TESTED - SCOTT AMPLIFIER GOGGLE
By Chad de Alva
Goggles are one of the most undervalued pieces of riding gear. Many riders just treat them as something that looks cool instead of as something that quite literally changes how they see the world. Think about it – goggles not only moderate the light that reaches the wearer’s eyes, but they provide protection from dust, dirt, water, impacts, and they have to do all of this (ideally) without fogging up. In other words, goggles do so much more than help you look cool in the rest of your Power Ranger riding costume. Scott Sports has been making moto goggles for more than 50 years, and their Prospect Amplifier Goggles are some of the most impressive moto goggles that I’ve ever worn.
Amplifier goggle lenses are different than many other goggle lenses on the market, in that they’re specifically designed to enhance certain wavelengths of light. By highlighting the blue, orange and red segments of the visible light spectrum, Amplifier lenses make a significant difference in contrast and clarity when compared to other lenses that just randomly reduce certain segments of the visible light spectrum. With Amplifier lenses, your eyes get more of the spectrum that helps you better read the terrain. The result is something that you have to see with your own eyes to fully appreciate.
Before we go any further it’s worth mentioning that I have an FAA Medical Certificate, meaning I’ve been tested to determine that I do not have any type of color blindness. Although my eyes are certainly not perfect and since humans are all different, the experience you have with any pair of goggles may be different than what I experience. Now with that disclaimer out of the way, let’s get back to the test.
Riding with a pair of Amplifier goggle lenses is kind of like watching a High Definition TV for the first time. Colors do indeed pop more, and you can see better definition in both bright and dark areas. With improved definition in bright light, you can now determine that your line up the sand dune is in fact up a slip face, which means it’s a trap. With better vision in the shadows, you can tell that the big ledge hiding under that tree is too big to just wheelie up. With Amplifier lenses, bright areas are never blown out and dark areas still retain definition. Across the board, Amplifier lenses help you see better, improving your ability to read terrain and makes for a safer and more enjoyable riding experience.
Scott has been making moto goggles for the better part of a century now, and in that time they’ve learned how to make a truly top shelf goggle. Amplifier lenses come housed in Scott’s Prospect frame, and after a couple of years of running Prospect goggle frames with other lenses, I can confidently say that Prospects are a great goggle option. The Prospect frame features three-layer foam, articulated outriggers, and plenty of ventilation making them a great goggle by any measure. I have had zero issues with Prospect goggles fogging up or having random compatibility issues on any helmet that I’ve paired them with, which is more than I can say for other goggles I’ve used in the past.
The Prospect uses Scott’s lens lock system, which is a great intersection between ease of lens changing and lens retention. Magnetic lens retention systems are all the rage, but I’ve had magnet systems fail to seal more than once or unseal during a ride which let dust inside my goggles. Yet, the lens lock system is an easy-to-use mechanical fastening system that uses four locks to hold a lens in place, so once it’s locked in, it is sealed up and NOT coming out. This system has proven to be the best of both worlds – great retention and a fairly easy lens change process. It’s not as fast as a magnet system, but it’s much stronger and better sealed. It’s also much better than trying to line up a bunch of slots and tabs like lens retention systems on other goggles.
The only critique I can level against the Prospect frame is that its wider nose bridge can randomly tickle the nose of wearers with narrower noses. This is the result of the way the frame sits on the face of wearers with a narrower nose, and it’s usually something that a little positioning adjustment or goggle strap tension adjustment can fix. Yet more than one tester has reported experiencing this distracting nose tickling, so it’s something to be aware of.
The Scott Prospect Goggle with Amplifier rose lens has proven to be an outstanding goggle system. The Amplifier lens works great at any time of day and in riding conditions ranging from open desert under a mid day sun, to canyon chasing at last light. Speaking of last light, Amplifier lenses make sunsets next level. To be clear, I have yet to encounter a situation where the Amplifier lens has negatively impacted my riding experience, or where I’ve found myself wishing I had a different pair of goggles. I haven’t had any issues with fogging either. Prospects with Amplifier lenses are easy enough to disassemble and clean, and at this point they are a known quantity that I can count on for outstanding performance, comfort (as long as the nose bridge is properly positioned), and vision like no other goggle I’ve ever worn. Goggles are commonly a piece of riding gear that is style driven, but if you want to experience what goggle performance can do for your riding enjoyment, give a pair of Scott Prospects with an Amplifier lens a try. For more information, visit the www.scott-sports.com
This story was originally published in Issue 67
