing with sunglasses and the military they have to be completely black, and none of those fancy colors you find on some oakley's. so it don't really matter as both are great brands in eye protection and junk.

I sent an e-mail about the availability of Asian fit eyewear on their Standard Issue military sales program, and they replied that what they have there is what they have. (I have a feeling that the military sales program is either very, VERY vanilla, or that the program receives refurbished or overstocked models.) Sent an e-mail asking for the possibility of them throwing Asian fit into the program at any point in the future, and I'm still waiting for an answer back.

I want to snag a pair of Oakleys but don't feel like forking over $200 for a pair when I don't have to. Essentially, I want a good pair of durable sunglasses that can take a beating, provide ballistic protection, NOT FOG, and be casual enough to wear with my civilian clothing. (Hence, my choice of the Oakley Half-Jackets.) My experience with Wiley X XL-1's kind of turn me off from giving them a second glance until I get a feel for Oakleys (for fair judgment).

I'm not even going to try my supply chain as we are hard-pressed on the budget, not to mention that the supply sergeant is rather stingy.

You have to remember why would the army spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on eye ware when they could just spend it on businesses that don't do their job . Of course being a supply guy the goal is to make connections with other people especially the supply sergeant, or supply sergeant's from other units. You need to be able to make under the table deals and what not on stuff that is not on the books, and sun glasses are not usually on the books unless a serial number is stamped on them. Beside the only thing the eye ware will do is block the wind and dust from your eyes, because taking a bullet or explosion will not protect you from that.

Of course army issued goggles is good enough for you anyway, and so I wouldn't rely on the army provided you with slick shades, and just drop the money for a pair.

Have you seen Oakley's demonstrations on ballistic protection? It's much better than nothin', I tell ya. (For shrapnel, I mean.)

So far I've been issued Wiley X's... the XL-1, and that fogs like crazy, which, in turn, drives me crazy because I can't see anything. Army issue. Can't complain too much because it was free, but I would like something that works well...

So I finally bit the bullet and dropped around $200 for a pair of Oakleys. And I must say that although I'm happy with my purchase, I have to say that they are probably (and probably obviously... ) overrated.

If you want a pair of shades that are cheaper than Oakleys but will last longer than a pair of shades that you can pick up at Walmart (like those Foster Grants, Raybans, etc.), pick up a pair of Wiley-X's.

However, if you want to empty your wallet and get a pair of quality spectacles, go for Oakleys.

I must admit that Oakleys are very overpriced, but maybe I'm wrong. There's just something inherently wrong with dropping a couple hundred dollars on a pair of sunglasses... even with all the design features that are incorporated into the glass that earns the Oakley name.

I've had my sunglasses for probably over half a year, I think. That already trumps the record amount of time that I've had for a cheap Wally World pair before they were dropped, cracked, sat on, or just plain fell apart.

My Oakleys (which I finally decided on snagging a Straight Jacket with polarized black lenses, all black so that I can wear them in uniform if I wanted to) feel rather sturdy and have been dropped a few times, although I've tried my best not to get them near my girlfriend's kids. I'm not sure if it was a freak thing, but one of the times that they've dropped off of my head, a nose piece came off and I had to give Oakley a call to order some replacements (since I couldn't find the lost piece). Everything looks like it snaps into place, so even if you "broke off" a piece, you can always put it back together. Since then, I've had no problems with pieces breaking or flying off.

The lenses don't scratch very easily... and you can't really see any miniscule scratches unless you put the lenses up to the light. Light transmission for the black lenses is surprisingly not much, but it does reduce a lot of glare from sunlight, so there's a plus. Of course, every pair of eyewear has to fog... but I'm actually satisfied with the fact that when I put on my Oakleys after having left them in the car the night before, they only fog up to a point where I can still see through them with just a light white haze, unlike my Wiley-X XL-1 pair that rendered me blind every time they fogged up. Water drops bead on the lense as advertised, although I haven't tried using a Sharpie marker on them (like they show on their video test). I also have neglected to test the ballistic test... for good reason.

Being Asian, I went for the Asian Fit customization, which supposedly keeps the whole thing from slipping down my nose like I experience with most sunglasses. It actually works, and it even fits my not-so-Asian friend, so I don't really know why you wouldn't want to just default to the Asian Fit design. (Maybe it's a comfort thing for non-Asians... I wouldn't know.)

So, to basically summarize this quasi-review, I have to say that if you have the money to drop on Oakleys, go for it. They're wicked expensive, which would be my main gripe, but hopefully they'll last you the amount that you would pay for replacement sunglasses, if you know what I mean. (I think that if I sat on mine open, it would snap into three modular pieces, of which I can just snap back together.)

I prefer Oakley. They have awesome designs and they are superb quality. However, they can be pretty expensive. But if price doesn't matter, I would go Oakley.

I don't know an insane amount on this stuff, but I have also used other brands of goggles like Spy and Fox (though that was more for motocross) and they preformed very well. I am not sure what you are using them for, I actually am just going to assume snow sports haha, so goggles are nice. I would also see if you can try some one at a local store, because fit is a huge thing too.

as far as looks go I would have to go with Oakley. but Honestly? Give me a pair of Kmart specails any day of the week. Both are way over priced, for someone that is just getting them for there named brand or the looks.

It's easy to say that you would be rather dumb to be spending that much on a pair of sunglasses, but then again, the K-Mart specials and the Wally World shades are what I lived with for the longest time, but I was constantly breaking them because people would sit on them, I would have them slip off my head, kids would get their hands on them, the sun would melt cheap plastic pieces if I leave them in my car, etc. It just makes you wonder if you would rather drop more money on a durable brand and model than spending $10-20 every couple of weeks... not to mention be able to find a cheap pair that you actually like. (And I'm rather picky about how my sunglasses look...)

