In many ways, the Jetson’s vision of cycling Tomorrowland seems to always involve some form of heads-up display. And numerous companies over the last half a decade or so have tried to get us there. From smaller entities like Recon Instructions (bought and then shut down by Intel), to larger ones like Google. And that even ignores attempts by 4iiii, Oakley and Garmin too.
But none of them have fully caught on yet in the sporting world. The reasons I think are varied, from the lack of a distinct motive for why a heads-up display is actually better than other options, to the underlying technology being often half-baked from an endurance sports standpoint. Or perhaps it’s been the price, battery life, and just general quality of the device. Or maybe that the companies have given up on said products before the consumers even got them out of the boxes.
Still, companies keep trying. And the latest two is Everysight and Solos. Now, before you think these are mere startups – I’d calibrate your expectations. In the case of Everysight, their lineage comes from Elbit Systems as a spin-off, makers of military heads-up displays for fighter jets including the F-16 and Mig-29 aircraft. Whereas in the case of Solos, their parent company – Kopin – has produced more than 30 million units of various consumer and business devices. And they too have their own fighter jet heads-up display contributions, the F-35 JSF. Perhaps that’s why all the other heads-up displays failed…they lacked a fighter jet?
The Tech:
My goal with this post isn’t to make this a crazy long in-depth review of these glasses, but rather, just to give some early impressions until I’ve had a chance to take them out over repeated uses in a variety of conditions. So I’ve broken this post up into a few sections, this first one will be a brief overview of the tech specs, while the second half lower one is more about how I felt the unit did during the ride.
So, let’s do some quick bulletized look at the tech specs of the $499USD/579EUR Raptor heads-up display unit:
– Internal beamed-on display (meaning, it’s illuminated onto the inside of the lens, not outside it)
– 8 hours battery life (micro-USB charging)
– Contains GPS, but can also use phone’s GPS to save Raptor battery
– Connects to both ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart sensors (Speed/Power/Cadence/HR)
– Has small speakers on both sides for music playback
– Two storage options (for music): 16GB or 32GB storage space
– Has microphone for listening to voice commands (like Alexa, but not as smart)
– 1080p camera (no built-in image stabilization)
– Weighs 3.5oz (98g), IP55 water resistant
– Has prescription lens options, as well as various tint options
– Uploads/e-mails completed ride files, including to Strava.
Got all that? Good. Also, it comes in three colors – black, neon green, or ‘artic blue’. I’m not really a fan of either of the non-black colors. Just seems a bit to…retro…to me. Unrelated to that, here’s the gigantic set of prescriptive lenses they offer:
I can’t emphasize enough that the key difference between the Everysight Raptor glasses and other options on (or previously on) the market is really how the display portion looks from the outside of the glasses. In other words, whether or not someone can realize you have a heads-up display. Most other options have/had a small display that extends out in front of your lens, which makes you look a wee bit techy. Compare these two, from a front-on view:
Now, we can debate whether Everysight’s glasses are still a bit too techy looking, but, I think we can all agree the Solos ones look more geeky. Of course, as I’ll dive into in future posts, it’s about what’s inside that counts too (meaning, the software).
In any case, off for a ride I went.
First Ride Thoughts:
As I stated earlier, this was technically my second ride on Everysight. My first ride I did 2.5 years ago when the company came to visit me in Paris. We went out for a meandering ride around the city and back, after which I took a bunch of photos and wrote up a post. You never saw that post, because before I could post about it, they backtracked on what I could publish photo-wise, so I never ended up publishing anything all (I’m an all or nothing kinda guy). The entire 1,335-word post still sits completed on the server (they never saw the post).
But since this is my first ride on a final production unit, we can avoid having to change the header of this section and still call it ‘First Ride’ thoughts.
Before I start pedaling though, I needed to get the ‘screen’ correctly positioned for my eyes. This is done in two parts. First is to use the rubber of the nose-bridge to change the position of the glasses so that the screen is roughly where you want it, and then you can use the positioning options on the app to move the screen around within your vision, as well as increase/decrease the size of the display. The challenge I have though is that it’s impossible to take a photo of what this looks like, since much of it is an optical trick for your eye. Once that’s done though, you’re ready to roll.
If I position the camera just right you can see the green tint of the display illuminating the inside of the lens. It’s being projected from that diamond-looking thing on the inside of the right-half of the glasses.
The unit has a menu interface/system, one that’s not terribly unlike the Recon Jet system – or for that matter any other watch you’ve used previously. To navigate that menu you’ll use a series of taps and swipes on the right side of the glasses. You don’t need to navigate it a ton while riding, though pre-ride you’ll do quite a bit of touching. The area behind the Everysight logo is one large touch bar.
They’ve got different training and navigational features, but for this ride I was using it in a ‘just ride’ type of mode, no specific training at hand. Though, here’s a quick glance at the structured workout creator online. They walked me through a bunch of these in the booth, and then on the glasses you see the exact same graph-looking representation and where you are within each portion.
The structured workout piece is actually one of the best implementations I’ve seen (watch or otherwise) in terms of how clear it is about your target, your goal, and your time remaining. The graphical overlay, à la TrainerRoad, workout builder seals the deal. Regrettably, I don’t have a way of screenshotting that inside the glasses.
At this point it’d be ideal to pair up any sensors you have. In my case I thought we paired my heart rate strap in the booth, but it looks like we may have paired someone else’s strap in the booth. So once I left I lost the HR data (and I was a bit too nervous to try and navigate the menus mid-ride and cause some sort of malfunction given my time constraints). All things I can dig into later on.
With that, I simply went out and rode. I was mountain biking this day, which has its pros and cons when it comes to heads-up displays. In general, with a heads-up display, you need to learn to shift your focal point briefly from the distance to close up. To understand what I mean, hold your hand about 3-5 inches in front of your face (10-15cm). Now, without moving your eyes or your head, shift your focal point from the tips of your fingers to the wall or whatever is out in front of you. It takes a split second, and as you shift to your fingers, the wall (or road as it may be) goes out of focus.
It’s this piece you have to get used to. Proponents of the heads-up display technology like to say it’s safer than looking at your bike computer because you never take your eyes off the road. But I don’t find that terribly accurate. Sure, your eyes are still looking in the direction of the road, but you certainly wouldn’t be able to see a last second pothole or the like when focused on the heads-up display briefly.
I’m not saying either is better or worse, but they are different. Speaking of which, here’s exactly what you’d see (captured from my ride via the camera). You can swipe through different data page arrangements as well.
That view is captured by the camera built into the front of Raptor (center, near the forehead). The camera is a 1080p camera, but I certainly wouldn’t compare it to 1080p quality from the likes of a GoPro action camera. Instead, it’s more like circa-2008 image quality. Part of this may be because, by default, Everysight presses a user to use 720p instead, and then that’s doubled down because the camera doesn’t have any form of image stabilization. All of which is worsened since it’s attached to your head, which is constantly moving.
