Oakley '09: Extremely Disappointing.

Triple_Strum

Triple_Strum

Active member
After looking at the pieces available online, I am very disappointed with Oakley. Why?

1) Waterproofing. They don't have a single item above 20K. Their top of the line jacket, the Mystic (how original, that was the same name two years ago, too), has no insulation, no liner, no special features and is 20K, for $450. For even $50 less, I can get a 2 or even 3 layer Gore-tex from any other company with better technical quality.

2) Value. As I said above, but now this applies to all types of jackets. Name a jacket, and I will tell you numerous jacket from other brands that have the same waterproofing and insulation but for far less. Example: the Tactic jacket, Oakley's insulated park jacket, is the same as last year's Crash. But now, it is 5K, and still costs $200. $200 for 5k? Most companies are offering 10k or 15k for that price and insulation.

3. Quality. Many of you 16 and younger have no recollection of when Oakley make the toughest and highest quality stuff. Yes, their first puffy pants didn't have the most wonderful waterproofing, but they were rugged and you could put a few full seasons into them. Folks didn't have to post pictures about how torn up the bottoms were.

Many may respond to this and say "why are you upset? or "so don't buy it if you don't like it". I partially agree. However, the problem is that I do like it. I just wish I didn't have to compromise value and quality to get style. This is what makes me buy Burton, Analog or other snowboarding companies.
 
werd.finally sum1 jumps off of oakleys dick.

i am not sayin i dont like oakley cuz sum of there stuff is really cool but i can notice that the quality of there stuff is goin down and the prices are goin up every year. not to single out oakley or anything but they are among the worst. honestly i am a big fan of north face stuff especialy for pow the north face flow pants from the prodigy line are sick along with the prodigy jackets. and with the north face it is always quality. I just think that Triple Strum hit it right on the head here.
 
most definatly burton AK is top of the line shit. i just prolly would never buy burton cuz i dont want to support a snowboarding company.... especially burton
 
I agree. I have not seen the full line yet but i have been looking into another company. Like Spyder or Orage. I WILL stay with a ski company though, not Burton like other "skiers" go with.
 
Oakley's prime was the 2003/2004 release, it has been going down hill ever since then, the last year it was worth buying was the 2005/2006 release. I defiantly agree with you that it has been getting more expensive while getting worse each year. Other then people liking the colors and designs I have no idea why any of it sold last year.

And to the guy that said north face, your dead on, you can get a solid north face jacket for $170 and a solid pair of pants for $160. making everything less then a jacket from Oakley.
 
How can you call someone not a real skier just because they wear Burton and not a ski company's outerwear. Seriously, I've got skis on but I'm ass naked, so I guess I didn't support the ski industry and I'm not a skier...oh well.

I agree with Triple_Strum whole heartedly. Oakley has been going downhill, and its disappointing. For a company that has done so much to progress the sport to produce pretty shitty gear at jacked up prices is sad...

And there's nothing wrong with repping Burton, especially since their gear is much better than almost any ski gear you can get. What's the big deal?
 
04/05 best year.... for the price i got some of my oakley i was getting such a deal.... slightly dissapointed with last years stuff because you would think because of the price durability would come with it... but i was slightly dissapointed
 
oakleys line looks like fucking hell this year. im sorry, but it was soooo disappointing. i love my rep, and i love a lot of oakleys other product, but i sat through a 3 hour presentation and liked maybe two things. ive never been so disappointed by a company.

theyre pushing tree camos (bark and pine) harcore. they have a kinda cool skull pattern, but which some strange colors. theres a few things that are passable, but nothing worth spending the ridiculous amount of money they want for it. they only thing we brought in from the whole line... evo jackets in solid colors. its sad
 
hahaha if its quality cheap shit i dont care. "skier" sorry dude i dont have that much money to drop on new shit every year
 
who the fuck cares what brand it is, ime pretty sure that ski apparel company's do just fine finacially. if you like something buy it who cares if the tag says 686, burton, or spyder. as long as it workss well.
 
Im stoked on my orage kit from last season. Ive worn it over 10 times this season and havnt noticed a single change to the condition.

The warmth from it is also amazing and its leg and un der arm vents are perfect when it gets too hot.

I am definitely going to be sticking to smaller companies from now on. The stuff they produce can be such good quality when companies are sticking their necks on the line in there new ranges rather than just upping the mark up and downing the quality where they can get away with it just because they can rely on their past products to give them a household name.
 
Your point is completely true man.
Back in the day oakley used to a really high quality product in terms of its strength and wear. It never had the best waterproofing but it always did the job. The price was reasonable too.

Nowadays, the quality has dropped, pants rip at the hem like there is no tomorrow, waterproofing has dropped even lower than standards of past. Their breathability has always been low too. But now there prices are just unrealistic. As you say other companies offer a much better punch for your pound. I hate to bring Saga in to it but this year for $330 you get 20k breath and water which throws oakley to the ground.

