If you ride in changeable conditions – and if you live in the UK, you inevitably do – then sometimes it’s hard to pick eyewear that’s going to work all day. The USP of these Povec C1 Performance Sunglasses is that you can change the tint from light to dark almost instantaneously. It’s a good party trick, it works well, and they are nice glasses to wear too. They’re certainly better than photochromics for some riding, but they don’t cover as wide a range of use cases as some.
The C1s are a pretty normal looking pair of half-frame riding glasses with a yellow mirror tint lens and a black frame. You can also have a green lens and white hardware, or any combination of those. They weigh 40g, and they feel just like normal sunnies, even though they’re a bit heavier than many.
The yellowish lens is a Cat 2 tint and is good for cloudy conditions and early mornings. What sets them apart though is the lens technology.
There’s an electrochromic layer on the inside of the lens powered by a tiny battery in the frame. The only real tell is a well-covered USB-C port to charge them up. Opening the glasses out (mind your fingers in the hinges, they’re a bit bitey) turns the system on, and a swipe of the logo on either arm of the glasses activates the electrochromic layer, which darkens the lens down to a Cat 3, and also shifts the colour balance towards a daylight blue.
The idea is that you can swap between light tint and dark tint whenever you want – kind of like a photochromic lens, but the difference is the speed of the change.
How quickly do they change? Well, Povec’s claim is that you can, “Choose the right tint level in under 1 second,” and that’s sort of true. The reality is that they’re quite a bit quicker going from dark to light than they are the other way around. Swipe to lighten them up and that genuinely does take about a second. Going the other way the change is a bit more gradual – but we’re still only talking 2-3 seconds, not the 30-60 seconds you might wait for your photochromics to adjust.
The obvious use case for this tech is: you’re riding along on a bright, sunny day, and you suddenly dart into dense tree cover. If you’re wearing standard sunglasses, you just have to style it out, and even if you’ve got photochromics on they’re not going to change in time to let you see any better. With the C1s, you can see the darkness coming, swipe to lighten them up, and be better prepared for the gloomy bit.
I’ve done this plenty of times on my test rides, and I can confirm that being able to see okay is definitely better than the alternative. They’re also good for days when you’re starting early, in the half light, when it’s going to be bright later, and they also work well for showery days when the quality of the light can change significantly under a dark rain cloud.
Sometimes I’d get confused and swipe them light when they were already light, and then they’d go dark. The colour profile of the two lenses is quite different, but your eyes are very clever at adjusting to that, so it’s not always obvious which mode you’re in.
The quality of the lens is good. You get a nice wide field of vision and the lens is clear and distortion-free across its whole area. The nature of the lens – it’s more than one layer sandwiched together – means you do get the odd artefact from bright light sources where the light is bouncing around within the lens, and sometimes a bit of fringing around brighter things too. So it’s not the absolute best lens I’ve used in terms of clarity, but it’s certainly not a deal breaker.
The lenses shed water pretty well in the rain and the IP65 ingress rating means that I wouldn’t be worried about them in a downpour.
The USB-C port is hidden under the arm and well-protected by a snug rubber cover. The battery life is a claimed 28 days based on four hours a day of use, and I haven’t had to charge them since an initial charge at the start of testing.
Value and conclusion
So, the answer to the question, “Do they work?” is, “Yes, they do”. And the answer to the question, “Should you buy them?” is, well, a bit more nuanced.
At £249, these are expensive specs, for sure, but their point of difference is a technology that could be genuinely useful. If your eyes struggle to adapt to changing conditions – and I’m finding that as I get older that’s increasingly the case – then you might find these are a useful addition to your ride gear.
Personally I’d like to see them a bit more usable in real low light conditions. The light lens is just about okay in the dark, but it’s a bit too tinted to be ideal, and the lens clarity issues, though slight, are more noticeable.
There’s nothing to directly compare them to. You can get some great photochromic pairs including the Magicshine Morpher and the Van Rysel NXT for well south of a hundred quid, but you’re not really comparing apples with apples there.
The C1s won’t be for everyone, but they certainly have a place in the market and it’s possible they’ll be just what you’ve been looking for.
Test Report
What does the manufacturer say about this product?:
Precision Tint Control. On Demand.
Choose the right tint level in under 1 second as light conditions change.
Swipe. Switch. Go.
A simple swipe puts instant tint control at your fingertips, keeping you focused on what’s ahead.
1-Second Tint Control
React instantly to changing light, from harsh glare to sudden shade, without breaking your pace.
Built as Gear, Not a Gadget.
More than smart technology, engineered for real outdoor performance with impact-tested protection.
Any further comments on quality?:
Nicely made, the hinges can catch you though
Any further comments on performance?:
The USP works well. Not quite as quick as advertised going light to dark – a few lens artefacts
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested?:
You can get great Photochromics for as little as £60 but it’s not really the same thing
Any further comments on fit?:
No issues, bridge isn’t adjustable but I found it comfy
Any further comments on weight?:
Heavier than standard riding specs but not really that noticeable
Any further comments on comfort?:
Didn’t really think about them once they were on
Any further comments on lens quality?:
Good quality lenses with clever tech
Any further comments on lens field of vision?:
Full coverage
Any issues with durability?:
None
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Maybe
Would you recommend the product to a friend?
Maybe depending on their needs
Use this box to explain your overall score
Overall I think they’re good: they don’t have universal appeal but they work and do a specific job that I think some people will definitely want
About the tester
Age: 54Height: 189cmWeight: 104kg
I usually ride: whatever I’m testing…My best bike is: Dward Design Custom Audax, Lauf Úthald, Cannondale Topstone
I’ve been riding for: Over 20 yearsI ride: Every dayI would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: Road racing, Gravel riding, Indoor riding, Indoor racing, Bikepacking, Commuting, Touring, Club riding, Audax, Fitness riding, Leisure riding
1 thought on “Povec C1 Performance Sunglasses review – change from light to dark in an instant”
Undoubtedly this is clever technology, but I wonder about the safety aspect of having to take your hands off the handlebar to switch modes. I get that the rapid response rate improves things to a degree but if I go from sunlight to shade on a poor quality road (of which there are many, as we know) do I want to take one hand off the bar in order to lighten my glasses….? Photochromatic may be slower but will get there without intervention (and at far less than half the cost).