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Though this review is brand-specific, I think it's safe to say it applies to all brands that produce this type of product. A while back, struggling with my face shield fogging up (especially when it gets cold out), I got and reviewed the Respro Foggy Mask. It worked great, but did have the down-side of making you feel like a fighter pilot with an oxygen mask on inside the helmet. I also just noticed that the place I got it from no longer carries it. So, I went looking for a new solution.
I was actually looking for a way to add a tinted "Sunglasses" effect to my helmet without the need to carry an extra shield around all the time. Yes, many helmets come with internal flip-down sunglasses, but I like my helmet too much to toss it just for this feature. I have the G-Max GM68 helmet, with the integrated blinky LEDs in the back. I had already tried the auto-darkening shield (like Transitions sunglasses), but I was much less than impressed. So, I found the flip-tint shield kit that adds a small, external tinted shield to the outside of the clear shield. When it gets dark, you can just lift the tinted part out of the way and only have the clear shield! So far, I must say it works great for my morning commute into the sun, and flips up easily for my trip home in the evening. It's just as dark as a tinted shield, but does still allow full light to come in under the bottom edge. However, that does not seem to be an issue.
Now, I noticed that they had 2 different kits for my helmet, with different prices, but they looked identical. It turns out, one has the normal, single-layer clear shield that most helmets come with, but the other kit has a dual-layer clear shield. What this means is it sandwiches a pocket of air between 2 layers of plastic, creating an insulating effect. Usually marketed for snowmobile helmets, there are even heated versions for many helmets if you really have to deal with ice and snow. After a lot of online reading about the benefits of a dual-layer shield, I pulled the trigger and bought it for $44.99 shipped.
I installed the new shield kit as soon as it arrived. I left the Foggy Mask in my helmet for a few days, since I've gotten used to it, and never remembered to remove it until I already had the helmet on. Even with the Foggy Mask, I had been able to, if I was breathing hard, get my breath to seep around my face and fog the shield. I tested it, and no matter how much I huffed and puffed, I could not fog the new dual-layer shield! So today, I removed the Foggy Mask altogether, and ran the breathing test again. No fog! No matter how steamy my face felt, not a trace of fog appeared on the shield.
There is only one down side to the dual-layer setup that I can think of, and that is the small strip of foam tape that goes around the outer edge of the viewing window. It is a little distracting at first, but I really don't see it as a hindrance to visibility - especially compared to the fog it prevents. I have not ridden in the rain with it yet (what everyone says the dual-layer is great for), but I'm convinced that if you have a problem with your face shield fogging, a dual-layer shield is definitely the way to go.
I was actually looking for a way to add a tinted "Sunglasses" effect to my helmet without the need to carry an extra shield around all the time. Yes, many helmets come with internal flip-down sunglasses, but I like my helmet too much to toss it just for this feature. I have the G-Max GM68 helmet, with the integrated blinky LEDs in the back. I had already tried the auto-darkening shield (like Transitions sunglasses), but I was much less than impressed. So, I found the flip-tint shield kit that adds a small, external tinted shield to the outside of the clear shield. When it gets dark, you can just lift the tinted part out of the way and only have the clear shield! So far, I must say it works great for my morning commute into the sun, and flips up easily for my trip home in the evening. It's just as dark as a tinted shield, but does still allow full light to come in under the bottom edge. However, that does not seem to be an issue.
Now, I noticed that they had 2 different kits for my helmet, with different prices, but they looked identical. It turns out, one has the normal, single-layer clear shield that most helmets come with, but the other kit has a dual-layer clear shield. What this means is it sandwiches a pocket of air between 2 layers of plastic, creating an insulating effect. Usually marketed for snowmobile helmets, there are even heated versions for many helmets if you really have to deal with ice and snow. After a lot of online reading about the benefits of a dual-layer shield, I pulled the trigger and bought it for $44.99 shipped.
I installed the new shield kit as soon as it arrived. I left the Foggy Mask in my helmet for a few days, since I've gotten used to it, and never remembered to remove it until I already had the helmet on. Even with the Foggy Mask, I had been able to, if I was breathing hard, get my breath to seep around my face and fog the shield. I tested it, and no matter how much I huffed and puffed, I could not fog the new dual-layer shield! So today, I removed the Foggy Mask altogether, and ran the breathing test again. No fog! No matter how steamy my face felt, not a trace of fog appeared on the shield.
There is only one down side to the dual-layer setup that I can think of, and that is the small strip of foam tape that goes around the outer edge of the viewing window. It is a little distracting at first, but I really don't see it as a hindrance to visibility - especially compared to the fog it prevents. I have not ridden in the rain with it yet (what everyone says the dual-layer is great for), but I'm convinced that if you have a problem with your face shield fogging, a dual-layer shield is definitely the way to go.
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