In the past couple of years they have been way too overated and I would like to see things change very soon or for gets to find a new legit company to support.

Kids buy quality gear like Lethal Descent and Saga and actually have you gear last more than 12weeks of the season.
 
I rock Sessions, and will probably always rock that stuff.

They have TONS of sick, little technical features on their jackets.. and now have everything fixated with skullcandy shit, which is SOO sick. They also have some of the sickest designs i've ever seen, and at the same time, doesnt overprice shit like some of the other brands do. Plus, they do snowboarding, skateboarding AND skiing, and the also have events and things in all 3 to show how stoked they are on the sports they rep. They are privately owned, and built thier OWN SKATEPARK, thats free to go to and shred in. Dont see that from any other company out there.

I have a jacket and pants combo from like 2002, and its still useful, although, very out of style, and obviously worn.. that shit STILL WORKS. Its my urban gear haha.

all the respect in the world to other companies, especially those of Orage and Helly Hansen.. but Sessions makes some quality shit for sure.
 
What about a snowboarder wearing Orage or something? It doesnt matter that much to me. Like, its good to support ski companies, but not mandatory.
 
Dude, snowboarders share the mountain with us. They do the same exact same things we do except with one board instead of two. People with this attitude fuel the division of skiers and boarders. Yes, we are two different sports, and yes, it's a completely different field, but when you're out there on the mountain, the goals are the same: have fun and play in the snow. Seriously, outerwear brand isn't that big of a deal. If its good quality, looks good, and is cheaper I'll buy snowboard gear over ski gear any day of the year.
 
Can we please not get into a boarders vs. skiers argument...

This is a burton vs. skiers argument man, Honestly, I hate hate, but can sympathise with this argument. if you haven't seen the Burton magazine then lease go and have a look at one, it just hates on skiing and two plans from the second page right through. They openly hate skiing which is the main issue.

I support other boarding companies like, grenade, eleven, Rome and Salomon/Bonfire. They don't have this hate on skiing and therefore will get some of my cash. i appreciate the mountain sharing argument and welcome anyone to ride with me/hit the same jumpline as me.

Burton just do things wrong in my eyes, for instance Anon dropping their skiers because they wanted to get back to their roots...

Understandable?
 
Yeah man, I see where you're coming from on this one. However, in my eyes, its not a big deal and I'll do what I can to 1) be tolerant, and 2) close the gap. If they're gonna be haters, then fine. I'm just gonna do what I do and be nice and respectful to both parties.

PS: I think the hating skiers thing is just a propoganda thing, because I've talked to one of the guys who's higher up in the company, and I told him I was a skier and he was really cool about it and we talked about stuff for a while...
 
I had an evo jacket from 06/07, now replaced by an evo jacket in ozone. It get's the job done for the most part. 10k waterproofing I'm pretty sure. But if it wasn't for the style/color I wouldn't buy it. I have a Spyder jacket along with my Oakley jacket and the spyder jacket is far superior as far as material and technicality goes.
 
Thats the biggest reason why I refuse to ever buy anything from burton.

For a while, I wouldnt give a shit and I'd buy from them, because I knew that SOMEWHERE, they were sponsoring skiiers through RED and Anon... I thought this was legit.. so yeah.. why NOT buy from em? right?

a month after i bought a pair of figments, I was told that Anon had dropped thier skiers, and RED as well, and all of burton companies as a whole were done with it...

That night, I put my figments on sale on ebay, unused..
 
I really like to support skiing companies, and out of the 15 or so pieces of outerwear that I have owned in my skiing life, probably 10 of them were from Oakley, Orage, Sessions.

However, it is hard not to buy a snowboarding company's gear when it is cheaper, better quality and has just as nice of style.

My only complaint with the newer ski companies like Saga and LD, is that they do not make anything insulated, which is almost all I ski in. Fleece-lined, insulated pants are just 10x more comfortable than a shell. If Saga made the same stuff they are producing this year, but with insulation, I would purchase a Saga suit the first day it was available...
 
I looked at the link with the pictures. Style-wise I didn't see anything too crazy, but some of the color combos were appealing.

I wouldn't pay Oakley's price for it though. I'm an end of the year outerwear shopper and get last years jacket at discount. My current jacket is a Sessions jacket that I bought for $110. It's solid. Nothing too crazy tech-wise, but for the price, it's plenty good enough.
 
I rock Sessions because they support skiers and its not that expensive compared to some other companies. My stuff took a beaten last season it is still holding up pretty well.
 
Firstly, let me start off by saying that I am a huge Oakley fan. I have been for over 8 years and counting. I partially agree with a lot of what you are saying, but also find myself disagreeing to an extent.

Waterproofing - Yes, it is true they don't offer much when it comes to this. I find personally, however, that anything above 10K for me is overkill, seeing the conditions and terrain I regularly ski here in the midwest.

