POC DEVOUR SUNGLASS REVIEW

Words by Robert Johnston  |  Photos by Finlay Anderson

Riding glasses come in all shapes and sizes, but there’s not many options out there that offer the coverage to protect your eyes from mud and debris as well as a set of goggles can. POC wanted to change that with their Devour glasses, which they claim to offer the “best features of goggles and glasses”, with their huge lenses offering an ultra-wide field of view and great coverage. Can this increased coverage possibly be enough to justify their $250 pricetag? Read on to find out.

THE LAB

The POC Devour glasses were designed to offer the convenience and climb-friendliness of glasses without sacrificing the protection and field of view of goggles. Contrary to the appearance of these POC specs when there’s a mirror lens fitted, the Devour glasses utilize a full-frame design, but as a subframe which sits behind the massive lens. This frame is made from a flexible plastic which should stand up to the test of time. The legs are adjustable at the temples to tailor the fit to each rider and ensure they stay put, and there’s a rubber nose piece which can be adjusted to maximize fit security.

The lens is the real star of the show with the POC Devour glasses. Using POC’s Clarity lens tech – which was developed with optics experts Carl Zeiss – the lenses are designed to control the colors transmitted to the rider’s eyes in a bid to enhance the view of the terrain. They’re available in both Road and Trail versions to tailor the color profile to the environment, with the Trail version sharpening green and brown colors – as you’d find in a forest. These lenses are given a Ri-Pel treatment, which is both hydrophobic (water resistant) and oleophobic (oil resistant) to keep the vision as clear as possible and make them easier to clean. Adding to this is anti-glare, and the much-appreciated UV 400 protection to keep your eyes safe. Replacement lenses can be obtained in a range of tints from Cat 1 to Cat 3 for $100/£80, and a spare clear lens (Cat 0) is included as standard. A photochromic lens is also offered, which automatically tailors the tint between Cat 0 and Cat 3.

The POC Devour glasses are offered in a choice of 16 colors for $250/£230 with a carrying pouch and spare clear lens. Very pricey then, but how did these massive 40g cycling glasses perform?

THE DIRT

Since they arrived at the beginning of Summer, the POC Devour glasses have joined me for the vast majority of my rides across the UK and Europe. Many different helmets, light conditions and temperatures have been faced along the way, and I’m yet to find just about anything to complain about. The performance is truly exceptional, but then so is the price, and so I’ve had a hard time coming to the decision about whether I can recommend their purchase or not. That’ll very much depend on each rider’s needs and affluence as there’s some stellar performing options at half the price, but let’s dive into what’s made these glasses so good.

Coverage is important to me. If you’re wearing glasses, you ideally want them to offer an impenetrable barrier against branches, rain and mud (or dust, if you’re lucky). The POC Devours offer the best coverage I’ve yet to experience from a set of glasses, without being in any way claustrophobic or adding heat to the face like a set of goggles tends to. Their field of view is exceptional, and though it is possible to see the subframe at the extremities of your peripherals if you’re looking for it, it didn’t prove to distract at all from the view of the trail. The adjustability built into the Devour glasses led me to finding a comfortable position that stayed firmly in place with a multitude of helmets from various manufacturers, with no compatibility issues. Of course, you’d be best to try them with your setup to make sure they’ll work for you, as their size could definitely lead to some fouling on a helmet if it came down low enough on your forehead. My tall-ass head? No bother.

I tested the Devour glasses with POC’s Clarity MTB Silver Mirror with a Cat 2 tint (24-15% VLT); the Clarity Trail Brown no-mirror Cat 1 lens (53-44% VLT) and the Clear Cat 0 lens. Given the majority of riding in Europe features woodland at some point, I tend to gravitate towards lesser tinted lenses to avoid being unsighted in the darker sections of forest, and so the vast majority of testing was conducted with the Cat 1 lens. This offered sufficient light transmission when paired with the contrast-boosting Clarity tech, allowing it to work for all but the lowest light conditions in the Scottish woodland at the end of winter ride days. It surprised me with its versatility, leaving me happy in the sunnier days and when riding into a sunset, albeit a little brighter than ideal. If you’re a rider who’s often riding in very varied light conditions, swapping lenses is very easy with the 6-point mounting design so you could be best served by stowing a spare lens in your pack, or by opting for the photochromic lens to automatically adjust the lens to the conditions.

The design of the POC Devour glasses leads to plentiful airflow behind the lens, which helps to keep them free of fog for all but the sweatiest and most humid times. There were a couple of windier days where airflow behind the glasses was on the slightly higher side than desired, which led to a little bit of discomfort to my eyes, but it only presented itself in extreme circumstances. They’ve stayed firmly in place at all times during testing, never creating any discomfort or highlighting their relatively heavy 40g weight that results from their large profile.

The Clarity Trail Brown no mirror lens has joined me for an estimated 80% of my total trail time over the last six months, so unsurprisingly it has some scars to show for it. However, these scratches haven’t detracted from the performance, and it continues to leave me wanting for very little. The anti-scratch properties of the lens have been tested with tree branch strikes and being dropped a few times more than I’d love to admit, and has resulted in some notable scarring, a few of which can be seen when riding. They’re not indestructible then, which you may hope for at their price, but the reality is most glasses would scratch under such duress. The hydrophobic and anti-fog continues to function reasonably well, albeit less effectively than when new, but still does a great job.

The Wolf’s Last Word

Can I say that the POC Devour glasses are twice as good as some high-performing options? That would be a no. However, with their exceptional field of view and protection; high-quality lenses and generally great build quality, they’re certainly a top-tier option that rocketed to the top spot of my eyewear list. I just don’t know if I could put my hands in my pockets to buy a set, or advise anyone to do so who doesn’t have money to burn.

Price: $250/£230
Website: POCsports.com