James Jannard is the man who founded Oakley Inc in 1975. His investment in the very beginning, while working from his garage, was just three hundred dollars. When he had created his first product (The Oakley Grip), he sold them out of the trunk of his car during events.

The Oakley Grip is a pair of motorcycle grips, ahead of their time compared to the rest of the market for that kind of product. After The Oakley Grip sparked so much interest in the company, James went on to produce sports visors, watches, sunglasses, ski goggles, backpacks, apparel, optical frames, shoes, and more. You can check out a pair of Oakley shoes here.

Most of the products are designed at Oakley’s head office. However, Oakley is a worldwide company now, so there are some designs exclusive to certain countries because of their different style and functionality demands. Oakley has over six hundred patents for performance gear, eyewear, and materials used in manufacturing its products.

In 2013, Oakley introduced yet another one of their patented materials. This time, it was frame material called O Matter. Initially, it was for goggles, but it has become integrated into sunglasses frames as well. And for good reason.

O Matter is a form of plastic that is lightweight, flexible, and very durable. It is what allows the frame of the Oakley Mercenary to conform to the shape of your face better. It also resists snapping of the arms because it allows them to be a lot more flexible.

Another patented product from Oakley is Prizm lenses. Oakley spent decades researching color science before releasing this product. What makes these lenses special is that they are able to provide unmatched control over the light transmission.

Controlling the light transmission allows colors to be more precisely tuned; resulting in increased contrast and better visibility. The lenses are also designed to be larger than regular lenses in order to make the field of vision broader. If you’re interested in sunglasses with smaller lenses, try these.

The Oakley Mercenary sunglasses are designed with the company’s patented Prizm lenses. Some of these lenses are polarized while others are not. The polarized lenses are able to block four times more infrared light than other polarized lenses. Forty percent of infrared light is blocked by these lenses, which decreases optical fatigue.

These sunglasses are equipped with Prizm Polarized lenses. These lenses block four times the infrared light that typical polarized lenses can. They block forty percent of this light which will decrease the fatigue your eyes feel. They also provide the filtering of blue light and UV protection to help decrease haziness and increase clarity.

The horizontal light waves that are a result of the sun’s rays reflecting off of surfaces and interfere with our vision are better known, to us, as glares. Boaters and fishermen were among the first groups of people interested in polarized lenses because they experience intense glares from the water.

When the light reflects off of snow, water, or even the hood of a car, the glare is typically intense and impairs your ability to see. With polarized lenses, you can fight back against the glare. They’ll give you better clarity, depth perception, optical comfort, and even make the colors brighter and clearer.

Polarized lenses do make it difficult to view certain screens, like LCD and ATM screens. They also make it hard for those who operate heavy machinery to do their job safely. If you need sunglasses for purposes involving these conditions, you may want to opt for one of the non-polarized models.

Eyes are sensitive, more sensitive than some may realize. It’s important to protect them as much as possible. By protecting your eyes, you’re protecting your vision. One of the most important ways to protect your eyes is to purchase glasses/sunglasses with UV protection.

Overexposure to UV rays can damage skin, resulting in dark spots, sun poisoning, and even skin cancer. But they can also do harm to our eyes; causing macular degeneration, growths, and cataracts. If you opt for the lenses that are polarized, you will have protection from UV rays.

These sunglasses provide even more protection with their larger-than-normal lenses. Having larger lenses means that a larger area of your eyes/face is protected; including the sides of your eyes. You can find another pair of sunglasses with UV protection here. (Tifosi wisp)

Some models of these sunglasses have lenses that are not polarized. These lenses aren’t able to discern which direction light is coming from; therefore, they can not offer you protection from horizontal waves, only vertical.

Thankfully, it is relatively simple to add a coating to your lenses in order to receive UV protection. You can choose protection from UVA and UVB rays without having to change the color of your lenses. UV coatings are invisible.

The sun emits blue light, and it is everywhere. It is the length of the lights’ wave that determines if it’s beneficial light or not. The longer the wavelength, the better. It is these long-wave blue light rays that will give you quicker reaction times, lifted moods, and increased cognitive function.

Beneficial blue light is an important factor in achieving a regular circadian rhythm. Humans used to be accustomed to a certain amount of light during the day, followed by a certain absence of light in the evening. Our eyes were accustomed to it, as well.

However, now that modern technology has taken over, we stare at artificial blue light (short-wave) all day and well into the evening. The artificial light isn’t such a horrible thing. However, when you’re staring at it when your eyes are used to resting from light exposure, they’re going to become fatigued much quicker.

