Oakley SI Assault Gloves Tactical Reviews, Deals, Problems and Guides

Both gloves formed tears or where the seam tore at the thumb and wrist area. They are not as durable it seems as the older pair I have with the coyote brown palm. They were about 95 days old when this occurred and the warranty is 90 days. I get that warranty on tactical gloves doesn't make a lot of sense because they are meant to be worn until they fall apart. I get that and I'm usually hard on gloves. Unfortunately, these fell apart with just a little usage, in fact from appearance the gloves still look fairly new. Except for the broke parts. That said I decided to give PIG FDT Alpha gloves and for the scorching Texas summers, I've been wearing Mechanix Specialty Vent gloves. Both are taking the abuse well, are well stitched (and haven't had seams separate or the leather tear). The PIG's have that loop we all love and want, so I can hook them into a war belt or chest rig or whatever tickles your fancy, the Mechanix do not. So for me, in spite of the mileage, I got out of my other pairs of Oakley SI gloves, I will be giving these a hard pass and continue to use PIG and the Mechanix.

3/30/2020

Oakley Designers
Oakley Inc./Luxottica

Oakley Factory Pilot Gloves have always been 5-Star Gloves, BUT as of 2019+ they now have been downgraded to 3.5-Star Gloves and in my opinion, are NOT worth the MSRP anymore due to the downgrade of the overall design, use of lighter weight lesser quality and less durable materials and a slack in craftsmanship.

Oakley MTB Factory Pilot Gloves, Factory Pilot Gloves, SI Assault Gloves, over the years there have been three different names for the same glove which is confusing in itself. Originally the Oakley MTB Factory Pilot Gloves came out in 2003 and they were designed for mountain biking. Then they disappointedly disappeared for a while. Then Oakley slightly tweaked them and brought them back and re-marketed them as "tactical gloves". My first original pair was a size Medium, then I purchased the new updated tactical model and I now fit in a size Small, identical patterning, identical fit but the sizing tag changed, once again more confusion. Good thing that Oakley now make X-Smalls, especially if you like a snug performance precision fitment.

Pretty much the only difference from the 2003 MTB original model and the tactical model was that Oakley went from synthetic leather and mesh with Kevlar padding palms to full perforated goatskin leather palms, and they took out the gray thin ventilating mesh material on the sides of the fingers. I have always sworn by the Oakley Factory Pilot Gloves, loved the fit, loved the quality and you can use them for pretty much anything. They have always been 5-Star gloves, BUT as of 2019+ they now have been downgraded to 3.5-Star gloves due to Oakley, unfortunately, making a poor decision and slight redesigning and utilizing lighter weight lesser quality materials. The 2019+ model now has thinner materials throughout which are NOT going to be nearly as durable, so the gloves will NOT last as long. The Carbon Fiber knuckles are now more flat and not as ergonomic or as comfortable as the previous successful design, the perforated goatskin leather is thinner as well and so is the silicone O badge. Feel free to go read the most recent reviews and you will see the unacceptable experiences of other loyal end-users. On the new Fall 2019 model I just purchased manufactured in Vietnam, the felt foam-backed liner material underneath the finger port vents has NOT been punched out to let interior warm airflow outwards, so now finger ventilation has been compromised. And if you try to cut-out the foam liner material underneath the finger port vents you will ruin the integrity of the gloves. I turned the gloves inside-out and I was disappointed to see some areas not stitch properly or stitch at all, I haven't seen a lack of craftsmanship before in all the years of wearing these gloves.

The one thing I always wanted Oakley to eventually update was adding finger tabs for touchscreen devices. The 2020 Oakley Factory Pilot Gloves 2.0 version that just came out added that needed modern feature but it does not work nearly well as expected due to poor execution. Unfortunately, the 2.0 version, has a different pattern and the fingers are now a quarter-inch longer making the gloves fit poorly. The palms are of a subpar leather, also they went with a lesser quality plastic Velcro closure which will NOT last. So all in all the new 2.0 version is a completely disappointing downgrade :( So if you're happy with the standard ones you have been wearing for years stick with them!

Here in 2020 I just returned the Oakley Factory Pilot Gloves 2.0 version and re-purchased my tried-and-true Oakley Factory Pilot Gloves/SI Assault Gloves, BUT as of 2019+ I am NOT happy with the downgrade of the overall design and lighter weight and use of lesser quality materials :( they are not worth MSRP.

I have the Oakley si gloves with the carbon fiber knuckles that in all 5 styles from the nomex to all the leather editions and all have been through are still holding up to missions, tactical training schools to the firing range and will buy more to keep my hands safe and from being bitten by the slide or burned by a hot aluminum forend on my M4 after a few hundred round of sustained fire from semi to fully automatic rifle fire and also still have my skin intact after a few fast ropes without my heavy leather fast rope gloves and still no damage to my Oakley si gloves well worth the money for hand protection I’ve had since the Oakley si gloves came to the market I think back in 2004

These gloves are kickass!! I ordered the wrong size at first on the same day I placed another order with a different company. They shipped, returned , reshipped correct size, and credited the return before the other company shipped the first time!! Best customer service I have ever seen!! Love these guys!

These gloves are so tactical! My operational effectiveness has been taken to a whole new level with these things because carbon fiber!

The first time wearing these gloves, I even set an all time best kill streak while playing Call of Duty!

The coyote color matches my drop leg holster perfectly! I'm now prepared to face any potential threat at the grocery store!

Wearing them makes me feel like a Navy Seal; I definitely would recommend these gloves!

Very high quality, worthy of the Oakley brand. Get the next size up from what you think you need. I have large hands, and the XL is a little snug on me. I'm really hoping they expand and stretch a bit with use. My one complaint is that there isn't a loop of some sort on the gloves so they can be hung or looped on a carabiner when I don't need to wear them. They must be stored in a pouch of some kind.

If you are looking for hard knuckle gloves that are tough then go ahead and spend the extra money on these. Totally worth it. I have bought two different competitors versions that were cheaper and believe me, u get what u pay for! I have the green pair of these and they have held up tough for 2 months now. Worth every penny

They r good. Although the material from the inside of the gloves... well every time I wear them and take them gloves off, my hands come out of those gloves looking green idk if it's going to be like that every time I wear them or not. I just got them so I'm hoping it's just cause they r New this is happening.

I somehow got the best and the worst at the same time. The left hand glove feels amazing and fits like a glove (pun fully intended), the right on the other hand (pun also intended) was all sorts of messed up. The pinkie was attached too short, the seams at the top of the right index finger are shoddy and abrasive as well as the seams on the back of the pinky finger, and it felt tilted on some fingers among other problems. I'm pretty sure I'm just unlucky in this case. All in all if you get a good pair it's an amazing product, I just have to rate a little lower since I got shafted with the right hand glove.

These gloves are awesome. I can't say enough. Total hand protection. Keeps hands warm and dry, protects knuckles when knocking on doors, finger fits in trigger well of glock with glove on and can use mobile device without removing gloves. One of the best tools I carry.