- Serious value for money
- Great coverage
- Easy to use lens swap system
- Twist lock system can scratch the lens
- Can be a bit tricky to put back together
The Madison Code Breaker Glasses Three-Lens Pack provides a sharp-looking pair of shades with decent coverage, strong performance and lenses for every occasion – at a wallet-friendly price. They’re not totally fog-free, however, and can be a little finicky to put together when you do swap them.
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In the bulky hard case you get two additional lenses: an amber one for low light and a clear one for simple eye protection. There’s also a soft bag for cleaning, and a bonus lower frame with a spare nosepiece.
The lenses offer pretty respectable coverage with little of the frame getting in the way. The frames are comfortable too, and only get more so with the matt pink lower section fitted.
I found the gloss white frame a little sticky on the face, and a lot more noticeable in my view than darker frames. Because the pink lower has a matt finish and isn't as bright, it both feels softer and fades into your periphery more effectively.
As for fog, the Code Breaker isn’t perfect, but it's good for the price. While stationary with a sweat on, or grinding up a hill working hard, they cloud over, but certainly not as badly as some. And once some air finds its way underneath the fog clears quickly.
Swapping the Code Breakers' lenses is simple thanks to its twist lock system. A swiveling lock at the center of the upper frame turns and, with the arms at 45 degree angles, the lens and lower frame falls away. Then it’s just a case of bending the lower section to unclip it from the lens.
It’s really easy to deal with, though there are drawbacks. Firstly the swivel scratches the lens as you turn it, even when they're completely clean, but thankfully not in places that will hinder vision. Secondly, if the lower isn't fitted just right, the arms can't travel through their full range.
For me, these are nothing but niggles you rapidly learn to deal with, and if you're not regularly swapping lenses they won't be an issue.
One lens suffered a bit of a scrape where I carelessly put it on the ground only to pile stuff on top. They fared well really, only showing the smallest of scratches whereas the frame shows its damage more proudly. If you seriously wreck them, spares are both available and cheap with clear lenses at £10 and mirror lenses for £15.
While not without pitfalls, the Madison Code Breaker glasses outperform their asking price and match more than a few glasses with far loftier price tags. They’re comfy, give a wide range of view, and the Three Lens Pack includes everything you need. If £55 is still a bit rich, Madison offers them with just a single lens for £40.
1 comments
I used to sell Madison Darcs back in the 90s for £25 and there were class with 3 lens'.