Prescription Sunglasses Which ones Oakleys Optilabs.

banditvic

So whats best? Looking at Optilabs or Oakleys at the moment, Optilabs are just over £200 with varifocal and Oakleys about £225 for Half Jackets XLJ, lenses only .
Anybody got any comments,was also considering inserts but have heard rumours of lens distortion.

Mccaria

I have both Oakleys and Optilabs and previously had inserts.

Didn't like the inserts particularly (although a dead ringer for Alex Zulle !), I found them prone to misting up on long slow uphills.

Of the two, I prefer the Oakleys to the Optilabs. They look better, which is important. On the optilabs the glue holding the nose support pieces came unstuck (presumably from the effect of sweat) in the first year. The plus for the Optilabs is the adaptive lenses whilst with the Oakleys you have to pretty much decide on light conditions at the start of the ride - tougher if you are setting off in the morning for an all day ride.

thegreatdivide

I have a +6 strength short sighted prescription and I bought Optilabs bins but had to send them back because it was like looking through a goldfish bowl. No fault of Optilabs they provide and excellent service - it's just my eyes couldn't cope with the curved lenses.

I then shelled out on a pair of Evil Eye Pro L's with inserts but they didn't work either. I didn’t like the fact that I only had vision right in front of me (less than I would have wearing my normal glasses) and then having zero focused peripheral vision. They felt too dangerous to wear on the bike.

Kept the sunglasses, bit the bullet and went back to contacts after 20 years of saying never again. Bingo!

forward_loop

I have no experience with oakleys. Used optilabs a couple of years ago (high prescription +6 astigmatism). The first lenses weren't set quite right (focal point?) , they re-did them for me FOC.

If you do get the inserts the focal point (distance of the inserts to the eye lense) can be very important for certain prescriptions. An optometrist friend explained it to me once. For others its not so critical

True the rubber nose piece does go after a time, superglue helped mine for a while, in the end I phoned optilabs and they reset the rubber pieces with new glue for me.

I need glasses all the time so went for the transition type lenses.

Contacts are ok - unless they are weighted (astigmatism) - in which case on fast long descents they slowly rotate outwards ! (even with sunnies) which is very disconcerting at 65 kph

CumbrianMan

Hi

I've got the Oakley Jawbone's with a prescription transition lens, and they are fantastic. Maybe in really bright light (like skiing) they could be brighter, but hey, with the Jawbone, you cand easily swapout the lens if you decided one day to wear contacts, or if in the future you got your eyes lasered.

Weren't cheap of course (cost me £260 after a bit of haggling). Have a look on a website called extreme eyewear, based at the Xscape place over in Castleford. They show the options you can have.

orbeaorca

Have owned OptiLabs in the past but a friend who works in an opticians got me some custom Oakley Jawbones at a crazy price
Easy choice in my opinion its Oakleys all the way.
Optically superior.

bianchimoon

banditvic wrote:

So whats best? Looking at Optilabs or Oakleys at the moment, Optilabs are just over £200 with varifocal and Oakleys about £225 for Half Jackets XLJ, lenses only .
Anybody got any comments,was also considering inserts but have heard rumours of lens distortion.

Another option is Bolle, i couldn't get my prescription in oakley's, only bolle's but am pleased with the service and quality

banditvic

Thanks for the replies, rang Xscape will only do from their shop, long way to go from Bristol. Rang the Oakley shop in Cabots Circus and they don't do them,great.

bianchimoon

most high street opticians will do branded prescription sunglasses oakleys etc, or if you have your prescription cheaper to buy online