“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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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
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