Giro Basis Goggle
Features:
- Super Fit full size adult frame
- Matte Black/Tonal Icon Black
- Black Limo 15 lens
- True Sight by Carl Zeiss Vision Spherical dual lens
- Helmet Compatible
- Dual Density face foam with micro fleece facing
- Tested with the Giro Chapter Helmet
Days worn: 20+
I don’t know when it happened, but right after I got the Giro Basis goggle, I noticed that the lens was already scratched. I usually worry about scratches holding excess moisture and fogging the lens, but it was a sunny day, and my only alternative was my old orange-lensed Smith goggles, which do not perform well on New Mexico’s bright slopes. So I grabbed the Giros anyway.
I’m glad I did. Not only could I see better, the scratches on the outside of the lens have led to zero fogging the whole season, despite a couple of pretty good faceplants in deep powder off Highline Ridge at Taos. They’ve never even begun to start fogging up. It’s not often you run across a goggle that’s this well behaved.
Scratched sunglasses and goggles usually bother the hell out of me. To prevent such atrocities, I usually keep my eyewear in soft, silky bags and wipe them with cloth that feels like baby seal fur. But, somehow, the scratches didn’t bother me in the slightest when I wore the Basis. I noticed the blemish when I initially put them on, but then the clarity of the lens started working, and happily, I didn’t think about them for the rest of the day.
If we’re going to be totally honest, I treated these goggles like crap. I didn’t put them in a goggle bag, and they’ve fallen out of the back of cars numerous times. On a couple of days, I noticed some dried water marks on there and thought about cleaning them, but didn’t, just to see how they would handle. They didn’t do anything but give me clear, crisp vision, even through the stains. I’d say there’s some borderline magic happening here. I’m not sure who Carl Zeiss is but if I meet him, I might kiss him.
The dark “Black Limo” lens is perfect for bluebird and partly cloudy days, but, as would be expected, didn’t provide very good visibility in flat light. That’s not really a fault for a goggle with a dark lens, but something that should definitely be considered before purchasing the Basis in this color.
As far as compatibility goes, the Basis and Giro’s Chapter helmet were a great combo. Once I adjusted the helmet and dropped the goggles over my eyes, I didn’t think about them for the rest of the day. I checked for gaper gap just in case: nothing. I’ll credit the sticky rubber on the strap for keeping them in place.
The Basis also has a thin, buttery-smooth fleece lining where the goggles contact your face. Even when the lining was wet or sweaty, that fleece lining stayed comfortable against my skin. So far, it doesn’t show any signs of piling.
And that’s all I really have to say: good things. I’ve beaten these goggles the best I know how and they’re completely unfazed. I can’t say anything bad about them. They’re not a low-light goggle, but for their intended purpose, they do great.