Not typically the go-to brand when people bench race about goggles, but having been around the traps long enough, especially in Europe, ProGrip have a solid foundation and a world class racer to boot.

If it is good enough for Antonio Cairoli, then quite frankly it is good enough for everyone else too. But if that was the whole story, then I’d be doing you and ProGrip a disservice. Yes, Cairoli is the man, and yes he wears ProGrip goggles, but I’m sure if you paid him enough he would wear just about anything. Having said that. The goggles are actually pretty good. So let’s take a closer look at this weeks eyeball windows - the 3400 Menace model.

The Menace is perhaps ProGrip’s ‘largest’ lens goggle. But mostly because the frame is minimal giving it a much larger look from the front. Get in behind on the foam side and it is business as usual, utilising that snug fit that ProGrip are known for across the whole motocross range. That same fit that guarantees all goggles, including the Menace, easily fit inside any helmet I have tried. These include, Airoh, Fox, Fly, FFM, Shoei, FLY and THOR. It looks like a bit of a no frills goggle but there is more than meets the eye here.

Progrip are huge on lens technology. Still on the lexen Lenses, they come anti UV, anti scratch, no fog and have built in tear off pins. A double density foam with hydro repellent and colored velvet, a silicone treated strap to fix the strap on helmet and Pre-cut foam and molded channels for eyeglasses temples if that’s your jam. OK, it is not a polycarbonate lens like the Oakley Air Brake or the FOX VUE, which allow for near perfect clarity, but it is very clear, and the tinted lens helps a lot with glare and focusing on the trails.

The Menace also has a pretty decent and wide field of vision, compared to other MOdels from Progrip, and the outriggers, which are relatively new for ProGrip allow the goggle to really seal around your eyes, not matter the helmet/horse face configuration you have.

The very few downsides I came across was firstly replacing the lens. It wasn’t super easy and took some fiddling to get the cut outs in the lens lines up with the notches in the frame. And you had to keep the plastic protector on while doing it as residue from your fingers would come off on the inside of the lens. Cleaning the inside of the lens was also a delicate process. While the outer facing side of the lens was very scratch resistant, the inside required much more effort to clean without scratching. Totally doable but you needed to be gentle and a little fiddly if you are super anal about your lens. Which I can be. You do get a spare lens in the box which is cool and a goggle bag to keep them ready to race.

You aren’t going to look at a set of ProGrip goggles and be blown away by how cool they look. What you are getting is a great goggle that performs exceptionally well and won’t let you down. And at just over $100 you are gonna be stoked with how they hold up and how they perform on the track. And it sports one of the best Lexen lens on the market, which apart from the new Vista, fits all the models ProGrip make.

Email in for any more questions to info@thedirt.co.nz or CLICK HERE for more information on all Progrip models.