Armor Vision Smart Film review

“Wipe off, not tear off”. The slogan for possibly one of the most up and coming brands in goggle performance. If this is something you've not heard of then either you've been living under a rock, or you've clicked on this link by mistake and you have no interest in motocross. Launching the product to the public back in August at the VMXDN meeting at Foxhill with riders like; Nev Bradshaw, Bryan MacKenzie and other top flight riders, they instantly made a splash on the scene. 

Also with the likes of ex-British champion Billy MacKenzie using the impact lens and smart films through out the British championship this year, they've certainly been put to the test.

The Smart film is really straight forward to fit.

This review is going to focus on the “smart film” which seems to be the product everyone is asking about. The “smart film” is a strip which goes across the middle of the lens that comes in 2 different sizes; 36mm and 50mm. The film is a wire wool tested lens protector. Which means anything short of being roosted by little razor blades won’t cause any considerable damage to it, and most normal dirt roost won’t leave any permanent marks. It also has hydrophobic properties, which are designed to work at high speeds and wet conditions so the water just streams straight off rather than smearing across the lens.

It really doesn't affect your normal vision, you can't even see the strip when you're riding.

The first thing I wanted to try out was how easy they were to fit. I have to admit its pretty straight forward. The pack that you get comes with 3 “smart films” and instructions on the back which are really easy to follow. The best thing you could do when you purchase the pack would be to also buy a brand new lens. This is because you need to make sure the lens is spotless when you fit it otherwise you'll get little air bubbles under the film, which is the last thing you want to be looking at when you're doing a moto. It’s best to fit it to the lens whilst it is in the goggle so that it doesn't get distorted or peel off when you try to fit the lens back in the frame. Really, the only negative to the fitment process is making sure that you don't get any dust or moisture on the lens before you fit the “smart film”. This can be easily remedied by getting a new lens and fitting it at home in the dry at somewhere like the kitchen table.

I will post a link below to how I found fitting the smart film for the first time. 

https://youtu.be/5uu9gxnGurw

So, first session out it was just force of habit to turn away when I was getting roosted. After I managed to break the habit I was very impressed. I was concerned that with the mud being quite sticky, it was just going to smear across the strip when I wiped it but it ended up just coming straight off leaving me with a clear field of vision. I used the same goggles for 4 sessions and at the end of the day I still had clear vision and there wasn't a scratch on the film. The only concern I do have would be, if the conditions were quite muddy that your gloves could become quite wet after spending 20 minutes wiping mud and dirt off your goggles. With that being said theres no rule saying you have to use your glove to wipe it, you could just as easy use your sleeve which wouldn't matter if it got wet. I was running the 50mm strip on my Scott prospects and it was the perfect width. Any of the new generation of goggles ie: Oakley Airbrake, Scott Prospect, 100% Armega, would be best suited to the 50mm strip. Where as the classics like the Oakley 2000s are better suited to the 36mm strip.

Just a quick wipe is all it takes.

As the day went on and I continued wiping it, just cleaning up the rest of the lens in between sessions, I thought I would begin to see some traces of ware or some scratches. But I have to say it still looks as new as when I first fitted it. So you have to think that you're going to get a good few hours out of each strip.

The major benefits of the “smart film” are that with a lot of tracks banning tear offs you don't have to worry about using roll offs when the conditions don't call for it. It also acts as a lens protector, prolonging the life of your lens and saving you money. And as long as you have a sleeve or a glove you will never run out of clear vision mid moto. 

4 sessions in and my main field of vision was spotless.

At a price of £15.00 for a pack of either size which includes 3 strips, it’s pretty good value for money. Especially when you consider a pack of 14 tear offs will usually set you back around £20.00 and they'll most likely be gone by the end of a full weekends racing.

Clear vision is key when tackling tracks in this sort of condition.     

I reached out to Billy MacKenzie who, like I said earlier has been racing with them all year, to get 3 words to best describe the “smart film”. He came back with “Clean, crisp, vision.” It’s hard to argue with those words; I had clean goggles all day, the strip didn't impair or distort my view and I had perfect vision after each wipe. It's safe to say that the Armor Vision smart film is definitely cementing itself as a must have product in the future of motocross goggles. 

