15 replies to this topic

[rayzoredge]

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

[garbage]

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

[Saint_Michael]

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.

[rayzoredge]

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.

[Saint_Michael]

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.

[rayzoredge]

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...

[rayzoredge]

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.)

[Tramposch]

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.

[Echo_of_thunder]

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.

[rayzoredge]

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.