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Review Harley-Davidson Profile Goggle

The Harley-Davidson Profile Goggle is stylish and versatile, serving as both a solid pair of riding goggles and an attractive set of shades.

"Eyewear is a critically important part of riding," said Matt Thompson, Harley-Davidson's Category Manager of Riding Gear.

With that in mind, it's no surprise that The Motor Company has come out with a line of stylish, high-quality optics to help protect a rider's vaunted peepers. In the R& D process, H-D enlisted the services of optician Carl Zeiss and his Vision Sunlens company to help them develop a patented Enhanced Vision System (EVS) that is claimed to provide up to a 20% wider field of vision and greater clarity on the outer edges of the lenses in comparison to standard sunglasses.

The appeal of H-D's Profile Goggles is in its versatility. The padded mid-frame easily pops out when you're not riding, and voila, you've got an attractive pair of shades. The design is modest, with oblong smoked lenses that aren't Hollywood-wide. The lightweight frame and arms are matte black, and a small embossed Bar & Shield logo with the initials H-D is stamped indelibly in silver on each side, adding to the cool factor. Small vents have been cut into the nosepiece and on the sides of the frame to help with defogging on cold mornings.

Worn as sunglasses, the Profiles are very comfortable. Its lightweight design makes them almost unnoticeable. I've got a wide head and many sunglasses fit me too tight, but the width of the H-D Profiles is spot-on.

In converting to goggles, the padded mid-frame pops right in behind the hinges that connect the arms. You sacrifice a little field of vision in this mode, but you can still get a wider view of the road than most standard sunglasses that haven't been designed with motorcycling in mind. With the snap-out frame in place, the Profiles seal flush against your eye sockets and win the battle against the wind while wearing a half-shell up to about 70 mph. At that speed, wind begins to seep under the seal, but tighten up the goggle leash that comes as part of the package and you can continue to crack the throttle without worrying about them blowing off your head. With a full-face helmet on, they fit snug and secure, even with the visor up.

Another attractive feature is its second set of clear lenses. On a recent road trip, I forgot to bring a clear visor for my helmet. Getting home took longer than expected and I was losing the race against nightfall. I can't see crap through my dark visor at night, but luckily I had the spare set of clear lenses with me. With a little thumb pressure, the lenses pop out forward, and replacing them only takes a minute. I had to ride with my visor up the rest of the way home, but at least I could see. The Profiles definitely came in handy on that ride.

A C-note gets you the convertible goggle with a pop-out mid-frame, a set of clear and smoked lenses, a goggle leash, a soft bag and a hard storage case.

For a C-note, you get the convertible goggle with its foam-lined pop-out mid-frame, two sets of lenses (the smoked pair has UV protection) that meet ANSI Z77.1 standards, a goggle leash to help keep them on your head, a microfiber bag to carry everything with when you're on the go and a sweet silver metallic hard case to store them in when you're at home. The styling is attractive without being overdone, and the fact that they serve dual purposes is a bonus. The clarity of the lenses is stellar and they offer a wide field of view. I also like the fact that they're not as bulky as other eyewear. Overall, Harley-Davidson's Profile Goggle definitely gets a big Motorcycle USA thumbs up.

MSRP $100

Adidas Yodai Goggle Review

Introduction

Adidas Yodai

Price: $110.00

Innovation is something that isn’t always the easiest thing to do. The Adidas Eye wear group doesn’t follow the crowd by making conventional eye wear, they set out to blaze their own trail. The Adidas Yodai goggles encompasses a lot of technology and while they might not fit all your requirements in a goggle, the goggles are well designed and defeat a lot of the negative issues often attached to goggles.

Adidas Eyewear sponsor’s many top athletes and events worldwide so rest assured anything you buy from them will be put back in to support even more events and more product development.

Non-human

Bullfighting horse wearing eye protection

Goggles are available for horses used in speed sports such as horse racing. In some traditions of horse mounted bullfighting, the horse may wear a protective cloth over its eyes.

Goggles adapted for use by dogs are marketed under the trademark Doggles by California-based Doggles, LLC. Unlike other eye protection marketed for dogs, Doggles are designed to protect from wind and foreign objects in addition to UV light.

Goggles are also worn by cats when their owners wish to give them a wash. It is generally considered that cats do not like water, and so goggles are used.