Tested and written by Brad Wheeler

JUST1 Essential motocross kit review

Just1, not a brand rich in motocross heritage but definitely one that has been making waves over the past few years. The Italian brand is on the up and becoming the motocross kit for the Factory Ice one Kawasaki team in 2022 and 2023 has definitely not hindered their progress to become one of the top motocross kits in the world. If its good enough for 2021 vice world champion Romain Febvre its good enough for you. Or is it? The people over at Evenstrokes were kind enough to give me a set of the Just1 essential line to try through out the 2022 season. My reasoning for waiting until now to write this review is that I wanted to test the kit not only it’s performance and comfort but it’s durability too. The first thing I want to address is the name “essential”, don't let this lead you to believe that the kit is cheaply made and the bare minimum. This couldn't be further from the truth. 

The JUST1 kit looks good from any angle.

Pants 

The first thing I pulled out of the bag and i was immediately shocked at how light they felt. So much so that i had to double check that i wasn't holding the jersey. The material is thin and stretchy, which makes it easier to put on over the top of either knee braces or knee pads. Although the slim fit isn't everyones cup of tea, it doesn't feel like your traditional tight fitting pants that you see some people wearing (cough) Barcia (cough). The pants grip in all the places you'd want them to. Around the knee area, to stop your braces from moving around too much. At the bottom on your ankle, so they don't bunch up in your boot. Finally, the waist area. The JUST1 pants have a rubber pattern around the inside of the waist to help the pants grip to your waist and not slide down when you're riding. I also like the fact that they have velcro adjusters on either side. Not only does it make them easier to get on and off when they are undone, it helps distribute the strain on the pants when they are done up. Rather than all the strain being on the front buckle and feeling like you're constantly having to breathe in, the two side straps take some of the pressure off and distribute the pressure around the hole waist of the pants. The whole waist bound is elasticated which allows the pants to expand and contract as you are moving about on the motorcycle. The zipper on the front is over-lapped by a small amount of material, the design behind this is to stop and mud or grit getting in to the zipper and causing it to jam. A nice little tough from the design team over at JUST1. Unlike a lot of kit brands, JUST1 has done away with the leather on the inner knee that after time becomes fragile and subject to cracking and breaking off. Instead they've opted to use nylon cordura. Nylon Cordura is a synthetic material and is built to last, it has high tensile strength fibres that will withstand long term wear. Not only is it long lasting it is also fire retardant and water resistant. So you get all the benefits of the leather patch that most brands use with out the negative points. 

The lightness of the kit makes it easy to move around on the bike.

Jersey 

The JUST1 essential jersey is like most high end jerseys on the market. It is lightweight, well vented and a comfortable fit. JUST1 haven't wasted time and resources in trying to design a fancy pattern or design for the essential line. A “J1” logo in the middle of the front and a small ‘J1” logo just under the collar at the back is all the branding they've gone for. With the minimal logos and all the dead space on the front and back of the jersey, it gives you a great canvas for sponsor logo placement. It really allows you to get creative with the placement and colours of your logos as all the essential line consists of is just 2 colours. 

The small amount of JUST1 branding is a sponsors dream.

Overall 

You know the old saying “less is more”. This really is the case with the JUST1 essential line. The kit looks clean and sharp in all the colour ranges and makes it easy to match with any colour way of boot or helmet. A set of kit consisting of jersey and pants will cost you £139.98 RRP. A relatively low price in todays market of £200+ kits i think and a very fair price. This is a high quality kit and it is true to size. I am a 32”/Large and thats exactly what i was given and it fits perfectly, nothing is too tight or too loose. I have been racing and practicing in mine since March 2022 and it still shows no signs of wearing out. It has a few marks where I have snagged it on a branch or had a slip off, but in terms of just wear from riding it is holding up very well. Personally, the only thing i would change is the cuff on the jersey. I like a more tapered sleeve rather than a cuff, but some people prefer the cuff. It’s really personal preference and they may well have a tapered sleeve on another line of the JUST1 gear. Thats me really picking holes in it for the sake of it. Overall this kit is great value for money and you'd be hard pressed to find a kit of this quality for this little. If you're in the market for new kit for 2023, the JUST1 2023 essential line is well worth looking in to and i do not think you will be disappointed in your purchase. The JUST1 essential line is available in both adult and youth at https://evenstrokes.com/

As its so plain its easy to match with anything.

Tested and written by Brad Wheeler