Oakley Sutro Photochromatic review

Introduction

The Oakley Sutro photochromatic glasses are comfortable, stylish, and reliable. These versatile sports-performance glasses by Oakley are a great product. The photochromatic lenses react to changing ultraviolet light (UV), like the light from the sun, which causes the glasses’ lenses to darken and offers protection from UV light. The reason I have chosen to review these glasses is that I have used them daily over the past year as an active cyclist in Finland, which has allowed me to test these glasses in all possible conditions.

Features and first impressions

The features of these glasses include Oakley’s lightweight O-Matter frame material, photochromatic and Prizm lens technology, UV protection, nose pads, lenses that can be swapped, and impact protection. My first impression of these glasses was positive. Oakley products are of a high quality, and these glasses are no exception. The glasses come with a soft cover and a hard case for storage of the glasses. Out of the box, the fit of the glasses for me was perfect and didn’t require any tweaking.

Performance

Looking at the fit and comfort of these glasses, they fit well and, thanks to the nose pads, stay in place very well, as I have not experienced any slipping or discomfort while wearing them. The photochromatic lenses work as intended and are good in almost all possible conditions, which during my usage has ranged from -25 degrees Celsius and heavy wind and snow to +25 degrees and bright sunshine. The only cases in which the glasses have been suboptimal are when faced with direct low sunshine, as the lenses don’t get dark enough to stop you from having to start squinting. Ventilation of the glasses works fine when you stay moving, but in those hot summer months and after a hard climb, if you stop the glasses tend to fog up, which can be expected in my opinion. The durability of the glasses has been no issue. I have put the glasses through their paces over the last year, and they are holding up perfectly.

Final thoughts and price

These glasses are ideal for anyone who is looking for a do-it-all pair of sports glasses, especially someone who finds themselves out on their bike daily in all types of weather conditions. On the official Oakley website, these glasses are priced at 208€, but you can find them cheaper on other websites, with prices varying from 100€ during sales to a more common price of around 150€.

These glasses are one of those products that end up surprising you with how much you enjoy them for what they are.