There is something powerful about a well known brand in our industry jumping up a level to compete with the big dogs in a market they previously had never ventured into.
That’s what EKS Brand has done with their all-new Lucid goggle that was released earlier this year.
I had previously inspected the OG of the EKS Brand goggles, the Gox, and was quite impressed by its simplicity and function. This was a targeted inspection approach that would allow us to see if the all new Lucid could live up to the OG. For those wanting to know if it does you will have to read on. I’m not giving that info away in the second paragraph of this inspection.
The Lucid is designed to take on the existing market competitors of the Scott Prospect, Oakley Airbrake and 100% Armega goggle options. Albeit from just below these goggles on a dollar value, but at the same level from a function and feature standpoint.
As a regular Scott Prospect user since they were brought to market a few years back, I had a reasonable comparison point to what I expected from the Lucid goggle if it was going to be able to compete in this product range. Now it’s been a long time since I got anything from Scott on a deal that was back when they were Xi goggles.
The Prospects as much as they have the bigger vision field and larger roll off film. I was never super impressed by the new offering from Scott in the Prospect and its fit compared to the older version. Possibly why during the Gox inspection I was quite surprised by how well a goggle, at a much lower price range, competed with my current go to high price, top end choice.
So how did the EKS Brand Lucid shape up?
In short – Impressed! The Lucid is stylish and has numerous colours and designs to choose from. Fashion is important but function is key. The Lucid definitely functions as well as it looks.
The Lucid has a very pre-curved goggle shape. This allows the goggle to really fit your face and seal onto your face inside the goggle port in your helmet. That means it’s actually on your face. Around the whole edge of the goggle foam. Something that other brands don’t always do depending on your face shape. Now it fits me in this aspect well. But I can’t speak for everyone. Big noses, round faces, crazy beards that go wild up the cheeks may affect how this sits so be sure to try it on for your own experience in this area.
There are no issues with the fit around the nose area. It doesn’t pinch your nose or restrict breathing. It does come with a nose guard as standard (Hell Yes!). So my main issue from the Gox review about my sensitive nose being exposed is not a concern. Bit of a side note. I have since found out you can get a Gox EKS-S model that is just above the GOx goggle we inspected that does have the nose guard. So call me impressed. I might be chasing a few pairs of these down in the near future.
Now in the Lucid range. I was lucky enough to have two pairs to inspect. One being the standard Lucid Patriot colorway. The other being the Lucid Fluro Yellow with the Zip-off system. Both come up very well in terms of looks on the goggle strap and the fit is the same. No issues with the zip-off system fitting in the goggle port of my Arai Vx Pro 4 helmet. The zip off canisters sit comfortably in front of the helmet and are easily accessible for the zip of string on the left hand side.
The Zip off system as expected comes with two zip of films from the box along with a zip off visor (A small plastic strip you stick on your lens above the zip off film to protect water from getting between the film and your lense). Interestingly, I was immediately drawn to the film lens setup and the placement of the nonstick measures on the lense. Other goggles have had multiple dimples across the lenses, others have two plastic strips to make eye ports essentially to prevent film sticking.
The Lucid’s have a top and bottom line to assist film movement. This took a few minutes to look past but as with most things you get used to it fairly quickly and don’t notice it, initially, you do feel like you’re looking through robocop’s slot goggle but that passes quickly. The zip off string pull fell was awesome. Very smooth. I have had issues with pull strips being heavy and mechanisms breaking mid moto’s and leading to goggles being thrown. But this system on the Lucid has been easy to operate and remained the same over the numerous hours of use it has been put through during this inspection.
So one point to raise. The Lucid definitely didn’t breathe (ventilate) as well as the Gox goggle inspected first. But it was as good as the other goggles used in the same top end range. I think the Gox was just exceptionally good in this department.
Any negatives I hear you asking? Not really. I mean, I say not really because I kind of liked the ventilation of the Gox range but these ventilate just fine. They fit well. The strap is large and doesn’t slip. They have a nose guard. Massive plus in my book. The Lense is locked in and reasonably easy to change given it’s a modern-day locked lense. If you have ever tried to change a Scott prospect lens you will know how difficult they can be. The Lucid is much easier. To top it off you’re getting a goggle from the top end range, at the bottom of the top end brands price range.
The Lucid Patriot starts from $139.95. Whilst the Zip of Flo Yellow’s starts from $179.95
The best part is that this is the first generation of the Lucid. So I would only expect these to improve. They currently already have access to various lens colours and tear offs etc. So if you want that top end feel for less. I’m on board with Lucid. They did outdo the Gox in the end also if you were wondering. Mainly because they had a nose guard, a firmer more sturdy feel to the frame and a larger visual field. They just look and feel better. As they should, given they are in a higher price range compared to its Gox range.
Now for something extra.
Do you have kids in need of Goggles? EKS Brand does a youth range as well. My 6yrs old pee wee loving daughter and my 4yr old Sherco electric balance bike speed demon son have been chasing Mum and Dad around for months now with the EKS Brand youth range on. Yes, they have a great pink strap goggle for the girls. My son seems to like his black and grey setup. There is another flo yellow colour in their youth range as well.
These are reasonably priced for the kids at $39.95.
Now in terms of inspections, getting info from the kids is like asking your brick wall if it likes your outfit on a Saturday night. But we have noticed on the little man that his small head bounces around a bit due to his small stature.
The goggle does tend to get pushed up easily by his helmet from bouncing around causing him to stop and readjust his goggles. So maybe the frame could be a bit smaller. But small kids (the little man is tiny for his age) are hard to find good fitting stuff generally and this is the same for him with any goggles he has used to date. I think it’s just that he is a small little dude.
My Daughter has had a rain ride in the XGrom Flow Pink Zebra and she had clear fog-free vision on her ride. This was awesome as a parent not having to try to find a dry cloth between moto’s to clear the vision. She was also really happy to show off her goggles to her riding buddies. So that must mean the EKS team were onto something there. So overall the kids have had a good experience with the EKS youth range. They also loved that they could wear the same brand as Daddy and honestly, that was a nice bonus of it too.
For more on EKS brand. You can contact me to chat about these goggles reviewed directly at @always.moto on Instagram or on email at alwaysmoto2019@gmail.com
Your local dealer should be able to order these in or you can get them from your favourite online Australian e-Tailer.
But if you want to stay up to date with any new products or possible deals from the EKS Brand team here in Australia. You should really join their newsletter here https://eksbrand.com.au/challenge#footer_newsletter_signup
