Trying to decide between the Oakley Half Jacket XLJ and the Rudy Project Rydon.

Both seem to have pro's and con's, but without actually having any store that sells both, it is very hard to compare. These will be used in the daytime, on the road.

Rudy Project Pro's...
The Oakley hinges seem downright cheap and flimsy(press fit vs. screws top and bottom)
The Oakley has non adjustable nosepiece vs. fully adjustable.
The Oakley has non adjustable earpiece vs. FULLY adjustable.(you can bend them in a knot if you wanted to)
Better ventilation from fogging on the Rudy.
Warranty appears to be 3 years on frames with a $14.95 fee for lens replacement if scratched vs. no real implied warranty for the Oakleys.

Rudy Project Con's....
Higher priced ($125 vs. $100 non polarized versions)
MUCH harder to find in a store (basically just in exclusive bike stores)
Somewhat unknown company other than in the bicycle world.
MUCH harder to find replacement lenses in different colors from let's say Ebay.

Can't speak as to optics clarity, because I haven't tried them together, but everyone say's Oakley's have the best clarity out there.(they do seem very clear) True or not?

Anyone have any REAL WORLD experience with the Rudy's?

I can't comment on the Rydon, but I've had a pair of Rudy Kerosene for 5 years and they've been great.

I have the Kerosenes too. I think that like much of anything in cycling, it's all about the fit. Unfortunately, this may be a problem for you since you can't seem to find either in local stores. I think both brands are of equal quality and some people claim that Oakley's are better quality but my close inspection makes me believe they're on par. This can be said for both the frames as well as lens/optics. Oakley does offer the ability to embed the Rx lens into the wrap if that's important to you. I thought it would be great to do that but then interchanging lenses would get really expensive as I'd have to get multiple Rx lenses embeded... one for each wrap. In the end, what really drove me towards the Kerosenes was the adjustable temples and nosepiece... especially the nosepiece. I simply could not get the Oakley M-Frames to sit properly on my face while the Kerosenes fit perfectly and comfortably once adjusted.

No, I can find both in stores, just not the same stores

To me, the RP seem to have better frame construction and are fully adjustable. Their biggest downfall is lack of places to get spare parts/lenses cheaply.

The Oakley on the other hand are very easy to find, but lack the adjustable ears and nose.

I would suggest looking online for parts/spares. Most online retaillers seem to carry parts for both Oakley and Rudy equally. Have you checked out e-Rudy.com?


Yeah... that was a big problem for me.

Might throw another pair into the mix, the new Smith Frontline. They are much like the others in design...and, are easily available. Lenses come in tons of colors, including polarized (if you are a fisherman). They have amazing customer support as well.

I found that oakley's didn't fit my nose all that well since it's a little crooked (previous break? I can't remember) and went with the rydons. I haven't had a problem with them since I bought them last year, although I can't figure out how to change lenses but that's probably just me. Optics wise, I really can't tell the difference between oakleys and rudy's.

I have a pair of rudy project ketyum's, won't trade it for anything in the world, comes with gray and clear lenses, all I need. They have a 3 year warranty on it. Replacement lenses are $15 if you break yours and they have several online retailers where u buy other lenses from.
Rudy's are also much more adjustable plus the spring hinges are great if I want to wear the glasses over my helmet straps or under they adjust great, venting is great.

I actually looked at several pairs and if you can get your hands on a pair of ketyum's, the build quality'll blow everything shy of the $300 oakley's away. I don't know if it's coincidence or what but whoever made my ketyum's aligned every single flathead screw in it the same direction, vertically. Now that's quality.

BTW: specialized is coming out with their own line of sunglasses. since they're one of the top makers of bikes, tires, and accessories, it stands to assume they know what they're doing. the lenses are going to be photochromatic, meaning they change in darkness depending on how bright it is outside.

dude... they're sunglasses. both are good quality and will last well. buy the ones that look the best on your nose.

I have had several pair of Oakley's over the past years and switched to Rydon sunglasses about a year ago.

