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Reviews > Eye Protection > Sun Glasses > Oakley Half-Jacket Sunglasses > Owner Review by Greg MehojahOakley
Half-Jacket
Polarized Lens Sunglasses Owner Review August 9, 2006
Product Information
The Oakley Half-Jacket sunglasses are plastic framed with soft, gripping rubber on the temples and the nose pieces. The box containing the sunglasses comes with a soft cloth carrying case (which can also be used to clean the lens) and instructions for cleaning, caring for, and maintaining the sunglasses. The glasses feature removable polycarbonate lenses so that the wearer can customize either the look or the type of sun protection desired for a given type of activity. The lenses are available in two different shapes, polarized and non-polarized, and come in various shades, tints, and colors. According to the manufacturer, these frames can also accept prescription lenses, though I have not had an opportunity to experience this aspect of the sunglasses. The two different shaped lenses are depicted below in an image taken from the manufacturer's website. Because I have only used the standard shaped lenses, that is the focus of this review.
The lenses for both the standard and XLJ model Half-Jacket sunglasses secure to the frames via two extended tabs molded into the lenses themselves. These tabs insert into notches in the frames. To insert the lenses into the frames, the wearer simply inserts one end of the lens into the notch of the frame, and then snaps the other end into the other notch. To remove the lenses, simply reverse the process. Inserting and replacing the lenses sometimes takes a bit of flexing of the frame itself, but I did not find it difficult to accomplish. I have a pair of medium tinted polarized lenses for everyday use, and a pair of clear, untinted lenses that I switch to when I ride my mountain bike at night. The spare pair of clear lenses I bought came in their own little soft cloth lens bag that has a cloth divider to keep the lenses from rubbing against each other. I have a somewhat large head and have a difficult time finding sunglasses that fit properly, which is why I settled on these glasses. The Half-Jacket sunglasses fit me very well and do not require any force to place or keep on my head. I have never felt any discomfort from wearing these sunglasses, even after wearing them for an extended period of time. The nose pieces are very pliable and grippy, which allows me to keep them in place on my face even when I sweat during hikes or on long mountain bike rides. The temples of the glasses do not have a curve to them, rather, they are straight lengths that extend beyond my ears. Field Conditions: I have used the Half-Jacket glasses in many and varied climates, conditions, and elevations. I wear these sunglasses every day, and also as my primary glasses when engaging in mountain biking, hiking, and backpacking. The elevations have ranged from 6,500 ft to 11,500 ft (1,981 m to 3,505 m) with temperatures well below freezing and well in excess of 100 degrees F (37.7 C). The conditions have included extremely dry desert climates with high winds, to high-altitude wet weather environments when hiking and backpacking. I have even recently worn the Half-Jackets during hail, rain and lightning storms while mountain biking, which will be discussed more below. Primarily I wear the sunglasses due to the naturally sunny climate here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Field Use: I have worn my Half-Jacket sunglasses nearly every day for the last two years, and have replaced the lenses twice as a result of normal wear and tear, and as a result of sudden impact events to the lenses. Additionally, due to the high elevation in New Mexico, the sun filters though less atmosphere than at sea level, which increases sun's intensity and wreaks havoc on my light-sensitive blue eyes. I have hesitated to buy expensive sunglasses because I tend to leave them at restaurants, sit on them, or just generally fail to take proper care of them resulting in their ultimate destruction. However, I rationalized that were I to spend more money on sunglasses, I might prompt myself to take more care of them. This concept has met with mixed results (i.e. I still abuse my sunglasses, I just tend not to sit on them or leave them at restaurants). Throughout all of my usage of these sunglasses I have found them to provide a great deal of sun protection for my eyes. I have very light-sensitive eyes and wear sunglasses year round. The sun shines almost year round and is very bright due not only to our elevation, but also because we rarely have clouded skies. I tend to enjoy wearing sunglasses that provide middle-range light protection, rather than glasses that are very darkly tinted. Additionally, I prefer polarized lenses because I feel (though I cannot state with certainty) that the lenses provide better eye protection from the sun and also reduce a great deal of reflective glare. Despite the fact that my lenses are not very darkly tinted, I have never felt that I needed to squint or protect my eyes from bright light while wearing them. In addition to normal usage, I wear the glasses when I engage in my outdoor activities that include hiking, mountain biking and bike commuting to work. When I swim outdoors, I wear them as well to help reduce reflective glare from the water. I have experienced extreme weather while wearing the Half-Jackets and found them to be provide a great deal of impact protection for my eyes. For example, I was riding my routine mountain bike trail recently when I was caught, four miles from the trail head where my car was parked, in a HUGE storm. I was pelted mercilessly with rain, marble-sized hail, and wind. The flooded trails quickly turned to rivers, throwing mud and water into my face in addition to the hail and rain. I was wearing my Oakleys and decided to keep wearing them to protect my eyes from the mud, water, hail, and wind. While they did begin to fog up and I had to wipe them clean a few times, I was happy to have them. I would prefer that I wipe mud from my sunglasses rather than my eyes any day! Additionally, while mountain biking, I have crashed numerous times while wearing the Half-Jackets with similar results to my Bandelier Trip (discussed below). I have never had the lenses eject from the frame even while face planting over the handlebar of my mountain bike. The glasses have come off my face in the past as a result of crashes, but the lenses always stayed firmly placed in the frames I always wear sunglasses when I backpack to protect my eyes from the sun, wind-borne dirt/dust, and from tree branches that my hiking buddy always forgets to hold for me when he walks through them. I have found the sunglasses to be very tough and durable despite the significant abuse I have put them through. While backpacking in Bandelier National Monument last year, I walked right into a tree branch my friend had forgotten to hold for me that hit me square across my eyes. The glasses were jammed firmly into my head, but the lenses stayed in the frames and prevented the branch from damaging my eyes. The lenses were trashed, but my eyes were intact. I have since learned to hike farther behind my buddy while on trips with him. When I am not wearing the sunglasses they are generally on my head or placed on my baseball/hiking hat where I can quickly grab them if need be. I also keep the little cloth bag that they came in from the manufacturer to keep the lenses from getting too scratched. Despite my best efforts, I have scratched my lenses a couple of times and they are now getting to the point where I am thinking of replacing them. This is, however, after wearing them daily for two years, so I do not believe that it is undue wear, but rather, something I would expect to happen give my sometimes failure to properly maintain them. My only real complaint was the ease with which I found the rubberized nose pieces to loosen from their frame mounts and get lost. The folks at Oakley were very helpful in assisting me in ordering replacements, but a set still cost $4.00 U.S. That is a bit steep for simple rubber nose pieces in my opinion. Summary: I really love my Oakley Half-Jacket sunglasses. I have worn a lot of cheaper and somewhat expensive glasses in the past, and these Oakleys are a very good example of high-value, and moderately low cost. With the exception of losing a rubberized nose piece, I have found the glasses to be very durable and comfortable to wear Things I like: 1. Very comfortable and lightweight. 2. Great glare reduction. 3. Interchangeable lenses. Things I do not like: 1. Expensive for a pair of plastic sunglasses. 2. Replacement lenses expensive. 3. Lenses easily scratch through normal usage. Read more reviews of Oakley gear Read more gear reviews by Greg Mehojah Reviews > Eye Protection > Sun Glasses > Oakley Half-Jacket Sunglasses > Owner Review by Greg Mehojah | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