The company has a small desktop app though that will apply some video image stabilization via software after you get back from your ride to a computer, so that helps a fair bit actually – but it’s definitely not a mobile-first solution. Also, the overlay mode you see in these screenshots is only available at 1080p resolutions via the desktop tool, and not via the mobile app unless you use lower resolutions.
I do think this is an area that Everysight should reconsider. First: Resolution, resolution, resolution. The lower the resolution the less likely the image will ‘impress’. And when something doesn’t impress, people don’t buy it. Especially fuzzy videos. Second, while as a user, you may believe your video footage with the overlaid metrics smack in the center are exciting, most 3rd party people actually would prefer those metrics be in the lower corner. After all, the point of your video was to capture what you were seeing, and if I have generally non-exciting metrics clogging up the middle of it, it takes away from the footage. Again, just my two cents.
Speaking of both those video metrics, and speaking altogether, you can trigger the camera to take photos or video via voice commands. You say “Go Everysight”, followed by whether to record video or take a photo. I found it a bit finicky, though the company says that future firmware updates should help a bit there. The video is recorded in 60-second snippets. Here’s a tiny gallery of four photos I took along the way starting at the booth to show different light/contrast situations (not video snippets, but actual still photos):
While you do have the voice commands, most of your actions will likely be via swiping, which as I learned is somewhat difficult while bombing down a mountain bike run. Turns out the company has a solution for that – which is a remote control. I didn’t get to use it, but that’s definitely good news:
Of course, that’ll set you back $70, but at least it means you can keep your hands on your handlebars – certainly fairly valuable for off-road cyclists.
I put together a bit of a video while I was out riding that documents my thoughts, as well as includes a bunch of snippets from the in-camera video:
So what about my general thoughts on it? Well, overall it seemed to work fairly well. There were a few times though where the fit didn’t quite seem perfect mid-ride, even though it was at other points during the ride. It was primarily when I was headed downhill on bumpier trails that it felt like it shifted a bit, and I’d have to re-adjust it.
As for the display, it’s incredibly sharp and bright. By far the most brilliantly sharp of any unit I’ve tried over the years, so that’s good. That’s most easily seen when you’re in the mapping/navigation mode, and all the trails are super clear and overlaid. I was impressed to see the small trails I was on, were actually visible. And, for the most part, it doesn’t look all that ugly.
And as for the mobile app, I didn’t spend a ton of time using it. I focused most of my time on the glasses themselves. Plus, I’ve gotta save something for later, right?
Going Forward:
At some point down the road I’ll likely dig deeper into the Everysight unit, as well as of course SOLOS too. After all, it’s sitting next to me on the desk and I’ve got one ride under my belt on each.
As for deciding which one is best – that’s a harder decision. At present, I’d say the Everysight has a lead out of the gate, merely because it worked the full duration of my only ride of each, whereas the SOLOS apparently had a permanent disconnect with my phone mid-ride, which in turn meant it becomes mostly useless at that point. Whereas with Everysight there’s built-in GPS, so it keeps on functioning without any dependency on the phone. Both companies have variants of training programs and navigation, and both have audio (though, SOLOS has secondary earbuds too for higher quality sound).
The point being I simply don’t have enough rides on either to make any sort of decision. But I’ll keep pedaling and let ya know at some point down the road. Which isn’t to say I’d recommend purchasing or not purchasing either unit. That too I’m a bit undecided on.
I have zero doubts that at some point down the road heads-up displays will become mainstream. Everysight appears closest to that vision as the display part is invisible to those around you. Whereas with SOLOS it sticks out the front of your glasses like the Terminator. I’m just not sure if either unit is really to the point of replacing my GPS bike computer at this juncture, which is honestly where I think the bar should be. I think both can do the job on paper, but I’m just not sure how I feel about it in practice yet. It’s going to take some more weeks/months with them to see if I can adjust to that.
With that – thanks for reading!
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Thanks Ray
I have more of a need for a HUD when running so I can see my HR without bringing my arm up. Any thoughts on whether the Raptor will be stable enough when running?
Also, any idea when you will have a full review of the Raptor. I am on their waiting list but will be reluctant to part with the cash until it’s had the full DCR treatment.
Not sure on running. I figure if I could run with the Recon Jet, this certainly felt lighter and more stable. But, I also didn’t like running with the Recon Jet…so there’s that. I further didn’t like running with Garmin Varia vision, because it bounced too much with my sunglasses.
As for a unit for a full review, not sure exactly. They just said ‘near term’.
Funny note. When you were trying to get the glasses to start a recording my GoPro 6 started recording here at my house. I guess Go Everysight record video is close enough to GoPro record video
Yeah, and unfortunately, I did the inverse as well. My first attempt at filming that segment when I said ‘Go Everysight, Start Recording’ it shutoff my GoPro that was recording me. Had to disable GoPro voice prompts for the remainder of that video. :)
I couldnt get a good position with the Recon as apparently my eyes are too far apart. Solos were glitchy for me and not good enough so they went on Ebay. Have the 4iiiis and like them.but never use. My view is now i prefer the audio cues on my bone conduction headphones from garmin via phone. My experience has put me off trying more. This is an area where early adoption is risky. Everyone should definitley wait for Rays final reviews.
Does the company have any screenshots as to what the HUD looks like? I am especially interested in the mapping piece and how it looks. What portion of the screen?
The HUD actually looks exactly like what you see above in the photos with the text overlay.
That said, I’ll see if they can send over some mapping ones. Apparently when you take video with the map overlaid, it doesn’t actually record the map as I found out. :-/
With a proper heads-up display, the data screen is conjugated at way out in front of you, meaning it should be in in focus with the view ahead. There should be no need to shift focus when viewing the data. If the data is not in focus when looking in the distance, perhaps there’s a focus control that needs adjusting. Of course, if you need corrective glasses so focus on distant objects, you need to be looking through those glasses at the data too.
I agree with your comment. With my Raptor glasses I do not have to shift focus at all to see the data. My ride information appears “out there”, part of the overall scene. I like that feature a lot!
Interesting, I’ll circle back to the Everysight folks. For me I definitely had to shift focus – something that was actually more noticeable on trails than roads (since I had to pay attention to roots/etc…).
That would actually be the sense of a HUD: seeing the info while still seeing everything else. Having to focus on the HUD separately is 100% not right. Has been that way with fighter jets for decades and recently also with cars. I’d definitely check this out.
I recently returned mine. For a few reasons:
1) The extra weight was noticeable to me on longer rides
2) You can’t stow them in your helmet. While this sounds like a stupid reason, how many times have you had sweat pouring down your face and needed to take your glass off and put them somewhere to avoid a sweaty mess on your lenses?