Popular culture

Goggles are part of a meme stemming from a quote from the Radioactive Man episode of The Simpsons where Rainier Wolfcastle is faced with a tidal wave of sulfuric acid while filming a movie, his only provided safety precaution a pair of rubber safety goggles intended to deflect small amounts of acid. When the scene goes horribly wrong, he is swept away, his suit and prop goggles dissolving, spurring him to yell, "My eyes! The goggles do nothing!

Fashion

Goggles are often worn as a fashion statement in certain subcultures, most often as part of the cybergoth subculture. They are usually worn over the eyes or up on the forehead to secure 'falls': a type of long, often brightly-coloured, synthetic hairpiece. Fans of the Steampunk genre or subculture also frequently wear steampunk-styled goggles, particularly when performing in a live action role-playing game.

Goggles are also frequently used by anime and manga characters as a fashion statement. Several characters in the anime Digimon wear goggles, as each 'leader' of the series wears goggles. Other notable characters are Matt from Death Note and Usopp from One Piece.

Types of goggles

The requirements for goggles varies depending on the use. Some examples:

• Cold weather: Most modern cold-weather goggles have two layers of lens to prevent the interior from becoming "foggy". With only a single lens, the interior water vapor condenses onto the lens because the lens is colder than the vapor, although anti-fog agents can be used. The reasoning behind dual layer lens is that the inner lens will be warm while the outer lens will be cold. As long as the temperature of the inner lens is close to that of the interior water vapor, the vapor should not condense. However, if water vapor gets between the layers of the lens, condensation can occur between the lenses and is almost impossible to get rid of; thus, properly constructed and maintained dual-layer lenses should be air-tight to prevent water vapor from getting in between the lenses.
• Swimming: Must be watertight to prevent water, such as salt water when swimming in the ocean, or chlorinated water when swimming in a pool, from irritating the eyes or blurring vision. Allows swimmers to see clearly underwater. They will not be usable more than a few feet underwater, because the water pressure will press them tightly against the face. Examples of these include the Swedish goggles.
• Power tools: Must be made of an unbreakable material that prevents chunks of metal, wood, plastic, concrete, and so on from hitting or piercing the eye. Usually has some sort of ventilation to prevent sweat from building up inside the goggles and fogging the surface.
• Blowtorch goggles: These protect the eyes from glare and flying sparks and hot metal splashes while using or near as blowtorch. They are not dark enough for arc welding.
• Motorcycle riding and other open-air activities: Prevents insects, dust, and so on from hitting the eyes.
• Laboratory and research: Combines impact resistance with side shields to prevent chemical splashes reaching the eyes. May also include laser protection which would be covered by EN 207 (Europe) and ANSI Z 136 (United States). Examples of these include red adaptation goggles.
• Racquetball: Protect the eyes from racquets swinging in an enclosed area and from impact from hard rubber ball.
• Winter sports: Protect the eyes from glare and from icy particles flying up from the ground.
• Astronomy and meteorology: dark adaptor goggles are used before going outside at night, in order to help the eyes adapt to the dark.
• Basketball: Several NBA players have worn goggles during play, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Horace Grant, Kurt Rambis and Amare Stoudemire; they prevent a fellow player from scratching or hitting the eyes when trying to grab the basketball.
• Aviation: In open cockpit aircraft, similar to biplanes, aviators, such as Amelia Earhart and Charles Kingsford Smith, would wear goggles to help protect from the wind and are still in use today. Examples of these include the AN-6530 goggles.
• Virtual reality: A virtual reality headset, sometimes called "goggles", is a wrap-around visual interface to display computer output. Commonly the computer display information is presented as a three-dimensional representation of real-world environments.

History

The Eskimos carved goggles from caribou antler, as well as wood and shell, to help prevent snow blindness. The goggles were curved to fit the user's face and had a large groove cut in the back to allow for the nose. A long thin slit was cut through the goggles to allow in a small amount of light, diminishing subsequent ultraviolet rays. The goggles were held to the head by a cord made of caribou sinew.

Traditional Inuit goggles used to combat snow blindness

Blowtorching goggles and safety helmet

Aviation goggles as worn by Amelia Earhart

Swimming goggles

Goggles

Goggles or safety glasses are forms of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the eye area in order to prevent particulates, water or chemicals from striking the eyes. They are used in chemistry laboratories and in woodworking. They are often used in snow sports as well, and in swimming. Goggles are often worn when using power tools such as drills or chainsaws to prevent flying particles from damaging the eyes. Many types of goggles are available as prescription goggles for those with vision problems.

Watersport goggles