Overall these three generations of Razors Blades are very similar. And if you’re looking for an everyday pair to wear, you’ll want to go with the Stretchline or latest re-releases. Otherwise if you’re looking for the most collectible pairs, it is the original Razor Blades. Of all three, the Razor Blade was the most common lens, while the Slit was the least. Unfortunately, that means today, it can be very difficult to find original Slit Blade lenses. Oakley Blade Sunglasses with Slit lenses – Photo by bandit.sunglasses Original Colorways

Ultimately the Blade pioneered the sports performance market and paved the way for similar sports frames to come like the M Frame and Radar. Rerelease and Heritage Collection Related: 10 Facts About Oakley's Headquarters That Will Make You Want to Visit Now Oakley x Kitch Razor Blade Sunglasses Colorways Of course, the Vuzix Blade gets its information from a Bluetooth connection to your phone, mediated by a free remote-control app, and has a Wi-Fi radio as well as a microUSB port for charging and a microSD card slot for storage. And be sure to scroll down for our full comparison across all 3 generations of Razor Blades. Oakley Collectors and Heritage Collection Razor Blade Sunglasses Frame and Design The Blade system comes in 3 lenses – the Blade, Razor Blade, and Slit Lenses, which offer distinctly different sizes/shapes.The frame builds on the goggle-inspired design of the Eyeshade by removing the bottom half of the frame, which offers increased downward visibility. This is similar to the distinct lens shapes within the Radar line today. And like modern Oakleys, Blade lenses were made of Plutonite that are ANSI Z87.1 rated to protect the wearer’s eyes from projectiles.

Vuzix has clearly designed the Blade to be as accessible and comfortable as possible, but it still has a ways to go before this editor would readily wear the Blade regularly. And, no, it has nothing to do with the fact that I already wear glasses.The glasses also house motion sensors to maintain the image properly and haptic motors for vibrating alerts. Finally, noise-cancelling microphones allow for voice control as well. Now let’s review each generation of the Blades and Razor Blades. Oakley Heritage Collection Razor Blade Sunglasses Blue w/ Ice Iridium Original Oakley Blade and Razor Blade Sunglasses Frame and Design

Original Blades are both hard to find and expensive. And depending on the condition, pairs can range from hundreds of dollars to over a thousand dollars! The Oakley Blade and Razor Blade sunglasses feature a half-rimmed design, replaceable earstems, and a wild amount of customization! The one downside to the half-frame construction is that it can make it easier to scratch the lens should you drop the sunglasses. I did both. These frames appealed to the young 1980’s crowd with a modern and “hip design.” Today if you looked up a definition of the ’80s, you’d probably see the Oakley Blade, with its shield lens and bright colors.The frame design also makes it easy to swap lenses. This particular style comes with a clear replacement lens. Some of the other, cheaper models just come with a single lens. The Collectors and Heritage Collection Razor Blades are similar to the Stretchline design, with some minor enhancements. While these lenses maintain the same shape as the original Razor Blade sunglasses, as mentioned above, they can’t be shared across generations. This is due to slight changes in the frame’s angles where the lenses connect.

Oakley Stretchline Razor Blades also featured slightly different lenses than the original design. Mainly increasing curvature of the lens compared to the originals, which were a flatter design. You can see this demonstrated in the image above and description below: Oakley also upgraded the lenses on the later generations. While all models are made of Plutonite, later lenses include XYZ and High Definition Optics (HDO) for a clearer and more durable lens. Not to mention the Kith x Oakley pairs, which feature Prizm lenses. While the Eyeshade got the sports world to look at Oakley, the Blade and Razor Blade sunglasses got the mainstream public’s attention. Unfortunately, these slight differences once again mean you can’t swap parts or lenses across generations. Lenses The Carl Zeiss lens provides good clarity, as well as the basic UV protection for your eyes Ben Delaney / Immediate MediaThe second is the trigger earstem which features a unique design reminiscent of – you guessed it – a rifle trigger. This trigger ear stems profile features a sharp angle downward then a curved design over the ear for a pretty funky 80’s design. Trigger (top) and Standard (bottom) ear stems for Oakley Blade System Lenses Just 2 years after the successful launch of the goggle-like Eyeshade by Jim Jannard, Oakley recognized the need for a less sporty version of the sunglasses. So, in 1986, Oakley Blade sunglasses debuted along with the Razor Blade Sunglasses in 1987. But they didn’t just stop with the frame. These Stretchline Oakleys also got upgraded lenses. Original Razor Blade (Red) compared to the Stretchline Razor Blade (Pink) – Photo by BoostBear Lenses Second, there are slight variations across the lens hook angles on the frames. Unfortunately, this means you cannot use lenses interchangeably across different generations of Razor Blade sunglasses. These re-release collections and a resurgence of vintage styles have helped fuel modern interest in this iconic 1980s design. Plus, Oakley has used these sunglasses as inspiration for countless other pairs like the Hydra.