Oakley has always been known to push the bar in creativity and quality while maintaining its philosophy of top-notch, timeless quality.
It’s no wonder then that they are a world leader in the field of sports eyewear.
They’ve been trusted by elite athletes in a multitude of different sporting professions for a simple reason: Oakley continuously delivers high-tech sunglasses that deliver sturdy protection and clear optics thanks to their highly innovative approach.
Simply put, these guys make some of the best sunglasses on the planet.
Oakley has a stirring passion to reinvent. This devotion to creating with leading-tech in mind has produced some great results.
Some of the proprietary technology that sets Oakley apart includes technologies like High Definition Optics, Impact Protection, Switch Lock, and True Digital Edge.
Whether you are an avid athlete or just want to hit up the beach for some frisbee with your friends, there is certainly a pair of Oakley’s for you.
You are guaranteed a fantastic user-experience, thanks to Oakley’s advanced design and functionality features, and a pair of sunglasses that look their aesthetic best due to Oakley’s careful attention to design details.
Due to Oakley’s fast innovation and devotion to providing just the right pair of sunglasses for you, there is quite a range to browse through and it can all get a bit overwhelming if you don’t know where to look.
This feeling can be even more pronounced if you’re a casual sunglasses wearer just looking for your next pair of awesome shades.
In this article, we’re going to make the search a whole lot easier for you by pointing you in the right direction when it comes to making a choice.
We’ll list some everyday “go-to” Oakleys as well as several brilliant performance sunglasses ensuring everyone can find value here.
Let’s get to it then shall we?
The Best Oakley Sunglasses
1. The Best Oakley Sunglasses
It’s only fitting that a list of timeless, classic Oakley sunglasses is kicked off with an introduction to the Oakley Holbrooks.
Numbers don’t lie so it does say something about the quality and design of these sunglasses by pointing out that these are the best-selling Oakley sunglasses.
It’s no wonder either – they sport a rectangular frame shape, conjuring up the eternally appealing wayfarer look, while paired with Oakley’s technologically advanced proprietary materials such as Prizm lenses.
The Holbrooks also cater for our varieties in colour preference with lens options available in the classic black but then also including “Ruby”, “Deep H20”, “Warm Grey”, and the somewhat unhelpfully-named but totally cool-looking “Daily”.
The Oakley Holbrook has it all – good looks and clever design. A fitting entry in a list of Oakley’s best sunglasses.
2. Oakley Flight Jacket Sunglasses
Oakley’s Flight Jacket sunglasses are of the high-performance category and are tailored towards cyclists although they are suitable for a variety of outdoor activities such as running and other athletic pursuits.
The Oakley Flight Jacket sunglasses have been carefully crafted using only the most innovative of Oakley design principles and materials.
In fact, we’ve gone in-depth into what makes the Oakley Flight Jacket Sunglasses special.
The result is brilliant.
They have excellent coverage for unimpeded vision and a few nifty features like the Advancer nosepiece to combat fogging and aid in ventilation.
Their Prizm lenses provide very impressive optical clarity by providing increased contrast and colour definition.
The frame, like everything else, has been thoughtfully designed with adjustable arms that can work with cycling helmets.
At around R3000, these are not a cheap pair of sunglasses. But can you really put a price on complete eye protection that will keep you safe from UV, stones, and all sorts of other flying debris you’ll undoubtedly come across on your adventures? In other words, you absolutely get what you pay for and more.
These are a fantastic pair of protective sunglasses that will serve you exceptionally well as a lover of outdoor activities.
3. Oakley Flak Beta
Oakley’s Flak Beta is a quality pair of sports sunglasses tailored toward golfers and runners.
Comfort and sturdiness are excellent thanks to the Unobtanium technology and quality material selection. Their Prizm lenses, as found in the Oakley Flight Jacket sunglasses, provide very impressive optical clarity by allowing for increased contrast and colour definition.
The lenses are interchangeable allowing for use-case customization further elevating their utility as a multi-purpose pair of performance sunglasses.
At around R1500, these are a more affordable pair of top-notch performance sunglasses while staying absolutely steadfast in Oakley’s dedication to quality and function.
Ultimately, the Oakley Flak Beta sunglasses are fantastic at doing the job they’re advertised to do: Providing all-day comfort, enhancing your sports vision, and keeping your eyes safe regardless of the environment.
4. Other Outstanding Oakley Sunglasses
The list of boundary-pushing sunglasses does not stop there but the three aforementioned sunglasses are the perfect place to start.
Other offerings by Oakley worth a special mention and a resounding recommendation include Oakley Frogskins, which has an 80’s inspired look that Oakley brought back to life with a light-weight build and durable form-factor for everyday use, and the Oakley Fuel Cells which offer wraparound eye protection.
Oakley Tech: Photochromic vs. Prizm Lenses
Oakley glasses have been pioneers in their lens technology. Buy a pair of Oakley’s and you’re guaranteed to provide some top-notch protection for your eyes
It does help, if not for your own understanding then at least for your own conviction in owning a superior product to your fellow cycling buddies, to understand the tech that foes into making Oakley a world-leader in lens quality and functionality.
There are two main lens variations on offer when you purchase a pair of Oakley sunglasses: photochromatic lenses or Prizm lenses.
The photochromatic lenses on the Oakley’s sunglasses that come equipped with it are built with Oakley HDO technology. In short, these are optical lenses that darken on exposure to light of a sufficiently high frequency.
Imagine then that you start your run on a cloudy morning. Your photochromatic lenses will be lighter (allowing in more light), and later, when the sun peeks out in the afternoon, your lenses will automatically darken giving you more UV protection.
The key here is that the process is automatic. This saves you from swapping out one kind of lens for another when lighting changes.
Now for the Prizm lenses.
They too are built with Oakley’s High Definition Optics tech but where they differ from the photochromatic lenses is in the contrast and colour they offer. They’re designed to specifically enhance colour and contrast.
So whether you’re golfing or running, you’re guaranteed to pick up environmental details that you were previously unaware of. This could mean avoiding that sneaky pothole hiding in an innocent puddle, casting your fly right above that trout’s nose, or swerving between those dodgy rocks on your next trail ride.
The Prizm lenses on offer by Oakley are served in a variety of colours which each have unique colour filtering features such as the Prizm Golf and the Prizm Trail on the Oakley Flak Beta sunglasses.
The Prizm lenses are generally only fitted on Oakley’s performance sunglasses so you’ll also find the Oakley Flight Jacket sunglasses equipped with this sophisticated lens technology.
Where to Buy the Oakley sunglasses in South Africa?
Although Oakley sunglasses are available in several brick-and-mortar stores nationwide, Oakley doesn’t have a store finder in South Africa, making it hard to find a specific store that carries them.
The good news is that Oakley has online-based authorized resellers that sell authentic Oakley sunglasses.
Oculux is an authorized reseller of Oakley, Rayban, Arnette, and Vogue Eyewear online and has made over 11,000 customers happy over the years.
Check out our Oakley sunglasses today!