3) You can’t get rid of your head unit (primarily for the reason above). If you do take your glasses off and stick them in your jersey pocket, you’ve got no computer!
I’d like to see a version without the camera, and less a few of the built in sensors to reduce weight, get the form factor closer to traditional frames, and implement the use of a rocker switch vs the touch pad. I think there are currently too many features and these really need to be more about providing you information rather than allowing you to access a plethora of options.
To follow up on my previous comment. I agree with the quality of the display. It’s very good. The build quality of the glasses are very good, too. And the company will go out of its way to support you with any issues you have. These are my personal experiences. I think these glasses are a good fit for someone that doesn’t cycle in an extremely hot environment, someone doing short, hard training sessions and wants visual cues, or someone that doesn’t mind riding with two full fledge head-units.
The point about not having the metrics when storing away the glasses is the most important for me.
That’s whay I’m pleading for HUD-Glasses which are capable of displaying info from existing devices (watches and cycling units, no matter which brand). This way flexibility is given and if the battery on the glasses die, you still have all the metrics recorded. You also can take off the glasses when it starts bothering you and still be able to see the metrics on your device.
Of course, best of all would be HUD-glasses with the capabilites to display external metrics and also to display its own metrics (gps, sensors, etc.) when not connected with another device. This way you have almost unlimited flexibility.
Fwiw, both Solos and Everysight could easily become ‘External Displays’ for Garmin devices (which would cover about 95% of the cycling market). The external display option is actually an ANT+ standard, and any device can become an external display if they wanted to. No different than pairing an ANT+ speed or cadence sensor really.
I told Solos specifically that this was really the angle they should take, since it removes the dependency on the cellular phone, which I think is a challenging point for their target market.
I was a tester for Everysight last year and raised this possibility with them. I’m not techie but as I recall they said that Garmin’s GPS did not broadcast a signal they could capture. I agree that would be the better choice for me but maybe it’s not possible?
I own a pair of these glasses, and in general am very impressed. I do have a few UI gripes, and the s/w has some growing pains… all solvable with updates.
Ray: I’ve noticed my pictures and videos started getting a little washed out. Of course, the problem went away when I wiped down the lens. It’s REALLY easy to put a fingerprint on it and ruin the picture quality.
In terms of not getting distracted: I like (currently only for training and navigation mode) the ability to turn on an “arc” (an analog needle showing how you’re doing). In fact, I think my preferred mode would be to JUST have the arc for one selected metric (e.g. power) and nothing else on the screen.
And the handlebar controller rocks. Very, very useful. I much prefer keeping both hands on the handlebars, even on a measly road bike
Agreed that replacing the gps bike computer should be the bar. Next for me would be to get rid of the glasses and integrate it into the visor of my race helmet. This is where I need that kind of hands free always visible data, when I’m hammering a race course and trying to pace the perfect race.
How are the glasses in terms of ventilation. Do you notice any additional heat coming from the unit itself?
Aircraft HUDs are typically focused at infinity to prevent the switch in focus you’re noticing. Although when riding you are typically looking much closer than you would flying, I would assume the focus of the display could be optimized to be much farther than a few inches in front of your face (and hence prevent the refocusing issue). Are there any dials/user settings to adjust for different nose/eye/face profiles that could be used to adjust your focus to something more like 5-50 ft ahead of you?
I think the reason they haven’t taken off is they don’t really display useful information. What I want are Varia Vision 2 that work with connect IQ so I can get the information worth being in my face all the time.
Best Bike Split Pacing
XERT MPA/TTE
Varia Radar blips
Everything else I can glance at my computer if I care.
I really like the execution of the new displays we are seeing, but the content isn’t what I would find useful.
This. Can IQ app fields be sent over the External Display protocol?
I’d also like to see a lighter no GPS no camera version.
I’m fully sold on HUDs for running and cycling. As soon as one is good enough, I’ll get one. They’re not quite there yet though. Need to be External Displays to existing head units or watches, supporting IQ apps, as well as being light having a quality display. The Everysights certainly seem to tick the display quality box.
I’d like to see an ONLY CAMERA version :) Until they work out the kinks, I’m fine with a Garmin head unit. Miniaturizing the camera, on the other hand, would be a major improvement over a bulky heavy Virb or GoPro.
Anybody aware of a quality miniaturized camera in the works?
Prescription lens options look like inserts that sit inside of the glasses? Are they going to be available in other tints/coatings like photochromic? If these are always dark, it doesn’t look to practical for night rides. For prescription lens users, this would mean carrying 2 pairs of glasses? and being without a head unit if the ride goes past sunset?
For myself, I have Project Rudy Rydon glasses with direct in-frame prescription lenses and photochromic coating. So I can wear just one pair no matter the lighting. Prescription sunglasses aren’t cheap, don’t remember exactly how much I paid, but it was around $600–$700.
Demo of photochromic coating reaction: link to youtu.be
Explanation of different type of prescription lens options: link to youtu.be
Excellent reviews. I have been testing the Everysight Raptors for over a year. The technology keeps improving and as a cycling coach the workout feature is an amazing tool to keep me focused and on track with specific interval sessions. I don’t think they have to replace your head unit necessary but rather they give you features that just are not available on a head unit with “in front of your eyes” specific workouts a la TrainerRoad, options to take quick photos and videos on the fly, and navigation that is much easier to view and follow compared to a head unit.
I’ve been using these for about a year. While it’s possible to stare at the data and not see the road, it doesn’t take long to get used to them at which point the data just kind of resides in your periphery and you don’t have to refocus between the metrics & the road. The novelty wears off pretty quick.
I’m slightly nearsighted at 20/40 so I don’t always wear contacts when I ride. The display is clear in either case.
I definitely like that they don’t have a physical object that sits within my line of sight. I think that’s a pretty big advantage for Everysight.
I find them most indispensable when riding in fast pace lines and when doing targeted intervals. I prefer my focus to be on the road in those instances. This video shows how the workout feature works: link to instagram.com
I’ve never experienced any heating or ventilation issues. I only have the dark lenses so I did have to remove them in the Fall when the days grew shorter but they still recorded the data. I was able to live without seeing data for a few miles so that isn’t a deal breaker for me.
I was an early tester, and my takeaway was that they should have removed some capabilities, made it lighter, and had it be just a heads up display of the Garmin, rather than trying to pack a GPS chip in there.
Seems that others are coming up with the same takeaways.
I have to say, I really enjoyed the camera, although it could have been better.
Now, if they could overlay a ghostlike rider(s?) synced to your Strava segments, then maybe ;) Of course that would require gyros like in AR applications.
I echo some of the other comments here and in the post. Since learning about cycling HUDs, I’ve passively monitored the times that I’ve wanted to look at my cycling computer but couldn’t take my eyes off the road. Most of those occurrences are when I’m working really hard – mid-interval or when the group starts nailing it. As a result I’m very interested in a cycling HUD sooner than later.
