How to tell if / Spot Fake or real Oakley Sunglasses / are fake Oakleys

How to Spot Fake Oakleys

Spotting Fake Oakley Sunglasses

Quickly Spotting Fake Oakley Sunglasses

At a quick glance you can do a few simple checks to see if the frames your holding are authentic Oakley glasses or knock off imitations.

1. “Made in U.S.A” should be found on the inside arms of the frames. Depending on the style of the frames, the words can be engraved or painted. Original Oakley Sunglasses are manufactured in USA only. Never in China or Taiwan.
2. Visit Oakley.com and compare the colors of your frames to ones shown on the company site. Original Oakley's come in neutral metal tones and can be easily recognized whereas the frame colors of knockoffs would be a shade lighter than the authentic ones.This is a result of the paint being on plastic versus metal.
3. There should always be an Oakley logo on the nose piece of the frames. Take a pencil eraser and rub it slowly over it. If the frames are fake the logo will gradually wear off. This happens over time on authentic frames and should not easily rub off.
4. The next step is to check and feel the quality and weight of the frames. Real Oakley's are made from high quality durable metals and plastics, therefore they are a heavier weight than their imitation counterparts which are crafted from cheap plastics and metal.
5. Last find the "O" logo at the base of the sunglasses frames. Now even if the paint is slightly worn off, authentic Oakley shades will have a raised lettering of the logo. If you can scratch them off then they are fakes, this would indicate a screen printing technique being used.

The easiest way to tell right away is the weight of the frames, Oakley's are made out of high quality metals and alloys, and have a lot of girth to them because of this. Fake frames Are usually made from plastic, or even metals, or aluminum, but weigh a lot less.

Another way to tell right away and at a glance is to look at the "O" on the arm of the frame. Oakley Frames, have a raised painted, separate piece of material placed on to the frame and glued into place. Fake frames use a method of screen printing, that allows for a similar look, but you can always tell the fakes, because usually the paint is scratched off, Even on real frames when the paint is scratched, you can still see that they are Oakleys!

The second thing that you should look at is where the product is made. If there is a sticker that says made in Taiwan, these are fake Oakleys. On the inner part of the frame, it should state that the glasses are made in the United States of America.

The hardest fake Oakley frames to spot using only photos are the metal "Letter Frame" series, I.E. the A Frame or O frame. This is because the Oakley logo is engraved into the nose bridge and there are no rivets to look for. These are the best looking (and feeling) fake frames out there. There is only one distinction between the real and a fake. The engraved Oakley logo is very defined on a pair of real Oakley frames, whereas the fake frames look as if it is stamped or printed instead of engraved. This is something that you must have a trained eye to spot.

Its Harder to tell for the X-metal line (Romeos, Juliets, Pennys), by just looking at them. The X-metals never have a logo on the bridge of the nose. If you see this, you are looking at a pair of fake Oakley sunglasses. Additionally check for where screws/rivets go. All of the X-metals have rivets that hold the frame together on the bottom of the lens frame and ones that keep the bridge connected to the frames. If there are no screws/rivets, you are looking at fake oakley frames. There are really good copies of Romeos and Juliets that are plastic, and have no rivets. Also, real Oakleys of this style come in plain metallic colors; that is to say they aren't made in yellow, blue, green or red. Real X-metals are never painted. Anything other than a dull smoke or silver metal color is most likely a fake. Sometimes you can find horrible copys made of the metal Oakley frames. These are very cheap and look like they are made of some kind of sheet metal. Again, look for rivets. If they look glued together,you are spotting fake Oakley sunglasses.

Any stickers! Be aware that Oakley does not place stickers on their glasses at all. Not even for prescription frames, not on the lenses, and never on the arms! So be careful especially if you are planning to buy frames from your eye doctor. They are not real! Oakley prescription frames have to be made at their factory because they have to be fit into the specific frame, so when ordering yours, know that it will ship directly to you from Oakley in a box with a warranty card, and bag with a sham.

The rubber that Oakley applies on the nose pieces and socks should feel cushy and sticky(a chemical possess they've been using since they made handles for BMX cycles back in the 80's. Fakes will feel firm and plastic type,and have a polish look to them.