After babying my pair when I first got them for a while, then having a handful of incidents with them, I'm at a comfort zone with my Oakleys where I don't worry about whether they get sat on, dropped, etc., whereas with a cheap pair, they're as good as gone.

I just bought a pair of Oakley James Stewart Conduct sunglasses. I haven't gotten them yet (I bought them online), but they look amazing and Oakley is a great brand, so I know I won't be disappointed.

I have used Oakley a while back and they were very good sunglasses. I never really heard the name of Wiley so Oakley were the only brand that was good enough but I didn't really go for all the high tech stuff but just ordered the normal sunglasses a couple of years back.
Too bad they got sat on and on of the glasses broke off. Now that they are not that into fashion, I never bothered to replace it. Either way it was a gift from a friend so wasn't realy that painfull for me that they broke since I was using it for years

EDIT: By the way Saint M, you were or are in the military? Which one? I would love to heard your experiences during your tenure if you have any if you have time. Even so you are commonly related to SPAM so I doubt that would be a problem for you

Wiley X designs nothing and makes in TaiwanWiley X Or Oakley?

How does a company Wiley X copy other peoples stuff, make it in Taiwan and make millions off selling to soldiers?  I guess it is just pure luck or someone is being paid off.  Look at the quality of a pair of these high priced regrinded plastic glasses and tell me how good it is.  Has anyone ever tested Wiley X goggles to the ANSI test, or did they pay someone at Colts Labratory to say they passed.  I would be willing to be they have induced prism higher than the allowed.  I challenge someone to have these glasses tested and see who is scamming who. 

-reply by Sucker born every 11 seconds

I don't know what Wiley-X has for ballistic protection, but I would imagine that they would suffice for what most people would request. I would like to see a demonstration of different brands, different models, and different styles tested vigorously for ballistic protection, but there's no all-encompassing one. I've seen a pair of Sawfly shades survive an almost-point-blank blast from a shotgun, with "competitors" simply blown away, which intrigues me, and I wonder if Oakley M Frames, or even styles like the Half Jacket, survive that sort of punishment.

The Wiley-X XL-1 goggles fog up like crazy on me, and even if they have better ballistic protection, there's no point if you can't see.

I have yet to have my Oakley Straight Jackets fog up badly, although I can say that after leaving them on top of my head after wetting my hair down, there's a slight layer of fog that disappears quite quickly after I put them on. I'll have to do something similar to bringing them out to the field for some real-world use, which has been limited.

A note about Oakley Asian Fit: Maybe I have a weird-shaped head, but one of the caveats of AF is to prevent the common issue of shades slipping downward on the bridge of your nose, and my pair still slip down a tad bit. Not enough to have to push them back up, but I do like my shades to conform to my face so I end up pushing them back up anyway. YMMV.

A note about Oakley lenses: they scratch like crazy, contrary to what I said before. You won't really notice them until you put them up to the light or look very closely, and the scratches don't really interfere much with the clarity of the lense, but it's enough to drive a person with OCD crazy. Or is it just me?

I'm still loving my pair of Straight Jackets though. I'm planning on purchasing two more pairs, although they will be for deployment and prescription. I just wish they weren't so damn expensive, being over $200 a pop for Rx Half Jackets with anti-reflective coated black iridium...

For those that are curious...

I took my Oakley Straight Jackets to my U.S. Army Reserves Annual Training. This year, we had it at the beach-with-no-water: the Mojave Desert at Fort Irwin, California.

It did not exactly take a beating, but then again, maybe it did and I didn't know it. They didn't melt from the 110 degree weather, they didn't slip and fall off of my head, and they did not fog once, even during the frequent times that I was swimming in my own sweat. They kept me from going blind with the occasional sand fronts that would blow up and across the FOB (forward operating base), and not once did I have to worry about it performing under stress. The lenses surprisingly weren't scratched badly if at all with the blowing sand, but it's kind of hard to believe that when I got a few minor scratches with normal wear being a civilian with the occasional weekend-warrior drill.

Then again, I was only there for a little over three weeks. But hey, it's enough for me to most likely snag a couple more pairs for deployment.

Hello, I read your struggle with trying to find which company is better, either the Oakley or the Wiley X. I personally own Wiley XL-1 advanced glasses; it comes with two lenses one is clear and smoke for ultraviolet protection. The only difference between the two lenses is that the sunglasses protects you from ultraviolet and the clear does not as much. Both lenses exceed ballistics for Z87 and military standards; they have been tested to take bullets. Not even a bullet can break the lens, the bullet bounces off of it! I use my Wileys for outdoor shooting, indoor shooting, riding my bicycle for protection against elements and just taking long walks outdoors to prevent elements and protect my eyes. I have owned my Wileys for over one year; got them on November 2010.

In my opinion I would say their is a slight difference between the two companies. The only difference is the comfort of how the glasses fit on your face becuase of the production. Some of my other friends say that Oakleys are more comfortable than Wileys because of the physical characteristics they are made out of. Sometimes I agree with his opinion because even though I own Wileys, I sometimes find them a little uncomfortable. For example, if I have them on and I am looking down at my pockets to find and/or reach for something it seems like my eyes are behind a humvee windshield. I guess its because those glasses are tough as nails! However the safety is all the same - they are both tested to stop bullets in their tracks and they were also used by soldiers on the battle field to prevent shrapnel after a road side incident in Iraq.

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