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Glasses
Lazer Solid State SS1 glasses Lazer Solid State SS1 glasses Lazer Solid State SS1 glasses
Lazer SS1 Gloss Black-Red

Lazer Solid State SS1 glasses

7
by Mike Stead
UPDATED Wed, May 24, 2017 17:06

First Published May 24, 2017

5
£59.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Versatile performance glasses that should suit most riders, at a reasonable price, if you can rock the full-pro look
Weight: 
34g
Contact: 
www.madison.co.uk
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The Lazer Solid State SS1 glasses are a comfortable choice for riding fast in different lighting conditions. Visibility is excellent, and they stay put on your face. If you like the look and have a small-to-medium-sized head, they're one to consider.

Included in the SS1 package are three lenses – a mirrored multicolour-finish dark lens, a yellow high-contrast lens and a clear lens. There's a zipped and lined hard case and also a soft cloth bag for cleaning and storage, meaning if you put one lens in the cloth bag in between the glasses and the third lens, you can keep the whole system scratch-free for choice at the start of a ride.

> Find your nearest dealer here

The contact points at nose and temple are a hydrophilic rubber that gets grippier as it moistens, meaning they don't move on your face when you're sweaty and working hard.

Lazer SS1 Gloss Black-Red.jpg

The frame comes well above eyebrow level, positioning it out of sight even with the head tilted down in an aero position. The minimalist nosepeice doesn't protrude into the field of vision either. Lazer recommends the SS1 for 'small to medium' heads, and I'd agree – I had to adjust the temples to optimise the pressure, but for someone who typically wears size large helmets/hats, it was still possible to get a comfortable fit.

I found the glasses stayed put, either over a skullcap or directly on skin, and no amount of violent headshaking could dislodge them. The small vents at the corners of the lens do the job, keeping things fog-free.

Lazer SS1 Gloss Black-Red - lenses.jpg

With a three-lens system, ease of swapping is key. The nosebridge is held in place by a metal clip that sits into indentations on the lens, and I did have it fall out on one occasion after removing the glasses post-ride. Luckily I noticed, and replacement nose and earpieces are available from distributor Madison for £8. Swapping lenses out is relatively easy and do-able by holding the edges so as not to smudge things. There are two photochromic options (not tested) should you want one lens to rule them all.

Value-wise, the road.cc guide to buying cheap glasses (link below) shows you don't need to spend £60 on a pair of cycling sunnies, but what the Lazers have over most of these others is adjustable temples and nosebridge, to get a perfect fit that stays put. Others to consider are the BBB Select at the same price, and the Salice 011 RWs.

> Buyers Guide: 10 of the best cheap cycling glasses

The Solid State SS1 is a good package. They stay put, are fog-free on hard, slow climbs, the lenses are easy to swap and the visibility is faultless, even head-down. I'd like to see dedicated storage for the lenses in the hard case, and the nosebridge does need a bit of paying attention to during lens swapping, but these are minor niggles for the price and overall value.

Verdict

Versatile performance glasses that should suit most riders, at a reasonable price, if you can rock the full-pro look

road.cc test report

Make and model: Lazer Solid State SS1 glasses

Size tested: Gloss Black-Red

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

They are for value-conscious riders who can rock the pro look and want to ride in all weathers and times of the day or night.

Lazer says: "The Solid State eyewear gives you pro rider style combined with top level performance. The shield lens provides solid covering and a wide field of view while the vents make sure it doesn't fog up. The lens is made of 100 % shatterproof PC material that provides UVA and UVB protection. And with the help of the adjustable temples and hydrophilic rubber nosepiece the eyewear stays solid on your face. The Solid state suits people with a small to medium face and comes delivered with a hardcase and cleaning bag. Additionally the Solid State also comes as crystal photochromic or melanin injected photochromic version."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Lazer lists these features:

Lazer flexframe technology

Grilamid TR-90 Nylon material is used for the frames on the eyewear. This combined with adjustable temples and adjustable nosepieces allow for a customizable fit. The flex technology means that your frame is nearly indistructible and will survive a crash without problems.

Flex adjustable temples

Optivent lens venting system

Strategically placed cuts and slits are placed into the lens to increase airflow, thus reducing the lens of fogging up.

Ultragrip nose & temple pieces

All the Lazer eyewear uses Hydrophilic Rubber temples and nosepieces to increase grip when wet, thus helping to keep the eyewear in place during exercise on a hot day.

Hard case & cleaning bag incl.

photochromic lens options

Along with a standard photochromic lens, Lazer is excited to launch a photochromic lens that is injected with synthetic Melanin. Melanin is found in your skin, eyes and hair and is the body's natural defense against harmful UV rays. The use of synthetic Melanin in our sunglass lenses gives the same effect as using 140spf sun tan lotion but for your eyes. The result is that Lazer Melanin Photochromic lenses block 100% of UVA, UVB and UV400 rays while still changing colors automatically so that you can use one pair of sunglasses all day long in a vast range of light conditions.

Light transmission: 31% to 12%

Usage: Variable mid to full sunlight

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
6/10

Nose clip needs working on.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
 
8/10

I was borderline for fit, but they were comfy.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very well.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The visibility – that's what glasses are all about.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The nosebridge clip annoyed me.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

They're pretty good, if you can rock the look, but would get an 8 if Lazer refined the nosebridge clip and included separate storage.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 43  Height: 183cm  Weight: 72kg

I usually ride: Merida Ride 5000 Disc  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo-cross, club rides, general fitness riding, mountain biking, Dutch bike pootling

Lazer Solid State SS1 glasses 2017
Lazer Solid State SS1 glasses
Lazer 2017
Lazer
Mike Stead

Living in the Highlands, Mike is constantly finding innovative and usually cold/wet ways to accelerate the degradation of cycling kit. At his happiest in a warm workshop holding an anodised tool of high repute, Mike's been taking bikes apart and (mostly) putting them back together for forty years. With a day job in global IT (he's not completely sure what that means either) and having run a boutique cycle service business on the side for a decade, bikes are his escape into the practical and life-changing for his customers.

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5 comments

Avatar
simondbarnes | 7 years ago
0 likes

I have the photochromic version of these, they are excellent

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The _Kaner replied to simondbarnes | 7 years ago
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simondbarnes wrote:

I have the photochromic version of these, they are excellent

Just got a set. I can't fault the lens.

However the frames are tiny...and I have a tiny head. 

These are temple/skull crushers...maybe I need to wear them more and allow them to relax!

Avatar
Grahamd | 7 years ago
0 likes

Think the styling is rather bold, probably likely to divide opinion, I hate them.

Avatar
TypeVertigo | 7 years ago
0 likes

There's a photochromic version of the SS1 too. Usefully still cheaper than, say, Rudy Project or Oakley equivalents

Avatar
mike the bike | 7 years ago
0 likes

 

Getting a hung-over Jack Whitehall to model the specs was a masterstroke.

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