J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by admin

bandit wrote:Pabs and Admin I'm very interested in the Crowbars.

See how good we are to you?

8)

We've had a few discussions crop up this season, so I thought I'd kick off a dedicated thread with my experiences.

About me - this is important because you're probably not exactly the same as me (if you're lucky!), so your mileage will vary...

I'm short-sighted but not desperately so; I can ski quite happily without correction but prefer to wear prescription sunnys or glasses under goggles if I can. Never got on with contacts and once spent a merry afternoon helping a mate look for one on a mountain (if you think looking for a ski in powder is tricky... although, amazingly, we did find it... ).

Goggles over Glasses

Has worked fine for me over many years. Quite a few goggle styles will fit, not just the specifically branded OTG models, but it is essential to try them on with your own specs. Fairly obviously, the smaller and narrower your specs are then the more options you have.

Glass lenses (in your spectacles) are really not a good idea; apart from the safety concern they also mist up quicker than plastic lenses.

Fogging can be a major issue so your goggles will need to be well ventilated. There are various anti-misting products that can be applied to your spectacle lenses and they're definitely worth getting.

Lens Shape

Goggles have two lens shapes - cylindrical (most common) and spherical (most expensive - in general). I'm not aware of any spherical lens goggles that are designated as OTG; but that doesn't mean they won't fit your specs!

When my last pair of cheap goggles started coming apart at the start of this season I had a look at the spherical lens options and, following some very helpful usability testing by Mr Plasma Rosscabar (wearing his Dad's glasses), invested in some Oakleys.

So... this season I have been mainly wearing Crowbars...

Oakley Crowbars

Bloody hell why didn't I do this earlier?

In common with several other models, the Crowbar is really a "system" - with a couple of dozen different colors / patterns of frame and a similar number of clip in/out lenses.

The quality of the lenses is impressive, and much better than anything I've had before.

Although they do fit over my specs, it is a tight fit and I found them uncomfortable so have been mostly wearing them without (specs).

I've found the Persimmon lens very effective in rapidly changing and poor light and found the claims about increased contrast to be justified - to the extent that it went some way to compensating for the lack of specs in my case.

For info, my spec frame measures 136mm across (width measured where the hinges are) - 5 to 10mm narrower would be fine I reckon. My lenses are about 50x30mm.

The Crowbars are very well ventilated and look and feel like a quality product so, providing my son doesn't leave them in a gondola (anyone else owned a pair of goggles for only the length of a gondola ride?!?), they should last for years...

If you can find some in a late season sale then go for it - also worth price-shopping the lenses as they're a) expensive and b) prices do vary a fair bit.


I did try some Sinner OTGs last year but, TBH, they were pretty poor; strap not long enough to fit on a helmet, foam padding started to disintegrate as I was trying them on, etc...

HTH,

Admin wrote:However... there does appear to be a bug here too - occasionally the BB code appears anyway, but seems to be curable simply by editing and re-saving the message.

We think we've now fixed this - so if you see any oddness when saving messages, please let me know... ta,

Ian Wickham wrote:Polite convivial conversation you can't beat it :wink:

Morning all. Coffee anyone? Do pass the marmalade.

He swims with the fishes...

Dids1 wrote:Cept people like the bank manager and stuff...

Yep, they call her Mrs Bandit.

AJ wrote:... corned beef hash ... pancake`s ...

:shock:
You really don't want that to be sticking to your ceiling. Hoping for traditional sugar and lemon myself...

I should be having lunch!

Oooo excellent idea and interesting technology but two main problems at the moment...

- That price ($200!) will get you two pairs of top quality goggles... or some decent frames and 2 or 3 lenses, for example.

- The lens is cylindrical rather than spherical (I'd assume that's a current limit of the LC technology?).

So wait for the Mk2, sensibly-priced and spherical lens version I reckon...

...now if they added auto light sensing that would be cool - imagine skiing down a sunlit run and then into shade through the trees and having your goggles react instantly to the change in light...