While your eyes will become fatigued, you’ll be less likely to fall asleep quickly and stay asleep. Too much of this type of blue light will decrease the amount of melatonin your body produces. It is this hormone that regulates your wake/sleep schedule.

The Oakley Mercenary sunglasses can provide you with protection against overexposure to blue light. When you protect your eyes from that light, you’ll lessen the strain put on your eyes and allow them to less fatigued. Blue light is able to penetrate the eye and travel clear to the back of it; to the retina.

Because it is able to reach the retina, blue light can cause damage to, or destroy, the light-sensitive cells. When they are damaged, you’re susceptible to developing macular degeneration and/or permanent vision loss.

It is important to note that only the polarized lenses provide you with a blue light filter. In the non-polarized lenses, your eyes are still vulnerable to these light waves.

The nose pads on these sunglasses do more than provide your nose with comfort. They are made from another one of Oakley’s patented materials. This material is called Unobtainium, which is a play on the original meaning of the word.

Unobtainium is a word that is used to describe something that is extremely desirable, but scientifically impossible, rare, hypothetical, fictional, and/or costly. They chose this word because the functions of their material are unmatched.

These nose pads will provide you with a comfortable fit as well as a dependable grip. Its grip becomes even stronger when it comes into contact with moisture, making these sunglasses especially helpful to those who sweat a lot. You can rest assured that they will be better equipped to stay on your face. Here is another pair of sunglasses that will stay put.

The Oakley Mercenary sunglasses are designed to give you all of the functionality you desire without making you sacrifice style. They are sleek, yet simplistic. They are versatile, making them suitable for almost any environment/occasion.

The bridge is designed with a “double bridge” aesthetic. The lenses are larger than the standard lenses in most sunglasses. This allows you to have a larger visual field and offer more protection.

The frame doesn’t wrap the whole way around the lenses, giving them a look with a bit more attitude. The arms are straight instead of curving around the back of your ear. The stellar grip incorporated into the frames will keep them in place, though. If you’re looking for sunglasses that have a slight curve at the end, try these.

There is a wide variety of frame colors and lens colors available. The frames already have the lenses in them, so the lenses listed with each frame is how they will come. They each allow different levels of visible light transmission as well.

The frame/lens colors are as follows: polished black frames with Prizm gray lenses, matte carbon frames with Prizm dark golf lenses, matte fog frames with Prizm black lenses, matte Vampirella frames with Prizm road lenses, matte olive frames with Prizm ruby (polarized) lenses, matte navy frames with Prizm sapphire (polarized) lenses, terrain tan frames with Prizm tungsten (polarized) lenses, and Prizm matte black frames with Prizm black (polarized) lenses.

Prizm gray lenses block seventeen percent of VLT and are designed for bright light conditions. Contrast is increased in these lenses. Prizm dark golf lenses block twenty-two percent of VLT and are designed for medium light conditions. The contrast is increased in these lenses.

Prizm black lenses block eleven percent of VLT and are designed for bright light conditions. The contrast is increased in these lenses. Prizm road lenses block twenty percent of VLT and are designed for medium light conditions. The contrast is increased in these lenses and they are purple in color.

Prizm ruby (polarized) lenses block sixteen percent of VLT and are designed for low to medium light conditions. The contrast is increased. Prizm tungsten (polarized) lenses block fifteen percent of VLT and are designed for medium to bright light conditions. The contrast is increased.

Keep in mind that different retailers may have different options available.

If purchased from an authorized retailer, your sunglasses can be returned within the first thirty days following your purchase. You must retain all of the packing materials, have your original receipt, and your product is in mint condition so that it can be put back on the shelves.

A two-year warranty comes with these sunglasses. It covers breakage that is due to workmanship or materials defects. The warranty will not cover lenses that are scratched. If you alter your product at all it will not be covered by the warranty. This includes changing the lenses.

In order to help prolong the life of your sunglasses, and to maintain the quality and performance of the high definition lenses, you will receive a microfiber bag that doubles as storage and as a cleanser for your lenses. It can be and should be, hand washed and left to air dry on a regular basis.

The polarized options offer protection from harmful UV rays and they filter blue light to help keep your circadian rhythm in check. The nose pads and arms are designed to keep your sunglasses in place. They are flexible, durable, comfortable, and functional.

Best of all, they didn’t have to sacrifice in the style department to achieve these benefits. They are simplistic and modern and are available in seven different colored frames with eight different colored lenses.

The Oakley Mercenary sunglasses may come at a high price, but they also come with a warranty, a thirty-day return policy, and are sold by a trusted brand.