If they come with a bag,please know that counterfeits could have a real Oakley bag with them since the bag can be purchased cheep.If the bag,or cleaning bag as most people call them,is counterfeit it will be of a nylon and not cloth.however eye shades,early on blades,and frog skins were prepared by ray-ban did come with a nylon storage bag that said "Oakley" screen printed on it.blades had "Oakley atomic ware"on some of the storage bags.
Spotting Fake Oakley Sunglasses

An Easy way to tell a fake is to hold it in your hands. The nose piece and rubber on the arms on real Oakley frames have a more "soft- rubber -like" feel and the fake ones have a smooth feel to them. Real Oakleys do not have any seams. There are no raised lines or seams on the arms or around the lens frame. The X-metal styles are never made of plastic.

Spotting Fake Oakley Sunglasses

Some clones will have the lenses attached to the frame by screws. #1 tell tell sign.vintage glasses like eyes hades,or factory pilots,blades,Mombos(m frames)all generations,half jackets,and other adjustable lens Oakley's all bear removable lenses.likewise in some cases the lenses on the m frame clones will be circled on the edges.most m frames are squared up on the edges.on the fake m chassis the "Oakley"will be larger,and screen printed on the m frames.the real ones will be raised letter then painted unfortunately the wire,or metal styles,are harder to distinguish the clones.however the genuine sticker are the flashiest sign on these

One piece of good news is that if you wear their sunglasses and need to wear RX glasses later you can take your sunglasses to your Oakley prescription dealer and have then send your frames to Oakley to have them put your prescription lenses into them.Only Oakley can grind the Rx lenses for their sunglasses line. However beware of anyone retailing Rx Oakleys as they have to be custom done at Oakley.

Real Oakley sunglasses come with a warranty card, 995 of the time if you buy fake Oakleys and they are in a box, they will not have a warranty card, additionally when you look at the warranty card, the serial number will match the one etched into the right arm of the frames. The card is heavy, made of plastic, and has Oakley's phone number, as well as the date the frames were made, and the transparency, as well as the name of the frames, and other information about the warranty, Oakley warranty's are 5 year warranty's and can be verified, and activated, by calling Oakley, or mailing them the card!

Real Vs Fake Oakley Sunglasses

Quiz Your Knowledge

For each question, choose the best answer. The answer key is below.

1. Real Oakley Sunglasses can usually be found in abundance at street vending carts across America
   • True, They are easy to come by and affordable making them easy to sell
   • False, Oakleys require a vedors license and are not likeley to be found in abundance on the street due to high cost

Answer Key

1. False, Oakleys require a vedors license and are not likeley to be found in abundance on the street due to high cost

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

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Comments

rose from usa on August 06, 2019:

thanks for sharing spot fake oakleys www.cheapoakleyoutlet.com/

Devon Mitchell on October 22, 2017:

One issue is that since 2012 and 2013, a lot of the metal framed Oakley's have been outsourced to China and will have "china" printed on the inside arms (usually near the model type) (plaintiff squared, gauge 8, tincan, tailpin, etc...) so not all china labels are on fake oakleys. just fyi.

Waqas Ahmad from Lahore, Pakistan on October 08, 2015:

You have provided people useful information explained with photo illustrations and that is the real quality of your hub. Keep making such informative hubs. Thanks for sharing.

ray on July 26, 2015:

Hi there, I want to buy a pair of Oakleys from a seller on ebay. item number 252038456090 is this real? any help is greatly appreciated, thank you

mandi on July 17, 2015:

All oakleys arent made in the usa anymore, so alot say made in china.

Evynmichael on February 18, 2015:

so after buying a couple more pairs of fakes and real oakleys, i have decided something is off about my earlier post, the crystal red frames may not exist, however im positive they may have been real. its possible that they were a rejected frame, due to problems i encountered with a weird peeling effect. both frames have lasted just as long as my real ones, where the fakes i purchased from some site lasted only a week. the difference between the fakes and the reals were very noticable, however, the crystal red frames and the crystal blue frames apart from colour, had absolutely no difference in quality, which even for fakes is hard to do. how likely is it that there are real products that are rejected but not destroyed? this was the only 2 pair ive found of the hundreds examined that fit the criteria authenticity, but the only thing wrong is oakley never made crystal red for monster dog frames. its worth noting oakley does have crystal red frames for other products, which leaves me wondering if there is soemthing to it? the chinese fakes from the websites are crap, but these weren't even being sold as oakleys, they were gas station branded, and they were removed from the site mere weeks after pointing it out to oakley. sound fishy?

