2021 Anti Fog Thread

brylishehers

brylishehers

Active member
hey this is my third thread :party

I searched a bit but can't find anything recent. Could you please let me know what possible solutions you know that work to prevent/reduce fogging for:

A. My Prescription eye glasses (no anti-glare coating)
B. My Prescription Sun Glasses (anti-glare coating, polarized, close to mirror lenses)

During the winter it's COLD to open my visor so my glasses don't fog. Not to mention it's a distraction to have to open my visor when I have to stop at red lights etc.

I've tried this $11 "treated" micro-fiber cloth from my optometrist which I basically does nothing.

I've tried Optix 55 Anti-Fog treatment which helps a bit but once the lenses fog up it's like they're slowly dripping the treatment off.

Any smart solutions? I do have contacts but that doesn't help for during the day I'd just have to wear sun glasses because I'm a big baby and my eyes are super sensitive to light, and I have a mild astigmatism which my glasses correct for more accurately than contacts so at night I want the BEST POSSIBLE vision so I wear my glasses.
 
kuksul08

kuksul08

Suh Dude
You have to endure the pain and keep your face shield cracked about 1/2". Wear a balaclava to help with the cold air on your face. It's really the only way around this. They make some nice insulated ones for cheap that make a HUGE difference.

Once at speed (20+), close the shield and open the vents on your helmet that direct air into the face shield or mouth area to keep the fog at bay.

Anti-fog coatings generally make the image blurry once they get saturated so it's not a perfect solution.
 
brylishehers

brylishehers

Active member
kuksul08 said:
You have to endure the pain and keep your face shield cracked about 1/2". Wear a balaclava to help with the cold air on your face. It's really the only way around this. They make some nice insulated ones for cheap that make a HUGE difference.

Once at speed (20+), close the shield and open the vents on your helmet that direct air into the face shield or mouth area to keep the fog at bay.

Anti-fog coatings generally make the image blurry once they get saturated so it's not a perfect solution.
Click to expand...

good call I'll try that. Definitely have experienced the saturation.
 
cheez

cheez

Master Of The Darkside
I put a little rubber bumper, like the kind they stick on the bottoms of things (bump-ons), cut down a little bit, on the spot where the face shield seals with the chin bar, and it keeps it cracked just enough to de-fog without letting too much cold air in.

A Pinlock shield helps also, keeping the fog from being a problem on the face shield itself. Pinlock is a specialized shield + a fog-eating insert solution, works pretty ok. Does nothing for the glasses tho, so I mind the face shield gap.
 
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Lowerside

Lowerside

Well-known member
I use https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00BMSGU1W/ on the inside of my sunglasses and they're alright for a few days. The coating will get overwhelmed if it's a particularly bad day though.

I just got some rain-x that I'm gonna try on the outside facing part of my sunglasses on the next super-foggy day.
 
BillSmith

BillSmith

Mild Hawg
Yes, Cat Crap works. All of this stuff leaves some form of film which can distort vision. Trick is to work it in and leave as little product as provides relief from fogging.

Have a Pinlock on my helmet visor. Definitely the best for visor fogging.

Agree with those that advise to block or redirect breath. Balaclava works as does those dams that attach to chin of helmet.

Rain-X is a great product for car windshields. Have used on motorcycle shield and found it OK, mostly just easier to clean bugs. On glasses? The stock brand had no effect on fogging. If they make a specific product for glasses, have not used.
 
ScottRNelson

ScottRNelson

Mr. Dual Sport Rider
The only thing that works consistently for me is not riding when it is either raining or below 45 degrees. Above that temperature in dry weather and there is no fogging issue. :cool
 
RVFRick

RVFRick

Well-known member
Fogged glasses is a safety hazard that I do my best to manage. Contacts are a PITA and uncomfortable and Lasik is kinda pricey :rolleyes Does anyone make heated glasses? Sounds expensive and cumbersome if you can even find them.

Most anti-fogging sprays work by reducing the surface tension of the water. This encourages the formation of a thin sheet of moisture rather than thousands of tiny light scattering beads of water. A layer of water is optically better to look through.

The active ingredient in anti-fogging products is called a surfactant: "a substance which tends to reduce the surface tension of a liquid in which it is dissolved." Of course surfactant loses its effectiveness over time and will need to be reapplied. As you may know soap is a surfactant and there are DIY methods online where folks make their own spray solutions using soap or shampoo. I have yet to try any.