Don't think I will be going back to Oakley..........I gave them away.....

the oakleys that ive had felt much better constructed than the RPs... the RPs felt more like 150$ toys

G'day,

I always spend the least I can get away with on cycling glasses (& still look cool!).I reckon they are a disposable item, abit like tubes...ya use 'em then chuck 'em away. I reckon there is a dirrect correlation between how much I spend on glasses, against how long they will last. The more I spend, the quicker I'm likely to 'come off' & break them, sit on 'em, leave 'em in the sun & melt 'em, dog ate 'em etc etc......graph looks abit like this....more that $200...about 48 -72 hours.....$50.....2 years....You do the math!,

cheers,

Hitchy

I own a lot of Oakleys because I was once in the bike business and owned a store and was a dealer for this brand.. They do a lot of marketing, making sure their glasses show up on the top athletes in a multitude of sports. This creates a lot of demand for the product. Generally speaking, the athletes don't pay for these glasses

I have several reservations about the brand. I've seen too many cracked frames. This generally occurs along the top edge of M-frames and several other models. It most often occurs if you have to flex the frame (bend ear pieces outward) to get it to fit on your head. After some time, this constant flexing will eventually crack the frame. Part of the reason the frame cracks is the composite used in the frame is too brittle. I had a discussion with Oakley customer service the last time I had one of my own M-frames replaced. I suggested that they make the frame available in several widths and/or use a composite material that was amenable to flexing without eventually breaking. The customer service rep admitted that frame breakage was a problem. As I mentioned, I own multiple pairs. I have a half dozen pairs, take very good care of my equipment and despite this, I've had 3 cracked frames which is unacceptable given I rotate what I wear meaning no one pair is being used constantly.

If you have a relatively narrow face, the chance for frame breakage will be reduced. To get an idea of the ideal "Oakley Head" look at the models wearing their glasses in the ads. They have heads that are taller then they are wider.

Apart from the breakage issue, I think on the whole these glasses are overpriced. You are subsidizing to some extent the marketing they do with free glasses and national advertising. When Oakley brought their first offering to market, the Factory Pilot, there was in fact nothing else suitable for cycling. But now, you can find a number of brands that will work well without sacrificing lens quality, styling and durability. Many of these brands, Rudy Project and Smith included are priced below Oakley. The post mentioning the new Specialized glasses is worth looking into as this company has a long history of providing well designed products at competitive prices (disclosure: I worked for 8 1/2 years for this company until 1992).

The last issue is the most important, what fits you and what you feel good about wearing when you ride your bike..

Happy pedaling....

you can get a better deal on rudy projects (40% off) on any of the glasses on e-rudy.com Just type in "prodeal" into the vip promotion code box. This makes rudy projects a much better bet

Had my Rudy Project Kerosene's for a decade now. Provided I don't grenade them in a crash or something, I hope to have them for the forseeable future.

Ill never buy another pair of Oakleys. I bought a pair, someone dropped them and scratched the lenses and Oakley wouldnt sell me replacement lenses.

I have several pair of Rudy Projects. Their customer service is excellent.

anyone have the new Noyz glasses from Rudy Project? I can't decide which Rudy Project glasses to get.
Oakleys are too narrow for my face.

I have Rudy Project Kerosenes with the Rx insert. I've been very happy with them. There's a place in Colorado who sells Rx replacement lenses ilo the inserts https://www.sportsoptical.com/direct_lens_tech.htm

Have worn RP Rydons with the rx inserts for 2 years and love them!

I tried the Rudy Project glasses, with and without the RX insert and fell back on the Oakleys. My eyelashes kept hitting the RX inserts and they gave a strange fisheye sensation. Maybe it was just me, but i ended up going with contacts. The rim of the Oakley M-frame glasses is also a little higher which is good for a more aggressive position on the bike.

Kudos to Rudy's for making awesome Rx insert glasses though, i like the style and which they would have worked out.

See if an optometrist in your area carries Rudy Project. There is one right down the road from me.

i have 2 pairs of Kaylos (discontinued this year). they cover well and vent great. I have three sets of lenses and none of them have taken any damage in the past five years.

i plan on getting a pair of exowind this summer.

Just ordered a pair of Exowinds with the photochromatic lenses. Will report back in once they arrive.

Oakley. Unparalleled lenses.

Here's my experience. I had Oakley's for years, and loved them. A few years ago I tried some Rudy kerosene's. They were nice but they broke at the nose piece area. And I am gentle with my gear. Went back to Oakley's after that.