Gear Review - Smith Fuse Goggles and Smith Holt Helmet

[snorovr]

Last night I got to try out the Smith Fuse goggles and Smith Holt helmet that I picked up in the off season.

 

The Holt helmet feels great! I was a little worried that it didn't feel warm enough when I put it on, and was a little worried in the parking lot last night, but once I buckled up it was just as warm as my Giro Fuse that I retired. The strap and ear pads have plenty of padding, and stayed snug all night. The design of the strap will be quite familiar to skaters and bikers, as it uses the same style of adjustment that those sports helmets do.

The helmet breathes quite nicely, I didn't get moppy at all last night. We'll see how it does on warmer days in the spring. My goggles stayed in place all night, even though I didn't have them strapped in. The goggle keeper on the back is not like the loop that Giro uses, but more like a money clip, making it hard to get the buckle under that many goggle manufacturers have started putting on the strap. I think I'm just going to take the clip off, as my goggles that I'll likely be wearing the most have a silicone backed strap. As a fit comparison, my Giro Fuse in medium is a little too big, and Giro's smalls are a bit too small. The Smith in small fit me just right, leading me to suggest that if you are between sizes in a Giro look at your options in Smith lids. So far I give the helmet 4 stars out of 5. It loses a star because it doesnt have vents like the Giro Fuse that can be opened and closed on the fly. You have to take out the liner and then take out plugs, a minor inconvenience and the plugs are easily lost, so it loses a star.

 

Couldn't find pic of helmet. I'll take one later.

 

note: Shown is the Blue Mirror lens, which I also have but have not tried.

 

The Smith Fuse goggles... These guys did pretty well. I ran them with the Sensor Mirror lens, which is Smith's high-end night and cloudy day/snow lens. I really liked the lens, and the goggle didn't fog up all night even when hiking the rails for a while. My buddy has the same pair and he complained of fogging but after he took his bandana out from under the goggles did not have that problem again. The fit is where this goggle crashed and burned for me. I tried out a pair last year and they felt pretty good, but I didn't get to ski with them on a cold night. I was planning on using this pair as my night goggle since I like the lens so much, but don't know if I will anymore because the frame does not fit my face that well. Overall they performed great, but there are much better offerings for me in terms of fit. Smith marketed them to me as a small/medium fit, but I would recommend them for someone with a medium to large face. They would get 4 stars if they fit perfectly, because the optics were great and had no issues with fogging, but for now they sit at 2 and a half stars. I think I'm going to sell them in favor of something that fits better.

 

Another goggle review coming soon! Oakley Crowbars with Black Iridium Lens...

Edited December 6, 2006 by freeridintre