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Scott Sport Shield Review

An updated classic that's great for road cycling but work in a limited range of light conditions
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Scott Sport Shield Review
Price:  $100 List
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Manufacturer:   Scott
By Zach Wick ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  May 22, 2023
69
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#11 of 19
  • Lens Quality - 20% 6.0
  • Fit and Comfort - 20% 8.0
  • Coverage - 20% 7.0
  • Frame Quality - 15% 6.0
  • Field Performance - 25% 7.0

Our Verdict

The Scott Sport Shield is a great model for high-speed road cycling in medium to bright light conditions. The massive one-piece lens provides sharp, distortion-free optics and solid protection from wind, bugs, dust, and anything else you might encounter on a bike ride. With its dropped arms, the frame works well with most helmets, and the flexible material allows these massive glasses to fit a surprisingly wide range of head sizes and face shapes. In testing, we discovered that the dark lens is better left to bright to medium light conditions, so we wouldn't recommend this model to mountain bikers who need to see fine detail in the dark forest. These glasses are a great option for road and gravel cycling, however, and they come at a reasonable price.
REASONS TO BUY
Inexpensive
Good coverage
Good optics
REASONS TO AVOID
No case
Limited versatility

Compare to Similar Products

 
scott sport shield
This Product
Scott Sport Shield
Awards  Editors' Choice Award
Best Overall Cycling Sunglasses
Best Buy Award
Best Value Cycling Sunglasses
Best Buy Award
Best Performance Sunglasses on a Tight Budget
 
Price $100 List
$99.99 at Amazon
$199.00 at Backcountry
Compare at 4 sellers
$79.95 at REI
Compare at 4 sellers
$59.00 at Backcountry
Compare at 2 sellers
$79.95 at REI
Compare at 2 sellers
Overall Score Sort Icon
69
87
72
66
63
Star Rating
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Bottom Line A great pair of glasses for your next road ride best suited for bright light conditionsWe loved the versatile fit and performance of these excellent full coverage sunglassesThese glasses punch above their weight in almost every one of our metricsFor those ballin' on a budget, this is a high-coverage frame that feels as good as it looksAn inexpensive pair of sunglasses that provide great coverage and protection but a suboptimal fit
Rating Categories Scott Sport Shield Smith Wildcat Tifosi Sledge Blenders Eclipse Tifosi Rail
Lens Quality (20%)
6.0
9.0
7.0
6.0
7.0
Fit and Comfort (20%)
8.0
9.0
7.0
7.0
5.0
Coverage (20%)
7.0
8.0
8.0
7.0
8.0
Frame Quality (15%)
6.0
8.0
7.0
7.0
7.0
Field Performance (25%)
7.0
9.0
7.0
6.0
5.0
Specs Scott Sport Shield Smith Wildcat Tifosi Sledge Blenders Eclipse Tifosi Rail
Fit Medium-large Medium-large Large-extra large Medium-large Large-extra large
Number of Lenses Included 1 2 3 1 3
Lens Tested Red chrome Chromapop red mirror, clear Smoke, clear, AC red Polarized red and blue mirrored Clarion blue, AC red, clear
Ideal Lens Light Conditions Bright light Chromapop red mirror: bright light
Clear: low light
Clear: low light
Smoke: bright light
AC red: medium to bright light
Medium to bright light Clear: low light
Clarion blue: bright light
AC red: medium to bright light
Visible Light Transmission (VLT) Unknown Chromapop red mirror: 15%
Clear: 89%
Unknown Unknown Unknown
VLT Protection Index Unknown Cat 3 Unknown Unknown Unknown
Polarized No No No Yes No
Lens Material Plastic Plastic - carbonic Plastic - polycarbonate Polycarbonate Polycarbonate
Lens Type Cylindrical Cylindrical Cylindrical Cylindrical Cylindrical
Neutral/Contrast Neutral Increased contrast Increased contrast Increased contrast Increased contrast
HEV/Blue Light Protection Unknown Yes Unknown Unknown Unknown
Protective Coatings None Hydroleophobic coating None None None
Weight 33 g 32 g 39 g 32 g 31 g
Case Included Microfiber cleaning/storage bag Rigid zippered case and soft cleaning/storage bag Rigid zippered case and soft cleaning/storage bag EVA Case, pouch, microfiber cleaning cloth Rigid zippered case and soft cleaning/storage bag

Our Analysis and Test Results

Scott Sports is a huge name in the outdoor industry, and they make a wide range of high-end products. You can find everything from top-of-the-line road and mountain bikes to running shoes and downhill skis under the Scott banner. With roots in designing motocross goggles all the way back in 1970, they've had a long time to hone and perfect their optics, so we were very excited to get our hands on the Sport Shield. These glasses are a throwback to the original Sport Shield that Scott released in 1989, and the style and function still hold up today.

Performance Comparison


scott sport shield - the red chrome lens works great in bright conditions.
The red chrome lens works great in bright conditions.
Credit: Zach Wick

Lens Quality


With all of their experience manufacturing high-end goggles and glasses, we expected a lot from Scott when we ordered our test Sport Shield, and they did not disappoint. The massive red chrome lens provides sharp optics with no noticeable distortion on the edges of your vision. The cylindrical lens is mirrored to reduce glare in bright light and protects from 100% of harmful UV rays to keep your eyes healthy for the long haul.

