How to Tell if Oakleys Are Real or Fake

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We know that the market is quite skillful in hiding the real product among thousands of fake ones. 

And I know that is the reason you are in a dilemma. Because you just purchased Oakley sunglasses from your nearby retail shop or in street thrifting but you have no idea if it is a real or a fake Oakley. 

But you need not worry anymore! I have done a lot of research and jotted out the main differences between a real and a fake Oakley that will help you not get duped next time. So enjoy today’s match between real Oakleys vs. fake.

How to Tell if Your Oakleys Are Real

how to tell if your oakleys are real

How to spot fake Oakleys, you ask? Well it is pretty simple, you just need to read the article. Since Oakley is a brand that has had a good reputation in the eyewear industry since the late 1970s there emerged a huge market of Oakley dupes which is meant to fool you all. 

It should be noted that these fake Oakley manufacturers are very talented in making dupes of the authentic Oakley and the fake Oakleys which makes them unrecognizable at first glance, but if you look closely at the details then you will be able to differentiate between the fake and the real.

Oakley is Expensive

why are real oakleys expensive?

The price quotient of the Oakley is very high and can cost you around $100 to $400 approximately, or even more than that. The Oakley dupes will have a very low price than the actual amount and you will get that it isn’t a real Oakley. 

These cheapskates are sold online on sites like eBay and also in your nearby retail shops of sunglasses and in local markets.

The Real Oakley is of Better Quality

You can identify an authentic Oakley flawlessly through the high-quality products it manufactures. Made up of materials like Titanium, pre-dyed plastic, etc.… When you are holding a real Oakley, you will have no doubt about its authenticity. 

On the other hand, if it’s fake, it’ll probably have a painted frame rather than a pre-dyed plastic frame. Its quality would also be very poor and heavyweight because of the use of low-quality materials. It is made up of cheaper metals that are prone to breaking down faster.

The Optical Quality of Oakley

The Optical Quality of Oakley

The Oakley optics are of high quality, made of polycarbonate, plutonite, glass, etc… Oakley uses High Definition Optics in the making of its lenses so that they possess the ultimate clarity and visual comfort feature. 

Whereas, the fake Oakley will have poor-quality lenses with an average performance level. They won’t be able to filter UV rays for you; neither will they provide you with the polarization or the color-enhancer feature.

The Logo of Oakley

If you may have noticed the Oakley sunglasses have a square-shaped O logo printed on the temple of the frame. The Oakley logo on glasses are recognizable because of their distinct square shape. So if you see a rounded or an oval-shaped O on the temple of sunglasses claiming to be Oakley, they’re probably not what they’re claiming. 

spotting logo of a real oakley sunglasses

You’ll see some Oakley models with a hologram on the lens while some other Oakley models will have the icon “Oakley” printed on the lens. The fake Oakley sunglasses will replicate these in a disproportionate, cheap way. Sometimes you might also see the square-shaped O printed on the lens, which is not really the case with real Oakley sunglasses.

Serial Numbers on The Inner Side of The Temple

The Oakley sunglasses have a unique serial number that is printed on each product manufactured by Oakley. They are a series of numbers, combined with alphabets and printed on the inner temple. This serial number, or SKU as Oakley calls it, can be 15-16 letters. It usually starts with two alphabets and also has the square-shaped O as one of the letters. The interesting thing about this serial number is that it is different for different Oakley models. 

differentiate between fake and real Oakleys with serial number

Check if your ‘Oakley Sunglasses’ have this serial number or not. If it does have a serial number, search it up on Google to see if the SKU model that you’ve brought matches the SKU of the model showing on Google. The serial number feature is the best way to identify if your sunglasses are fake because all Oakley sunglasses are assigned an SKU but all the fake sunglasses do not have an SKU.

Also, note if it has the Oakley made-in USA stamp below the serial number to check its authenticity.

Polarized Lenses

oakley sunglasses real vs fake

Authentic Oakley sunglasses give you the option of choosing color-enhancing, polarized lenses from their collection. Take, for example, the Oakley Sutro. It is on the expensive side but the benefits of wearing polarized lenses have no end. 

The cheapskate Oakley will try to sell you multi-colored lens sunglasses and tell you that they are ‘polarized’. But you should know that a polarized lens will block the sunlight and will make the visuals much clearer as they adjust the hues to balance out the color for you at the same time. 

Polarized lenses are quite a cool feature but remember that all colorful lenses are not polarized. It is necessary to differentiate between polarized and non-polarized lenses so you do not get fooled with authentication.

The Real Oakley Comes With a Packaging

The real Oakley sunglasses come with a branded box, a protective case, a warranty card, and a cloth. All these will have some branding of Oakley on them. The box contains the product details like the model information, barcode, etc….

The fake Oakley, nonetheless to say, does not come in packaging. And even if they do, the packaging is of very poor quality just like the sunglasses, and will not have any logo branding of Oakley. 

Warranty

The real Oakley will definitely give you a warranty of two years on its products. If you find the manufacturing and the details to be a major fault then you can contact their customer support services who will help you out with it. But the fake sunglasses do not provide you with any kind of warranty or any other customary benefits. 

Are My Oakley Sunglasses Real?

After reading the article if you see any kind of discrepancy in your sunglasses, you have your answer. They’re Oakley dupes! Real Oakley sunglasses would never miss out on any of the aforementioned points like high price, durability, awesome optical quality, the authentic Oakley logo, and the serial number on the temple exclusive to the model you brought. No matter what, do not buy the so-called Oakley sunglasses if it does not come with its own packaging and warranty card. These glasses might be cheap and even look just like Oakley, but it is not. They’re a cheapskate.

Conclusion

As it is always said the real can never be overshadowed by the fake. The fake Oakley will nonetheless cost you much less than the real one does, but why choose the fake ones when you are aware of the benefits the real ones can provide? 

Right from visual clarity to comfortability, Oakley sunglasses have it all. Its main audience, the athletes and outdoor enthusiasts are very delighted and satisfied with the performance that it renders. 

It’s understandable that you can’t afford Oakley sunglasses and have to resort to fake ones because they’re cheaper. But know that the real, authentic Oakley sunglasses are made from premium quality materials that have a lot of amazing features, and the said price is for these amazing features.

Next time make sure to look out for these features while purchasing ‘Oakley’ sunglasses or shop from trusted websites like Oakley’s official website and Amazon!

So, did your Oakley sunglasses turn out to be real or fake?

Tessa Reynolds

About Tessa Reynolds

Hey, I'm Tessa. I like to do makeup, especially eye makeup. So, I always take inspiration about how I can do better eye makeup that makes my eyes beautiful. Along with makeup, I'm also a big fan of sunglasses, and I always test new glasses that go with my curly hair.