# Don't buy Oakley (at least Sutros)!



## yourrealdad (May 17, 2012)

I rarely make a post like this, but also rarely treated like this by a company.

TLDR: Sutros are horrible sunglasses that fall off while road cycling and Oakley has horrible CS. Don't buy.

I purchased a pair of Oakley Sutros. I like the look of them and although typically not an Oakley guy went for them over my usual companies. The lens on them is fantastic and fit was good.

I got them and the first thing I noticed was that they do not have any sort of material to keep the glasses from sliding. The frame is all plastic and no rubber or such.

I have used them about 5x, but always put them under my helmet straps since I was worried about their ability to stay put, but the other day went for a ride and decided to put them outside the straps as they cause the straps to flare out and it is noticeable out the corner of my eye.

Starting descending and looked down at my computer to hit the lap button and they just flew off my face. Road is a smooth nice road. Frame and lenses scratched and pretty much unusable.

Tried to chat with Oakley today and the first assistant said she was sorry for the inconvenience and was there anything else she could do. As I was typing a response she said it had been inactive too long and so she was disconnecting. This was about 30 seconds.

Got back on the chat with another assistant. Said sorry for the inconvenience and was there anything else she could do. I said yes, please fix these glasses. Response was that it was damaged during use and she could not help me.
I didn't drop these or run into a branch. They literally fell off my face while riding a bike on smooth pavement. I told her this and she said Sutros are lifestyle glasses and not made for sport.

I posted this in response:
"Designed with performance in mind, Sutro gives cyclists a bold and versatile look that they can confidently wear on and off the bike."

Straight from Oakley's website.

At this point I have little confidence that I could wear these glasses on my couch without issue.

Its a shame because like I said the lens was great and I like the look, but these are $180 glasses and can't stay put and are backed with non-existent customer support.

Compare this with Smith where I have had lenses that were scratched and the model was no longer being made so they just sent me a new pair of sunglasses. Needless to say I will be sticking with Smith and other companies whose glasses work and support their customers.

Just though I would give a heads up.


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## Rasmazzer (Jul 24, 2019)

Did you fit the glasses before you bought them?

Why do you use them several times when they don’t fit properly. It was easier to get an refund before you damaged them.

Happy Oakley user here but I bought them in a shop with guidance. Fit perfectly.


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## JK-47 (Apr 22, 2021)

yourrealdad said:


> I rarely make a post like this, but also rarely treated like this by a company.
> 
> TLDR: Sutros are horrible sunglasses that fall off while road cycling and Oakley has horrible CS. Don't buy.
> 
> ...


LOL


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Well if you want to be a baller sometimes you have to make sacrifices.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Seriously though I love my Sutros, great lens and they fit great on me. Very secure.


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## yourrealdad (May 17, 2012)

Who said anything about them not fitting? They fit me just fine, they just are not secure.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I always check glasses to see if they're going to fit before I buy them.

I mean, just because they have rubber bits doesn't mean they'll stay put when riding.

I have a pair of glasses I was given for free once, many years ago. I forget who made them, (Spy, maybe?) but they cost around $100 or so new, so not crap glasses. They fit mostly well, but they don't grip my nose and they bounce like hell on my face when riding. And they have rubber pads on the nose. So they don't _actually_ fit well enough to ride in. So they got relegated to daily use, where they work fine.

I have a pair of Oakley Jawbones that I DO ride in. They're more than a decade old, but to this date, they fit my face better than anything else I've tried. They don't move at all, ever. I will admit that Oakley's customer service sucks. I needed some spare parts for mine awhile back and reached out to Oakley, because the Jawbones had been discontinued, and I wanted to know if they had anything that would work. I couldn't get the time of day from them. So I bought off-brand replacement bits from a company called Walleva. The lenses aren't as good, but I can't tell the difference for the rubber bits.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

yourrealdad said:


> Who said anything about them not fitting? They fit me just fine, they just are not secure.


Security on your face actually _is_ a component of how glasses fit. It's something you can actually test in the store, too.


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## yourrealdad (May 17, 2012)

The glasses fit fine. They feel secure and they don't bounce when I am riding. I have been wearing sunglasses and riding bikes for a while now and have yet to lose a pair until now. But please continue to tell me that I don't know how to fit sunglasses.