Since I started using Laser Magneto glasses, I don’t want to go back. I really want a shield or glasses that are somehow helmet integrated and don’t wrap over or behind ears. Helmet integration is very high on my list of wants.
I also want glasses that look less nerd-like than these (but they’re close to “good enough”) and are light weight. Though I want a cycling HUD to be a self-contained bike computer, I’d accept the need to pair to an external bike computer in order to shave weight and gain aesthetics. Likewise with the video camera – save the size, shape and weight.
One thing few have mentioned is battery life. A field swappable battery option would be really nice to have. Short of that, a little “sidecar” battery that can be used to recharge them while riding would fit the bill.
Looking forward to the future generations of products from both Everysight and Solos.
I have been riding with a pair of Everysight Raptors and have been really pleased. In fact I also use a Garmin 1000 and it recently froze up on me and I didn’t miss a beat with just having the Raptors. Also, the company has been extremely responsive to any questions I have had.
Camera is an issue for racing. Whilst a HUD is a nice feature in the bunch, any form of camera is forbidden by technical regulations in the UK. Were any of those correction lenses for serious long-sightedness? (I’m +5 and have an insert in my Rudy’s).
Thx for the heads up. I was actually almost sure that they could all pull this off because of the ANT+ standard, but I cannot imagine a manufacturer to build such glasses and have the customers using them “only as a second screen”. I think they want their customers to be on their own platform. But then again, I’m pretty sure you understand these things better than me. :-)
DC Rainmaker comments
I have been test pilot for Everysight for over a year and have gone on almost 300 rides with them. The training/workout feature is fantastic. Setting up a workout is much the same as doing so in Garmin connect. Very simple and straight forward. During a workout ride, an arc is shown with a needle, like an analog dial, where the needle points straight up when you are at your target metric (power, heartrate, speed or cadence). And the range that the arc represents can be adjusted as a ±% of the target. Just below the arc is the time remaining for the current step on the left and the target metric.
It is possible to remove the other 5 metrics you see on this screen so that only the arc with time remaining and target metric is shown as seen in the screenshot.
The maps/route feature is very good as well. The map overlay takes up just about the entire screen and zoom in and out is possible.
Loading routes from your favorite creator is a straight forward and a similar arc is used to show if you are off course and what direction to turn.
Regarding the discussion around changing focus, Raptor has a proper heads-up display that is in focus with the view ahead. But, like a GPS head unit, it requires a change in attention to read the data being displayed. And if you are paying attention to the data, you may hit potholes that you are not paying attention to. However, unlike a GPS head unit, you do not have to look down to see the data and refocus your eyes on a screen closer to you.
+1 on the quality of photos and videos being a determining factor. Heads up might be cool but combine with photos/videos and you’re getting into must-have attraction status.
I tested the Raptor glasses last year for Everysight. Overall I liked them very much. Even though I just bought a new Garmin unit last year I’m considering purchasing these. I have multiple bikes and I like the idea of always having my GPS with me even for a casual ride rather than swapping it on or off one of my bikes.
Has anybody actually been able to purchase these glasses? Im on the waiting list for my license to buy them, and to be honest, i can’t wait any longer ;-)
Here’s a short video, made directly from Raptor, showing real-time CdA, Time Advantage, power, wind speed and hill slope as seen by the cyclist while riding.
Thanks for the review… and good to see the Sea Otter pics. Makes me want to do that racecourse again.
What did you think of the weight? I only tried it on in the booth at Sea Otter but didn’t ride with it. The first thing that struck me was a quarter lb of glasses is pretty noticeable. Do you just become accommodated to the heft on your nose and ears? Does it bounce around? I suggested to them to maybe provide a stripped down ‘race’ version that does only what a Garmin head unit does: delete the camera, the speakers, voice recognition, downsize but give simple way to toggle the display to save battery life.
I have the video set to record and show the current screen, what you see in the actual lens is the same settings but a translucent set of graphics and not the white overlay that is outputted in the videos.
Here is a screen grab from a video from this past Sunday
Ok Greg, great picture. You should actually try them to understand what you say. Even in the photo the writings seem white … I will try to participate in one of the future sporting events in which the brand will participate.
PJ – The data does not appear white in the glasses but rather a yellow gatorade like color. When you have the video resolution set at the lowest setting it will automatically export yoru videos with the data overlay as seen above. The largest video resolution will not put the data overlay nor will the sill images from the camera.
Interestingly, the invitation says the base unit price will go up to $649 on August 10. So, it appears they will increase the price by $150 from what Ray was told. I think that is a mistake. Very hard to justify these at a price above what you could pay for a fair set of shades and a Garmin 1030 unit.
Hi Ray
As you know the Raptor are now on open sale in the U.K. I am keen to get your opinion on how they rate against the other similar glasses and which has your expert opinion to be the one to get.
On a separate note I bought a torpedo drink holder that fits in my TRI bars BEFORE I read your review and really hoped I had as I couldn’t see my garmin computer and feel like I wasted my money !!!! Next time I won’t make that mistake and will check in your site first :-))))
I’m perplexed by the Raptor pricing and advertising. It appears Ray was quoted an MSRP of $499. Soon thereafter, having previously put myself on the list for an early purchase and discount, Raptor sent me an invitation to buy at the much reduced price of, you guessed it, $499. Stating now the MSRP is $649!!! Holy batman, that’s more than a Garmin 520 plus, a GoPro, and a decent pair of shades, together!!! Oh, and they have a more expensive version if you want more memory. Two weeks ago, Raptor was a partial sponsor of the Hotter than Hell 100 in Wichita Falls, TX. They had a very large video screen advertising the Raptor at the front entrance with no sales people nearby. The had their name prominently plastered on the ride t-shirts and water bottles. To find sales people you had to walk down a small hallway and you found a very small booth with two or three people and about three demo units of the Raptor. They were strangely not on the main floor/commons area where everything from socks to Cliff bars were selling like hotcakes to thousands of would be riders. Passing the booth a couple times, I did see one or two people there looking at the demos. Never saw one sold. Of course, they were asking the now MSRP of $649!!! But, I was looking for the booth because I had been interested in the Raptor. If you weren’t looking for it, you’d never find it.
Massive advertising and virtually no presence whatsoever to actually sell the darn thing. The largest ride in the US with somewhere between 10,000 and 13,000 people, their name plastered everywhere, and not a single unit could be seen to be sold?!?! In the last couple weeks I’ve gotten two separate emails offering me a whopping $50 off the price of $649 and warning me the entry price will stop soon. Hell, that’s less than the 10% discount from Clever Training on anything.
I can only guess that there is a real problem with manufacturing or that they have just enough money to advertise but can’t sell these things. Something is just not right and they have the worst advertising in the world. If these things are shipping and available, why are they not on Amazon or Clever Training. I would have bought one at $300 or $400, but $499 is too much and $649 is ridiculous.