Value - Also true, Oakley is a bit pricey. While it would be nice for them to lower their prices, I find myself using coupon codes at places such as Backcountry.com to make my purchases reasonable.

Quality - In my opinion, this is where I partially disagree. I have never had any problem with excessive ripping, tearing, zippers, or anything of the sort. I do wish, however, that they would use consistently tougher fabric. For example, the OTT pants I ordered were made of a thin material, while the crash jacket I had this past year was much more rugged and felt much better than the pants.

Overall, yes, you make many valid points. But Oakley still suits my needs well enough for me to continue purchasing their products.
 
i agree, i went and looked at the new Oakley stuff and it looks really nice, i think i'm going to get the assault jacket and pant tomorrow.. what does really high waterproofing even matter really, unless your in the east its not like your going to get rained on, here in Colorado we have the driest snow on earth
and on the snowboarder clothing thing... what the fuck does it matter what you wear? if you ski then you are a skier
 
i agree that oakley has gone a bit down hill, but the arguement that it is "played" bothers me. sure, they sponsor many of the top tier pros, and because of that their stuff is getting a ton of exposure. who can blame people for wearing the clothes they see their favorite athletes wearing? its like calling nike played because they sponsor tiger woods and michael jordan. personally, i buy outerwear for quality, spec, and fit & style, in that order. oakley usually delivers on all three. and for the arguement that it is expensive: look around you. skiing is an expensive sport. there are great deals to be had, you just have to look. i got a brand new evo a few weeks ago for $50, and im completely happy with it. i dont care that the color i got was "last year" or that its played out. I've only seen a few kids personally wearing the same color at the mountains i ski. just buy stuff that works, look for deals, buy off season, and try not to worry what other people think.
 
dude i have nothing against snowboarders, half of my friends board. i jsut dont believe in supporting a board company, thats all i am saying. relax.
 
And thats apparently not true. How can you say you have nothing against snowboarders yet you try and demeen me by telling me to go snowboard when I wear Burton...And I'm plenty relaxed dude, don't you worry. I see what you're trying to say but you went about it in a really bad way.
 
I too have an oakley suit, so I'm not saying don't get your suit or hating on oakley, but you'd be surprised how wet snow is. When you have a pow day and there's snow blowing over you the whole time, and you're working hard skiing the pow, your jacket has to work hard to stay dry and breathe at the same time, and 5000 does not cut it.
 
ye aman i have some shit from that year so tight great clothes pants are kinda weak rip kinda esaily but i mean dope shit the new stuff is just shit
 
you are getting way to worked up over this. I think its stupid when skiers wear burton. I am allowed to have my own opinion.
 
outerwear is outerwear regardless of company. burton makes very sick stuff in my opinion. a lot of there stuff has great water proofing for a dec price. oakley is sick too. but yes i do agree to the fact that it is more of a trend now and overpriced.
 
no, i meant all three when i wrote it. the ampersand symbol (&) was used to group style and fit into one category. fit and style are similar in that they both affect the way the jacket looks, but different in the manner in which they accomplish that end. i believe that the two are closely related, so i chose to group them together.
 
Dont get me wrong, I am not saying Oakley is better than any other company. I loved Oakley, I hate there line this season. I am looking into Spyder or Orage.
 
I'd be much more impressed if any of the Gore Tex companies or Oakley would post the waterproofing and breathability after a few washes rather than before, since after the first wash, the numbers go down significantly. I take all of their "numbers" with a grain of salt...
 
Yes, all of mine is able to be machine washed and dried. Which is actually really good to keep the fabric performing as it should.
 
Don't hold me to this, but I'm pretty sure it's just the DWR coating wears off. If you reapply the DWR then the jacket should be goo as new.
 
Not via the washing process. Throwing mine in the drier helps to maintain the DWR as it is heat sensitive and the heat from the drier helps with that.

Ye,s the DWR does wear over time but an actual wash otherwise deteriorates the fabric's like nylon, etc. actual waterproofing, as is the case with most laminate based waterproofing.
 
ive lost a lot of respect for you after the ignorance shown in this thread, not gonna lie. blondie hit the nail on the head, about as concretely as a nail can be hit.
 
j am a really big fan of oakley, always have been and always will be. i personally havnt had much problem with my product, yes they tear a little down the bottom, but i take that with a pinch of salt. I am still realy excited about next years product, i like the look and would definatly be happy to get new gear. i do agree with the above points however if i look at it from one your perspectives. what does frastrate me however iis that oakley is producing product that is seen as poor and pricey, not in my eyes, but many others. I dont like to see a major company, in any industry, get worse over time, whether it is them trying to take short cuts after passing the establishing period or whatever, oakley (as an example) has established themselves as one of the best sports company in the world, by producing super high quality product and i just hope they continue to do that and people once again share positive vibes over what theyr producing because it would be a shame to see them risk running themselves into the ground
 
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