Oakley vs Pit Vipers? Which Brand to Prefer?

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As you are reading this article I think you are thinking about buying sunglasses, and are confused which brand is better Oakley or Pit Vipers. Let me tell you both of the brands are popular and are equally good in their quality and durability of the products with various trending series.

Now the question arises which one you should consider Oakley or Pit Vipers… As you might be short on time and because I have tried both brands personally, I will give you my quick thoughts : Brand that you should consider is Oakley.

My Best Picks –

So now the question arises about your budget. Oakley and Pit Vipers both being durable and fashionable, varies a lot in their expensiveness. If you can afford to pay more than 100$ for the sunglasses then you should definitely go for Oakley because they are more reliable brand as it exists since the 40s and they are worth the price. They focus more on adventurous look, durability and high quality. The sunglasses are often associated with outdoor activities.

However, Pit Vipers offers a wider range of price points, with some models being more affordable then Oakley’s. Pit Vipers focuses more on the Pop culture as it is a new company with vide varieties of look from bold to vibrant colours. The quality is better in Oakley but the quality of sunglasses produced by Pit Vipers is up to mark as well.

Personally, I like the Oakley’s Fuel Cell Wrap Sunglasses which looks pretty stylish, durable and sportive at the same time and I also like Oakley’s Valve Rectangular Sunglasses. When it comes to Pit Vipers my personal favourite is The Blacking Out which has a classy look.

I choose Oakley over Pit Vipers because of my past experience with Oakley has been pretty satisfactory. Two years ago I bought the Oakley’s Holbrook Square Sunglasses which were very trendy back then as well and now also hasn’t gone out of fashion. Additionally, these sunglasses despite of my rough usage, are perfectly new with no colour fading or scratches. Look at the reviews and the discounted price on Amazon now.

I can compare and tell you what is better according to me because personally I have tried both brands sunglasses and Oakley always gave me a better and premium look compared to Pit Vipers.

So my final verdict, is that you should prefer Oakley as they provide more durability, they have style and it can also be used as outdoor activities.

About Pit Viper

Pit Vipers

Pit Viper was founded by Chuck Mumford and Chris Garcin in 2012. Based in Utah, this brand is the ideal choice of eyewear for outdoor enthusiasts who lead radiant life. Their sunglasses have a bold and eccentric design which are signifying style and adventure at the same time. 

The brand has gained popularity among skiers, snowboarders, bikers, etc… That is because Pit Viper has a collection of high-quality sunglasses which has great functionality. The Pit Viper collection is mainly inspired by the style trends of the 80s and the 90s, as can be suggested from their website which has quite an archaic design. 

The Pit Vipers has become quite a popular name within a few years of its founding and this can be credited to their straightforward and truthful means of providing the best service to their customers. 

About Oakley

oakley website

Founded by James Jannard in 1975, Oakley is a brand that is mainly directed toward athletes but also provides a classy collection to the general public too. The brand which initially started with motorbike grips, is now a giant in the eyewear industry and has an extra collection of apparel, footwear, and other accessories as well.

It has gained popularity due to its focus on developing new technology for making its products more efficient in their performance. All the material that they use is of top quality and gives their 100% to the user. 

It has become a reputed name in eyewear as well as the sports industry. Their devotion to innovations and functionality has made them popular among various athletes and the public as well. 

Comparison of Pit Viper and Oakley

Brand Popularity

oakley instagram popularity

Both Pit Viper and Oakley offer products of the same kind and are quite popular among their target audience who are also the same. 

But if we compare their popularity among the general public on social media, then Oakley will emerge as the winner. That is because Oakley has a following of 2.5M + on Instagram, 5M + on Facebook, and 350K + on Twitter, whereas Pit Vipers has a mere 800K + followers on Instagram, 260K + followers on Facebook, and 20k + followers on Twitter. 

pit vipers instagram popularity

Retail Distribution

The Pit Viper currently does not have any physical store yet but you can buy their products from various other retail stores that sell sunglasses. You can also buy their products from their official website. Always remember, that if you want to be sure of the authenticity of the product then you should always buy the product directly from their website. Their website is quite a bit of a hassle, but bear with it if you want the real-authentic Pit Viper. 