Sis B on February 09, 2015:

I just received O's I ordered from www.oak-fashionbuy.com, I believe they are ALL fake :( They're advertised at 92% discount, boy was I had. Poor craftsmanship, paint, raised seams on the paint, stickers (O/Oakley; not H) . All came with a cleaning cloth but NO dust bag/sham. They have the "O" on the lens and one "O" is 'smudged' ugh, talk about poor quality all around. What's a person to do? Send back and try for a refund? The label on the box came from China, another UGH.... GRRRRR so unhappy and they SMELL HORRIBLE, including the cheap zipper cases. Paid over $100 and on the box they marked "Value $25 USD" their website stated FREE Shipping, however they Charged $16. Hope no one else makes the big mistake and order from these guys :(

Bhigh on December 05, 2014:

Not all authentic Oakley's say made in USA. I have over 10 pair, most from Oakley. The above statements are misleading and incorrect. Do your homework!

Brandon on December 02, 2014:

Oakley does put a "P" sticker on their polarized lenses and most of their glasses are made in China....not USA (anymore)

Marya Stokes on October 25, 2014:

Any way keep up wrinting.Marya Stokes[url=www.pjs-usa.com

]Marya Stokes[/url]

neil on September 07, 2014:

I have oakley racing jackets

But no made in USA sign

Me on December 11, 2013:

The H sticker is authentic and means the lenses are Hydrophobic lenses. Hydrophobic lenses have a special coating to repel water, oils, dirt, and is supposed to make for easier cleaning and less need of it.

Eric on June 21, 2013:

Just to let you know there ARE times Oakley puts stickers on the lenses. I work at an Oakley outlet and some of our glasses have H stickers on them for "high def lenses" that is put on in the factory.

jodyl66 on May 08, 2013:

i had a pair of oakley fast jacket glasses given to me as a gift. Found later that was 50.00 for them. Noticed that the earpieces and the nose piece is hard plastic and no rubber. Also noticed that the glasses dont have the quick release lever for the lenses. Now everything else looks good. The logos are there, the frame is marked "made in u.s.a" but there was a sticker on the lense that was a bit of a pain to get off. What are the odds that these are fakes?

stu on March 31, 2013:

just bought a pair of ti crosshair black pewter sunglasses. I paid a fair amount of money - 180 quid. Besides putting them on is there anything I can look for to make sure they are real or fake..?

carrierichard from California, USA on February 24, 2013:

the best way to observe the fakes is to look closely, you will find that the quality & the craftsmanship is not the same. I always find finishing problem on fake ones.

Luca on February 22, 2013:

I just purchased the Whiskers too, and they are stamped China. Like the above poster, I called Oakley and they told me most of there metal frames are being manufactured in China. The plastic frames are still being produced in the US.

Kinda ticked off, as I know the quality won't be as good.

Evynmichael on February 06, 2013:

Be that as it may, they are getting better and better at replicating them.I can stick real o's and real replacement lenses in and no one notices the difference except for the colour which they actually like better than the crystal blue real ones. It's only a matter of time before they perfect it, but for now, most fakes don't last more than a week unless your careful. This is a good article by the way.

xquisit1985 (author) from Denver CO on February 05, 2013:

what you have described are 100% fake, they may seem of better quality than a run of the mill sidewalk shack type but they are still fakes! sorry!

Evynmichael on February 05, 2013:

I have a pair, they are identical to the monster dog crystal frames. The only 2 things are there are no "o" on the frames (there are the slots but the 2 pair I bought lacked them) and the frame colour is crystal red which I've never seen. Other than that they are made of a plastic that is as durable as the real ones, they say made in USA, they say monster dog, the lenses are crap. But it's as if someone had bought a line of real frames, put ahitty

Lenses

And removed the o's . Even the legs are the ball snap type (for lack of a better description) as the real ones. I got 2 pairs for 15$ they weren't advertised as oakleys but something doesn't add up with these pair, and I got pics ican show too

c-wire on January 29, 2013:

My friend bought for me c-wire polarised fm US..same with choakleys,they have CHINA stamped on right frame inner..why?is'it now all oakley frame made from china?

