Goggles
>>View fewer Goggles
 |
Julbo Orbiter Goggles Review
I used to only think of Julbo as the glacier sunglasses company. That's not the case anymore. Julbo gave me the chance to test and review the Julbo Orbiter Goggles and here's what I thought.
Julbo Orbiter Goggles Features
- Material: Lightweight nylon frame is flexible and accommodates large faces
- Breathable dual density foam membrane
- Silicone-accented strap and easy clip secure to fit all helmet sizes
- Camel Photochromic lens (cat 2-4) new high end polarized lens
- NXT technology
- Front venting
- Anti-reflective coating
- Anti-fog coating
- Price: $200
Julbo Orbiter Goggles Review
First off, out of the box the Julbo Orbiter Goggles look great! Let's face it, if you're going to shell out more than $30 for goggles, you want a pair that look good. The Orbiter has good styles and the frame designs are clean. The Orbiter is made to fit bigger faces, so ladies you'll want to check out something like the Julbo Eclipse Goggles. I found the Orbiter extremely comfortable and can thank the breathable foam for that. After all day wear, I didn't get any goggle fatigue. The Orbiter is also comfortable with a helmet. The strap "wings" (as I call them) position the strap to go with the curve of the helmet instead of making the strap stretch straight from the frame. This was huge in terms of on-helmet comfort. The Orbiter also comes with a strap extender so you don't end up with foam imprints after wearing the goggles for awhile. The strongest and most notable feature is the Camel lens. The Orbiter comes with a couple of lens options but just move past the rest and go straight for the Camel. The Camel lens is a polarized photochromatic lens. For the uninitiated, photochromatic is essentially a "transition" lens that changes from light to dark based on the amount of sunlight. The Camel lens is rated as a "2-4" on the scale which means it does well in relatively low-light conditions to bright conditions. The product photo shows the lens at the lightest and my photo shows it at it's darkest. Throw in the polarized coating and you have a lens that is hard to beat. All that combined makes the Orbiter an awesome goggle. I already have a favorite goggle but now I am having to reconsider my choice. The Good- Camel Lens (polarized, photochromatic)
- Comfortable
- Good Style
- Price - it could be hard to shell out $200 for goggles but they are worth it
Bottom Line:
The Julbo Orbiter Goggles is a great goggle and worth every penny. Buy Now: Pick up the Julbo Orbiter Goggles[gallery]... Read more...
 |
Scott Fix Goggles Review
I’ve been able to take these goggles out on a few backcountry trips as well as inbounds at Solitude Resort on an ultra-cold day and Alta Ski Resort on a powder day and have been thoroughly impressed. The foam conforms to my face very well for a comfortable, all-day fit. I also like the style… yeah, a little loud, but not completely over the top. Overall vision has been top-notch with superb clarity. Under cloudcover, I could have wished for a brighter lens tint, but these are pretty darn solid as a single lens of choice. The lenses seem pretty scratch-resistant as they have yet to incur any scratches–even after some up close and personal encounters with low-lying branches. I’ve got to call these out a little more for their fog-free performance. You see, I tend to fog up nearly every pair of goggles I’ve owned. Truth be told, there are circumstances that can fog up even the best goggles, but I’ve put these through their paces and have yet to have them fog. Sweaty hikes, long traverses at Alta and hard-charging runs in deep powder… nothing has phased them. Fog-free goggles? Decidedly so thus far. The Good
- Spherical lens provides distortion-free vision
- Excellent fit with a variety of helmets (Smith Maze and POC Skull Light)
- Has been fog-free in a variety of temperatures and conditions (and I’m a fog machine)
- Excellent pricepoint
- No strap clip
Bottom Line: Scott Fix Ski Goggles
Easy on the wallet and excellent, fog-free performance on the snow, the Scott Fix goggles are a wise choice if you like being able to see your next turn well in advance. Buy Now: Search for Scott Fix Goggles... Read more...
 |
Gordini Goggles – Sure Shot 2 Gear Review
I recently picked up a pair of Gordini SureShot 2 goggles to test out (full disclosure: they were provided free from Gordini). I have long been a fan of Smith and Arnette, and even an occasional pair of Scott or Oakley goggles. But this was my first chance to try out an offering from Gordini. Gordini has long been known for their gloves (at our house we have a couple of pairs, including our favorite all-around winter glove the Gordini Deerskin Lavawool: http://gordini.com/products/men/gloves). The Gordini brand has also made a solid space for themselves in the goggle market. The model I tried out, the SureShot 2, is a testament to why that is. GOOD GORDINI: The Gordini SureShot 2 is well-priced, very solid goggle that is sure to please because it doesn't miss on critical areas like standard helmet compatibility (with the face frame) and good ventilation. The SureShot 2 has vents along the front-top of the lens, and standard foam-covered vents along the top and bottom of the frame. No fogging for me when I used them on a cold day. As is to be expected, the SureShot 2 boasts 100% UVA and UVB protection. While testing these goggles I spoke with a retinal surgeon from the University of Iowa (the top ophthalmology program in the US) and he said that you don't need to get the expensive brands of sunglasses and goggles to get all the sun protection you would ever need. As long as it has 100% UV protection, you're good on that front. So the SureShot 2 fits the bill there, and for half the price of premium brands (msrp: $60)! The peripheral vision is good, though the frame of the goggle itself is a bit big for my small face (see accompanying photo of me at Alta). The goggle strap is very burly - much wider width than most other goggles on the market - which makes it quite comfortable when worn over a beanie. While the face foam isn't as plush-perfect as more spendy goggles, it isn't uncomfortable either. It uses two different layers of foam, and a third soft layer of material against the skin. The lens is a bit of a rose tint, which gives it great versatility. The metallic lens coating is effective but makes the goggles look a little eighties, in this author's opinion. However, there are many different styles for the SureShot 2, so you don't have to get what I got. I got the Gun Metal gray color with the blue mirror lens. Click here to see all Gordini goggles, including the more aggressive treatments of the SureShot 2. BAD GORDINI: No clip on the strap. I don't know why Smith is the only goggle maker that seems to make their goggle straps with clips - perhaps other goggle makers are just cutting costs? Regardless, I always think that the lack of a strap clip is a huge downfall because you can't extend the strap to fit larger-sized helmets. To complicate matters further, the Gordini goggle strap is shorter than most other brands I've tried. While the SureShot 2 fit very well on my Smith Variant Brim helmet, my helmet is only a size Medium and I had to extend the Gordini goggle strap all the way just to work with my helmet. Without the possibility of extending the goggle strap, I wonder if the goggle frame would sit flat on your face or if the short strap would cause pulling. Also, the lens worked well for me but I wish it had a system like the Smith I/O for swapping out other tints. Granted, this is only a $60 dollar goggle - not $180 like the Smith. But for only $60, you're not going to get a distortion-free spherical lens like the Smith either. But in reality many folks don't care about that, when it comes right down to it. All in all, for the price ($60) the Gordini SureShot 2 is a great goggle in lots of cool colors with just a few key shortcomings - mostly revolving around the goggle strap's lack of extendability. BUY NOW: Click here to search for goggles....
Read more...