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Hello, I recently bought a pair of racing jackets that came with a grey lens only, and it's time I got another set for them- maybe something a bit more suited to summer in the north of england, however i don't really know much(if anything) about how their various lenses perform. any genuine reviews based on actual use would be appreciated, ta!
More suited to summer in the north of england? You'll want these then 🙂
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The lens I use the most is persimmon, makes even a grey day seem sunny. They cope pretty well in bright sunlight and are very good in low light wooded areas. Have some ice iridium (blue) for use in sunny climes and some clear for night riding.
My darkest lenses are VR28. I occasionally use the persimmon on dull autumn days. And clear.
The Oakley site used to give you a slider option showing the difference in the lenses
Ice and Black Iridium are both very dark, I use both on the road quite regularly, but it's not that common I'll use them off road - you notice they get rather dark under tree cover.
I've got some Jade Iridium which are good though.
I can't find Oakleys own chart - [url= http://www.andrewcareopticians.co.uk/oakley-lens-chart.ghtml ]this [/url]has a good guide though.
I had VR28 Black iridiums & normal Black Iridiums in mine. Found the VR28 very good for most of the time, Black iridium only any good for very sunny conditions.
Swapped out to transition (photochromic) lens which go from completely clear to nearly as dark as the black iridiums - these are excellent. Don't have to worry about having the wrong lens in now. And if you ride somewhere like the alps, where the first half of the descent is in the open, bright sunshine, and the other half is in the dark tree cover, then they are fantastic.
The new Prizm lenses really are great. I've got a set of the Racing Jackets with the Prizm Trail lenses and they're perfect for all year round in the trees. Bit too light for on the road in the open though, so I'm getting a set of the Prizm road lenses as well, which are a lot darker and great for the brightest days.
Basically, Prizm Trail, Prizm Road and clear (night riding) and you're set for everything.
I use iridium transitions for everything, including night riding. They work well for me.
Tsk - it's not about how they perform but how they look... The grey lens is actually pretty darn good but a little dull!
For off road I like the photochromic lenses quite a lot, they just work.
VR28 is a great contrast base in my opinion (if you don't fancy the expense of the photochromic lens). I have a battered set of VR28 blue iridium which work in all but the darkest forest (and look cool obviously).
I also really like the +ve red iridium lenses for road riding, they're really nice.
Prizm lenses are getting people excited. I did have a look at them in a shop and the Trail lens was great on a murky Scots day. Will probably get some when it's time for a new set.
All time favourite was the VR28 black iridium polarised. Just superb. But don't look as cool as the jade iridium...
thanks all, good info to go by. i'm intrigued by the prizms anyway. and they're not actually too pricey really...
at the risk of getting deleted by a mod who doesn't know the difference between "counterfeit" and "aftermarket" like last time, check out Revant Optics before you buy. They make quality lenses to fit pretty much every Oakley, in every version (polarised, iridium etc) and are a fraction of Oakley's price. They come with a warranty, in a Revant branded box, with a Revant branded lens cloth, and a Revant logo sticker, you know, the way fake Oakleys do...
You can buy from their site or via eBay where they are BIN or Best Offer, they usually accept offers of around $5 less. We have 2 pairs of Flak Jackets in the house and 3 pairs of extra Revant lenses (clear and yellow for low light and some sexy blue iridium style as a birthday pressy for munqe chick).
Ditto crashtestmonkey - revant or fuse optics do decent lenses to fit other frames.
thanks all, good info to go by. i'm intrigued by the prizms anyway. and they're not actually too pricey really...
They seem surprisingly cheap actually, cheaper than Iridium lenses, which is intriguing.
Persimmon / orange lenses are fantastic especially if you ride a lot in forests as the contrast is fantastic. I use these most of the time unless its a really grey and dark day or I'm out at night.
I have some vented persimmon & clear lenses I'm no longer using if you want a cheap couple of sets. Both genuine Oakley.
You want the clear-black transitions. They the only ones I've used that cope with going from bright sunshine into dense woodland really well.