 So what's good and bad about them? Any particular models especially liked? Is the competition any better? Why are they SO expensive?!!
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 The lenses are optically perfect and Oakley will change the components whenever you break, scratch or generally ruin them.
If you don't lose them they will last you a lifetime, in the way that Trigger's broom did in Only Fools and Horses... A friend of mine found a pair in a road that had been run over, he sent them to Oakley and they wouldn't change the glasses, instead they changed the lenses AND the frames.
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 Customer service is great, I lost a nose piece from my e-wires, phoned 'em up and the replacement turned up next day. And they're nicely made and, as John says, optically excellent. Someone was telling me that the air force - I think - assessed all the leading brands and found Oakley to be faultless bar the price.
The price is really all you can fault them on in my experience.
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The thing I really like about them is that the arms snap off if you sit on them and you can pop them back in and they are as good as new. I can't tell you how many pairs of other brands I got through where I snapped off an arm until I swapped over to Oakleys. I personally like the Straight Jackets and have had scratched lenses replaced within a few days by Oakley for about half the price of a new pair of glasses.
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I've got an old pair of 'full metal jackets'(I think) and they've taken a fair bit of stick including being run over by the old mans car. The arms and lenses can separate but they slot together again and are the dogs. Well worth the price I reckon.
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I have a pair of...OO squares? double "O" squares in case the "oo" doesn't catch - amazing tint and blend in well witha suit :)
They have a model whose arms don't break, the
Pro - M frame - all one piece and the arms bend like Gumby.
I also have optical frames too and they
are quality.
I'd stress oakley over anything else for
regular glasses, because they have an actual warantee and there's ENGINEERING behind them
i.e. armani frames cost the same as oakley frames, so why not get oakley?
They look good and are durable, and I know it wasn't made by some licensee :)
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 use XX sunglasses, wire-tap normal glasses and A-frame goggles.
the sunglasses are superb. optically perfect, 3years old and not a scratch. lost a nose pad n that was replaced within a day. arms pop back in etc etc.
The prescription glasses are also built with the same quality etc etc. the warrenty is fantastic, someone trod on mine n oakley replaced the bent frames for free.
Basically they might seem expensive but they last for yonks and when u step back, cost no more than ones from poncy itallian designers that wont last half as long!
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^^Exactly.
Some richy-rich punk wouldn't let me try on his Gucci sunglasses, claiming they cost $300 and such, so since he made a big deal about it I just said let him know that my Oakleys were 300 too, but unlike his plastic gimmicky shades, mine were Engineered and have a warrantee". Man did ppl laugh at that guy! He had a mild lisp and was sorta effiminate, but you get the idea. LOL
At any rate - I have the A-frame goggles too - very nice - not sure how the newest ones stack up.
So, if you are unsure about the sunglasses, try to get your healthplan to pay for optical frames :)
If you were them everyday - why not pay a little more upfront and get a warantee?
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 if oakley could do improve on anything about importing them into Britain it would be to lower the bloody price. They might be the mutt's nuts, but they are expensive nuts. If you know anyone state side or who is going on holiday then ask 'em to pick up a pair for you. I suggest you may have to give them some cash first! But still cheaper than here.
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^^^Ebay.com
ask if he will ship to the UK if you pay for it
probably worth it :)
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 I have some prescription E-Wires, excellent quality (although they set me back nearly 200 quid). I broke off an arm last year; Oakley replaced it for 15 pounds, and included a "service" where they buffed up the lenses and tightened everything. Oakley - top kit!
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Think about it, £15 pound for the arm, thats £30 for both, maybe £30 for the frame to be replaced, makes you wonder how much profit oakley make! i speak from bitter, bitter experience.
Oakley top kit Done, you 'ave been!
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My first pair of Oakleys was the Oakley Whisker Polarised - absolutely amazing sunglasses. The lenses give perfect clarity and they are comfy to wear all day long. Some thieving baggage handlers in Madrid had them - hope my freakish prescription blinds them!!! Yes they do cost a lot (especially with a prescription lense), but I am amazed when people will pay £2,000 on a TV but begrudge £200 on sunglasses.
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Colud this be the same Simon Brandon that is selling Oakleys? See Link
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 Off with his head.
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 Off with his head. He won't need his Oakleys then - can I have 'em? 
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 I had a pair of m-frames for 8 years that survived a variety of mtb crashes, including one that bust my collar bone. I thought they were indestructible. However, unfortunately my daughter aged one at the time got her hands on them and totally trashed them. I don't think Oakley employ toddler testing as part of their product development! Still, wife treated me to a nice new pair for Christmas that year (Minutes or something like that?) If you can justify spending the necessary dosh on a pair of sunglasses, they are well worth it - functional and eternally cool.
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Oh yeah and she was smart enough to get her folks to buy them on a trip to the New York, so echoing what Matt says above, there's a big saving to be made buying over the pond.
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 I've got a pair of Oakley Minutes, they are really good, I have an eye condition called Pigment Dispersion Syndrome and need good sunglasses. The polarising lenses are great too, especially when you on the hills, they make the whole place look amazing, especially clouds. They are very light and comfy. Look around on Ebay as you can get some real bargains. Also look in both male and female sections on the Ebay categories as so many glasses are unisex but the sellers often put them on the one category. I got mine for £25 off Ebay and they were as new and in the excellent carry case.
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Colud this be the same Simon Brandon that is selling Oakleys? See Link
Guilty as charged! I've just set up a website to sell them after buing a pair and loving them - getting obsessive about them now. Worrying...
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