BZ Optics Crit Mirrored Glasses with Orange Revo Lenses

These BZ Optics Crit Mirrored glasses offer crystal clear optics and work well in a wide range of light conditions, from overcast, cloudy weather through to sunnier days. While the lens is removable, you can't buy these separately at present, which is a shame as you might want a darker tint for the very sunniest, cloud-free days.

BZ Optics is an Australia-based company and claims to be the first to offer a bi-focal photochromic lens. The Crits on test don't have a photochromic lens, or offer any focal adjustment, but they are very good.

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The Crits are available with either an orange or green lens, in a choice of white or graphite frame. The Orange Revo lens on test has 16.8% light transmission. To put that into context, I have used the glasses almost every day for nearly a month, through all weather, and they have suited cloudy days, even when riding through tree-covered roads and tracks, but have also taken the glare out on the sunniest of days.

If you prefer a darker lens, the light transmission might be a little high when the sun is out on a cloudless day.

The lens optics are crystal sharp, giving excellent clarity for both short and long distances. The orange lens has a shade of purple on the inside that produces realistic colours.

The one-piece lens attaches to the frame with a locking system that secures both edges of the lens and a clip in the middle that gives a firm hold with not a hint of movement or noise when using them.

It's a simple process, taking less than a minute to completely remove and replace the lens, though sadly it isn't something you will likely need to do that often, as separate lenses aren't available. Also, the only two lens tints available both offer almost the same percentage of light transmission, with only the colour being different.

The frame fits my head shape nicely, and the arms are long enough to offer a secure hold without interfering with any of my helmets – something I have had issues with, with other glasses.

The ends of the arms feature a non-slip coating, and while this doesn't cover a huge area, it is effective – the glasses stayed in place at all times, when used both on and off-road on bumpier terrain.

Both arms feature a removable coloured insert, the colour depending on the model; it's red on these glasses, and silver/graphite on the other. Removing them is meant to allow more airflow, but I didn't notice any difference.

If you like to colour code your kit, the ability to remove and replace these in just a few seconds could make them a nice accessory, but, as with the lenses, they aren't available separately at present.

The lens shape is reasonably small, but does give full eye coverage. I could feel air very close to my eyes, and expected it to be a problem, but it didn't cause any issues at all, even when riding off-road in wet/muddy conditions. The shape helps with airflow and the only time I had issues with fogging was on one very humid day while riding a steep, off-road track at walking pace; as soon as my riding speed increased, they cleared.

While not the very cheapest glasses available, they do offer a big saving over more well known brands, such as Oakley and Rudy Project, which are usually over £100.

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They compare well in performance terms with glasses at a similar price, such as the Alpina S-Way CM+ at £85 and Endura FS260-Pros, although the Enduras do come with three lenses as standard. I think the Crit's performance and clear optics make them well worth the money.

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Overall, they're very good all-round glasses that I have reached for almost every day since they arrived to test. They work well in almost all light conditions, don't fog up very easily, and the optics are perfect.

Verdict

Very good all-round glasses with clear optics that work in a wide range of light conditions