Rubber bits are going to make a pair of sunglasses more secure than not having them, otherwise why do it.

All I am saying is that if looking down and catching a little wind on a road is what it takes to knock these off then they are not great sunglasses. More importantly Oakley CS is not great and won't help out a customer. I am not the first nor will I be the last to say this.

My post was to let other riders know about my experience with the Sutros and Oakley CS.

Take it for what you will

I am going to go for a mtb ride wearing my Smith Wildcats that stay put on enduro courses going similar speeds.


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## shakabra (Jun 7, 2009)

yourrealdad said:


> I rarely make a post like this, but also rarely treated like this by a company.
> 
> TLDR: Sutros are horrible sunglasses that fall off while road cycling and Oakley has horrible CS. Don't buy.
> 
> ...


Sutros have a rubber nosepiece to keep them from sliding off your face. Are your Sutros missing it?


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## ljsmith (Oct 26, 2007)

I had a similar thing happen. I bought a helmet and it just flew off my head while riding. I was so shocked when the company wouldn’t give me a new helmet, they said something about how I should make sure the helmet fits properly before riding or some bs like that.


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## spaightlabs (Dec 3, 2011)

about 30 years ago a buddy of mine was pulling into an underground parking structure and his 2 bikes flew right off of his Yakima roof rack. Would not recommend buying a Yakima roof rack.


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## Squirrel in the Spokes (Apr 9, 2021)

the lesson here is don’t look down always scan ahead


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## Golddisk (Mar 7, 2013)

I switched to Tifosi sunglasses years ago after realizing that cheap sunglasses were worthless, and Oakleys were overrated and way too expensive. Much better experience and way cheaper. I haven't looked back...


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## Bikeworks (Sep 10, 2020)

yourrealdad said:


> The glasses fit fine. They feel secure and they don't bounce when I am riding. I have been wearing sunglasses and riding bikes for a while now and have yet to lose a pair until now. But please continue to tell me that I don't know how to fit sunglasses.
> 
> Rubber bits are going to make a pair of sunglasses more secure than not having them, otherwise why do it.
> 
> ...


I actually have the Sutro Lite, so not as heavy as the standard model due to the lack of a lower frame. I bought them because I found my previous pair of Oakleys (EVZeros) to be too light when on the road in conditions you described. I've found the Sutros have completely eliminated that problem FOR ME. Apparently that is no the case FOR YOU. So does my anecdotal experience trump yours? No, but that doesn't mean yours is the true experience either.

TL;DR- YMMV with all things. Enjoy the ride


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

yourrealdad said:


> Who said anything about them not fitting? They fit me just fine, they just are not secure.


I'm sure that's true for you but they've been fine for me. Rough roads, 50mph gusts, ~50mph descents. Zero problems. Yet

Dam, I probably just f-ed myself.


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## Notbn (Aug 4, 2018)

Golddisk said:


> I switched to Tifosi sunglasses years ago after realizing that cheap sunglasses were worthless, and Oakleys were overrated and way too expensive. Much better experience and way cheaper. I haven't looked back...


You can look back, just don't look down, they might fly off!


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## r-rocket (Jun 23, 2014)

yourrealdad said:


> Rubber bits are going to make a pair of sunglasses more secure than not having them, otherwise why do it.


I've literally worn prescription glasses for every single waking second of my entire life since I was in second grade. I've never had any rubber bits ever on any set of glasses. Despite being heavier than any sunglasses, I've never had a set of glassed fall off while riding. I've even had some massive epic crashes and kept my glasses on.

No rubber to hold them on, it is all purely down to fit and having every single pair professionally adjusted to my face. And spending lots of time trying on countless sets of glasses at countless stores rejecting glasses that don't fit me.

I can't tell you if any specific sunglasses fit your melon. But I can say that rubber bits alone won't determine if stuff stays on your face or not.


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## r-rocket (Jun 23, 2014)

J.B. Weld said:


> I'm sure that's true for you but they've been fine for me. Rough roads, 50mph gusts, ~50mph descents. Zero problems. Yet
> 
> Dam, I probably just f-ed myself.


Might as well rip them off your face and throw them on the ground now and get it over with.


