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Why/How did YOU get addicted to Oakley?

cacatman

No one knows 'cacat' like cacatman!!
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Just saw this thread today. Oh How I Loathe You. Each & Every One Of You!

Made me wonder what causes people from so many different backgrounds to love collecting Oakleys,

from not just the USA, but from Algeria, Australia to Zambia,
from multi-millionaires who pay as much as a car each month to people who have to save every penny
from professionals to blue collar workers to wanna-be bounty hunters to adult lego collectors to truckies!

While I can't prove that they don't put crack cocaine on the ear stems, so that when you pick them up, it makes you addicted almost immediately, there may be other reasons.

For me, I guess it's kind of something sentimental from my youth.

Oakleys were always the sunglasses to get back then, but in my student days, were relatively unaffordable.

My first pair was a pair of subzero #4 with ice lenses which got smashed on the snowfields. Followed up by a 0.3 p and my first X-metal, a carbon Juliet with BI. Once I got the carbon Juliet, it was the end of me. But things super-accelerated once I found this forum a few years later, because it meant I didn't have to source pairs locally second-hand or new.

I collect now, because I like the idea that the older models (which I like) won't lose TOO much value over time (at least as far as I can tell), and also that they are not only collectible, but quite useable (unlike other hobby collections), have a story to tell and has a great worldwide (and usually helpful) community following and support.

If you're a collector, then apart from one off Frogskins, in the main, putting together either a partial or complete collection of sunglasses is actually quite attainable and possible.

Whether you have just two pairs of Oakleys (more than 1 pair is a collection) or have allegedly at least 3 pairs of every model ever released it is a satisfying and enjoyable hobby which gives us a creative outlet as well as serves a useful purpose in part (e.g. protects your eyes and may/may not make you look good!!).
 
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For me it was the must have shades of my youth. From my first pair of Razorblades with interchangeable ear stems to my second pair (clear smoke frogs) Oakleys to this day are all that I've ever worn.

I went on a hiatus until one day I stumbled upon a sunglasses hut (no O stores in my state) and saw a pair of Plasma/Fire Juliets circa 2001 and the rest is history.

I snatched those up and haven't looked back. I've bought, sold, traded hundreds of pairs over my collecting time. And to this day I still enjoy the hobby. If it gets stale simply move a piece for another desirable piece.

Then I found the watches......


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I did not grow up rich by any means. So when I wanted a pair of Oakleys when I was young my mom worked really hard to get me a pair which was awsome, my first pair was a pair of gen 1 oil rigs when they came out. Well I wanted other color ways as they came out etc. but obviously couldn't get them. I went in a cruise with my dad and step mom and about half way through they asked us to go play bingo, I agreed, and ended up buying a ticket because why not. Well I ended up winning 750$ and I waited until 2 am to get my money from the finance and the first thing I did was go buy myself another pair of Oakleys from the shop. Gen 1 oil drums, and when I went home I tried very hard to pay my mom back for buying me my Oakleys but she wouldn't let me and she told me to just use the money for what I wanted... so we know what I used it on.... pizza! And a laptop haha. Moral of the story is my mom is the reason.
P.S: when I first asked my fiancé for her number I wrote it on the back of my bingo receipt since It's all I had in my wallet xd
She didn't let me buy her a pair until I was much older and already established with my Oakleys, and my mom is still the only one in my family who still tells me it's okay to have so many glasses and is proud of my collection!!!
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My dad gifted me a pair of beat to hell ti/gold juliet because they were too loose and "worthless." I wore them for a few years as is until I found you can tune them. Got them tune, wore them for many more years.. then they got stolen. That's when o found the forum. Now I have a dozen in my collection, and have boight/sold/traded dozens more. So I'm with @Trucker360 on this one.. forums fault. I was just fine with 1 Juliet!
 
For me it was my older brother that got me started. He gave me his old pair of Frogskins and then we lost contact for 20 years. (Family issues lol) I always felt it was one connection to him I could continue so when I could afford a fancy pair of sunglasses some time later it was Oakley. I got back in touch with him 6 months ago....he did not do the same lmao. But I'll get him steered back in the right direction.
 
Started off with M-frames in the Army and they have sort of piled up a bit... I don't really collect, but I don't loose them and since they rarely break and I sometimes get them at huge discounts the numbers have risen a bit through the 20+ years I've been using them..
 
I blaimed my EX GF for that back in the days. She hooked me up with my very first pair of Juliets which I still owning and using from time to time.
It was a bless for me to see how solid a glasses could be, apart from those I knew in former times. In the end a long X Metal journey starts and got addicted more and more ...

@cacatman great thread to start
@Amak.2DK, your turn
@onz , your turn
 
My first pair was a Straight Jacket that I bought around 2002. Silver frame with I guess must've been Ruby Iridium lenses, if I remember correctly. Had them for a few years and they were my daily wear pair until they were stolen. Picked up some Maui Jim's (which I love) and I've had those for 14 years. Five years ago, my current girlfriend bought me a pair of Ten's that I literally wore every day. And then when I was looking for replacement lenses, I stumbled upon this fine group of folks. I got some Revant lenses for the Ten's, which are decent. But in the not quite two months I've been here on the forum, my collection has expanded to ten pairs. So, I guess it's the forums fault.


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