Like, I’m sure, many spectacle wearers, I’ve tried a number of different anti-fog wipes. They’re all pretty useless, and none of them are capable of doing what their packaging claims, although some are better than others.

What do we want? Well, if you’re me, you need up to 20-25 fog-free minutes for various work purposes, sometimes several times a day. And for the weekly supermarket trip, you need up to an hour of fog-free performance. I’m sure these are standard use cases for most people.

The first ones I tried are the best I’ve tried. Life Art Dry Anti-Fog Cloth.

You might not think these would be any good, and they do not perform as the packaging claims, but they do work quite well for short periods of time. Let’s consider the packaging. Underneath the Life Art branding is the slogan, Care Eyes, Care Life. I’m sure we can all agree that these are words to live by. And then at the bottom, it says, in all caps, give you clear view. And front and centre, in big lettering, is the claim Reusable 700 times/PC. I don’t know what PC stands for. Per cloth?

Anyway, they stop working effectively after about 20 uses, so the 700 times is a bit of a stretch. Also, they claim to be effective for up to 48 hours, and I’m here to tell you that after 20 minutes, you may not be fogged up, but the inside surface of your glasses will be wet, and the condensation will start to run like raindrops on a windowpane. In the marketing materials, we’re informed that Suede anti fog nano molecules Let the fog trouble away from your life.

All in all, what this means is, they will work, but you’ll have to re-use the cloth every 10-15 minutes. But having been slightly dissatisfied with these, I ordered an alternative.

So No Fog High Performance Lens Cleaning Wipes

I’m used to carrying something like this about my person all the time, because I obsessively clean my expensive glasses with VU Wipes, and make sure never to use potentially scratchy materials.

These are also disappointing. Most of the time, they don’t seem to work at all, and they especially don’t work if you, say, wipe your glasses first thing in the morning and then hope that the anti fog will still be effective, say, three hours later. Up to 24 hour performance is offered on the packaging, as well as (helpfully) not for use on contact lenses. Anyway, these are a mixed bag. If you clean your glasses with one of these and then immediately put on the mask and go shopping, it’ll work. But if you then put on the mask again an hour or so later, you’ll fog up immediately.

I’ve tried combining the wet wipe and the dry cloth, and this seems to work a bit better. Finally, a halfway house:

Old Schoolmate Frame Glasses and Antifogging, to give them their full title.

These are halfway, because you get a suede-like cloth, but it is damp to the touch like a wet wipe. Please wash your hands after use on the front of the packaging is a bit worrying. Also keep away from children.

I’m sure this is fine. Anyway, you’d think this combo option would work better. It says it works for “about” 24 hours, but as far as I’ve been able to ascertain, it doesn’t work at all. I could literally clean my lenses and then put on my mask for a 2-minute walk to the work toilet, and I’ll be fogged up before I get there.

Conclusion:

I’d probably buy the Life Art again. It works reliably enough that you can get used to its foibles. The wet wipes are second best, but sometimes don’t seem to be effective, plus you have to dispose of them much quicker. And the Old Schoolmate ones are a dud.

Look out for more cutting edge consumer reviews coming your way soon.