I wouldn’t necessarily blame them for their booth location. Companies don’t really have control if that in the vast majority of cases (extremely rare for them to, unless they’re paying a huge premium for it). For example, the first Interbike show that Wahoo Fitness did years ago, they had a tiny little booth downstairs (nobody even knew there was a downstairs), right in the far corner next to a service entrance.
Seriously, nobody would have ever found it. Horrible spot.
That said, I agree with you that if you come to shows you should be selling units on-hand (usually for a slight show-discount). Or having a discount code where people can go online and buy it within a week or two for a slight discount if having inventory isn’t possible.
As for why they aren’t on Amazon, not sure. CT would likely look at demand for a product and whether there’s sufficient interest/demand for a given product before listing. The bar tends to be a bit higher when a product is oft delayed or from a relative unknown, as the risk is higher (since usually vendors require minimum order set).
Oh, and yeah, I agree – $649 is a non-starter. Just like it was a non-starter when Recon Jet tried to price that high initially. We all know how that ended.
Thanks for the reply. It’s just weird. Announce your product, raise the price $150 right off the bat, then show up at the largest century ride in the US without a product???? They badly need a decent marketing strategy.
I’d like to clarify a couple of comments made by OK Runner in the post above. The video wall at the entrance to the 2018 Hotter’N Hell Hundred (HHH) Consumer Show was provided by the Wichita Falls Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and provided a plethora of information on the weekend schedules and sponsor information. It did include a demo video of the Everysight Raptor Smartglasses as they were one of our major sponsors this year. The booth location was a premier 10×20 booth that I selected in the main entry hallway to the Registration and Consumer Show that would provide Everysight maximum exposure to everyone that came in for registration and packet pickup. It was also the first spot that provided outside windows with natural light to enhance the demo quality of the Raptor. The Everysight folks had originally planned to have a branded pop up canopy in their booth for identification but agreed not to use it as it would have partially blocked the aisle. It is my understanding that the MSRP of the Raptor Smartglasses was always going to be $649 and that the $499 discount price was a pre-introduction special to expire the end of July. Everysight did offer a $50 discount coupon as part of the HHH Consumer Show promotion and they did have numerous Raptors that were sold and delivered at the HHH Consumer Show. In fact, The Everysight representatives were thrilled that they had sold all of the inventory they brought to the HHH and in addition took orders for delivery post Hotter’N Hell Hundred.
Chip Filer
Executive Director
Hotter’N Hell Hundred
That’s tricky. I think they would be allowed, as long as one was not using the audio portions while making forward movement (which is the technical definition).
Ray, I have been using these for two years. Last year the device gave way because the battery wore out, making them useless. The company replaced them. I have had the new pair for 11 months and same problem. Now they say that they are out of warranty and I can buy a new set at a 20 percent discount. This seems to me to be highly problematic If say apple did this with phones there would be a big backlash. This unit cost $600 and for the unit to go bad in 11 months because of a substandard battery should not be acceptable. Your a great advocate for us tech enthusiast so I thought I should bring it to your attention.
Literally the last e-mail I had from anyone at Everysight was Apr 23rd, 2018 – over two years ago.
Your last Instagram post was 151 weeks ago (you feature Instagram on over half your home page)>
The last press release (according to your press release section) was Nov 2018.
I’m not sure what you’re upset about (since I think I largely defended your concepts here). But whether I put my consumer hat on or my ‘I actually know what I’m talking about hat’ on, when a company with shipping products goes silent for two years, it’s pretty hard to think otherwise.
I’ve had mine for two years as well. I had 1 warranty replacement and it couldn’t have been a better experience.
I can definitely say though, that if I were out of warranty (as seems to be the case), I wouldn’t be throwing a hissy-fit in public. Just makes you seem petty and like you think that you deserve more than others.
20% seems like quite a discount. I dare you to call Apple when your phone is WELL out of warranty and make such ridiculous demands.
By your own admission, you’ve had the thing for two years and they already supported you while you were under waranty. Get over yourself.
Trolls like you are what make the internet a bad place.
The original Raptor model is no longer purchasable from their website; it would seem it is out of production. I believe there was/is an effort underway for a next-generation model, but there has been no announcement regarding its status.
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Thanks Ray
I have more of a need for a HUD when running so I can see my HR without bringing my arm up. Any thoughts on whether the Raptor will be stable enough when running?
Also, any idea when you will have a full review of the Raptor. I am on their waiting list but will be reluctant to part with the cash until it’s had the full DCR treatment.
Not sure on running. I figure if I could run with the Recon Jet, this certainly felt lighter and more stable. But, I also didn’t like running with the Recon Jet…so there’s that. I further didn’t like running with Garmin Varia vision, because it bounced too much with my sunglasses.
As for a unit for a full review, not sure exactly. They just said ‘near term’.
Funny note. When you were trying to get the glasses to start a recording my GoPro 6 started recording here at my house. I guess Go Everysight record video is close enough to GoPro record video
Yeah, and unfortunately, I did the inverse as well. My first attempt at filming that segment when I said ‘Go Everysight, Start Recording’ it shutoff my GoPro that was recording me. Had to disable GoPro voice prompts for the remainder of that video. :)
I couldnt get a good position with the Recon as apparently my eyes are too far apart. Solos were glitchy for me and not good enough so they went on Ebay. Have the 4iiiis and like them.but never use. My view is now i prefer the audio cues on my bone conduction headphones from garmin via phone. My experience has put me off trying more. This is an area where early adoption is risky. Everyone should definitley wait for Rays final reviews.
Does the company have any screenshots as to what the HUD looks like? I am especially interested in the mapping piece and how it looks. What portion of the screen?
The HUD actually looks exactly like what you see above in the photos with the text overlay.
That said, I’ll see if they can send over some mapping ones. Apparently when you take video with the map overlaid, it doesn’t actually record the map as I found out. :-/
With a proper heads-up display, the data screen is conjugated at way out in front of you, meaning it should be in in focus with the view ahead. There should be no need to shift focus when viewing the data. If the data is not in focus when looking in the distance, perhaps there’s a focus control that needs adjusting. Of course, if you need corrective glasses so focus on distant objects, you need to be looking through those glasses at the data too.
I agree with your comment. With my Raptor glasses I do not have to shift focus at all to see the data. My ride information appears “out there”, part of the overall scene. I like that feature a lot!
Interesting, I’ll circle back to the Everysight folks. For me I definitely had to shift focus – something that was actually more noticeable on trails than roads (since I had to pay attention to roots/etc…).
That would actually be the sense of a HUD: seeing the info while still seeing everything else. Having to focus on the HUD separately is 100% not right. Has been that way with fighter jets for decades and recently also with cars. I’d definitely check this out.