We couldn't track down any information on the lens's visible light transmission, but we would compare the darkness of the lens roughly to the Chromapop Red Mirror lenses on the Smith Wildcat and Attack Max. It's not an ideal lens when you need to see fine detail in low light, but it works excellently in mid to bright light conditions. We tried a few mountain bike rides in the forest with these glasses on and ultimately decided that it wasn't a good use for them. We did some digging online to see if there are other lenses available with different tints but came up empty. For now, at least, it seems that this is a one-lens model.

scott sport shield - the dropped-arm design keeps these glasses from interfering with...
The dropped-arm design keeps these glasses from interfering with your helmet.
Credit: Zach Wick

Fit and Comfort


Our large-headed testers found the Sport Shield downright cozy on long rides. The frame is flexible enough to allow for a relatively wide range of head sizes without applying too much pressure to the temples and above the ears, and the nosepiece adjusts easily so that almost any nose shape can find a comfortable fit. Arms that curl down behind the back of the ears help to keep the frames from bouncing off of your head on rough gravel descents or bumpy roads without having to fit too tight against the side of the head. Even our large-headed lead tester never reported any pressure or pain at the sides of the head on long bike rides.

The massive lens would imply that these glasses are only suited to large-headed riders, but we found they can work decently well with heads on the smaller end of the spectrum. The nosepiece adjustment increases the range of sizes and shapes that these will fit. As long as riders with smaller heads are okay with their glasses covering a considerable portion of their face, these will get the job done.

scott sport shield - the massive lens provides great coverage whether you're descending...
The massive lens provides great coverage whether you're descending at 40 miles per hour or just running in the wind.
Credit: Zach Wick

Coverage


It goes without saying that this massive lens provides great coverage and protection. With a big impact-resistant lens and a fit that sits close to the face, these glasses fully protect your eyes. Flying down a fast descent behind the Sport Shield allows you to devote all your attention to the road ahead without worrying about eye-watering winds or bugs.

Despite the great coverage, we did notice that you can always see the lower edge of the lens in your periphery while looking straight ahead. It isn't a problem as far as protection from impacts and wind is concerned, but can be slightly distracting to have a sliver at the bottom edge of your vision outside of the lens' tint. We've noticed this on most of the half-frame glasses we tested.

scott sport shield - the frames are flexible enough to withstand some harsh treatment...
The frames are flexible enough to withstand some harsh treatment without breaking.
Credit: Zach Wick

Frame Quality


Scott is close to the vest with the details on their frame's construction, but their Fusion frame material feels very similar to the Grilamid plastic that composes many of the high-end models in our review. It's a flexible plastic with a soft outer finish that's comfortable against the skin for long periods. The frame is flexible enough to survive the rigors of life as a pair of sunglasses without snapping. The earpieces aren't adjustable, but the nose adjustment does an excellent job of adjusting the fit to different face shapes.

Scott touts the Sport Shield's dropped arms as a feature to allow compatibility with high-coverage helmets that drop down at the temple. In our test, we never had any major issues with glasses arms interfering with helmets, but we see how it could be possible. The dropped arm keeps the frame safely clear of the helmet.

scott sport shield - while we recommend these as cycling glasses, we made sure to try...
While we recommend these as cycling glasses, we made sure to try them out in a variety of different situations.
Credit: Zach Wick

Field Performance


Overall, the Sport Shield performed well in our field test—especially when you consider that it's far less expensive than many that we tested. The fit is secure even when the going gets rough, and the lens does an excellent job of repelling sweat and water without needing to be cleaned too often. The airy fit of the half-frame allows plenty of air flow to keep these from fogging up. Occasionally, the lens would fog up when stopping after an arduous effort, but it was pretty rare throughout the testing process. We never had problems with the lens fogging while moving.

The only real downside we discovered with this model was the lack of lens versatility. Our top-rated models either came standard with multiple lenses or had a lens that worked well in a wide range of light conditions. The Sport Shield's lens is nice but isn't the most versatile.

scott sport shield - the throwback style matches the current trend in cycling glasses.
The throwback style matches the current trend in cycling glasses.
Credit: Zach Wick

Style


While the new version of the Sport Shield has been updated with modern, high-performance materials, the style remains almost identical to the original version that Scott produced in 1989. The throwback style has become incredibly popular in the last few years, with almost every notable sports eyewear manufacturer developing models that mimic the old-school style. While the huge chrome red reflective lens and simple frame might look gaudy at first glance, the style fits right in with the current trend.

scott sport shield - scott only provides a microfiber bag for storage.
Scott only provides a microfiber bag for storage.
Credit: Zach Wick

Case Quality


Unlike most glasses we tested, the Sport Shield doesn't have a rigid storage case. Our test pair came with a microfiber storage bag but nothing beyond that. Given the affordable price tag, we're not surprised to see that a case didn't make the cut.

Value


While they aren't the most versatile model we tested, we still think the Sport Shield packs a lot of value for the right user. The darker lens and apparent lack of alternatives mean that we wouldn't recommend these for users who want a do-it-all model. However, for road cyclists who spend a lot of time riding in the sun, the Sport Shield is one of the best values available. If you like the style, these glasses are a no-brainer.

scott sport shield
Credit: Zach Wick

Conclusion


We had a lot of fun putting these glasses through their paces. From long days on the road bike to the occasional trail run, we found a lot to like. We love the style and wish there was more variety in lens options, but they're still a worthy option for the right user. If you're a fan of the throwback style and ride in primarily bright light conditions, these are a reasonably priced option to consider.

Zach Wick