PERFORMANCE

The Oakey Kato is designed as high-end cycling shades, but they are built for so much more! While cycling, these shades help to protect your eyes against wind, sun, and rain with their comfortable form-fitting frames that contour to the shape of your face. They even boast adjustable side arms and a nose guard that help craft the perfect fit for your unique face shape.

Another great product we reviewed is the Oakley Radar EV, so make sure to check it out as well.

They’re the perfect shade for cycling, but runners find that they are a great match for casual runs or long-distance treks. The slip-resistant nose guard and three-point fit ensure a strong grip on your face without feeling tight or overly heavy.

In fact, many users even forget that they are wearing them. Even as you start to sweat, the grippy nose guard prevents these shades from slowly gliding down your face.

Whether you are a cyclist, a runner, or just a fan of modern and experimental shades, the Oakley Kato overperforms across the board. Just be aware, however, that this design comes in at a pretty steep price point!

LENSES

Sure, these shades look like something out of a futuristic action movie, but are they all sizzle and no steak? Absolutely not! The lenses of the Oakley Kato are composed of HDO or High Definition Optics. Basically, these lenses transform your eyeballs from standard definition to high definition.

When going for a run around the block or competing in the Toyko Olympics, you need to have a keen understanding of the world around you and these lenses deliver just that.

While they sharpen the world around you, they still do a great job and blocking out the sun and keeping your eyes protected. They provide 100 percent UV protection by filtering out UVA, UVB, UVC ray from the sun.

Squinting from the sun occurs when blue light rays hit your eyes, and persistent squinting leads to strain over time. These lenses also block out up to 400 mm of blue rays, which leads to minimal squinting.

Other shades block out the brightness of the sun by simply utilizing darker shades, but darker shades also dim your vision. By using HDO and blue-light-blocking lenses, the world around you stays just as sharp and crystal clear while keeping your eyes protected from the sun.

It’s also important to note that these frames have also been treated with Oakley PRIZM, which works to reorganize light so that your vision is crystal clear. By infusing the lenses with PRIZM dye, it makes colors seem richer while also reducing glare.

FRAMES

What makes the Oakey Kato unique is its frame design or lack thereof. The lenses of this design wrap almost completely around the face for a lightweight and comfortable fit. The sidearms of this design are slim and comfortable and don’t wrap around the ear to increase your overall comfort.

What I love most about the design of the sidearms is that they are able to be rotated to create a more accommodating fit. These rotating arms allow the user to adjust the angle of the lenses for a customizable fit.

It’s essential that these frames fit your face like a glove to effectively block out the sun, wind, and rain. By tilting the angle of the sidearms, users can adjust the fit of these glasses to fit the unique shape of their faces.

The style of these very large frames also reduces blind spots. They may look a little big and bulky, but this design helps to keep your vision nice and clear.

When you need to keep a keen eye on your surrounding, the style of these frames feels like you aren’t wearing anything at all. Small frames may look cool, but they are better reserved for casual wear.

DURABILITY

If you are notoriously hard on your sunglasses, the Kato is up for whatever you can throw at it. These shades are composed of Oakley’s proprietary O-Matter, which is built to take a beating. O-Matter is a nylon material that is 2x lighter than standard plastic and is built twice as tough.

Users found that they could throw these shades into their pack without worrying about breaking the frames. With a lighter design, they can also handle being dropped on the ground without so much as flinching.

Overall, these frames are built to take a beating. Oakley offers a 2-year warranty if you find that there are any material or craftsmanship defects that cause your frames to break.

Simply connect Oakey, and they will send out a pair of replacement frames as long as you provide proof of purchase (always save your receipts!).

COMFORT

The very last thing you need to be concerned about when training outdoors is your sunglasses! What users love most about the Kato is that it offers an insanely comfortable fit. These glasses boast Oakey’s three-point fit system that reduces the contact that they make with your face.

These sporty shades only touch your face in three places: the nose, and behind each ear. By eliminating face contact, these frames feel like you aren’t wearing anything at all.

What also makes these shades incredibly comfortable is the design of the nose pads. For me, the design of a nose pad makes or breaks a pair of sunglasses.

At first glance, these frames look as if the lenses fit right over the nose, but a closer examination reveals that there is a snag-free rubber nose guard built under the one-piece lens. Plus, users are able to adjust the angle of the nose pads to fit their faces better for an overall customized fit.

The rubber nose guard sticks to the skin on your nose and won’t budge an inch as you train. Even as you build up a sweat, these shades will not glide down your face or require constant adjustments. The Kato boasts a frame style that fits securely to your face and will not budge no matter how active or sweaty you become as you workout.

STYLE

I’m getting serious Robocop vibes from the Kato, and that isn’t a bad thing! The style of cycling glasses is built very similarly to those big cataract glasses, and the Kato boasts a very unique style that looks modern, sleek, and sharp.

While it walks that fine line between style and function, you will either love or hate the style of these glasses. I, for one, land on the side of loving the risks that Oakley took in the style of these shades.

Overall, Oakley fans both love and hate the style of these frames. Are they a little bit different? Yes. But high-end fashion is always very polarizing.

PRICE

With such celebrity status, it’s no big surprise that the Kato is one of Oakey’s most expensive designs. While it’s not nearly as expensive as the elusive Elite C Six, these shades will take a pretty sizeable chunk out of your bank account.

So, why are they so expensive? While the HDO lenses are very similar to standard Oakley sunglasses, the real claim-to-frame is the design of these sunglasses.

With a contoured and modern fit, be prepared to turn heads. The style of these shades doesn’t quite look like anything else out there on the market, and they walk that fine line between performance and style.

For those that want frames that are comfortable, durable, and eye-catching, the Kato is well worth every penny. Plus, the insanely durable frame may prove to be the last pair of sunglasses that you will ever need to buy.

If you are on the hunt for cutting-edge sunglasses that are worn by professional athletes all over the globe, the Oakley Kato is worth checking out. This design boasts all of the advanced features of many high-end Oakley shades such as HDO that transforms your standard definition vision into ultra HD, superior UV protection, and their three-point fit system.

The style of these shades is that makes them stand out from the pack. While the fit of the frames feels superhero-esque, they also perform just as well as they look. These frames contour to the shape of your face to shield your eyes not only from the sun, but from UV rays, wind, and rain as well.

If your outdoor adventures take you into some pretty dicey weather conditions, few shades perform quite as well as the Kato.

Whether you are a fan of experimental designs or you simply need a pair of shades to get you to the finish line, the Oakley Kato is worth checking out!