Anti-fog

Fogging of the visor on a helmet or glasses is not particularly popular; it's literally a hassle. And moreover, a dangerous hassle, because just when you need to see the road, there's a misty haze.

This is a problem for the vast majority of helmets that fog up at the most inopportune moments. The visor fogs up whether the weather is cold, wet, or you've just been sweating after a demanding ride, or you're breathing heavily and concentrating during a race. The advantage is that helmet manufacturers are aware of this issue and strive to come up with optimal solutions. Additionally, thanks to modern technology, there are more and more solutions available. So what exactly is antifog (anti-fog, anti fog)? As the English name suggests (fog = mist), it is a treatment to prevent the helmet visor from fogging up. How to prevent helmets or glasses from fogging up? Let's take a look at the current market and what options are available.

Anti-fog inserts are currently one of the best options to prevent a helmet visor from fogging. There are a wide variety of these antifog inserts available from several manufacturers, so nothing stands in the way of making a careful choice. It is a thin piece of transparent plastic that is inserted from the inner or outer side into a prepared "sheath" of the helmet visor. The insert stops condensation through its hydrophobic layer, which partially binds water molecules (yes, even though it is hydrophobic) and helps direct condensation inside the helmet. Therefore, if you are looking for a helmet and considering for the future that you don't want it to fog up, look for a helmet prepared for an antifog insert.

A similar principle applies to the PinLock insert, which is one of the most commonly used systems today to prevent fogging. It is simply inserted into the gap in the visor, and with the help of a silicone seal that surrounds the PinLock insert, condensation does not occur. All moisture is "trapped" between these two layers and has nowhere to evaporate. Pinlock inserts are now part of most expensive helmets. Previously exclusive to racing integral helmets priced over 20,000 CZK, today, thanks to technology and availability, these inserts are found in helmets priced from 7,500 CZK.

Although most helmet manufacturers have approached the collaboration and production of PinLock inserts, a few manufacturers are exploring their own paths. One such manufacturer is, for example, the company LS2 and their insert called the Fog Fighter. Just like in the case of PinLock inserts, there is additional securing through protrusions (pins) but placed lower at the bottom edge of the visor. Describing the functioning system is unnecessary since it is the same as in the case of PinLock inserts.

Lastly, we must also mention anti-fog sprays. On the market, there are countless sprays and products against fogging. You don't have to focus only on sprays intended for helmets; there are also products for car windows, prescription glasses, oils, various "nano" sprays, etc. Some products are certainly not among the cheap ones, and although the manufacturer boasts of their "absolute" effect, the opposite is true. Chemical compounds largely leave white streaks in the rain, and while it's relatively good, if you can't see anything, it doesn't matter. The problem is that most of these products simply don't work very well.