REVIEWED: Adidas Eyewear Evil Eye Halfrim

AMB Tested the Evil Eye Halfrim glasses over many months – which is exactly how any product test should be. It gave us the opportunity to wear them in every kind of weather – from dusty to pouring rain, from fog to glaring sun – to find out just how versatile they are.

The Evil Eye Halfrims can be used with a variety of lenses – but this set came with a darker tint (LST Active). We also had some of the orange (LST Contrast) lenses to use. We found the Contrast lenses great for riding shady trail or to brighten up features on a grey day, or for most kinds of gravity riding, while the Active lenses were perfect for just about all other daytime riding.

LST Active for lots of sun at the Crocodile Trophy

LST stands for ‘Light Stabilising Technology’, and refers to the lenses’ capacity to harmonise changes from light to dark. In practise, LST lenses heighten contrast, meaning that different trail features – rocks, leaves, roots, sand, mud, etc. etc. stand out better, essential when you’re travelling through and around obstacles at speed. The Contrast lenses work particularly well wherever there’s lots of green – so around forest or grass – and we found them incredibly effective in dark rainforest or dense bush.

LST Contrast for the mix of forest and open scrub while at Atherton

Changing between lenses takes a couple of seconds, and while this tester did manage to break a pair of test glasses from another brand early in the year trying to do just that, the Evil Eyes were never a problem. You simply slide back the clip between the arm and the lens, swap them over, and slide it back again. The glasses also have adjustable arms that change the angle the glasses sit at for extra comfort.

The Evil Eye Halfrims are hydrophobic, and the first time I wore them in the rain I was astounded at the effect. Water simply runs off the outside surface, and while it by no means makes for perfect vision – there’s still a lot of condensation, droplets, and mud to worry about – it’s a big help. Muddy, wet conditions are when we need eye protection the most, so any eyewear that can withstand the worst of it gets a tick from AMB.

The only quibble I had when wearing these glasses was that the arm sometimes blocked my peripheral vision when I glanced behind me (I never had a problem while looking forwards). This was only ever a problem when I wore them road riding and just meant I had to bend my neck a little further to check behind me. It may be something to be conscious of if you ride in traffic.

You can, of course, buy extras for your Halfrims, including a removable brow pad to keep sweat out of your eyes, and other lenses, including clear gradient lenses and polarised.

Evil Eye Halfrims are available in small or large, and in a heap of colours, so it’s easy to find a set that will match your favourite kit, your helmet, or your bike.

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Hits

Fantastic, high-performance lenses, easy lens change, great range of colours

Misses

Arms blocked a bit of vision when looking behind me.

RRP: From $265