# Do not buy Oakley (as least Sutro)!



## yourrealdad (Jul 15, 2011)

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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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

Should have noticed and returned them before riding.


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## yourrealdad (Jul 15, 2011)

What should I have noticed? They fit and look fine. Lens is great. I have been biking for years and even mtb have never had a pair of glasses fall off my face.


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## ogre (Dec 16, 2005)

Just because a pair of glasses won't stay on your face and even falls off doesn't mean they should replace them for you. Only after you got them you noticed they were all plastic with no rubberized bits. You paid too much for something that didn't meet your expectations. I googled the Sutro and I wasn't impressed. But their customer service department is not to fault for your JRA story. Learn the lesson. 

ps, I used prescription Oakleys for 12+ years, I really liked them but thought the price was a bit steep. Lots of lower cost options such as Tifosi will give you much more bang for the buck.


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## DrSmile (Jul 22, 2006)

Oakley.... what you say in a hospital room STAYS in that hospital room.


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## Grog McCog (Jan 19, 2020)

I just purchased a pair about a month ago. They came with a second nose-piece. The material seems designed not to slip. I haven't encountered any such problem. They are, however, rather large, and I could imagine YMMV depending upon facial structure.

Having said all of this, I don't think the expecation that a sunglass company should replace your used, damaged glasses because they don't fit you properly is a reasonable expectation. If you try them on and they don't fit, you should have the option of returning them if they are undamaged.


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## yourrealdad (Jul 15, 2011)

My lesson is learned. No more Oakley. I am glad they have worked out for you, but for me obviously a no go.

Here is the thing I was never asking for them to replace the sunglasses. With the first CS rep she disconnected me before I could even type a response. The second one just told me that is was damage from use and they were not performance sunglasses to begin with. 

I would have paid for a new lens if it was reasonable (although I don't know if you can replace the lens)

All I am trying to get out there is this model does not seem to do well on the bike and the CS department is lacking.

And like I said, I don't usually make a post like this, but I was literally JRA.


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## Grog McCog (Jan 19, 2020)

I just double-checked mine. They came with TWO soft rubbery nose-pieces that slip onto the main part of the frame. One came attached. The other is in a little plastic bag.

If yours didn't come with these, then I think you might have a case, because if the parts required to keep it from slipping and falling from your face were absent from the packaging, the fault would be theirs I should think, not yours.


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## yourrealdad (Jul 15, 2011)

Don't have another. Are they different sizes?

I really don't think it has to do with the nose piece though. it is pretty snug on my nose.


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## JaeP (Mar 12, 2002)

I think Oakley's are way over priced. My Oakley story. In the olden days when steel bikes were the only bikes available, I bought a very expensive set of Oakley Razor Blades. Went on a Mtn. bike ride. My handlebar got caught on a bush. I took a tumble. Sunglasses flew of my face and broke. $110.00 down the drain.

Now I ride with store brand sunglasses from Performance. $20.00 gets me 3 colored lenses and offer the same sun/wind protection and style albeit at a cheaper price. If they fall off and break or if I left them behind after a coffee shop break. Oh, well. 

Anyway, I don't think you'd be reacting this way if you spent $20.00 on a pair of sunglasses.


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## Wetworks (Aug 10, 2012)

Like I said over on MTBR, my Sutro Lites are terrific. Sorry you're having so many issues with a pair of sunglasses


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## Lombard (May 8, 2014)

yourrealdad said:


> What should I have noticed? They fit and look fine. Lens is great. I have been biking for years and even mtb have never had a pair of glasses fall off my face.


Try boiling some water and them dipping the ear pieces in the hot water. Then you can bend them so they will curve behind your ears and not fall forward. This works for most acetate framed glasses and I have done it with success. Hey, since Oakley gave you the brush off, what do you have to lose in trying this?


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## bilbo (Aug 2, 2017)

This was 3-4 years ago, but I had Oakley sunglasses whose lenses had seen better days. I was going to replace them and found out about the Chinese knockoff lenses that were substantially less money, so I bought some. They weren't shaped correctly and cracked the frame. I was going to just chuck them, lesson learned, but reached out to the company and explained what happened to see if they could at least be fixed somehow. They said the frame was shot but offered me a new frame at cost. It was a little less than half of what I had paid for the glasses at retail, so I said ok. I expected to receive a frame and put my old lenses in it, with my tail tucked between my legs. What I got in the mail was a complete new set of sunglasses. So I don't think they're all bad, they certainly owed me nothing.

Did you try them on somewhere before buying or just get them online? I've found things that have to be worn on my body have to be tried on. Especially when they're expensive. I bought a set of the cheapish Goodr glasses online and found them to be too small for my fat head. Thankfully I only sunk $25 but I would have avoided that had I tried them on somewhere.


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## Finx (Oct 19, 2017)

I've been wearing Oakley's for a long time. I've had great success with them. Mostly half jackets (the original version) and more recently Half Jacket 2.0 and Flak (I still prefer the original Half Jacket).

Recently, I got a fresh prescription, and decided to give something new a try and ordered a set of 100% SpeedCoupe's and purchased a set of prescription lenses from SportRX for them.

I honestly couldn't be happier. They are super light, and fit me well. The grips on the nose and ear pieces work really well. I don't think I could shake them off if I wanted to.

I opted for transitions. It's been a while since I used a transition lens. In the past, I didn't care for them. Not great optics, slow to change, and not clear enough in low light.

These new ones from SportRX are great. They transition quickly, and are completely clear in low light, and have great clarity. I am seriously considering ordering a second set so I have a spare.


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## Alky2022 (4 mo ago)

Yesterday i broke my nose with Oakley Sutro frame during the crash. Cyclist in front of me cut me off by going from right side of the road all the way to the left, so i crashed into the left side of her with my heads right side and because the frame of Oakley Sutro is so large and goes more to the sides than on the other glasses - it was enough to hit with it my nose so hard that now its broken. I will never ever will ride with glasses. Will use instead detachable glass shields like on Giro Air Attack helmet


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