We’ve been testing Oakley’s Jawbreakers, a blend of old school and new modern. These glasses stand out from the crowd in look, something Oakley was clearly intent on.

Words - Aaron Mulkearns Images - Jarrod McShane

ABOUT

We’ve been really impressed with the Oakley Jawbreakers, they are an amazing pair of glasses. With the fantastic optics that Oakley are known for, they provide wide and uninterrupted vision through the large and well-shaped frame.

RIDE

I have been running the clear lenses for early mornings in darkness and have found myself wondering if I actually have any glasses on.

When down in an aero tuck looking down the road you don’t get any top part of the frame obscuring your eyes. There’s also no restriction of view when looking downward, where the frame sits close to your cheekbones.

The Jawbreakers provide excellent ventilation. There are narrow gaps along the top and bottom of the lens, so even on cold mornings, when blowing a lot of steam the jawbreakers have not fogged over and stayed well clear.

We have been rolling with the standard Jawbreaker, that despite lacking the Oakley Prizm or Polarized lenses have performed very strongly on bright days. They block huge amounts of sun glare effectively.

That said, we also had the opportunity to try out the Oakley Prizm lenses, like the standard lens option they do a great job of blocking the glare, but where they really came into their own was in the way they made the world look… vibrant and defined.

It’s almost a disappointment taking them off and seeing the world for real! They almost brighten dull conditions, and on our ride that involved a fair bit of dirt and gravel helped pick up those extra details that you might miss.

FIT & ADJUSTMENT

Not all heads are the same shape, so having a pair of adjustable glasses really helps you find a good fit. This results in higher comfort levels and keeps your glasses secure and in place. There’s nothing worse than giving it your all on a climb and your glasses sliding down your nose.

At first look the adjustable arms of the Jawbrekaers do feel delicate, they don’t have the same toughness as some of the Oakley’s we’ve owned previously. But after having a play with them, we found they worked really well an allowed us to find positions that did not interfere with our helmet.

The grip on the arms is also good, providing ample grip when on, providing that extra hold to keep them in place.

The Jawbreakaers, come in at just on 35grams, respectably light considering their size and amount of frame, and fit very comfortably.

The Switchlock ‘jaw’ system is very simple to use and makes changing lenses extremely easy, we were able to change between them in seconds and there’s no forcing or twisting of the lens itself.

OPTIONS

There’s a range of frame colours available in the Jawbreakers:

$279.95 - Jawbreakers
$309.95 - Prizm™ Road Jawbreaker
$339.95 - Polarized Jawbreaker

The full range of Lenses are avaiailable for purchase separately for between $119.95 and $159.95.

If you want a clear lens for night riding you’ll need to spend an extra $79.95.

WHERE TO BUY

Head to Oakley Australia to see the full range.

OVERALL

We’d choose the $309.95 Prizm version – amazing optics and a better-looking world!

These Oakley’s are at the higher end of the pricing scale, they’ll provide your with great eye protection and optics and we’d expect them to last well. The Jawbreaker’s styling is certainly distinctive, the only question remains, will they make you stand out from the crowd or just be one of the crowd with them…

FEATURES

Extended field of view in the upper peripheral region to optimize for cycling
Unobtanium® earsocks and nosepads keep glasses in place, increasing grip despite perspiration
Switchlock™ interchangeable lens technology makes lens changing lenses fast and secure
Patented High Definition Optics® (HDO®) provides superior optical clarity and razor-sharp vision at every angle