I recently returned mine. For a few reasons:
1) The extra weight was noticeable to me on longer rides
2) You can’t stow them in your helmet. While this sounds like a stupid reason, how many times have you had sweat pouring down your face and needed to take your glass off and put them somewhere to avoid a sweaty mess on your lenses?
3) You can’t get rid of your head unit (primarily for the reason above). If you do take your glasses off and stick them in your jersey pocket, you’ve got no computer!
I’d like to see a version without the camera, and less a few of the built in sensors to reduce weight, get the form factor closer to traditional frames, and implement the use of a rocker switch vs the touch pad. I think there are currently too many features and these really need to be more about providing you information rather than allowing you to access a plethora of options.
To follow up on my previous comment. I agree with the quality of the display. It’s very good. The build quality of the glasses are very good, too. And the company will go out of its way to support you with any issues you have. These are my personal experiences. I think these glasses are a good fit for someone that doesn’t cycle in an extremely hot environment, someone doing short, hard training sessions and wants visual cues, or someone that doesn’t mind riding with two full fledge head-units.
The point about not having the metrics when storing away the glasses is the most important for me.
That’s whay I’m pleading for HUD-Glasses which are capable of displaying info from existing devices (watches and cycling units, no matter which brand). This way flexibility is given and if the battery on the glasses die, you still have all the metrics recorded. You also can take off the glasses when it starts bothering you and still be able to see the metrics on your device.
Of course, best of all would be HUD-glasses with the capabilites to display external metrics and also to display its own metrics (gps, sensors, etc.) when not connected with another device. This way you have almost unlimited flexibility.
Fwiw, both Solos and Everysight could easily become ‘External Displays’ for Garmin devices (which would cover about 95% of the cycling market). The external display option is actually an ANT+ standard, and any device can become an external display if they wanted to. No different than pairing an ANT+ speed or cadence sensor really.
I told Solos specifically that this was really the angle they should take, since it removes the dependency on the cellular phone, which I think is a challenging point for their target market.
Beside the obvious benefits of this, are there any out there that offer photochromatic lenses? So useful to have when you bike to your 6am races.
I was a tester for Everysight last year and raised this possibility with them. I’m not techie but as I recall they said that Garmin’s GPS did not broadcast a signal they could capture. I agree that would be the better choice for me but maybe it’s not possible?
I own a pair of these glasses, and in general am very impressed. I do have a few UI gripes, and the s/w has some growing pains… all solvable with updates.
Ray: I’ve noticed my pictures and videos started getting a little washed out. Of course, the problem went away when I wiped down the lens. It’s REALLY easy to put a fingerprint on it and ruin the picture quality.
In terms of not getting distracted: I like (currently only for training and navigation mode) the ability to turn on an “arc” (an analog needle showing how you’re doing). In fact, I think my preferred mode would be to JUST have the arc for one selected metric (e.g. power) and nothing else on the screen.
And the handlebar controller rocks. Very, very useful. I much prefer keeping both hands on the handlebars, even on a measly road bike
Agreed that replacing the gps bike computer should be the bar. Next for me would be to get rid of the glasses and integrate it into the visor of my race helmet. This is where I need that kind of hands free always visible data, when I’m hammering a race course and trying to pace the perfect race.
How are the glasses in terms of ventilation. Do you notice any additional heat coming from the unit itself?
Aircraft HUDs are typically focused at infinity to prevent the switch in focus you’re noticing. Although when riding you are typically looking much closer than you would flying, I would assume the focus of the display could be optimized to be much farther than a few inches in front of your face (and hence prevent the refocusing issue). Are there any dials/user settings to adjust for different nose/eye/face profiles that could be used to adjust your focus to something more like 5-50 ft ahead of you?
Most of the riding I do is solo stuff, and for me there has been no issue with near/far focus.
I do my riding in south Florida and I have noticed no ventilation issues. I do not detect any heat from the Raptor glasses.
Oops, I missed Zern’s comment. Thanks for the info!
I have this vision of Froome locking onto Nibali up the road using the HUD and pulling down his speed, hr and watts from the cloud…
I think the reason they haven’t taken off is they don’t really display useful information. What I want are Varia Vision 2 that work with connect IQ so I can get the information worth being in my face all the time.
Best Bike Split Pacing
XERT MPA/TTE
Varia Radar blips
Everything else I can glance at my computer if I care.
I really like the execution of the new displays we are seeing, but the content isn’t what I would find useful.
This. Can IQ app fields be sent over the External Display protocol?
I’d also like to see a lighter no GPS no camera version.
I’m fully sold on HUDs for running and cycling. As soon as one is good enough, I’ll get one. They’re not quite there yet though. Need to be External Displays to existing head units or watches, supporting IQ apps, as well as being light having a quality display. The Everysights certainly seem to tick the display quality box.
I’d like to see an ONLY CAMERA version :) Until they work out the kinks, I’m fine with a Garmin head unit. Miniaturizing the camera, on the other hand, would be a major improvement over a bulky heavy Virb or GoPro.
Anybody aware of a quality miniaturized camera in the works?
Prescription lens options look like inserts that sit inside of the glasses? Are they going to be available in other tints/coatings like photochromic? If these are always dark, it doesn’t look to practical for night rides. For prescription lens users, this would mean carrying 2 pairs of glasses? and being without a head unit if the ride goes past sunset?
For myself, I have Project Rudy Rydon glasses with direct in-frame prescription lenses and photochromic coating. So I can wear just one pair no matter the lighting. Prescription sunglasses aren’t cheap, don’t remember exactly how much I paid, but it was around $600–$700.
Demo of photochromic coating reaction: link to youtu.be
Explanation of different type of prescription lens options: link to youtu.be
Excellent reviews. I have been testing the Everysight Raptors for over a year. The technology keeps improving and as a cycling coach the workout feature is an amazing tool to keep me focused and on track with specific interval sessions. I don’t think they have to replace your head unit necessary but rather they give you features that just are not available on a head unit with “in front of your eyes” specific workouts a la TrainerRoad, options to take quick photos and videos on the fly, and navigation that is much easier to view and follow compared to a head unit.
I’ve been using these for about a year. While it’s possible to stare at the data and not see the road, it doesn’t take long to get used to them at which point the data just kind of resides in your periphery and you don’t have to refocus between the metrics & the road. The novelty wears off pretty quick.
I’m slightly nearsighted at 20/40 so I don’t always wear contacts when I ride. The display is clear in either case.
I definitely like that they don’t have a physical object that sits within my line of sight. I think that’s a pretty big advantage for Everysight.
I find them most indispensable when riding in fast pace lines and when doing targeted intervals. I prefer my focus to be on the road in those instances. This video shows how the workout feature works: link to instagram.com
I’ve never experienced any heating or ventilation issues. I only have the dark lenses so I did have to remove them in the Fall when the days grew shorter but they still recorded the data. I was able to live without seeing data for a few miles so that isn’t a deal breaker for me.
