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Arai X Pinlock Release UV-Reactive ProtecTINT Lens

Nonstop Sunrises and Sunsets FTW

Arai's Corsair-X. Media sourced from CityBike Magazine.
Arai's Corsair-X. Media sourced from CityBike Magazine.

And just like that, Arai and Pinlock have dropped a do-it-all lens insert for Arai’s globular lids!

If you recall, Arai has had their partnership with Pinlock for a hot minute, releasing great units like the Pinlock 70 and 120 performance level lenses, a variety of coloured lenses, the ‘Max Vision™’ technology and today’s benchmark in anti-fog advancements, ProtecTINT (via Arai’s website).

A view of Arai's photo of their photochromatic insert. Media sourced from Pinlock.
A view of Arai’s photo of their photochromatic insert. Media sourced from Pinlock.

According to RideApart’s coverage, this new unit is from that same union. Christened the ‘The Pinlock ProtecTINT insert lens,’ the neat bit of optometric tech reacts to UV rays; when bright out, sunshine will cause the lens to darken, clearing as darkness settles.

A handy, hands-free solution. 

Arai's workshop, mid-helmet production. Media sourced from Arai.
Arai’s workshop, mid-helmet production. Media sourced from Arai.

Since the unit is made in collaboration with Pinlock and is a ProtecTINT variation, the new Photochromic Insert is also fog-resistant, accommodating the following models:

Older Arai Model Compatibility

  • Corsair V
  • Defiant
  • Defiant Pro-Cruise
  • RX-Q
  • Signet-Q
  • Signet-Q Pro-Cruise
  • Vector 2
Arai's workshop, mid-helmet production. Media sourced from Arai.
Arai’s workshop, mid-helmet production. Media sourced from Arai.

“The VAS-Z and CT-F ProtecTINTs cater to the brand’s open-face helmets, while the VAS-V version covers Corsair-X, Signet-X, Quantum-X, Contour-X, and Regent-X owners,” adds RideApart

We’re told the ProtecTINT Photochromic Insert is going to go for $65 USD – more than affordable, considering Arai users will now have uninterrupted access to sunrises and sunsets across the good continent.

*Media sourced from CityBike MagazineArai and Pinlock*
  1. Gosh I got SO EXCITED about this and decided to write to Arai to see if these will fit on my XD4 shield. Here is what they said:

    “Dear Mark,

    Thank you for reaching out. It would fit, but the protectTint Pinlock is not something that we carry for any of our helmets as the level of UV protection tends to prevent the lens from getting dark enough. Due to this, we only officially carry the standard clear Pinlock insert at our office. I believe dealers can still purchase an order of them directly from Pinlock, but most do not opt to do so. For the XD-4 in particular, we have replaced the Pinlock shield with anti-fog coated shields. Due to the curvature of the XD-4’s shield, the Pinlock insert often was troublesome to work with in that helmet.

    Please let us know if you have any questions,
    Robert”

    UGH. I have a Transitions shield on my Bell DS helmet and LOVE it. So bummed that this won’t work on my XD4

    1. Mark,

      Dang! So frustrating!

      If it’s worth it, I think you can also get that insert dipped – though the quality of that process would likely be up to the standards of whichever third-party you go with. I am out of my depth here as well when it comes to safety homologation for such a process, but I would imagine it’d be similar to what Arai offers?

      Cheers,

      Amanda

      1. UGH yeah Amanda I know! I’ve been using 7Eye glasses with the XD4 which are photochromatic windproof glasses. The UV coating on the Arai shields does affect those glasses, but they still get ‘dark enough’ for me. I’ll just continue to use those or my Lid Picker sunglasses. I was really hoping that this new PinLock collaboration would work. But getting the info straight from Arai threw a wrench into it. Sigh… BTW I like your articles.

        1. Dang – yeah, that’s a bummer… but you never know what the future will hold. 😉

          And thank you. Ditto for your gear reviews; love that you put the things through mad testing.

          What’s been your worst bit of year to date?

          ✨✨✨

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