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## yourrealdad (May 17, 2012)

J.B. Weld said:


> I'm sure that's true for you but they've been fine for me. Rough roads, 50mph gusts, ~50mph descents. Zero problems. Yet
> 
> Dam, I probably just f-ed myself.


You are definitely f-ed

Yes, mine have the nose piece. It is quite snug and comfortable. On the whole they feel more snug on my head than a lot of sunglasses I have worn.

Look the main issue I had was that CS wouldn't even work with me. The first lady disconnected so quick I didn't have time to respond and the second just said I was using lifestyle glasses. I would have paid for a replacement lens if they could make the price reasonable. I was asking for the glasses to get fixed not for them to give me new glasses, but I couldn't even get that far.

Whatever, I'm over it. Won't buy Oakley again and will possibly try out Tifosi although I have never much liked their looks. The virtual try on is pretty cool when it works.


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## houndogone (Oct 16, 2017)

I love the expectations people have about customer service. OP buys a pair of sunglasses. Immediately notices that they don't have "any sort of material to keep glasses from sliding". Puts them under helmet straps because he is worried they might fly off his face otherwise. Then, even though he is worried they might slide off, he still decides to put glasses on over his straps. Lo and behold, just as he anticipated, the glasses slide off hit the pavement and "frames and lenses [are] scratched and pretty much unusable". Contacts customer service and wants them to "fix" his scratched and unusable frames and lenses - i.e. send me a new pair of glasses. Is enraged when Oakley won't help him.

Reminds me of something my wife once had to deal with. She worked as a senior executive in a company that made permanent magic markers. A dissatisfied customer wrote the President of the company. Her dog had gotten a hold of one of the magic markers and chewed it up while lying on her wall to wall carpeting. Magic marker leaked onto her rug, and because it was a _permanent _marker she couldn't remove the stain. She demanded that the company replace her carpet. Incredibly, the company agreed. Several weeks later the company received a follow up letter ... not to thank them, but to complain that new carpeting did not match the wall to wall carpeting in the rest of the house (because it was new). Now wanted the company to pay to replace all of the wall to wall carpeting in her entire house.


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## ScottieM8 (Apr 3, 2015)

Eyewear is like buying shoes or any other apperal. Not everyone's face is the same. Try before you buy! It's like expecting every person to have the same shoe size or pant size. My Oakley Jawbone now renamed Racing Jacket fits me great. The Frogskins did not so I gave them to my brother and it fits him fine. Spy don't fit me either but doesn't mean they suck. Also to the OP, you accidentally dropped them. Not Oakley's fault. If you want something covered for accidental situations, get them insured...


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## JDHutch (Sep 29, 2017)

OP - you scratched your Smith glasses and got them to send you a new pair? I ask because I’m wondering if the issue is not Oakley but rather your unreasonable expectations. But I wasn’t there and would agree in some cases customer service is more important than the product (but not necessarily sunglasses). 

After wearing cheap glasses for years I finally splurged and got a pair of Oakleys with Prizm Trail lenses and it’s game changing. Seriously. I‘ll be pissed when I lose or break them but they’re still going strong after a couple years.


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## matadorCE (Jun 26, 2013)

Oakleys are garbage, disposable glasses no matter the price point from owning multiple pairs. They look nice and the prizm optics are good but it's a damn shame that they don't last long at all.


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## Fajita Dave (Mar 22, 2012)

matadorCE said:


> Oakleys are garbage, disposable glasses no matter the price point from owning multiple pairs. They look nice and the prizm optics are good but it's a damn shame that they don't last long at all.


Do you run them over all the time? I had one pair of flak jackets for almost 10 years. My current Radar EVs are still like new after a year of consistent sweat, heat and cold while being used double duty for mountain biking and road cycling. I've only scratched lenses rubbing them against hard objects or accidentally dropping them lense first into concrete.


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## teK-- (Dec 3, 2011)

matadorCE said:


> Oakleys are garbage, disposable glasses no matter the price point from owning multiple pairs. They look nice and the prizm optics are good but it's a damn shame that they don't last long at all.


Disagree

Have several sets of Oakleys (glasses and goggles for different sports).

When looked after they all are lasting exceptionally well and in very good condition.