Oakley is a brand in its late 40s, so it is very obvious that they are having much more stores compared to Pit Viper which has no store under its name. Oakley has 170-180 stores across all of America and apart from their own stores, you can also buy their products from retail stores. Amazon also provides Oakley products at a discounted rate.

Price Range

The Pit Viper, even though it uses high-quality materials to make their products, has a wider price range points. The Pit Viper’s budget sunglasses will cost less than $50 also.  The Grand Prix series offers you the cheapest products from Pit Viper and their most expensive series is The Fondue. However, if you want to upgrade these and buy higher quality products from the same series then the polarized ones will cost you around $130. 

Oakley, being a brand from the 70s, has grown a lot in its brand quotient and so has its price quotient. The Oakley sunglasses cost more than $100, and their expensive sunglasses can cost up to around $500. 

Pit Viper sunglasses will cost you way less than Oakley sunglasses which can cost you up to $400 and more. But in the case of Pit Viper, you can buy good quality sunglasses for less than $100. However, not all Oakley sunglasses cost you around $400. You can find most of them in the range of $100 to $250 like Oakley Holbrook XL and Oakley Turbine Rotor.

Variety of Styles

pit vipers sunglasses variety

The Pit Viper offers many different styles in the court of various sunglasses industries even when it’s not a very old name. These styles are quite unique and inimitable. These are the Original, the 2000s, the Grand Prix, The Merika, the Exciters, the Nightfall, etc… It has quite a cool collection for sporty nerds, but being a part of the general public I loved The Admirer series. Those heart-shaped frames have got the best of me!

When it comes to the evergreen player in this field, Oakley, they definitely have various styles for us in their bag. Some of these are the Holbrook, the Flaks, the Gascans, the Crosshairs, the Frogskins, the Turbines, the Split Shots, etc… And, if you are an unsporty person like me, you should definitely check out the classic and unfathomable, Oakley Frogskins

When it comes to their style variety, both the brands have done a pretty good job but if we talk about the collection, Oakley has a larger collection with 1000+ products compared to Pit Vipers which has a little more than 200 products. 

Materials Used

The Pit Viper uses high-quality materials in their product manufacturing. The Pit Viper frames are made up of materials like Grilamind which is flexible and provides utmost comfort to the user. They provide polarized lenses for clear images and visuals. 

Oakley is known for using Unobtanium in its products for making the nose pads which makes the grip strong, flexible, and comfortable. For making the frames it uses Titanium, Steel, Plutonite, etc…

Warranty & Customer Service

Pit Viper offers a warranty period of a lifetime to the customers, claiming that their products can never go wrong because of manufacturing defects. They mention that whenever the users think that their Pit Viper sunglasses are not working well, they can always apply for a replacement or a return. Very responsible of you Pit Viper I must say!

Oakley, on the other hand, provides a 2-year warranty to their users. However, this warranty is only available for those products that have a manufacturing defect or are found to be wearing away after a few usages.

Which One Would I Choose?

Both brands are equally good and popular. But since Oakley has more experience & expensive, its quality is better than Pit Viper because the latter is not really a performance-based brand. Pit Viper’s products are mainly for serving fashion purposes. So if you’re an athlete, you should definitely choose Oakley.

Oakley will be my best option because it is still much more durable and stylish at the same time as compared to Pit Vipers.

If I have to tell you about my favorite sunglasses from both Oakley and Pit Vipers, then these are my choices: The Miami Night Admirer & The Playmate 2000s from Pit Vipers, and Oakley Flak 2.0 XL & Oakley Crosshair Aviator from Oakley.

Now, the choice is yours.

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Author

Tessa Reynolds
Meet Tessa Reynolds, who lives in Denver, Colorado. She likes to write about sunglasses, and eye makeup so that she can share her knowledge, and help all the people who need something for their eyes. When she is not writing, you can find her skiing in the mountains of Colorado.