Automatic tinting antifog visor inserts

[IdunBrokdItAgin]

Has anyone tried the pinlock protectint insert, was thinking of getting one but wasn't sure if they are any good, ive read mixed reviews, any help would be appreciated

I purchased a protectint insert from the UK.

The first one seemed to have a glue like residue on the insert. Didn't notice it until some rain got into my helmet while I was carrying it. The water trail left an impression on the insert which I couldn't remove.

In the end had to send it back to the UK and got sent a replacement one.

I think it was a manufacturing defect rather than an intended part of the design though. Don't know if the replacement one has the same issue as it has never had water on it.

All in all they are fairly good and do tint quickly, but they only tint to the equivalent of a light smoke visor. Plus they are a bit expensive.

I ended up just buying a dark smoke visor as I wanted something darker.

[baptist]

In Auckland coming off the North Western there is a tunnel that can be a bit dark, always been a little worried about auto tinting glasses and visors as they seem to take a while to go clear, do these visors go clear instantly? I have a second external tinted visor that I am now very happy with. Pinlock for anti fogging though is brilliant.

[nanahc]

Really?.. I don't think I've ever actually come across a negative review of the Pinlock system.. It's fantastic, and pretty much the only downside I find is the price, although if you don't get a helmet that comes with it preinstalled, as I did, you'll either need to be pretty handy to get it installed without screwing up your visor, or get it done by someone else, as it requires drilling a pair of holes through the visor.

Anyway, I heartily recommend it, I pretty much bought my current helmet almost entirely because it did come with the Pinlock preinstalled, and I've found it to work wonders, it's certainly a lot more effective than sticky inserts like Fogcity, etc.

i meant the auto tinting insert. my helmet came with the pinlock but was wondering if the transition lens type insert works very well or not, dont want a full time smoked lens.

[Pussy]

i meant the auto tinting insert. my helmet came with the pinlock but was wondering if the transition lens type insert works very well or not, dont want a full time smoked lens.

As I've mentioned.... the Fog City "hyperoptiks" ones work VERY well. Just not sure if they are still available in NZ

[pritch]

I'm puzzled that people are still so stuck on pinlocks. They are old tech. Some brands now have coated visors which does away with all the stuffing about with vegetables, soaps, expensive proprietary products,... and pinlocks.

Unfortunately Arai is not one of the manufacturers that use coated visors. Yet?

Y'all will have to do your own research, mine is probably already out of date.

I have a Shark here, nearly four years old, and last time I checked the coating still worked.

[steve_t]

I'm puzzled that people are still so stuck on pinlocks. They are old tech. Some brands now have coated visors which does away with all the stuffing about with vegetables, soaps, expensive proprietary products,... and pinlocks.

Unfortunately Arai is not one of the manufacturers that use coated visors. Yet?

Y'all will have to do your own research, mine is probably already out of date.

I have a Shark here, nearly four years old, and last time I checked the coating still worked.

Are you talking about the anti-fog properties? Or the photochromic/photochromatic properties?

[pritch]

Are you talking about the anti-fog properties? Or the photochromic/photochromatic properties?

Anti-fog. I don't like photochromatic lenses because of their slowness to lighten if light fades. That though is entirely personal and relates to their being inappropriate in shooting applications.

[imdying]

I'm puzzled that people are still so stuck on pinlocks. They are old tech. Some brands now have coated visors which does away with all the stuffing about with vegetables, soaps, expensive proprietary products,... and pinlocks.

Because I've never found one that actually works half as well as pinlock.

I'll go and have a look at a Shark this week if I can find the time, anyone know where I can get one in Christchurch?

[Buyasta]

Because I've never found one that actually works half as well as pinlock.

I'll go and have a look at a Shark this week if I can find the time, anyone know where I can get one in Christchurch?

Avon City Suzuki stock Shark, not sure who else though.

EDIT: looks like anyone who's a Northern Accessories dealer should stock them, so also Budget Motorcycle Spares, Norjo, Pitlane, Rolling Thunder, Street & Sport, Superior Motorcycles, etc.

[imdying]

Cheers. They're not the prettiest, but I'll go and huff n puff on one to see what happens (the pinlock just laughs at me, I likey).

[Buyasta]

Cheers. They're not the prettiest, but I'll go and huff n puff on one to see what happens (the pinlock just laughs at me, I likey).

I find that while I can huff and puff to my hearts content without fogging, if it's rainy or foggy, it will start to fog up if I'm breathing heavily, unless I crack my visor.
Having said that, I'm still using the original visor and pinlock I got with the helmet about 4 years ago, and I suspect the seal on the pinlock is just worn out, and if I got a new insert it'd work fine.

I've read good things about Shark's treated visors, sadly they only appear to make helmets up to XL in most cases, and even XXL's are often a bit too small for me.

[imdying]

Nice, going to the pinlock was a revelation, so keen to see what else is out there.

[R-Soul]

One of teh best ones I have seen are made by an italian company - Raleri I think. The inserts are LCD, and they are powered by a solar collector. When the solar is not being collected, they stop making the insrert darker- it is apparently almost instantaneous. Except that the inserts seems a bit purple....

They also mave another one that works on a chemical basis - photochromic- as well as the electrical basis as described above - called LCDRIVE.


The insertion of a second screen on the inside of your visor will automatically work as doule glazing (at least for NZ conditons) and should prevent fogging up...

see:

http://www.raleri.com/new/prodottilcdriveuk.html

Only problem is that they are DAMN expensive...

[IdunBrokdItAgin]

i meant the auto tinting insert. my helmet came with the pinlock but was wondering if the transition lens type insert works very well or not, dont want a full time smoked lens.

Video example of how dark the pinlock insert goes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij3BOH7knw8


Gives you an idea of the amount of tint. It's fairly quick to darken (about 5 to 10 seconds), maybe slightly longer to go back to clear but as it is only light smoke you don't lose all your vision when going into a tunnel.

[IdunBrokdItAgin]

I purchased a protectint insert from the UK.

The first one seemed to have a glue like residue on the insert. Didn't notice it until some rain got into my helmet while I was carrying it. The water trail left an impression on the insert which I couldn't remove.

In the end had to send it back to the UK and got sent a replacement one.

I think it was a manufacturing defect rather than an intended part of the design though. Don't know if the replacement one has the same issue as it has never had water on it.

All in all they are fairly good and do tint quickly, but they only tint to the equivalent of a light smoke visor. Plus they are a bit expensive.

I ended up just buying a dark smoke visor as I wanted something darker.

Dredging up an old thread to give an update on the replacement protectint insert I received from pinlock:

As daylight saving has just happened, and I found myself riding in low light conditions at times, I decided to swap back to the protectint insert with a clear visor. The insert had been sitting around for about three months in a case.

When I checked the vision through the visor it was pretty poor.

The glue type residue was definitely there again and seemed to have attracted dust which had stuck to it. I attempted to wipe the dust off (again using a clean microfibre rag, and then water) but the residue just smudged everywhere making the insert unusable.

So, that's two for two of these inserts which have this issue.

My advice to anyone thinking about buying one is don't. They have a serious manufacturing issue which makes them unusable after a while.