Oakley Monster Dog, Pup Active Sunglasses Review: Polarized, Ducati, Fishing, Custom

Not unlike Scalpel collection, Oakley's Monster Dog takes its title quite literally, presenting an intimidating, heavy to the point of crude, angular, and emphatically masculine design.

We could go on with similar epithets, but the idea is more or less the same: the brand wanted to create an unapologetically ruthless pair sunglasses, every part of which would seem to be able to spread raw energy in the shape of iron cannon balls. Yes, this is how powerful the gaze behind the lenses can be.

Built for sports and fishing activities, the frame aptly features wave-inspired contours, bringing to mind the ancient pastime of hunting – which, appropriately, often involved dogs of various kinds.

As any hound specialist knows, each breed of dog has a uniquely designated task: chasing, biting, retrieving, and so on.

Monster Dog sunglasses strive to concentrate several of these functions, giving clear preference to strength, followed by speed, and the rest.

Shades come in matte black, crystal black, and brown tortoise (a usually dressy tone that puts the design in a somewhat ironical, subversive light) colors, with matching grey, black, and bronze lenses. Includes a large Ducati model.

Monster Dog keeps the costs down by featuring only the most crucial optical utilities, it's lean and mean character continuing to play a role in technology equipment as well. Standard sunglasses incorporate XYZ optics, optional polarized or Iridium lenses, and trademark UVA/UVB/UVC light blocking Plutonite.

Surprisingly, Oakley opted to place the hinges inside the temples, and essentially render them invisible when unfolded: company designers clearly wished to keep the integrity of the frame uninterrupted by mechanical parts. It takes effort to look good. (Or bad.)

Oakley Minute 2.0 sunwear reverses the hunting priorities mentioned above, putting agility before raw power. The basic layout is very similar to the original MD, the sunglasses steering towards a softer, more aerodynamic template; removed is most speed impeding “muscle mass.”

Includes hydrophobic, polarized and custom variants. Light splashes on the glossy polished black and midnight blue O Matter frames.