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Norther1

Putting on skis
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Mar 10, 2016
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69
Well, the foam on the top of my old Oakley Crowbars with persimmon lens has started to tear, so I need to replace them. I can either get another pair of Crowbars with persimmon lens or I can "upgrade" to a Prizm lens. The question I had is what is the difference between the sapphire, jade and torch Prizm lenses? Online those all seem to be the medium light/do-it-all lenses--but in the shop it was hard to tell if there was any real difference between the 3. Or should I maybe consider the rose Prizm? All the Prizm lenses seem to have a rose based hue, though . . . .so any experience with what might be a good all around choice??

I currently use the persimmon lens as my do it all lens---if the sun is going to be in and out or I can't tell what it's going to do, that is the lens I use. I already have a dedicated very sunny day lens and a flat light lens.
Thanks!
 

Tricia

The Velvet Hammer
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I don't own any Prizm lens, but I've tried them on next to the Smith Chromapop and think that both of those lenses are phenomenal for flat light.
 
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Norther1

Norther1

Putting on skis
Skier
Joined
Mar 10, 2016
Posts
69
Thanks--I tried on some of the Smith googles as well--the I/O, I/O7 and I/OS but they didn't fit well with my helmet--and they felt flimsy compared to what I'm used to. I'm assuming they felt that way since the lenses are easily interchangeable on those goggles so the frame just doesn't have a solid feel. Tried on the Oakley Flight Deck XM as well and that was also a poor fit for me. Basically it comes down to Crowbars or Canopy for the best fit for me--I just have to decide whether go Prizm or not--and if so which one.
 

PTskier

Been goin' downhill for years....
Pass Pulled
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Jun 16, 2017
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583
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Washington, the state
I order of how much light the prizm colors block (darkest to lightest)...black, sapphire, jade, torch, rose, hi pink.

I am very satisfied with my rose prizm lenses. They are the best performing yet for my eyes; I haven't tried the Chromapop. On very dim days I'd prefer the hi pink, but the rose is OK, and I won't bother to change the lens. On very bright days I prefer sunglasses. I expect that the Smith Chromapop is new a direct competitor to the Oakley Prizm.
 

Poolskier Vinny

Red Bull Athlete Wannabe
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Sep 20, 2017
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167
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Alberta, Canada
Both my wife and I have Prizm lenses. They are excellent. She has the Rose Prizm and I have the Jade in my Canopy's Great googles and lenses. We ski in difficult terrain (trees, bumps, steeps, chutes etc.) in all conditions where visibility is paramount. Neither of us feels the need to change out our lenses. The Rose is best for low light situations...my Jades are a bit better for "all around" as they work well when the sun is out too... (although my wife never feels that she is blinded or loses definition on bluebird days).

I went with the Jade since I don't want to bother with changing out the lenses. I chose the Canopy style since I'm a difficult fit and it was the best...and fit my helmet as well.. Most of my buddies either wear Smith's with the Chomopop lenses or Oakley Prizms both are good.

If possible try to see what works best for you eyes and go with that.. I was near a ski slope when I did my testing and the sales clerk let me take pairs outside to see the differences between different lenses. Personally I doubt you can go wrong with either.
 

hbear

Out on the slopes
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Aug 17, 2016
Posts
890
Great lenses...the Rose/Jade/Sapphire are effectively the same to me (just different iridim coating colour).
Rose is a great all purpose lens and pretty decent in lower light but not mirrored if that matters to you.
The Hi-Pink is a great lens for low light days (think old Pink Iridum with the prizm tech).
Black is amazing for brighter days but you can still see in the lower light/trees/shadows. (immensely better than bright light lenses of competitors).

Based on you wanting to replace the Persimmon, the Rose (or even Hi-Pink depending on how much light your eyes like to take in) would be the natural replacement.

Red hue is what helps bring out definition on the snow so they are all based on that.
 

AmyPJ

Skiing the powder
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The Prizm lenses truly do give better contrast and clarity. Well worth it. I have the Jade for sunny days, and the Hi Pink for anything else. I have the Rose, but felt that they were not light enough in REALLY flat light/storm conditions.
 

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