I was an early tester, and my takeaway was that they should have removed some capabilities, made it lighter, and had it be just a heads up display of the Garmin, rather than trying to pack a GPS chip in there.
Seems that others are coming up with the same takeaways.
I have to say, I really enjoyed the camera, although it could have been better.
Now, if they could overlay a ghostlike rider(s?) synced to your Strava segments, then maybe ;) Of course that would require gyros like in AR applications.
I echo some of the other comments here and in the post. Since learning about cycling HUDs, I’ve passively monitored the times that I’ve wanted to look at my cycling computer but couldn’t take my eyes off the road. Most of those occurrences are when I’m working really hard – mid-interval or when the group starts nailing it. As a result I’m very interested in a cycling HUD sooner than later.
Since I started using Laser Magneto glasses, I don’t want to go back. I really want a shield or glasses that are somehow helmet integrated and don’t wrap over or behind ears. Helmet integration is very high on my list of wants.
I also want glasses that look less nerd-like than these (but they’re close to “good enough”) and are light weight. Though I want a cycling HUD to be a self-contained bike computer, I’d accept the need to pair to an external bike computer in order to shave weight and gain aesthetics. Likewise with the video camera – save the size, shape and weight.
One thing few have mentioned is battery life. A field swappable battery option would be really nice to have. Short of that, a little “sidecar” battery that can be used to recharge them while riding would fit the bill.
Looking forward to the future generations of products from both Everysight and Solos.
I have been riding with a pair of Everysight Raptors and have been really pleased. In fact I also use a Garmin 1000 and it recently froze up on me and I didn’t miss a beat with just having the Raptors. Also, the company has been extremely responsive to any questions I have had.
Camera is an issue for racing. Whilst a HUD is a nice feature in the bunch, any form of camera is forbidden by technical regulations in the UK. Were any of those correction lenses for serious long-sightedness? (I’m +5 and have an insert in my Rudy’s).
I suspect the challenge is that as you try and cater to every market, you eventually remove so many features you don’t have a unique product.
I think the camera is actually one of the most important selling points of the unit, even though the quality is less than ideal.
Thx for the heads up. I was actually almost sure that they could all pull this off because of the ANT+ standard, but I cannot imagine a manufacturer to build such glasses and have the customers using them “only as a second screen”. I think they want their customers to be on their own platform. But then again, I’m pretty sure you understand these things better than me. :-)
DC Rainmaker comments
I have been test pilot for Everysight for over a year and have gone on almost 300 rides with them. The training/workout feature is fantastic. Setting up a workout is much the same as doing so in Garmin connect. Very simple and straight forward. During a workout ride, an arc is shown with a needle, like an analog dial, where the needle points straight up when you are at your target metric (power, heartrate, speed or cadence). And the range that the arc represents can be adjusted as a ±% of the target. Just below the arc is the time remaining for the current step on the left and the target metric.
It is possible to remove the other 5 metrics you see on this screen so that only the arc with time remaining and target metric is shown as seen in the screenshot.
The maps/route feature is very good as well. The map overlay takes up just about the entire screen and zoom in and out is possible.
Loading routes from your favorite creator is a straight forward and a similar arc is used to show if you are off course and what direction to turn.
Regarding the discussion around changing focus, Raptor has a proper heads-up display that is in focus with the view ahead. But, like a GPS head unit, it requires a change in attention to read the data being displayed. And if you are paying attention to the data, you may hit potholes that you are not paying attention to. However, unlike a GPS head unit, you do not have to look down to see the data and refocus your eyes on a screen closer to you.
+1 on the quality of photos and videos being a determining factor. Heads up might be cool but combine with photos/videos and you’re getting into must-have attraction status.
I tested the Raptor glasses last year for Everysight. Overall I liked them very much. Even though I just bought a new Garmin unit last year I’m considering purchasing these. I have multiple bikes and I like the idea of always having my GPS with me even for a casual ride rather than swapping it on or off one of my bikes.
Has anybody actually been able to purchase these glasses? Im on the waiting list for my license to buy them, and to be honest, i can’t wait any longer ;-)
The new AeroPod power meter and CdA measurement sensor
link to kickstarter.com
works with Raptor.
Here’s a short video, made directly from Raptor, showing real-time CdA, Time Advantage, power, wind speed and hill slope as seen by the cyclist while riding.
link to youtu.be
Super
Thanks for the review… and good to see the Sea Otter pics. Makes me want to do that racecourse again.
What did you think of the weight? I only tried it on in the booth at Sea Otter but didn’t ride with it. The first thing that struck me was a quarter lb of glasses is pretty noticeable. Do you just become accommodated to the heft on your nose and ears? Does it bounce around? I suggested to them to maybe provide a stripped down ‘race’ version that does only what a Garmin head unit does: delete the camera, the speakers, voice recognition, downsize but give simple way to toggle the display to save battery life.
But has anyone ever really received this glasses after pre-purchase? I have the impression that nobody really received them …
Yes – I pre purchased and received my glasses on April 12. Have been riding with them ever since and sold my Bolt on April 15.
I have the video set to record and show the current screen, what you see in the actual lens is the same settings but a translucent set of graphics and not the white overlay that is outputted in the videos.
Here is a screen grab from a video from this past Sunday
Ok Greg, great picture. You should actually try them to understand what you say. Even in the photo the writings seem white … I will try to participate in one of the future sporting events in which the brand will participate.
PJ – The data does not appear white in the glasses but rather a yellow gatorade like color. When you have the video resolution set at the lowest setting it will automatically export yoru videos with the data overlay as seen above. The largest video resolution will not put the data overlay nor will the sill images from the camera.
First ride review was great – but it’s time for one of your deep dive reviews… are you in the process or dropped the idea?
I don’t have a unit, so at the moment, no plans to review.
I received an invitation to purchase the Raptor for $499. Still undecided. Are other receiving invitations and are you purchasing?
Interestingly, the invitation says the base unit price will go up to $649 on August 10. So, it appears they will increase the price by $150 from what Ray was told. I think that is a mistake. Very hard to justify these at a price above what you could pay for a fair set of shades and a Garmin 1030 unit.
I have 2 invite codes if anyone is looking for a code, expires today 07/29/2018 11:59PM PST
3948-4590-2354-4235
3409-2328-5476-8847
Hi Ray
As you know the Raptor are now on open sale in the U.K. I am keen to get your opinion on how they rate against the other similar glasses and which has your expert opinion to be the one to get.
