Oakley Sutro Prizm Review

Since the mid-eighties, Oakley has been a leading innovator in the performance sunglasses industry. Today they're one of a few industry giants regularly churning out new and novel designs and pushing the industry forward. The Sutro is one of their latest offerings, so we decided it would be a great candidate for our test. With its high-quality Prizm lens, great coverage, and a stylish throwback look, we found a lot to like about this model, but we also had some concerns about its range of fit and ability to channel sweat away from the lens during hard efforts.

Performance Comparison

Lens Quality

We tested the Sutro with Oakley's Prizm Road lens and loved it. Oakley's Prizm technology has only been around for the last few years, and it purportedly spent more than a decade developing. Our Prizm Road lens offers 20% visible light transmission for medium to bright light conditions and 100% protection from harmful UV rays. The optics were among the best of any model in our test, with high contrast, sharp clarity, and no obvious distortion. We found the Road tint to be super versatile and viable across a wide range of light conditions, and Oakley offers a few other tint options to fit your needs.

The Sutro's cylindrical lens is constructed with Oakley's impact-resistant “Plutonite” polycarbonate plastic and has an orange reflective coating that proved quite durable throughout our testing. To get a good feel for the lens' durability, we weren't exactly gentle with it. We wouldn't recommend this, but we cleaned these glasses with our t-shirt, dropped them on the ground, and stuffed them in backpacks. Through it all, the lenses stood up to the test. By the time we finished with them, the lens was more or less as good as the day we first put them on.

Fit and Comfort

For the most part, our testers found that the Sutro is a comfortable pair of glasses with a well-thought-out design. The nose piece is made of Oakley's “Unobtainium” hydrophilic rubber and makes for a comfortable and grippy contact point. There's no adjustment in the nose piece, but the rubber should stretch and contour to most nose types for a consistent fit. The arms are among the longest of any model in our test and contour well to the sides of the head. Most people won't have too much frame contact across the brow or at the cheekbones, so there's no need to worry about discomfort there.

Our primary concern with the fit of these glasses came from the rigid frame. For most people with average or slightly above-average head sizes, the Sutro should fit like a glove. The frame doesn't offer much wiggle room for those of us with large heads. It's easily apparent that this model doesn't like flexing much beyond its standard size. Our big-headed testers noticed that these glasses applied pressure to the sides of the head and would start to cause pain just behind the ears after an hour or so of wearing them. Additionally, the Sutro's long arms extend far enough towards the back of the head to interfere with some mountain bike helmets that provide extended temporal lobe protection.

Coverage

The Sutro is part of the recent wave of goggle-esque sunglasses and provides great coverage and protection. The lens is one of the biggest in our test at 150mm wide and 55mm tall. The cylindrical lens doesn't contour quite as close to the face as some of the spherical lens models we looked at, but the sheer size of the lens is enough to keep you well covered.

In addition to UV protection and improved optics, the Sutro's Prizm Road lens is big enough to protect your eyes from anything that might come your way. We did not fear rock, bug, or branch impacts when riding the trails or on the road in the middle of the peloton. During testing, when riding in a large group on the road, a rider ran over a glass bottle and sent tiny glass shards flying through the peloton. The Sutro's fantastic coverage allowed our tester to maintain full focus and avoid the ensuing chaos without issue. When wearing the Sutro, you get the impression that you're sitting comfortably inside and looking out a window.

Frame Quality

True to form, Oakley's Sutro frame is functional and strong, but it was outdone by a few other models we tested. Constructed from their proprietary “O Matter” nylon-infused plastic and “Unobtainium” hydrophilic rubber, the frame is relatively pliable and comfortable (unless you're one of us big-headed folk). While it doesn't offer any adjustability in the nose piece or arms like some other models that we tested, we found that the rubber of the nose piece will contour to most nose types.

Our biggest gripe with the Sutro's frame is the lack of hydrophilic rubber at the contact points on the side of the head. The O matter plastic is a fair bit harder than the grilamid or T90 frames of other models we tested, and it could use a little bit of extra cushion where it contacts the head. A bit of rubber at those contact points could help ease the discomfort some of our large-headed testers felt when wearing these for extended periods.

Field Performance

Lately, the Sutro has been popping up on more and more faces in the pro tour road cycling peloton. The performance of this model is up to snuff for some of the best cyclists in the world, and our testers agreed. While it wasn't our favorite model, we had only a few complaints.

The Sutro's well-thought-out design means it stays put even when the going gets rough. We took these mountain biking and trail running glasses and never had problems with them falling off our faces. Additionally, the massive lens size means they're great for keeping the wind and dust out of your eyes at high speeds. We had no issues with this model fogging up at lower speeds when climbing or running. It seems like Oakley struck a great balance between wind protection and breathability with the Sutro's fit.

Occasionally during super hard efforts on the bike, our more perspiration-prone testers had problems with sweat dripping down the front of the lens and obscuring their vision. The top of the Sutro's frame sits precariously close to the brow, making it easy for sweat to run down your forehead and jump onto the lens. We only experienced this a couple of times in hot weather, but each time it necessitated a full lens clean to remove the salt streaks. This is a common issue that many cyclists encounter with performance sunglasses, but a few of the other models are better at avoiding it.

Style

With the Sutro, we think that Oakley pulled off the difficult feat of designing a stylish, understated pair of goggle-style glasses. The Sutro tiptoes right on the edge of looking like something you might see your grandparents wearing, but we think Oakley pulled it off (especially after seeing them pop up all over the pro tour peloton recently). They're nowhere near as futuristic or high-tech looking as some of Oakley's other offerings, and they don't have the same in-your-face, over-the-top style. For someone looking for a pair of glasses with great coverage who doesn't want to look like a 1980s frat bro or a futuristic robot hunter, the Sutro is a good choice.

Case Quality

The Sutro comes standard with a rigid, zippered case and a soft bag for storage and cleaning. The case is small enough to easily fit into backpacks and luggage, and rigid enough that you won't have to worry about TSA smashing your sweet new glasses.

Should You Buy the Oakley Sutro Prizm?

The Sutro is one of the less-expensive models that we looked at. Given our mostly-positive experience while testing them, we think that they're a good value if you have an average-sized head and aren't overly worried about your perspiration levels. This model performed well across the board with just a few hiccups. The fit isn't as versatile as some of the other models we tested, and the frame has occasional problems channeling sweat away from the lens. Still, other than that, we loved the Sutro for its sharp optics, fantastic coverage, and style. If all this seems good and well to you, it comes recommended.

What Other Cycling Sunglasses Should You Consider?