Blur Optics is a relative new comer to the reasonably flooded goggle market. Do we need more choice than we already have? I think so. While the goggle market has quite a number of brands that cover the latest and greatest speed hole, tear off, anti-fog, super stealth, don’t block your nose feature set, there is always room for improvement, especially when they are offered for a cheap price.

Cheap. Yes they are, and so they should be. I’ve been a little miffed for a long time now as to why goggle makers quite happily charge us up to and beyond $100AUD for a set of goggles that comprise of some rubber, foam, elastic and plastic. Sure they all argue that millions of dollars are spent on research and development but at the rate they manufacture and sell they should be a lot cheaper. Anyway, back to the review.

The Blur B1 goggles are $65 AUD which places them at the nicer end of the spectrum compared to what the bulk of us pay for our name brand (Oakley, Spy, Smith, Utopia) goggles. There are other brands out there (like Dragon, Scott etc) that cost about the same as the Blurs, but in my opinion just lack some of the features the brand name goggles sport (Mind you, I haven’t checked out Dragon’s latest offerings which do look a bit better than their old ones). I’m not talking about the marketing/PR talk features either, I’m talking about the ones that make a difference like comfort, field of view, nose blockage and looks.

Quite a snug fit in a D2. Note: Self photography is hard...

When buying goggles probably the first thing I look at is the looks. The B1’s are quite a nice looking goggle in this respect; they share a lot of similarities with Oakley goggles with some subtle differences. Not too ricey, not too conservative. Really, I don’t want my goggles to look like they’re from the early 90s, but at the same time I don’t want them to scream fast and furious.

Field of view/vision: Damn good I have to say, probably the goggles strongest point. They have the widest viewing (vertical and horizontal) range of any goggles I’ve tried thus far.

Comfort: Pretty good, I did find though that they clamped down on my nose more than Utopia/Spy goggles (which are damn good in this respect). This meant I had to re-adjust them every now and then to a comfortable position in my helmet (D2). This may not be the case for everyone (as we all have different shaped heads etc). My advice is to try a set on before you buy (this is the case for pretty much all goggles).

Anti-fog: I’m probably not the best person to test this out as I have quite a knack for not fogging up my goggles. I can ride around all day, not take my goggles off and still be fine. Either way the goggles were good in this respect (well, I assume).

Lens: The clear plastic lens is actually quite scratch resistant. Goggles I’ve had in the past have been covered in scratches from slight brushes with bushes etc. The B1’s for the most part remain scratch free after a good couple months riding. Replacement lenses (clear, blue, smoke) are approximately $16, and light sensitive are around $27.

Overall I think Blur have themselves a strong offering. Their price/performance ratio puts them up there with the best of the best. If you’re in the market for a set of goggles I suggest you at least try on a set of these before you check out the more expensive brands, they might just save you a few hard earned dollars.

Rating: 8/10

Thanks to Singletrack Imports for supplying us with the review sample.