Note that this article is not sponsored by YouZee. I purchased the glasses myself and am not associated with the company in any way for this test.
It’s not a secret anymore: social networks know us better than our own entourage. Websites all over the internet are plastered with targeted ads. Although most of them are useless, some of them are creative, some of them even create needs. This is exactly what happened to me in the middle of July. While reading an article online, I was suggested the “ultimate” solution to my vision problems while snowmobiling: “clips” that fit into any type of ski, motocross or snowmobile goggles. Since I wear glasses and contact lenses are a nightmare for my eyes, it seems too good to be true. Intrigued, I clicked.
Description
So today I present YouZee. As I browse through their website, I’m looking for only one thing: confirmation that the glasses don’t fog when it’s cold. I quickly find this confirmation on a page where a pro ski rider explains how extraordinary this product is. For me, it is already too late, I am convinced and I already have my credit card in hand. After finding a coupon online, my order finally cost me a hair over $200CA (I had to pay customs clearance fees). It’s still summer and I’m already looking forward to trying this promising product.
A few months later…
Finally, winter has arrived and I can go try my clips! The installation is ridiculously easy to do: just pinch the glasses on each side and insert them in the glasses of our helmet. Note that it takes a full-face helmet with goggles to be able to wear the YouZee.
I was able to try the goggles on and off-trail. After too many years of straining my eyes, it’s really great to finally be able to read the signs without having to stop on the side to take the time to read them! In the powdery snow, I can identify the reliefs better again. What a luxury!
A small drawback in terms of look though… it’s not very pretty. When you look closely, you can easily see the YouZee through the glasses. Personally, it doesn’t shock me too much, and even on the contrary, it piqued the curiosity of several people who found the concept really interesting! I believe that in a vision context, usefulness comes before looks. Moreover, wearing dark or mirrored goggles would be an easy solution to not see the YouZee through the glasses anymore.
It’s all about air circulation
As far as fogging is concerned, both on and off-trail, my conclusion is the same: it’s a question of air circulation. Off-trail, with a setup that lets air in and out efficiently, no fogging occurs in the goggle. However, if something changes and the air outlet is obstructed, fogging will quickly occur. In addition, unlike our goggles, the lens is not in direct contact with the air outside the helmet and therefore does not evacuate the fog when you start riding again. Once the fog is trapped, it quickly turns into ice and vision becomes obstructed. This happened to me once or twice throughout the season, so it’s not dramatic!
On the trail, I noticed that you have to be more generous than usual with the airflow level. Normally, I like to close my air vents to avoid getting frostbite, but I noticed that with the Youzee, the air doesn’t flow well and goes directly into the goggle. Note that I wore the clips with a mountain helmet that has more air inlets than a standard helmet, which is certainly not ideal for trail riding.
To conclude, I am personally happy with my purchase of the YouZee clips, despite their rather high price. However, I wouldn’t recommend them systematically; if you can handle contact lenses, I would advise you to stick to them to avoid adding a variable that can make your glasses fog up. Also, if you have trouble getting a helmet setup that doesn’t fog, you may be frustrated. However, if you have control over the airflow in your helmet and can’t wear contact lenses, the YouZee are a great alternative! Also, I’m sure pairing them with a pair of heated goggles could offer better results, but that’s a project for next season!
