The Oakley Prizm Ruby lens stands out as one of the most versatile options in Oakley’s lineup, combining exceptional performance with a striking, eye-catching mirror coating. Its ability to excel in both sunny and overcast conditions makes it a solid choice for a wide range of activities.
Check out the Prizm Ruby lens on Amazon (which is often cheaper than Oakley's website).
If you want to know more about how brown lenses work, click here.
In This Review
Lens Specs | Oakley Prizm Ruby |
Technology | Prizm |
Lens Color | Brown |
Mirror Color | Red |
VLT | 17% |
ABBE | 30 |
Coatings | Mirror Coating |
Material | Plutonite (Polycarbonate) |
Weight | Light |
Scratch Resistance | Low |
Prescription Available | Yes |
3 |
For an in-depth look at Oakley Prizm lenses, including their specifications and key features, visit this guide. It highlights essential details like lens coatings, impact resistance, scratch resistance, and care tips—critical factors considering Prizm lenses' limited coatings and lower scratch resistance.
Need help choosing between the polarized and non-polarized versions? Check out our comprehensive guide here.
Is it eligible for prescription?
Yes
For non-prescription, Check out the Prizm Ruby lens on Amazon (which is often cheaper than Oakley's website).
How does the lens look?
The front has an eye-catching red mirror with orange highlights.
The back has a brown tint that leans heavily towards green. This is because the red mirror reflects away red light, making the bronze lens, which is mostly a mix of red and green, more green. There is no anti-reflective coating on the lens.
What does the view look like?
Adding warmth to sunglass lenses boosts the vibrancy and richness of your surroundings by reducing high-energy blue light, which can dull other colors. Brown lenses excel at filtering blue light compared to green or red lenses, creating a warmer, more colorful view. This enhanced warmth not only sharpens visual clarity but may also promote alertness, energy, and a positive mood.
The Prizm Ruby lens excels at this. More than any other brown-based Oakley lens, Ruby feels incredibly natural, with all colors boosted and none of them getting too bright or diminished. It feels like a fresh coat of paint has been put over the view.
The lens takes no time to adjust to, and the color pop is very pleasant. Ruby does have a higher VLT at 17%, but it doesn't feel too bright to me under normal conditions. In very bright conditions it will still work fine but light-sensitive people might prefer something darker.
Sunny Conditions
These photos are what Oakley and other sources have used to show the view. Keep in mind that photos will never look as good as the real view looking through the sunglasses with your own eyes.
Interested in experiencing the Oakley Ruby lens for yourself? Check out the Prizm Ruby on Amazon (which is often cheaper than Oakley's website).
This simulation that Oakley uses is for all the bronze-based Prizm lenses but that is not entirely accurate for all of them. It is fairly representative of Prizm Ruby, and that is the view you can expect to see with this lens.
This sliding GIF is also mostly accurate:
The next two pictures from Oakley are close to accurate but a little overdone. The greens will be a bit brighter and less red, and the sky will be a lighter shade of blue.
Here is my simulation of how the lens looks:
The Ruby does a great job boosting colors, adding warmth, without any distracting distortion. The higher VLT keeps the view relatively bright, which is fine for everyone except light-sensitive people. Compared to the more neutral Prizm Black, which can feel a lot colder and duller in comparison.
Cloudy Conditions
The Oakley Prizm Ruby lens excels in overcast and mixed-light conditions, especially in bright haze, where it enhances brightness and color brilliantly. Its warmth and vibrancy provide a more dynamic and enjoyable visual experience compared to grey or green lenses, which can often feel too dim in such settings.
Because of its higher VLT percentage, it is not overly dark in overcast, hazy, or mixed conditions. It will feel much better than darker and redder brown lenses in these conditions.
In my opinion, this is the most versatile lens Oakley has.
Optimal and Suboptimal Viewing Conditions
Back when I needed prescription lenses I wanted to buy a pair of Oakley's for sports and lifestyle. I wanted the most versatile Oakley lens that would work well in all conditions. So I researched everything there was to know about Prizm lenses and compared all of them, on paper, online, and in-store.
I settled on Prizm Ruby and I was absolutely correct. It may not be as good as some sport-specific lenses for any particular sport, it may not be as comfortable in full sun as some darker grey-based lenses, and it may not be the most aesthetically versatile lens Oakley offers. But it excels in so many conditions that it takes 1st place as the most versatile Oakley lens. I wore it for tennis for years until I got the Prizm Dark Golf, but I wouldn't wear the Dark Golf to the beach.