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## matadorCE (Jun 26, 2013)

Fajita Dave said:


> Do you run them over all the time? I had one pair of flak jackets for almost 10 years. My current Radar EVs are still like new after a year of consistent sweat, heat and cold while being used double duty for mountain biking and road cycling. I've only scratched lenses rubbing them against hard objects or accidentally dropping them lense first into concrete.


Nope, normal use for my Jawbones and other multiple fashion frames that have seen even less use.


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## matadorCE (Jun 26, 2013)

teK-- said:


> Disagree
> 
> Have several sets of Oakleys (glasses and goggles for different sports).
> 
> When looked after they all are lasting exceptionally well and in very good condition.


Agree to disagree. I even showed my glasses to an Oakley sales rep that said "yeah that can happen, try reaching out to Oakley CS" and was of no other help whatsoever. These are disposable glasses, and I still buy a pair or two when they go on sale based on how they look but I have no expectation that they'll actually last. My pair of 100% Speedcrafts have been superior in every way to my Jawbones and other pairs of Oakley sport glasses I've had.

Matter of fact, I recently found my old pair of Tincans with the carbon fiber legs. I used them a few times while doing yardwork and the last time I went to fold the legs in, one hinge snapped clean off. These are metal framed glasses that retailed for like $220 and have seen little use over the years.


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## Fajita Dave (Mar 22, 2012)

What exactly happened to your Jawbones?


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## TylerVernon (Nov 10, 2019)

Still using my Radars from 2010.


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## matadorCE (Jun 26, 2013)

Fajita Dave said:


> What exactly happened to your Jawbones?


Fisrt pair the nose bridge hinge broke and wrote it off as a freak accident. Next pair all lenses started peeling and bubbling in the coating. Starts off as very small bubbles. This using the oakley cleaning solution or just water with terry cloth to clean the lenses.


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## mtnbkrmike (Mar 26, 2015)

matadorCE said:


> Fisrt pair the nose bridge hinge broke and wrote it off as a freak accident. Next pair all lenses started peeling and bubbling in the coating. Starts off as very small bubbles. This using the oakley cleaning solution or just water with terry cloth to clean the lenses.


Bizarre. I have a crapload of Oakleys dating back to the Thumps. I ride almost every day and I wear a pair every ride. The only time I have had an issue with mine has been as a result of a crash.

No offence, but I chalk your experience up to user error, bad luck or both. While you may be able to argue that they are overpriced, Oakleys are neither "garbage" nor are they "disposable".


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## matadorCE (Jun 26, 2013)

mtnbkrmike said:


> Bizarre. I have a crapload of Oakleys dating back to the Thumps. I ride almost every day and I wear a pair every ride. The only time I have had an issue with mine has been as a result of a crash.
> 
> No offence, but I chalk your experience up to user error, bad luck or both. While you may be able to argue that they are overpriced, Oakleys are neither "garbage" nor are they "disposable".


So your experience invalidates mine? I've also had multiple pairs throughout the years. User error as in wearing them in my face, cleaning them, storing them in their case in a temperature controlled environment?


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## mtnbkrmike (Mar 26, 2015)

matadorCE said:


> So your experience invalidates mine? I've also had multiple pairs throughout the years. User error as in wearing them in my face, cleaning them, storing them in their case in a temperature controlled environment?


I have no idea. All I can say is that you seem to be an anomaly. It's not just me saying this.


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## matadorCE (Jun 26, 2013)

mtnbkrmike said:


> I have no idea. All I can say is that you seem to be an anomaly. It's not just me saying this.


Search around the internet if you really care and you'll see I'm hardly the only one. No need to simp for Oakley.


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## Brad (May 2, 2004)

yourrealdad said:


> I rarely make a post like this, but also rarely treated like this by a company.
> 
> TLDR: Sutros are horrible sunglasses that fall off while road cycling and Oakley has horrible CS. Don't buy.
> 
> ...


totally agree. Unless you're a pro they treat their customers like criminals. I've had several of their sunglass lebs coatings peel off. They refused warranty on each occasion. I don't buy their overpriced products anylonger. Rudy Project is much better at CS and warranty. 100% sunglasses whip oakley in almost every department now


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## mtnbkrmike (Mar 26, 2015)

matadorCE said:


> Search around the internet if you really care and you'll see I'm hardly the only one. No need to simp for Oakley.


Oh. Okay. Then maybe I'm the lucky one. Whatever. I'm happy to be happy 

I'm off to ride ?


