Oakley sunglasses are a high quality American product that started out as BMX bike grips in the late 70’s to mid 80’s, before Oakley made their first pair or sunglasses. And then they exploded. And with their immense popularity came the wave of counterfeits, flooding the market, trying to meet the demands of the public and capitalizing on the popularity of the sunglasses. So knowing that there is an ocean of phony glasses out there, how can you tell the real from the fake?
Start with the lens stamp. The Oakley lens stamp should be a high quality etching. Many times the fake sunglasses will have the lens stamp cheaply printed on the lens, with what is known as screen printing. The best way to tell if the lens stamp is a screen print or an authentic etching is to simply run your finger over the logo. If you can’t feel anything at all, meaning the area the logo is printed on feels the same as the rest of the lens, then that is most likely a cheap screen print. However, if you run your finger over the lens and you can feel the ridges and the texture of the stamp, then that is most likely a correctly stamped logo. However, being able to feel the logo does not automatically mean that the glasses are real, but not feeling the stamp does mean that they are fake. This is a good first step test that takes a second to do, and it will quickly weed out many of the fakes for you right then and there.
Another quick test is the lens sticker test. Authentic Oakley sunglasses do not put stickers on their lenses. If you see a pair of sunglasses with a lens sticker-most likely they are fake. However, Oakley does put out glasses with an H sticker on the lens, these are sometimes found at retail chains like Sunglass Hut.
Utilize these tips when spotting fake Oakley sunglasses, they will quickly weed out many of the fakes on the market. Good luck and safe shopping!