On a separate note I bought a torpedo drink holder that fits in my TRI bars BEFORE I read your review and really hoped I had as I couldn’t see my garmin computer and feel like I wasted my money !!!! Next time I won’t make that mistake and will check in your site first :-))))
This video might be worth a look, much like the poster I come from recon jet and have ordered the 32gb version.
link to youtube.com
Thanks Neal very helpful
I’m perplexed by the Raptor pricing and advertising. It appears Ray was quoted an MSRP of $499. Soon thereafter, having previously put myself on the list for an early purchase and discount, Raptor sent me an invitation to buy at the much reduced price of, you guessed it, $499. Stating now the MSRP is $649!!! Holy batman, that’s more than a Garmin 520 plus, a GoPro, and a decent pair of shades, together!!! Oh, and they have a more expensive version if you want more memory. Two weeks ago, Raptor was a partial sponsor of the Hotter than Hell 100 in Wichita Falls, TX. They had a very large video screen advertising the Raptor at the front entrance with no sales people nearby. The had their name prominently plastered on the ride t-shirts and water bottles. To find sales people you had to walk down a small hallway and you found a very small booth with two or three people and about three demo units of the Raptor. They were strangely not on the main floor/commons area where everything from socks to Cliff bars were selling like hotcakes to thousands of would be riders. Passing the booth a couple times, I did see one or two people there looking at the demos. Never saw one sold. Of course, they were asking the now MSRP of $649!!! But, I was looking for the booth because I had been interested in the Raptor. If you weren’t looking for it, you’d never find it.
Massive advertising and virtually no presence whatsoever to actually sell the darn thing. The largest ride in the US with somewhere between 10,000 and 13,000 people, their name plastered everywhere, and not a single unit could be seen to be sold?!?! In the last couple weeks I’ve gotten two separate emails offering me a whopping $50 off the price of $649 and warning me the entry price will stop soon. Hell, that’s less than the 10% discount from Clever Training on anything.
I can only guess that there is a real problem with manufacturing or that they have just enough money to advertise but can’t sell these things. Something is just not right and they have the worst advertising in the world. If these things are shipping and available, why are they not on Amazon or Clever Training. I would have bought one at $300 or $400, but $499 is too much and $649 is ridiculous.
I wouldn’t necessarily blame them for their booth location. Companies don’t really have control if that in the vast majority of cases (extremely rare for them to, unless they’re paying a huge premium for it). For example, the first Interbike show that Wahoo Fitness did years ago, they had a tiny little booth downstairs (nobody even knew there was a downstairs), right in the far corner next to a service entrance.
Seriously, nobody would have ever found it. Horrible spot.
That said, I agree with you that if you come to shows you should be selling units on-hand (usually for a slight show-discount). Or having a discount code where people can go online and buy it within a week or two for a slight discount if having inventory isn’t possible.
As for why they aren’t on Amazon, not sure. CT would likely look at demand for a product and whether there’s sufficient interest/demand for a given product before listing. The bar tends to be a bit higher when a product is oft delayed or from a relative unknown, as the risk is higher (since usually vendors require minimum order set).
Oh, and yeah, I agree – $649 is a non-starter. Just like it was a non-starter when Recon Jet tried to price that high initially. We all know how that ended.
Thanks for the reply. It’s just weird. Announce your product, raise the price $150 right off the bat, then show up at the largest century ride in the US without a product???? They badly need a decent marketing strategy.
I’d like to clarify a couple of comments made by OK Runner in the post above. The video wall at the entrance to the 2018 Hotter’N Hell Hundred (HHH) Consumer Show was provided by the Wichita Falls Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and provided a plethora of information on the weekend schedules and sponsor information. It did include a demo video of the Everysight Raptor Smartglasses as they were one of our major sponsors this year. The booth location was a premier 10×20 booth that I selected in the main entry hallway to the Registration and Consumer Show that would provide Everysight maximum exposure to everyone that came in for registration and packet pickup. It was also the first spot that provided outside windows with natural light to enhance the demo quality of the Raptor. The Everysight folks had originally planned to have a branded pop up canopy in their booth for identification but agreed not to use it as it would have partially blocked the aisle. It is my understanding that the MSRP of the Raptor Smartglasses was always going to be $649 and that the $499 discount price was a pre-introduction special to expire the end of July. Everysight did offer a $50 discount coupon as part of the HHH Consumer Show promotion and they did have numerous Raptors that were sold and delivered at the HHH Consumer Show. In fact, The Everysight representatives were thrilled that they had sold all of the inventory they brought to the HHH and in addition took orders for delivery post Hotter’N Hell Hundred.
Chip Filer
Executive Director
Hotter’N Hell Hundred
Any idea if Ironman races would dq you for wearing these?
That’s tricky. I think they would be allowed, as long as one was not using the audio portions while making forward movement (which is the technical definition).
Ray, I have been using these for two years. Last year the device gave way because the battery wore out, making them useless. The company replaced them. I have had the new pair for 11 months and same problem. Now they say that they are out of warranty and I can buy a new set at a 20 percent discount. This seems to me to be highly problematic If say apple did this with phones there would be a big backlash. This unit cost $600 and for the unit to go bad in 11 months because of a substandard battery should not be acceptable. Your a great advocate for us tech enthusiast so I thought I should bring it to your attention.
Honestly…I didn’t even think they were in business anymore. I haven’t heard from them in at least a year or more now. :-/
Honestly: In the past, you sound pro & relatable….
Probably, you lost that, somewhere on the road!
Everysight decided (from ours resins) don’t to work with you or turn out to you…. it’s just it…
In the future try to double check yourself better.
Literally the last e-mail I had from anyone at Everysight was Apr 23rd, 2018 – over two years ago.
Your last Instagram post was 151 weeks ago (you feature Instagram on over half your home page)>
The last press release (according to your press release section) was Nov 2018.
I’m not sure what you’re upset about (since I think I largely defended your concepts here). But whether I put my consumer hat on or my ‘I actually know what I’m talking about hat’ on, when a company with shipping products goes silent for two years, it’s pretty hard to think otherwise.
Also: Before I forget – rather than firing random personal insults at me for no apparent reason, maybe actually try helping out your customer above?
I’ve had mine for two years as well. I had 1 warranty replacement and it couldn’t have been a better experience.
I can definitely say though, that if I were out of warranty (as seems to be the case), I wouldn’t be throwing a hissy-fit in public. Just makes you seem petty and like you think that you deserve more than others.
20% seems like quite a discount. I dare you to call Apple when your phone is WELL out of warranty and make such ridiculous demands.
By your own admission, you’ve had the thing for two years and they already supported you while you were under waranty. Get over yourself.
Trolls like you are what make the internet a bad place.
Apple’s Out of warranty battery replacements are between $49-$69, from Apple themselves (less from random retailers): link to support.apple.com
For other industry reference, on Garmin devices the out of warranty battery swap is usually about $80.
Pretty sure they are dead now.
The original Raptor model is no longer purchasable from their website; it would seem it is out of production. I believe there was/is an effort underway for a next-generation model, but there has been no announcement regarding its status.
link to activelook.net
link to engoeyewear.com
Looks like they may be back in the game? link to ifdesign.com