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## Fajita Dave (Mar 22, 2012)

matadorCE said:


> Fisrt pair the nose bridge hinge broke and wrote it off as a freak accident. Next pair all lenses started peeling and bubbling in the coating. Starts off as very small bubbles. This using the oakley cleaning solution or just water with terry cloth to clean the lenses.


That does suck about the nose piece. Any lens with an iridium coating is prone to bubbling and pealing. That's not exclusive to Oakley or any specific brand.


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## Bacon Fat (Mar 11, 2016)

Brad said:


> totally agree. Unless you're a pro they treat their customers like criminals. I've had several of their sunglass lebs coatings peel off. They refused warranty on each occasion. I don't buy their overpriced products anylonger. Rudy Project is much better at CS and warranty. 100% sunglasses whip oakley in almost every department now


Rudy project tried to enter the shooting world, set up shooting teams that were nothing but a scam. To join their team, you had to buy their shirt, buy only from certain vendors and spam everyone on social media continually. In the beginning people liked their glasses, but after awhile no one wanted anything associated with the company as they had become so annoying. They were the Amway of the sunglass world


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## Brad (May 2, 2004)

Bacon Fat said:


> Rudy project tried to enter the shooting world, set up shooting teams that were nothing but a scam. To join their team, you had to buy their shirt, buy only from certain vendors and spam everyone on social media continually. In the beginning people liked their glasses, but after awhile no one wanted anything associated with the company as they had become so annoying. They were the Amway of the sunglass world


yes I recall that but I still have a couple of pairs of their sunglasses that are still usable and the lenses aren't scratched.
Their marketing is shyte though


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## Streetdoctor (Oct 14, 2011)

LOLZ feel better now? I love all 6 pairs of prescription oakleys I own...


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## eatdrinkride (Jun 15, 2005)

Haven't heard about iridium lenses being prone to bubbling before.

I've had my Half jacket (or are they the Flak 2.0, idk) with prizm black iridium lenses for at least 3 years now. They are basically as good as new and these also serve as my everyday sunglasses. Living in Phoenix I wear them year-round although I do swap out with Prizm Road lenses sometimes. Anyhow I leave them in my car every day at work where summer temps easily reach 115 degrees with zero lens issues to date, seems pretty hardy to me. 

I did toast my prescription lenses leaving them in the hot car last year. I'll be taking the Oakley's out of the car for now on, nothing is meant to survive inside a car in Phx heat.


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## TylerVernon (Nov 10, 2019)

matadorCE said:


> So your experience invalidates mine? I've also had multiple pairs throughout the years. User error as in wearing them in my face, cleaning them, storing them in their case in a temperature controlled environment?


I have a lot of Oakleys. Sometimes the lenses bubble (lost a pair of mind Penny lenses that way). Most of them are fine, now going on 25 years. Bad luck.


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## matadorCE (Jun 26, 2013)

TylerVernon said:


> I have a lot of Oakleys. Sometimes the lenses bubble (lost a pair of mind Penny lenses that way). Most of them are fine, now going on 25 years. Bad luck.


I don't think multiple pairs having same issues is back luck. Bad quality and/or bad quality control it's what i would call my problems.


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## mtnbkrmike (Mar 26, 2015)




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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

mtnbkrmike said:


> Oh. Okay. Then maybe I'm the lucky one. Whatever. I'm happy to be happy
> 
> I'm off to ride ?


My Jawbones are 12yrs old now. I did replace the lenses (that I scratched up from dropping them, so no fault of Oakley's) with cheap walleva brand ones. But the glasses are fine. Their CS sucks...if they make lenses that fit them, they wouldn't tell me. That's why I bought the walleva ones instead of Oakley lenses.

My wife's old Tifosi glasses needed rubber nose pieces. Tifosi got back with me within 24hrs telling me which frames they are and what parts I needed. A+ on CS from them.


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## natas1321 (Nov 4, 2017)

Not a fan of Oakley sunglasses as they seem really cheap to me, quality wise. I use to like them years ago but now they just feel like a cheap pair of sunglasses. I prefer revo's, spy's or even tifosi's as they all seem more durable. But to each their own, buy them if you want or don't. 

Sent from my moto g(7) supra using Tapatalk


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