Serial #'s on January 06, 2013:

I was wondering why some X-Juliet/Squared don't have any serial #'s printed on them? Was this a common thing that Oakley did for certain models in a certain years, intentionally leaving off the serial #'s?

xquisit1985 (author) from Denver CO on November 05, 2012:

Thank you for the information!

AndreyT on October 15, 2012:

Two popular mistakes in this guide.

Firstly, it is wrong about seam lines. Genuine Oakley Radar Path frame has noticeable seam lines on the top of the frame. They are not protruding or misaligned, but they are noticeable if you look for them at certain angle.

Secondly, Oakley never affixes stickers to their lenses. However, Radar Path glasses that come with polarized lenses will have a little stylized "P" sticker included in the package. It is included in a separate small zip-lock bag. The purpose of that sticker, apparently, is to help the retailers tell which lenses are polarized and which are not. The sticker is probably not supposed to be placed on the lenses. Most likely it is supposed to be attached to the price tag or somewhere else. In any case, the sticker does exist. Some retailer might even decide to place it on the lenses directly. This is certainly no a good idea, but if you know what it looks like, you should not consider it a sign of "fake" glasses.

Chokleys on September 19, 2012:

Just bought a pair of whiskers from amazon LLC which is a certified Oakley dealer. They have China stamped on frame. Called Oakley customer service and they verified that some of their metal and titanium frames are made in China.

Lunchbox on September 03, 2012:

They make it so complicated, just put em on! If you've ever owned a pair of genuine Oakleys you can easily tell how much clearer the real ones are

Jordan on August 17, 2012:

Your article is incorrect, only the sports glasses have the word "Oakley" on the nose piece area: such as Radar Path or Half Jackets. While others such as Gascans or Straight Jackets do not.

Josh on July 07, 2012:

If it has an Oakley o engraved on the lense it's definitely fake, Oakley doesn't engrave Os on their lenses. they only engrave signatures, etc. that go along with special or signature editions

xquisit1985 (author) from Denver CO on May 13, 2012:

lens engraving is usually a good indication of authentic frames *** From the Author ***

Eddie on March 21, 2012:

is it fake if it has the "O" engraved on the lense?

xquisit1985 (author) from Denver CO on April 27, 2011:

In recent frames and with a few selected styles you can find the engraved "O" on the left or right arm on the inner side, however i would still look for other indicators and not rely on something that can be easily duplicated.

true religion jeans for sale on March 11, 2011:

i bought a pair of oakleys yesterday 4 35 dolla and i thought they were fake butt they fit the desrition of real ons

Travis on February 16, 2011:

I thunk i bought 2 pairs of "jokeleys" about 3 mnths bck but even fake ones for 2.00 a pair with real authentic cleaning bag maaaannn......i get a lot of compliments!add me on facebook Travis Cook ill look about 12yrs old or i will have a picture of my dads car FYI (ferrari 308gtb)

conner on September 19, 2010:

i bought a pair of oakleys yesterday 4 35 dolla and i thought they were fake butt they fit the desrition of real ons

Abby on September 14, 2010:

Great article thank you very much, this will save me a lot of money when getting my new glasses

Lizzy on January 20, 2010:

Great tips. You should always insist on getting a certificate of authenticity if you are paying designer prices.

xquisit1985 (author) from Denver CO on November 03, 2009:

Any guy loves a great pair of Oakleys If I were you I would Purchase a good pair of wire frames. There are a few great pairs of wire frame Oakleys (Real Ones) available in my Amazon Links posted on this page! Try a pair of half wire, Great starting place! Same kind I wear as well Enjoy!

Nakojua on November 03, 2009:

Great Hub! My Friend Loves Oakley Sunglasses, and I want to get him some for his birthday, but real ones, I'm Just not sure which to get him, any ideas??