Photochromic Clear/black Iridium Lens Experience?

[steveadorjan]

Has anyone tried these for a longer period in different light conditions? The lens tint description is somewhat misleading, as it says "activated 10% - faded 60%" transmission, while for other photochromics/transitions, the descriptions usuall give the range of transmission between the two extreme values. I'm just wondering if the clear/BI lens has gradations of shading or just two positions (either 10% or 60%, but nothing in between). And do they really work as well as a regular Black Iridium lens in bright sun? There was a Bikeradar review of them that claimed they were nowhere near as dark in their activated state.

 

[doowutchyalike]

Yeah, I have a few pairs of the photochromic and they are no where near as dark as a regular black iridium. They're good for outdoor activities where you see a lot of light and shade, like maybe mountain biking or golf, but overall, I'd much rather just have a VR28 or blk iridium than a transition lens.

 

[steveadorjan]

Thanks much for the honest advice. This is what I've been wary of, though some people seem to like them. But there are no reviews of the clear/BI lens on O-review.

 

[doowutchyalike]

The other thing I don't like is they don't get dark enough to even block out your eyes from the outside, unless they have the iridium coating.

 

[Eckstream1]

While I don't own any Oakley photochromic products...
I do own a Transitions SolFX shield for my motorcycle helmet.

I commute on my motorcycle and was tired of carrying two shields so I picked one up...
I'm very pleased with it. While it isn't as dark as my Dark Smoke shield... Its dark enough.

It transitions pretty quick too... Maybe 15sec or less from full clear to full tint.

I'd say go for it...

 

[steveadorjan]

I'm specifically interested in the clear/BI tint (I'm not even sure this tint is still made by Transitions, as some of the older Oakley photochromic lenses)

 

[Yohan]

Has anyone tried the transition lens for mountain biking? I wonder if the transition is fast enough to compensate for the constant changing light on the trails between sun and shade. I currently use a clear lens which is a happy medium between light and dark conditions.

 

[Fun's Way]

Has anyone tried the transition lens for mountain biking? I wonder if the transition is fast enough to compensate for the constant changing light on the trails between sun and shade. I currently use a clear lens which is a happy medium between light and dark conditions.

The answer is NO! The transition is not fast enough in those condition!

Some of my friends in Shanghai. CHINA go moutain biking from time to time. As they stated:
The lense's transition is only quik enough for outdoor/indoor condition while it gives about at least 5+ seconds to do so, base on the enviroment. But while during moutain biking, the sunny/shade part of the trail changes in turn pretty fast. Especially when it's on those trails which have big trees on both sides or over your head. The leafs of those trees forms small sunny and shade dots on the ground, your eyes will still get sparkle a little (but far more comfortable because of the UV protection compare to naked eyes) when U passing by even ware OAKLEY Transion RADAR.

In addition, I borrowed an M-Frame with Transition lense once about 1 year ago and used it for 1 week when riding a bycicle. There are some road/street have the same light conditon where there are trees on road sides just as my friends mentioned above, and my own experience is the lense tint just stays in middle (usually 20-30%) at most of the time. I did tried how it would feel when I take the M-Frame off one time...and my eyes go @%$!&*#$$^ on me surddenly !

I had to addmit, the transition lense does not change tint that fast, but still very good for various light condition!

 

[steveadorjan]

I was not even planning to use them on my MTB, precisely for the same reasons. But the more I read about them, the more inclined I am to simply go with non-transitions and get 2-3 lenses with a switchlock-frame (probably the new Radar Locks) for cycling. My other worry is that there seem to be a lot of complaints about transitions wearing out/slowing down/fading with time.

 

[RetinaBurn]

Transition lenses do have a shelf life, I thinks it's two or three years. They do get pretty dark, if your unsure how dark. If you can try a pair, cover one side with your hand or a Microclear bag and hold them out in the sun for 5 or so minutes and then go inside and see the difference between the two lenses. I was surprised at how dark the lenses got.