Smith Wildcat £165

Weight 32g

The Wildcat glasses are built upon a lens that offers the same size and eye protection as some of Smith’s goggles – so you can get a good idea as to the coverage we are talking about.

The Wildcat glasses have a full frame design that does creep into your peripheral vision. However, thanks to the larger and deeper lens, the effect is less distracting. Opt for a lighter coloured frame and it becomes less noticeable again.

They sit comfortably on your face, thanks to an adjustable-width nosepiece that minimises pressure on your nose. This has a soft rubber construction that supposedly grips to sweaty skin. This same material is found at the ends of the arms.

The width means the glasses don’t apply a lot of pressure to the temples. This can be a double-edged sword – it minimises any discomfort, but it does mean the Wildcats can slip a little when moving vigorously.

The Wildcat glasses don’t have the same level of curvature as many other ‘performance’ style glasses, so they sit away from the face at the sides a little more. This prevents them from fogging a little better than styles that tend to sit closer to the face, although it does also allow a little more wind or debris to infiltrate.

The optical clarity of the Chromapop lens and the additional included clear lens is faultless, with zero distortion. I also really like the way the Chromapop lens maintains object definition, even under tree cover and in lower light.

Despite the red-mirrored tint, the lens maintains your vision in true colour, with just a hint of grey that actually makes green hues really ‘pop’.

Lens swapping is very simple and both frame and lens can cope with a lot of abuse. I have been using the same set of Wildcat glasses for well over a year of continuous use and the lenses have picked up minimal scratches.

The only other thing to note with the Wildcats, is that there might be a little integration issue with some helmets owing to the large size.

Lenses: Chromapop Red Mirror, Chromapop Black Colour: Matte Black, Matte Moss,

Matte Citron www. smithoptics.com

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