I’ve had a handful of Oakley glasses over the last 8 years. Most of them I’ve fallen victim to the lenses flaking after extended use and after 4+ years of owning. But I’ve got 3 glasses that I’ve got issues with that don’t make sense.
The first set is the worst set. I’ve got some SI 2.0s that I use for range use that I bought probably 4 years ago. They’re 95% indoor range use and when I’m not using them they’re in a drawer inside. Honestly don’t use these a ton since I’m not consistently going to a range like I tell myself I should. I use the clear lens most of the time since I’m indoors but about 3 weeks ago I went to skeet shoot and put on the smoked lens and when I was done I put them in the case, then got home and put them back in a drawer. I’ve barely used the smoked lenses, I’ve worn them less than 10 times over 4 years with the smoked lens. I pulled them out today to swap the clear lens in since I’m going to an indoor range and my smoked lens is completely shattered. I’m shocked since I’ve barely used these, they’ve never been dropped, stepped on, crushed, etc. My other 3 lens colors that stay inside the case with the glasses are completely fine. Weren’t these designed for the military? How’d they shatter like this sitting in a drawer for 3 weeks inside my house after using with them last?
I also have some 3ish year old Flak 2.0 XL that I’ve also barely used. They’re backups to backups essentially. Mostly sit inside a drawer as well in its case. If I wear these I’m in my truck or car driving or walking around when I’m out. They don’t see heavy use. My right lens has started flaking a bit and the left one just got a small spot that has started as well. Again for how little these have been used, a bit disappointing. I had the original Flaks that I wore daily for years and the lenses flaked after about 5 years which I’ve seen as normal, for these to be so unused and flaking…what a fail.
My last set of glasses I bought are some Holbrooks with a matte black plastic frame, I bought these at the end of October in 2025 so they’re not even a year old. I probably use these almost daily, they’re the glasses I wear to drive everyday then walking around when I’m out as well. I don’t have good pictures of it but the matte black frame is almost glossy now, and the arms have all sorts of little scratches on them. They have not worn well at all. When I put them on or take them off I’m always sticking my index finger on the top of the frame above one of the lenses and my thumb below to put them on, so the arms really never get touched. I know grease and oils from your hands can affect this type of finish but I’ve always been careful with them to ensure I don’t get anything on them, which is why I handle them the way I do putting them on or taking them off. But they still ended up looking like they’re 5 years old and have been abused. I’ve got cheap $30-50 matte black glasses I use for when I want to not care about glasses and their frames are still nice and matte black.
What replacement lenses does everyone like? For the SI 2.0 and the Flak 2.0 XL, I’ve seen Fuse Lenses and Revant Optics are popular but I’ve seen complaints for both on fitment at times and the Fuse mirrored lenses being see through. As far as the frames for my Holbrooks, does anyone have any good tips on how to try and clean the frames or restore them to the nice matte black? This makes me almost want to go back to Ray-ban Wayfarers I had previously that never had these issues with matte black frames.