Addressing the source of moisture is also another approach. Deflecting exhalant (it's 100% humidity) away from glasses could be accomplished with a soft divider wall that connects helmet to face just below the glasses. It could prevent moist air from rising upward by directing it out the bottom of the helmet.

Myself, I open my visor partially or even fully to allow air to circulate and evaporate the condensation. At stoplights I pull my glasses away from my face a little to encourage air circulation and evaporate misting more quickly.
 
Gary856

Gary856

Are we having fun yet?
RVFRick said:
Does anyone make heated glasses? Sounds expensive and cumbersome if you can even find them.

Myself, I open my visor partially or even fully to allow air to circulate and evaporate the condensation. At stoplights I pull my glasses away from my face a little to encourage air circulation and evaporate misting more quickly.
Click to expand...

You're right that moisture condenses on cold glasses, and warm glasses are condensation free, so the strategy is to keep the glasses/lens warm. When it's cold out I'd put on the helmet indoors and close the visor before heading outdoors.

If you fully open the visor during stops, the glasses/lens get cold, and tend to fog up afterwards. It's a balancing act of allowing moist air to escape without letting the glasses get too cold.
 
RVFRick

RVFRick

Well-known member
Gary856 said:
You're right that moisture condenses on cold glasses, and warm glasses are condensation free, so the strategy is to keep the glasses/lens warm. When it's cold out I'd put on the helmet indoors and close the visor before heading outdoors.

If you fully open the visor during stops, the glasses/lens get cold, and tend to fog up afterwards. It's a balancing act of allowing moist air to escape without letting the glasses get too cold.
Click to expand...

I don't see how to realistically balance the equation. To maintain glasses temp above the dewpoint is not practical. They quickly cool to a point where fogging is unavoidable and my only real option is to open visor and evaporate fog.
 
smj

smj

Member
I think the fancy anti-glare coatings have changed in recent years and become fog magnets. The new glasses I got the year before last, with all the coatings, are fogging up instantly on me -- seems much worse than the glasses I picked up ~5 years before that.

Things like Smith's "No Fog Cloth" that have worked well for me on snowboarding goggles haven't made a bit of difference in this case. And this is happening in my old Arai Quantum II and a brand new Quantum-X - and I normally keep the visor cracked. Despite both helmets having a breath guard, and always having the mouth vent open, I have to remember to exhale through my mouth and direct it down most of the time.

Just received an anti-fog spray to try yesterday, but my other plan was to get a new pair of glasses with NO coatings of any kind and see how that goes. Even if they fog up, my hope is they'll respond to the various treatments better.
 
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moto-rama

moto-rama

Well-known member
Pin Lock!

Helmets with a functional vent in the Chin Bar are helpful as well.

I have a Schuberth C4 and it's actually not easy to fog it up. Surprised me, too. I have tried Every f-ing solution, and nothing really worked before. No goopy stuff, just Pinlock and Open Vent.

Years commuting in rain, fog, etc. believe me, i had given up. Weirdly, my Shoei pinlocks were never very effective, or Arai or AGV ... I tried 'em, but only the Schuberth worked. I avoided them for years, thinking they were "Too expensive" , "Too BMW", "Too Gear Guy".
 
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Tim-That CX Guy

Tim-That CX Guy

Resident Window Licker
Back like 35 years ago, at the Sonoma County fair, I bought this green wax anti fog stuff that just flat out worked. Nothing I put it on fogged up, at least when it was a relatively fresh coat.
Only saw it at the fair that one year, and I was not a happy camper when I ran out. Little container lasted about 5 years, but went pretty quickly once I started riding motorcycles and used it on my Bell "Vetter" helmet, one coat on the face shield lasted about a month before it would start to allow droplets to form.

No idea what it was used to make it, probably something toxic. Or radioactive.

God, I miss that stuff.

Interestingly enough, it was about the same color as Cat Crap wax.
 
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brylishehers

brylishehers

Active member
These are all brilliant replies thank you so much everyone. My helmet has zero issues with fogging up it has chin and dual head vents. My SHOEI pin lock is brilliant. My issue is my prescription eyeglasses or my prescription sunglasses mostly at rest. Even when I'm not wearing a helmet but am wearing a mask for COVID safety. I tried and returned OPTIX-55 treatment as it made my glasses goopy when without it my glasses would just get foggy. I think the goopyness may clear up a liiiitle faster than no treatment at all but it's not worth $16/bottle IMHO.
 
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