Building Goggle Quiver with Summer Sales

[Green08]

Several places are offering 40-50% off their remaining stock here over the summer.

I am looking to build out a 2 or 3 goggle/lens quiver.

We are moving from VT to CO late this summer, so light conditions are going to change when we ski most weeks.

Currently I have been extremely happy with a pair of Oakley A-Frame Prizm Rose. They have provided great visibility in just about every light condition here in New England the last several years. They are certainly weakest in super sunny, and white out conditions. However, they do better than my old pair of Dragon NFX2 goggles on sunny days with lots of shadows.

I am not concerned that much about a true storm lens, as I will be day tripping to ski, and probably not venturing onto I-70 when it is nuking.

I am thinking I will need a pair of lenses with a darker tint for Colorado bluebird days, especially above treelike. We have Epic Summit Value Passes this season (mostly to ski with my Dad on an Epic Military $99 pass).

I am looking at Smith Chromapop options from $65-110 and Giro Vivid goggles in the $70-90 range. Another pair of Oakleys would be an easy match, but the cost would be higher.

Suggestions on lens Chormapop Sun vs Chormapop Everyday vs Giro Vivid Royal vs Giro Vivid Emerald?

Any advice would be great. Thanks!

 

[firebanex]

I have no input on anything but Smith lenses.. I've not had anything but Smith googles for many many years, currently I have the I/OX and wife has a couple pair of Squad XL. But the Sun Red Mirror (and the earlier Red SolX Mirror) have been both my wife and I lens of choice for bright days. It looks good and feels good on the eyeballs, and its even pretty decent for low light conditions when you drop into shadows or a cloud rolls past. Our dedicated low light lens is currently the Storm Rose lens, it works well but somedays I wish I had the Storm Yellow for a bit better contrast.

The chromapop lenses in general are excellent in my opinion, they don't mess with with colors too much and seem to sharpen and brighten the world up.

 

[Jim Kenney]

Dumb question from someone also in the goggle market. If you are buying goggles off the internet how do you know they will fit your helmet well?

 

[Green08]

You don't know if they will fit perfectly if you have never tried them on.

I have Smith helmet, and I am not too worried about compatibility. I have tried on a bunch of different goggles with my helmet, so I have a general idea of what will fit my face and gear. So, any of the oversized frames are probably too big for my face.

Anybody have experience with the Smith Chromapop Everyday Green or Red in bright bluebird conditions above tree line? Too bright or just right?

Best deals have been Smith I/O7 Chromapop at $100 or Giro Axis at $78

 

[Green08]

The chromapop lenses in general are excellent in my opinion, they don't mess with with colors too much and seem to sharpen and brighten the world up.

My wife likes her first gen Chromapop lenses a lot. And everything I have read on here indicates people find them to be high quality lenses with great contrast boosting tints.

I am a total believer in what Oakley started with the Prizm. When I put my Prizm Rose lenses on at first there is a rose tint to everything. But, in a matter of seconds things adjust and I experience practically zero color issues, except in shadows on bright days. The fact my eyes are adjusting like that to such a strong tint tells me they are doing something right about getting just the right light to the brain.

 

[hbear]

What about the Prizm Sapphire or Prizm Black then?

 

[Green08]

I would have no issues getting another Oakley Prizm goggle. But, I would be paying a good bit more.

I figure in brighter light the contrast boostin tech is a little less critical. So I am trying to save a few bucks and go with a less expensive pair.

What I am looking for is a single lens that would be versatile in above tree line bluebird conditions and in the shadows or mixed clouds.

Experience with a Smith Chromapop Everyday or Giro Vivid Emerald in those conditions would be helpful advice.

 

[JohnnyG]

So I've got all the Prizm colours for my Airbrakes. My go to is the Sapphire, and my wife likes the Jade, both cover most conditions I can meet in the day until things get dark, the Torch would be included with those two. Those three cover most conditions I'll meet during the day, then the rose or HI pink work better. I've got the black iridium too, but mainly save that for very bright/bluebird days.

 

[graham418]

I have Smith Squad goggles, with several chromapop lenses. Everyday , Bright sun, and Rose flash storm. The lens I use most is the Everyday. It is a good colour tint , and covers most all levels of brightness. I have used the Bright sun lens twice . Its great on Bright sunny days, but if some clouds pop up, or you duck into the trees, it will leave you wanting. I have used the storm lens a few more times., but if it lightens up at all, its too bright. . The Everyday is just right for most every occasion, the other two just for extremes. The Chromapop is great. I do notice better definition

 

[Green08]

Decided on a pair of Oakley Crowbar Prizm Jade goggles for $72 from Backcountry. After looking around a lot more, I found a pair of Oakleys that were cheaper than the Smith I/O Chromapop.

Settles me with a two goggle quiver of Oakleys with Prizm Jade and Prizm Rose lenses.

If I was starting from scratch I probably would have gone with the Smith's. $100 for the interchangeable I/O7 with two lenses was a nice deal.

 

[Beerman]

I bought 4 pair of Goggles recently. 2 x Giro Ella with 3 different Lenses and 2 x Smith Squad XL with 3 different lenses.
I tried about 50 pair on across 15-20 manufacturers. The Ella's are for my daughters and Squad XL for wifey and myself.

Giro Ella Pros; Excellent fit and face feel, 10/10. Excellent Low light lenses 10/10. Good Daylight lenses 9/10. Excellent lense change over, 10/10.Two lenses as standard.
Not so good; Frames are rather deep, so reduced peripheral, and may stick out in front of some helmets 6/10

Smith Squad XL Pros; Good fit, 8/10. Not as plush as Giro face feel 8/10. Good Low light and Daylight lenses 8/10. OK lense changeover 6/10. Two lenses as standard. Excellent peripheral 9/10.
Not so good; With either lense in daylight conditions, their are minor reflections on the inside of the lense. It's not distracting, but is noticeable.

