Anti-fog solutions: Pinlock, or...?

[keithu]

I got caught out in a pretty heavy downpour yesterday and my helmet's faceshield fogged up badly. It was starting to do it a bit last Spring, but now it appears the adhesive anti-fog liner in my shield has failed.

I see that there are now Pinlock-compatible shields available for my Scorpion Exo GT3000; they weren't available when I bought the helmet three years ago. I'm heading into winter so I definitely need to deal with this. So do the Pinlock inserts really work?

A new shield plus Pinlock insert is $85, which seems like a lot to spend on a three year old helmet. But finding a modular helmet that actually fits my weird head is difficult. (Shoei and Schuberth are out.)

 

 

[betoney]

@keithu - I don't have an answer for you but thanks for the reminder on the pinlock insert.  I have one for my Shoei GT-Air but have never used it, yet I curse my shield when it fogs up...go figure.  On cold mornings I just crack my shield open to the first detent to clear the fog. 

I just went out and found my pinlock insert in my work bench, now to get it installed...

[keithu]

The fogging was bad enough yesterday that I cracked the shield open even though it was raining hard. My thought was that water running down the inside of the shield would wash off the fog. It didn't work.

[jdavis]

6 hours ago, keithu said:

The fogging was bad enough yesterday that I cracked the shield open even though it was raining hard. My thought was that water running down the inside of the shield would wash off the fog. It didn't work.

You should try it with glasses, always leads to stop and clean.

[fddriver2]

Pinlocks help but are not a cure all. A pinlock with a good anti-fog spray on or wipe on helps a lot.

Uvex and fogtech make wipes and rainx makes a spray on that helps a lot too. 

Also a nose cup. Not all helmets come with this feature.  Helps tremendously according to my son who lives near Nashville and rides in the cold and wet.  

https://www.amazon.com/Uvex-S477-Fog-Eliminator-Cloths/dp/B003M0BY8C

 

https://www.rei.com/product/825631/fogtech-dx-instant-antifog-cloth-package-of-12

EVS Helmet Breath Deflector

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[keithu]

I do have a nose cup. My helmet also came with a chin curtain, but it made fogging worse so I had to rip it out.

So you spray the RainX stuff on the Pinlock insert? Maybe I'll just try that on what I already have.

[Guest]

Try it on the inside and outside of your shield first.  Take your time and follow the instructions it makes a big difference in the results.  Pin lock works ok but the double layer irritates the heck out of me.  I can’t seem to get used to it 

[fddriver2]

11 hours ago, keithu said:

I do have a nose cup. My helmet also came with a chin curtain, but it made fogging worse so I had to rip it out.

 

The nose cup will force the exhaled air down and out of the helmet. The only people I've seen use the curtains are snowmobilers.  YMMV

[chitown]

Since my favorite helmet was discontinued (EXO-500 in 3X) recently decided to take a fling on a modular, the Scorpion AT-950. Scorpion's been dropping 3X from some models but still offer it in this model, has the inner sun visor I can't live without, liked the idea of the over-sized viewport, and... since I've had varying degrees of success with the Everclear shields also wanted to try pinlock. Have tried many different substances on shields and none ever worked long with my heavy breathing. Usually just end up opening the shield then dealing with water on both sides

Got my chance to test in some heavy rain with the pinlock this past weekend and it worked well. A downside is that even the clear pinlock definitely limits light. It does come with warnings saying such and that they shouldn't be used at night. That probably won't stop me since it can be removed if necessary. I'm happy with the purchase. 

Edited October 1, 2019 by chitown
typo

[keithu]

Shouldn't be used at night?! Cross Pinlock off my list.

[angrygirafe]

1 hour ago, keithu said:

Shouldn't be used at night?! Cross Pinlock off my list.

It’s fine. I left mine in until it got too scratched up to keep using. Hour commute in the dark with a tinted visor and pinlock! Oh no! 😄

 

I loved having the Pinlock, and whenever it starts raining again I’ll get another. They work better than anything else. They are very soft though, so if you remove it often, it will quickly get scratched. Just pop one in and forget about it. 

[duhs10]

2 hours ago, keithu said:

Shouldn't be used at night?! Cross Pinlock off my list.

I have a pinlock shield on my HJC and I notice no difference in visibility at night whether it is in or not (aside from the fog when applicable).

I feel that the pinlock system, while not perfect, is pretty effective.

[BBB]

@keithu don’t spray rainx on a pinlock. Pinlock inner visors are a soft, hydrophilic polymer that reduce misting by being hydrophilic. RainX makes things more hydrophobic by raising the contact angle so will negate the design of the pinlock.

19 hours ago, keithu said:

So you spray the RainX stuff on the Pinlock insert? Maybe I'll just try that on what I already have.

Although pinlocks reduce light transmission I’ve never noticed the effect, even at night. I presume my pupils open wider to compensate.

[piotrek]

I had great hopes for the Pinlock visor in my RPHA70... but it was not to be... 1) my glasses fog up, and 2) I could not get used to looking through three layers of lenses. The Pinlock produced weird ghosting effect under certain light conditions, and had a slight bluish tint. Love the helmet otherwise.

Ditched the Pinlock and now just crack the visor open to defog in cool temps. Rain is a challenge... depending on temps and severity... not a fan.

[Husqy]

Don't know if you wear glasses or not.. but without glasses, my pinlock is the best and only solution to really stopping fog.

I've commuted with a pinlock into 4 degrees C or so and had zero issues. As others mentioned, it will definitely not feel the same as a plain visor, but how can it? Its literally a second layer, so of course it might have a couple blotches or refracted light. Its totally fine to use at night time.