The Oakley Straight Jacket sunglasses are one of the models Bassmaster Elite Series angler Kevin Van Dam wears and I recently received a pair to review for Get Hook'd. The pair I received is the Straight Jacket gray smoke frame with black iridium lens.
First impression out of the box is that they are lightweight but well built for anglers who spend a lot of time on the water. When you put them on its like going from a 19" black & white TV to a 60" plasma HD TV. Oakley uses a process called HIGH DEFINITION OPTICS® (HDO®) including patented technologies like XYZ OPTICS® that gives you crystal clear vision along the entire lens contour.
Oakley uses a permanent coating called Oakley HYDROPHOBIC™ that maintains a smudge-resistant barrier against skin oils, sunscreens and lotions, and even repels dust and dirt. I really like this feature when on the water. I wear sunscreen when ever I am on the water and I hate when you adjust your glasses and next thing you know there is a big finger print right in the middle. Also when applying scent to your baits it always seems to end up all over your hands and this will keep from getting smudges on your lens.
Even though mine had the darker lens I used them in low light and bright conditions. On the water the Straight Jackets really show they are worth the $190 price tag. In the low light/cloud cover conditions they seem to still brighten things up even with the darker lens. This made seeing stumps and other types of cover still easy to see. In the brighter sunny conditions they block out the light but again make it easy to see cover under water.
One thing I would like to see is a hard case come standard option. For the $190 price tag you get the Oakley cleaning/storage bag. A hard case and the bag would be the best fit for anglers. This would make storing them on the boat a lot easier and you wouldn't have to worry about damaging them.
Overall I would rate the Oakley Straight Jacket sunglasses a 4 1/2 out of 5. Add the hard case and they get a solid 5.
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