Other contenders
Oakley Line Miner Pros; Excellent peripherals 10/10. Very good Low light lense 9/10. Fit Very good 9/10
Not so good; No second lense, I found the Lense colour was over saturated. Expensive for a Goggle with only 1 lense.

Oakley Flight Deck; same Pros and Cons as Line Miner

Julbo Aerospace Pros; Excellent Lenses 10/10. Pop out lenses for extra ventilation/defog 10/10
Not so good; Frames didn't fit particularly well for me 5/10

The standouts,
Lenses; Julbo Zebra Lenses for contrast and Zebra Light Red for low light
Lenses; Giro Infra Red, low light Lense
Face Feel; Giro Axis/Ella
Fit; Giro Axis/Ella
Peripheral; Oakley Line Miner, close second Smith Squad XL
Lense Changout; Giro Axis/Ella
Ventilation; Julbo Aerospace

The above is not exhaustive across all Gogglles/Brands/Models just my observations from the Goggles I considered as contenders to buy.

 

[markojp]

Hmm .... The squad XL lense is relatively close to the face compared to the IOx... The one thing I like about them is there's less reflective glare than the IO's (didn't notice it actually), but changing lenses is a relative pain. Great bang for the buck though.

 

[Dave Marshak]

I have Smith helmet, and I am not too worried about compatibility.

Even buying the same brand at the same time, you can't count on fit and helmet compatibility without trying them on. I found that out the hard way.

Chromopop and POC NXT lenses are made of trivex, which is more transparent than the usual polycarbonate. Trivex is spendy but it's worth for my old eyes. YMMV. There's some good info here: https://www.pugski.com/threads/goggles-101.3451/#post-76220

The POC goggles with the lenses held by magnets are way cool, but I havet Smith's because I want the RX inserts.

mm

 

[mister moose]

What I am looking for is a single lens that would be versatile in above tree line bluebird conditions and in the shadows or mixed clouds.

Experience with a Smith Chromapop Everyday or Giro Vivid Emerald in those conditions would be helpful advice.

I have the Giro lenses and have done numerous comparisons. Looking at the new Vivid lenses, all the medium light ones have the same base red rose-ish base tint with a different color flash coating. I wouldn't worry about Emerald vs Ember so much. Even the Black Limo at 15% VLT isn't bad when the clouds come out for a while. I find the most taxing conditions are low light fog or snowstorm days. I've tried a number of low light lenses, and I don't see a significant difference. Still trying out some new choices, like the Yellow Boost and the Infra Red, half because I get scratches and want the upgrade, and half because I want to believe the emperor truly does have new clothes.

I also find the "Stick the spare lens in your pocket" is a BIG LIE when dealing with the newer spherical lenses. Way too bulky for me to pack one along in my jacket for the rare times I want to change them, I keep other lenses at the lodge.

 

[Guy in Shorts]

Settles me with a two goggle quiver of Oakleys with Prizm Jade and Prizm Rose lenses.

A pair, a couple, two or a duet is hardly a quiver worth going into battle with. Oakley Crowbars with High Intensity Yellow has been my choice for years now to deal with the lousy light we get all too often at Killington.

 

[fatbob]

A pair, a couple, two or a duet is hardly a quiver worth going into battle with. Oakley Crowbars with High Intensity Yellow has been my choice for years now to deal with the lousy light we get all too often at Killington.

I was looking at adding to my goggle quiver this summer but realised I already had too many to use. Having been an orange/persimmon fan for many years for all conditions my eyes have done their aging thing in the past couple of years meaning that I really start to suffer in grey outs and white outs. I've found Hi Yellow is bearable even when the sun breaks out for a bit. I decided to try extra help in some Dragon lumalens pink ion (their version of Oakley Prizm hi pink) - they were a bit too bright for extended wear in sun but probably mean I can revert to persimmon with those in my pack for when it clouds over hard.

 

[Marker]

Last year I upgraded during summer sales to Smith I/OX with Ignitor and Blue Sensor lenses from an older model with fixed Blue Sensor lens (see photo to the left!). This year I added a Smith Quantum helmet to fit my giant noggin as the old one was pretty well shot. For the northeast, these lenses have covered almost every day I've skied except for true storm conditions and late murky afternoons. I've not had any problems with bright NE light using the Ignitor. So this weekend I went looking for I/OX goggles with the new ChromaPop lenses, so I can put my two most common lenses in separate frames, and get a Storm Yellow plus whatever bright sun mirror lens they include. However, I could not find a bargain, and didn't think a Storm Rose was enough of an upgrade over the Blue Sensor. The Storm Yellow is not offered in too many combos and must be too new to be available on sale. If you know of a possibility, let me know!

 

[ZionPow]

I use 2 separate Smith Squad goggles. One has Everyday Chromapop lenses and the other has the yellow lens for low light and fog. I carry the extra one in my medical pack to change them out on the hill when necessary.

 

[blackke17]

there is simply nothing better than a yellow lens in storm conditions. I have a few pairs of Smiths ( I/OX and SQuad) but when the storms hit i reach for my dragons

 

[EricG]

So many variables. But I’ve got 3 lenses for my Smith I/OX’s. I bought extra lenses since I use a RX insert in the Smith frame and don’t want to keep moving the insert. It seems that smith really has the helmet-goggle interface dialed now. I always hated the small cold spot on my forehead when my Oakley googles were used with my Bern helmet.