It works great in nearly all conditions. The view is pleasant in clear or overcast skies. It is the only Oakley Everyday lens I rank as a Tier 3 lens. The only time it performs relatively poorly is in the bright winter.
Sports
The Oakley Prizm Ruby lens performs exceptionally well for sports in sunny and overcast conditions, offering enhanced color, contrast, and an energetic tint that improves visual acuity, comfort, and perception.
For extended exposure in bright sunlight, the Ruby lens may feel fatiguing, though the view remains vibrant and enjoyable. It’s not the top choice for activities like offshore boating or fishing but still works effectively in most scenarios.
Oakley is celebrated for its sports-focused eyewear, and its virtually unbreakable lenses ensure durability and reliability.
Interested in experiencing the Prizm Ruby lens for yourself? Click here to buy on Amazon.
Comparison to the same brand - Oakley
Oakley Prizm Black Polarized
Prizm Black Polarized is a grey-based lens offering a cooler, more comfortable feel in full sun compared to the bronze-based Ruby lens. While it excels in bright light, it falls short in overcast or mixed conditions. Featuring a subtle black mirror, Prizm Black is the darkest and most understated lens in Oakley's lineup.
See here for the full Prizm Black review.
Oakley Prizm Sapphire Polarized
The Prizm Sapphire is the same grey base and Prizm tech as the Prizm Black lens but with a brilliant blue mirror instead of a black mirror. The effect of the blue mirror is to remove blue and make the lens lean towards amber, which is explained further here. The Sapphire has a warmer view that feels like an upgraded version of the Prizm Black, though still much more neutral than Ruby. I wear the Sapphire more than Black, and I like the blue mirror look more than the red mirror.
See here for the full Prizm Sapphire review.
Oakley Prizm Tungsten Polarized
Prizm Tungsten is Oakley's middle-of-the-road brown-based Prizm lens, with a subtle silver mirror coating on it. It has an almost surreal feel to it, like being in a video game, and I do not say that in a negative way. Greens and reds are almost neon they are so boosted, but blues are reddened a lot, so it's the type of brown lens you might love or hate. I enjoy the Tungsten and feel it works best for sunny conditions, as it leans towards being a darker brown lens. It will work better than the Prizm Ruby in full sun, but not as well in any other condition. I like the look of the Tungsten more but I generally prefer the view of the Ruby.
See here for the full Prizm Tungsten review.
Comparison to the Red Mirror Lenses of Different Brands
Maui Jim Hawaii Lava
As nice of a lens as the Prizm Ruby is, the Maui Jim Hawaii Lava takes it to the next level. The red mirror effect on a bronze lens is almost the same as the Prizm Ruby, but the PolarizedPlus2 technology is a step up on the Prism tech, with the colors being more real and pleasant. Glass vs polycarbonate is a noticeable difference as well. Maui Jim has every coating you could want but Oakley really lags in this category, having nothing more than the mirror coating on non-prescription lenses. The lack of anti-reflective coating isn't a big issue on the wrap frames though, which is common for Oakley. The Oakley mirror is also so scratch-prone that it is fragile, while the Maui Jim doesn't have encapsulated mirrors to be scratch-proof, but is still considerably better with a hard coat on it.
See here for the full Maui Jim Hawaii Lava review.
Island Optics Red Sunset Mirror
For a red mirror look but a grey lens view, the Island Optics Red Sunset is a good option. Its low price is great as well. The lens is polycarbonate and comes with anti-reflective, hydrophobic (water repellant), Oeliophobic (oil repellant), and anti-scratch coatings.
Conclusion - Oakley Prizm Ruby Lens Review - Should you buy it?
The Oakley Prizm Ruby lens is a fantastic blend of style and functionality, making it a top choice for those seeking versatility and performance. Its vibrant color enhancement and striking red mirror coating ensure you'll stand out while enjoying exceptional visual clarity in various conditions.
To avoid the issue of lack of AR coating, go for a wrap frame that does not let the sun in from the sides or top. This is the only Prizm Everyday lens that I think the great color enhancement mostly makes up for the lack of coatings and weak scratch resistance.
If you're interested in trying out the Prizm Ruby lens, you can find it on Amazon, often at a lower price than Oakley's official website.
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