Smith I/O Goggles/Lens Question

[MattD]

I have a set of Smith I/O goggles that I have several Chromapop lenses for. I was going to purchase a new set of I/O goggles, but Smith says my current lenses will not fit the new goggles. Does anyone know what model year Smith changed the I/O so that older lenses would no longer fit? Thanks!

 

[John O]

My understanding is that the 18/19 I/O is the only year that's different. The 18/19 had 8 magnets around the lens/frame. The 19/20 and newer lenses and frames have 7 magnets. Count the magnets on your lenses, if you have 8 then those lenses will not fit on newer frames.

 

[Rostapher]

Not sure here, but I’ve got a guess. More context (where’d you get that info) would be helpful. Seems like Smith has a chatbot answering queries and often gets things wrong or can’t figure out what you’re asking. You need to get a real person on the line. Also, as you probably know they’ve got a whole line of “I/O” googles now (original, S, mag, XL). I have the original I/O and all the original I/Os I’ve bought are all interchangeable, but you can’t switch between the different lines.

I guess (as @John O said) it depends on which I/O you have! You just said I/O so I assumed it was the original and not one of the variants.

 

[John O]

I guess (as @John O said) it depends on which I/O you have! You just said I/O so I assumed it was the original and not one of the variants.

For what it's worth, my info is for the plain old "I/O Mag", and not any of the variants. Smith changed the magnet configuration and screwed everyone who has a pair of 18/19 goggles (which includes me, which is how I know about this). If you have 18/19 I/O Mags you can't use newer lenses.

Edit: Of course you could be right and the OP's problem could be that they're looking at lenses for one of the variants. That's a good point.

 

[John O]

Oh, I just re-read and realized the OP never even mentioned Mag, I just assumed. So my info might be useless in this case. The I/O has been around for a long time, prior to the Mag version. It would help to know exactly what the OPs goggles are. If we're talking about non-mag vs. mag then obviously the lenses aren't compatible.

 

[MattD]

These are the regular I/O goggles, not the S, Mag, or other variants.
The info came from a customer service representative in an email exchange, not from the chatbot.

 

[PROLENS]

Smith has never made a change to the original I/O goggle and a limited amount of lenses are available. By limited I mean a limited variety or offering of lens tints. Recently it is only the I/O MAG that had a mid-production change of 8 magnets to 7. This change did not apply to the XL model. Sometimes Smith will have a new CS rep who is unfamiliar with older products. Hope this info helps.

 

[MattD]

Smith has never made a change to the original I/O goggle and a limited amount of lenses are available. By limited I mean a limited variety or offering of lens tints. Recently it is only the I/O MAG that had a mid-production change of 8 magnets to 7. This change did not apply to the XL model. Sometimes Smith will have a new CS rep who is unfamiliar with older products. Hope this info helps.

Thanks so much! So to confirm, if I bought a new pair of current I/O goggles, my current lenses would be interchangeable/usable with the new pair?

Also, do you know if Smith is planning to discontinue the I/O? That was another thing mentioned by the CS rep.

 

[PROLENS]

Hi Matt, the I/O technically was discontinued when the I/O MAG was introduced, however Smith has continued to manufacture a small amount of them since they are still manufactured in the US. Not sure what you mean by "current" but if your current I/O is the original I/O without magnets and equipped with the "catch" buttons on the top of the frame then yes the current I/O lenses will fit. Post a picture of the frame and I'm happy to confirm your model but if it is an authentic Smith goggle the lens will have the model clearly indicated on the lens along with the type of lens it is.

 

[PROLENS]

It should look like this:

 

[MattD]

Yes, they are the regular I/O ... not the MAG. Thanks.

 

[gabrik]

For cloudy day lens chromapop yellow 65%vlt if chromapop clear 86%, which will give better contrast?

 

[MattD]

My preference has been the chromapop yellow, but that's often a matter of personal taste.

By the way, I was able to confirm that the new I/O goggles will take any of the old lenses (again, I am referring to the regular I/O, not the S or Mag.) Thanks to @PROLENS for steering me correctly!

 

[TheArchitect]

For cloudy day lens chromapop yellow 65%vlt if chromapop clear 86%, which will give better contrast?

I have the yellow and like the contrast. I would choose yellow for cloudy and storm days.

 

[mogulman]

Interesting, so assumed my goggles were the new variety of IO Mag. I bought them in January of 2022 and they were listed as. 2021 model. But they have 8 magnets. They were from Canada. Maybe Canadian model is different?

So it isn't just 18/19?

Or did I somehow get old stock?