Oakley Jawbreaker Sunglasses Review

Some sunglasses are meant for one purpose, and one purpose only (obviously protecting your eyes from the sun). But the Oakley Jawbreaker really are just for cycling. These are far from multi-purpose sunglasses like the Oakley Half Jacket, Flak Jacket or Radar. 

The Oakley Jawbreaker sunglasses are designed with function in mind and definitely not street style. But that does mean for cycling they really are the ultimate sunglasses. The peripheral vision on these is amazing; without moving your head you can look forward, down, to the side and you are looking through the lenses. Full range of vision is protected from the sun. Your blind spot is slightly obscured by the full rims, something you will not get from a rimless pair of sunglasses, but the frame at the side is thin enough to not be too intrusive.

Testing The Jawbreaker

I have been riding in the Oakley Jawbreaker for a while so to test them properly I switched to some Oakley Fast Jacket sunglasses. These sunglasses are very popular with triathletes because they work just great for running. And for riding they are pretty decent. The first thing to note was the fit around the helmet. Have you ever noticed your helmet and stems of the sunglasses having their own little battle? If not, pay attention and see just how well they work. A POC helmet and Fast Jacket do not sit well together for example. But the Radarlock have shorter stems that are actually adjustable. This was the real highlight how comfortable the Jawbreaker work with most helmets, and comfort is important!

The field of view on the Jawbreaker is impressive. It is really hard to demonstrate but the only place you can see the frame is so slight. Very minimal light gets in. The following pics are our own simulation of how much of the field of view the lens covers. You can of course (if you try) see part of the frame, but the blind spot is not really blocked by the frame like the older Oakley Jawbone.

Example of the direct light from the sun + the glare being removed with their Prizm lens. Not polarised, but glare blocking designed for the road

Morning glare reduction example from the Oakley Jawbreaker

Field of view simulation for the Oakley Jawbreaker. The only natural light is in the corner of the frames, but you need to look upwards to see this. 

When looking down they will provide full protection still from any debris that may be heading your way. 

Field of view example and glare reduction from low winter sunshine. 

These are designed for cycling and really do the job well.

Style. If you walk about in these off the bike you look like a ‘wally’ to put it nicely.

They get very mucky around the lens and are hard to clean. This is because of their excellent fit but means if you are pushing it hard and sweat is running down your face, it will leave you nice smears over your lenses.