THE
www.lazerhelmets.com Protect your freedom
LAZER’S LUMINO PHOTOCHROMIC VISOR
Test be noted that the sun is not at its brightest
While promising
a lot on
paper, does
Lazer’s Lumino
p h o to c h ro m i c
shield stand-
up to its claims
in practice?
Undeniably, yes.
In spite of a high launch price, the technology
is very promising. Are you looking for a universal
shield? Here it is.
We are all waiting for a shield such as this one.
Imagine, a shield capable of adapting itself
continuously and quickly in response to UV-rays
and the surrounding intensity of light. In this
way you wouldn’t have to bother with choosing
between a dark or a light shield or activate
the internal sun shield. In spite of the press
communiqué we received when the Lazer Lumino
shield was presented, we at the editorial board
were very sceptical. After lengthy tests we have
changed our position : with two minusses we’ll
explain below, Lazer developed an unbelievable
product, in the most literal sense of the word.
Lazer Lumino:
An shield for all conditions
Let’s be frank, when we started our tests we
thought that our Lumino shield was defective. In
fact, during the trip, we didn’t have the impression
that the shield was darkening noticeably at all.
And yet, it was sufficient to lift the shield to see
that it had clearly darkened. And from the
outside, it looked like a normal dark shield. This is
the first surprise of this Lumino shield, developed
with Transitions Optical: even in its darkest state,
when it transmits only 20% of the available light,
it does not behave like a classic dark shield.
In fact, it darkens the clear and light zones
without darkening the dark zones. That changes
everything!
The transition from clear to dark happens very
rapidly. We measured on average about 40
seconds and half of the darkest state being
reached in about 15 seconds. It should of course
in January. Going from dark to light is a bit
less quick (about one minute for the shield to
become completely clear) but still acceptable,
especially because, as we have explained, even
when the shield is dark, it does not obscure the
visibility through the shield. This is vital for sudden
dark patches, such as tunnels. This effect can be
compared to polarised sun glasses. Because the
Lumino reacts to UV-rays, it cannot be darkened
by using normal light; therefore we have made
our video testing the darkening effect with a
UV-lamp. As you can see, the Lumino changes
quickly and uniformly in darkness. While the
completely dark state is a reaction to extreme
circumstances, the advantage of this shield is
that during a trip it will continuously adapt itself
to the changing light conditions. This continuous
changing is not always perceptible, which is why
we initially thought the shield didn’t work. Should
we now buy this Lazer Lumino shield?
A huge potential,
to be generalised
Lazer does not
build internal
sun shields into
its range of fibre
helmets and has
announced that
it does not want
to do so. The
Lazer Lumino is
therefor the answer of the Belgian constructor to
all who want to ride under all weather conditions
with one helmet and one shield, without having
to bother about the weather. After having tested
the Lumino and having had other people test
it, we must admit that the concept is surprising
and impressive because of its continuous action
and performance. Remains the price. The SolFX
technology, adapted to be used on a large
surface, has admittedly its price. But the Lazer
Lumino is twice as expensive as a normal Lazer
shield. Also, it does not have a Pinlock shield fitted
standard (Pinlock-ready), in order to limit the retail
price; a Pinlock would have added €25. At a retail
price of €129 this shield will not be to everyone’s
budget. But it would be a mistake not to take very
POST
close look at it. If the price of the Lumino could
be lowered or the Lumino be fitted standard on
a helmet on certain models, success would not
be far-off.
SolFX, how does it work?
The Lumino shield is dipped into a bath of liquid
photochromic crystals. These change their
bonding structure in function of the volume of UV-
rays that hits them. The shield will therefore darken
even without direct sunlight, for instance when
riding under a cover of white clouds. The shield
does not require any maintenance and can
be cleaned with soapy water. Of course, when
the helmet is not used it’s recommended not to
expose it to direct sunlight, because this reduce
the efficiency of the photochromic process over
the long term. Also, Transitions Optical specifies
that colder temperatures will slow the darkening
process. In our climate, this should not occur
frequently. Except perhaps in Auvergne, where we
did our tests ...
This is not a gadget, as we briefly thought at
first. The concept and the end-result of the Lazre
Lumino are far above what one could have
expected. The Lumino provides a comfort that is
difficult to forsake once one has experienced it.
One single shield for everything: for high-mileage
riders, impatient riders and riders in specific
disciplines have no doubt dreamt about this. Now
Lazer brings them the solution, even it needs to
be given some thought. If the price drops below
€100, many will no doubt abandon their internal
sun shields in favour of this technology.
PLUS:
• Permanently sharp vision
•  Very high visual comfort level
MINUS:
• Retail price
• Pinlock shield as an option
Translation of the test published on 7 January
2011 by Ludovic Vidal in www.lequipement.fr