Spy Soldier Goggles

First off, a belated congratulations to Abby Keller on winning the Rome "Roadie" Snowboard bag! This raffle is over but keep checking in on the blog because we'll be having more raffles and contests later on. Oh yeah, by the way, it was snowing on Stowe and Killington yesterday...no big deal. Also, a minor disclaimer: I am now required by the FCC (or risk a $10,000 fine: not the kind of pocket change I carry around) to note that I am not paid by any of these companies to review their products. That's right, I'm not some sneaky Head of Marketing posing as a college student, I really am a poor 19 year-old who just likes to snowboard and talk about it for fun. If in the future I receive any "donations" I'll let you know before I talk about it.

So this week's review is for the Spy "Soldier" Goggles, another favorite of mine. It's tough to nail down a price on these because, well, it varies. Many brands will price different styles of the same model of goggles differently, leading to (sometimes extreme) variations in price. For example, I own the limited edition "The Wall" color from the "Rock" collection (styles inspired by Pink Floyd, The Ramones, Van Halen and The Rolling Stones). These supa-steezy, extremely limited edition goggles feature Pink Floyd's "The Wall" pattern on the frames and strap with "The Wall"-inspired Spy logos and silver mirrored lens. They also set me back about $250 (ouch...). Most Spy "Soldier" goggles retail in the neighborhood of about $100-$180. So you can see that that little bit of extra style can cost you when it comes to goggles, even within the same model. Now I was never one to splurge on goggles; I used to rock some crappy old...honestly I don't even remember what brand they were. They were typical persimmon lens goggles that were small, flat and fogged up within a few runs and stayed that way. Then I bought my Soldier's.

It was like a Claritin commercial: the world became brighter, clearer, and never foggy or blurry. As I said earlier, mine had clear silver-mirrored lens. They did/still do an amazing job at cutting down glare on bluebird days but didn't leave me blind for night riding. I do an even mix of day and night riding, so visibility in low light conditions is important to me. The large spherical lens give an incredible range of vision and keep you from feeling like you're riding in a tunnel. In short-these goggles do an all-around great job in a wide spectrum of light and conditions, so if you're looking for something that will hold up on sunny days, cloudy days, friday nights under the lights, and anything in between, go with a nice pair of silver mirrored lens with 100% UV protection to protect those peepers.

As for the actual construction of these goggles, I have somewhat mixed feelings. The actual frame is a durable soft plastic/rubber-like material that flexes but doesn't feel too soft. The frame is connected to the strap via hinges, allowing the strap to be stretched out without doing the same to the frame or lens. Around the frame is a very comfortable double-layer of foam. This helps with the ventilation of the goggles, but also makes it feel like the goggles come out from your face pretty far. I ride with a helmet most of the time so this isn't an issue, but the few times I've ridden with these goggles over a hat they do feel kinda bulky. I've hardly ever had issues with these goggles fogging up on me and they are very scratch resistant. Of all the times I've dropped them, gotten poked in the face while riding glades, kicked up some ice, etc., I've received only one very slight scratch that I don't even notice while wearing them.

The only issue I have with the construction of the Soldier goggles is how the lens fit into the frame. Because of the flexible construction of the frame, the lens can pop out slightly at the top of the frame when the goggles are being put on/taken off. This isn't really a big deal but it can be a pain to take of your gloves and try to snap it back in when you're out in 15 degree weather with high winds. This is really more an annoyance than anything and is an easy fix.

The Bottom Line:

Pros

• Great range of vision
• Very scratch and fog resistant

Cons

• Somewhat bulky when worn without a helmet
• Lens occasionally pops out of frame with handling

Rating: 6/10