Review of KOO Spectro, color Violet Glass, lens Gold Mirror
The KOO Spectro was explicitly designed with speed chasers and record breakers, mountain bikers, road riders, and triathletes in mind. Available in different lens colors for varying lighting conditions, and 100% Made in Italy.
Having found that, for whatever reason, my eyes seem to be watering more than in the past, I was interested in trying larger mountain bike sunglasses with greater coverage. I tested the KOO Spectro to see if my issue might be resolved, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the bigger frame and oversized lenses solved my problem. I wore the glasses on gravel and typical mountain bike rides–they work great in both instances and fit well with my mountain bike helmet and my road helmet.
I live in Fruita, Colorado, and ride high desert terrain that is sometimes windy and dry. In the springtime, even though we don’t get massive amounts of rain, we do experience afternoon stormy weather. Those storms are often preceded by high winds that kick up sand, dust, and the random desiccated cow pie. Not letting a little dust and wind stop us, we still ride in all kinds of weather, especially in the spring when it’s not too hot and the desert blooms are showing off like a model on a catwalk. With those winds, I find my eyes either dried out or watering or, oddly enough, both at the same time. I don’t know why my eyes seem more problematic than ever before, but I suspect getting older is the culprit because I like to blame everything on aging….Dusty, pollen-filled air in the spring can irritate the eyes no matter your age, so I recommend that you seek out sunglasses that can alleviate these issues rather than suffer.
The KOO Spectro comes with one big single lens that provides a broad, uninterrupted field of view. I loved having such an increase in the extent of my observation in addition to better, fuller protection. In reading about KOO’s Zeiss anti-reflectivity characteristics, I realize that it’s a bigger world I’m seeing and a clearer one. According to KOO, “The coating eliminates reflections from the front and back surfaces of the lenses, meaning your eyes receive the most light possible, improving contrast and definition and reducing eye strain.” Sign me up! Seriously, I did find the lenses provided excellent clarity and, of course, extensive coverage and protection.
The Spectro glasses also have excellent ventilation, but not so much as to be irritating. The vents are located along the top and bottom of the frames, low and high enough that the breeze doesn’t hit you directly in the eyeballs. I had no issues with fogging. I’ll be curious to ride with the glasses on a super steamy day later in the summer, but I suspect the ventilation will vastly improve over smaller-framed glasses.
I would say that the fit of the glasses is pretty middle of the road–not ideal for a super small face but probably pretty perfect for small-to-medium and even medium-to-large faces. With a VLT (visible light transmission) of 12%, the glasses are ideal for bright sunny days, which are the majority of the days one might encounter in dry, high climates like Fruita, Colorado, or all of Colorado, for that matter. Should you desire more or less VLT, additional lenses are available on the KOO website.
- Uncompromised clarity with a Zeiss Polycarbonate lens
- Panoramic vision with a single-lens frame design
- Minimized fogging with 4 ventilation ports
- Anti-slip MEGOL elastomer temple inserts provide added grip and comfort
- Size: Regular (M)
KOO sunglasses, founded in 2016, are handmade in Italy. Zeiss, which manufactures KOO lenses, was founded in 1846 and is involved in other sectors, such as semiconductors, medical instruments, and sun lenses.
From KOO: While we can’t rely on consistent weather, you can depend on KOO’S protection regardless of the conditions.
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