A Breakdown by Generation
When you’ve got 6 different styles of sunglasses with more or less the same name, there is bound to be confusion.
That confusion is only compounded because “Five” (and only that) is stamped on the majority of the frames, prompting owners to believe they simply own just Fives.
But they probably don’t. It’s more likely that they own Fives 2.0, Fives 3.0, Fives Squared, or Fives 4.0.
When it comes to finding replacement lenses for those sunglasses, that number makes all the difference in ordering the correct pair of lenses.
The purpose of this guide is to help identify the differences in those Oakley Fives. If you’re reading this article hoping to find out which style of sunglasses you own, you might find out that you don’t have a Five at all. This happens more than you might expect — the differences can be pretty subtle and pictures on the internet aren’t always the most detailed. Be sure to check your model against the description and pictures, and hopefully, we can get to the bottom of it.
Fives
Specifically created for a smaller face, the Fives were released in April of 1997 as the second member of the Frogskins family. In classic Oakley-style speech, their sales catalog put it this way, “our Fives utilize condensed-cranial geometry for a custom-perfect fit on smaller faces.”
In addition to their smaller size, the frames feature dimples two-thirds of the way down the stems. Compared to Oakley's other lifestyle frames at the time, the stems on the Fives have a more pronounced curve, causing the frames to closely hug the face and head — similar to a sport style frame.
These frames are often mistaken for the Fives 2.0. Here are some things to look out for to differentiate between the two:
- In 1997, the true metal icon had not yet been introduced to Oakley frames. Therefore, the original Fives feature a molded plastic icon.
- The hinges on the Fives are a straight line, whereas the Fives 2.0 bend sharply around the icon. It’s very easy to see this difference when the sunglasses sit in a closed position.
The Fives are also regularly mixed-up with the Oakley Tens, which are larger. The easiest way to distinguish which pair you own is by checking out the stamp on the inside of the frame above the nose bridge. It will either have a roman numeral five (a "V”) with “five” over the top, or it will have a roman numeral 10 (an “X”) with “ten” over the top.
Fives 2.0
Introduced in November of 2001, Fives 2.0 received a few updates. Along with the addition of the true metal icon, the Fives 2.0 were also constructed of Oakley’s new O-Matter. The design of these frames also differentiated from their predecessors most noticeably in the slope from the bottom edge of the orbitals upwards to the stems.
The outer edges of the front of the Fives 2.0 come to a dull point, whereas the Fives are rounded. And if you run your finger along the inside edge of the corner, you can feel an indentation that curves upwards towards the stems.
The Fives 2.0 have the Oakley Five logo stamped on the inside of the nose bridge. This is a stylized roman numeral five (the letter V) with “FIVE” over the top.
You can find lenses for the Fives 2.0 here.
XS Fives
Released in 2003, the XS Fives were intended to be sunglasses for children — extra small versions of the Fives. Aside from the smaller size, these frames featured perforations at the end of the stems to accommodate a strap, no dimples, and a slightly tweaked orbital shape. Rather than one constant curve from the bridge to the temples, the XS Fives have an added hump at the top of the orbital. “XS Fives” are stamped into the inside temple.
Fives 3.0
Oakley continued the Five series in the spring of 2006 with a new updated look. The Fives 3.0 more-or-less retain the same size as the Fives 2.0, but that’s about where the shared traits end.
The 3.0s forego the round eye for a more rectangular look. The thin, curved stems of the Five 2.0s were replaced with stems that are wider at the front of the temple and taper to a thinner stem one-third of the way in, and then slightly flare again at the tips. Although they are the 3rd edition (excluding the XS Fives), only “Five” is stamped into the temple.
The Fives 3.0 were originally intended to be a smaller version of the Gascan, but Oakley pivoted to instead making these a continuation of the Fives line and introduced a different iteration of the Gascan with the Gascan S.
You can find lenses for Fives 3.0 here.
Fives Squared
In December of 2008, Oakley gave a slight refresh to its Fives line. The Fives Squared are the same frames as the Fives 3.0 — same specs, same style, same everything. Well, not quite everything. The icon on the Squared frames is where the frame derives its name. Rather than the typical round O, Oakley redesigned their logo to a square O. Also, instead of “Five,” the inside of the stem was stamped with (4+1)2, meaning of course, “Five Squared.”
In 2013, Oakley released another update to this model. Due to feedback about the frames sliding around on the face from sweat, they added their unobtanium nose pieces.
The Fives 3.0, Fives Squared, and Fives Squared New can all fit the same size lenses. You can find those here.
Fives 4.0
Mix the Fives 2.0 with the Fives 3.0, and you get the Fives 4.0. The rectangular orbitals of the Fives 3.0 are continued in the 4.0s, although they’re slightly smaller and a little more rounded in the outer corners. The thinner earstems of the Fives 2.0 were reintroduced for this generation of Fives.
Although they’re thin, the Fives 4.0 are distinctive from earlier generations as the stems are smooth (no dimples), feature a small Oakley true metal icon, and the icon sits at the front end of an impression in the stem. There is also an Oakley O etched into the outside tip of each stem. “Five” is stamped into the inside temple.
Unlike the 2.0s and 3.0s, these were never technically released as Fives 4.0s. But to keep with the naming convention and to save confusion, they are most often referred to as the Oakley Fives 4.0s.
You can find lenses for the Fives 4.0 here.
Unless otherwise noted, the lenses for each generation are not interchangeable. If you have Fives 2.0, you’ll need to find lenses specifically for Fives 2.0. Also, Asian Fit frames require lenses specifically for Asian Fit.
The best way to figure out if you have Asian Fit frames is by the SKU. You can read more about that here.
If you’re still not quite sure which model you have or want to leave any other tips for others, please leave a comment below. You can also attach a picture if you’d like clarification on which frames you own.
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