At first glance most goggles seem pretty similar, and many riders don’t look for anything more than the ability to keep grit from the trail or track out of their eyes as their primary concern. If it fits in their helmet and doesn’t make everything in front of the bike look like a carnival house of mirrors, they’re good to go! Experienced riders want something much better however. Try a couple different goggle types and you’ll quickly come to appreciate the differences between brands. Recently we tried an all-new goggle technology and the performance is eye opening.
Spy Game
Two decades ago, SPY OPTIC began as a company bent on bringing a better product to the motocross world. They’ve certainly raised the bar in eyewear innovation and protection, first with motocross and trail riders, and then by branching out into other sports as well. They’ve never strayed far from their roots however, and recently they introduced a new google with a very catchy name and slogan. Introducing the Happy Face goggle!
The Happy Face goggle incorporates all of SPYs knowledge and technology from their previous model goggles, but it offers something much more. Multiple university and clinical medical studies have confirmed that light effects mood, and altering the light is even used for therapy. It’s the long wavelength, blue rays from the sun that were found to have the most positive effect on study subjects mood, and they actually reported feeling better, more at ease, and more alert. Recognizing that, SPY undertook a project to build a goggle that could provide those positive effects, and the result is the Happy Face goggle in the Omen MX goggle frame. It’s not just about letting in the good rays though, but blocking the bad rays as well. According to Spy’s Product Director Juliette Koh, “Spy’s Happy Lens technology was developed to let in good sun rays, or long-wave blue light, while blocking the bad rays that damage your eyes. We now have a therapeutic lens that’s not just about seeing better, but about feeling better as well. We worked together to form this lens to have a lens that blocks out all the bad rays —which all of our sunglasses do—and have a polarizing filter, so it deflects glare, but also lets in all the good rays—the long-wave blue light. The long-wave blue light helps your mood and alertness and it actually is really used in Seasonal Affective Disorder, which happens in the wintertime when you don’t get enough sunlight, like in Alaska.”
Clear Difference
From the moment we first slipped on the Happy Face goggles we could easily see a difference in image quality. They’re MUCH easier on the eyes than ordinary, unfiltered goggles. Even under full sun our eyes felt zero strain, and it was easier to pick out obstacles along the track and differences in terrain. The frames also felt comfortable on our face, with enough foam for sufficient padding, but not so much that it gave a tunnel vision effect. The Happy face goggle comes with a small nose protection bridge which we had to take off for one of our helmets, but since helmet designs vary that may not be required for all brands. It’s the lens though that is truly amazing. Colors are not really enhanced, but you see them more clearly with no distortion. Inside the strap was a layer of helmet gripping rubber to keep them in place, but also the amusing statement “HAPPY TO SIT ON YOUR FACE”! Like it! About our only minor issue is that we unfortunately scratched them in heavy mud at a GNCC track, but with tear-offs that would not have happened. The Happy Face goggles come setup for tear-offs, but we weren’t using them. The good news is, we were in a good mood and it didn’t really bother us!
Happy Place
We like these goggles! They’re comfortable on the face, very easy on the eyes, and good for the mood. About the only thing they’re not so great for is your wallet and with a MSRP of $ $79.95 - $94.95 they’re more than most plain goggles, but they come with an extra, clear, uncoated lens, and a small carrying and storage bag. Just put on the Happy Face goggles first for a little mood enhancement and tell the dealer you’ll take them!
SPY OPTIC www.spyoptic.com/happy
TOLL FREE: 1.855.655.8980
