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Difference between a 50$ and 200$ pair of goggles

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sneezin
Posts: 632 - Karma: 430
Alright, I'm looking for a serious answer here.

Is there a real, noticeable difference from the 50 to 200$+ range for goggles? or 100-200+?

like ive ridden a pairs of shitty scotts with cheap ass lenses my entire life. The ones i broke today probably sell new today for like 10$. They don't fog so I dont really see a reason to get new ones (until now because they just broke). Is there really a huge difference between these and some crowbars?

I dont know, i get the feeling that people spend an extra 150$ for the look entirely and that 150$ could be spent way better upgrading their skis boots or bindings (added to what they are already paying). One of my friends gets new oakleys every year and i think its a little excessive.


well anyways my shitty scotts cracked after five years and i need to buy new ones, and only want to shell out 50-75 from my life's savings of 400$, wondering if i should spend the extra hundred and get something nice.


i feel like what i just wrote sounds really repetitive but sorry im fucking tired and im going to sleep. took a few nice spills today
Feb 17 2010 8:38PM
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Six.0.Tree-ski
Posts: 4059 - Karma: 67
crowbars have really wide vision and interchangeable lenses and shit. look around www.tramdock.com for cheap crowbars. you will notice the difference.
Feb 17 2010 8:47PM
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J.DUKE
Posts: 1233 - Karma: 38
its just like boots. its all about fit. crowbars are the only goggs that fit me perfectly. no wind/snow/light coming in thru the bottom gap between the frame and my nose/face.

and the quality of the lenses are dramatically better. your sight is so much better if your lenses match the conditions.
Feb 17 2010 8:48PM
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jibjunkie
Posts: 3807 - Karma: 191

check out geartrade.com click on apparel then eyewear then goggles

with regards to the quality are oakley lenses better? yes are they worth the extra $100? No not in my opinion. you are paying for the brand name. when looking into new goggles look at ones with spherical lenses and some form of ventilation. Anything thats spherical with vents is going to be a very good goggle. with regards to lenses, stay away from persimmon. it doesnt really excel at night or day but falls in the middle. if your doing a lot of day skiing get something with iridium lense(reflective). if your doing a lot of night shredding look for something clear. and i would never pay anything over 50 for anything but oakley. thats just my two cents

Feb 17 2010 8:49PM
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PhuzzyWuzzy
Posts: 358 - Karma: 82
If you only have $400 to your name, then don't spend $200 on a pair of goggles, that's just stupid. 
Feb 18 2010 2:37AM
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Capurnicus
Posts: 9947 - Karma: 1,886
anon figment all day. best goggles ever.
Feb 18 2010 2:45AM
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Tree_Fuzz
Posts: 367 - Karma: 30

^this is you dont have much $$ to spend on them..

otherise IMO crowbars are worth it..oakley has awesome gear..fit is amazing..super snugg and comfy..and the lenses are super nice

Feb 18 2010 9:18AM
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onenerdykid
Posts: 6673 - Karma: 10,971
Smith Fuse Mirror for $90 (at full retail, gotta be some sales going on now somewhere though).

The mirrored Fuse comes with 2 lenses, one for bright conditions, one for low-light conditions.  This is the best goggle for the buck, in my opinion.
Feb 18 2010 9:22AM
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Brenone
Posts: 4944 - Karma: 296
now is probably a good time to buy gear being that its getting close to the end of the season (fuck, that hurt to say). im sure as long as you dont crack them in half any goggle will last that long. but for the most part if you spend $100 on a pair you will be getting some good quality goggles. the first time you ride with them you will have a "Holy shit" moment and realize the difference right away.
Feb 18 2010 9:46AM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
i have a pair of 10$ goggles with a mirror lens and black frame that look super sweet and work perfectly
and i have a pair of 160$ oakley splices with brown lense, i use both depending on the conditions and i like both their performance...

so imho price doesn't necessarily reflect the quality of a goggle...

and yes, the oakleys work perfectly and the spherical lens gives some mad wide view but its not 16 times better than the 10$ ones.....

anyways i'm still willing to spend 100$ + on good goggles; everyone who has skied on some flat light/misty/snowy days knows how much difference a good goggles make....

So i think i speak the truth when i say that with every goggle you buy, you'll need a certain amount of luck; there are great 10$ goggs and there are great 150$ goggs, but there are also crappy 10$goggs and crappy 150$ goggs....
Feb 18 2010 10:26AM
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vailsage
Posts: 4 - Karma: 10
I just bought a $150 pair of gogs and I loves them way better than the $50 pair from two seasons ago.
Feb 18 2010 12:23PM
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Heart
Posts: 6156 - Karma: 3,462
I totally agree with the OP. I've got some $30 smith cascades and they never fog, fit my face perfectly, and have helmet-goggle compatibility with my helmet.
Feb 20 2010 4:14PM
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axebiker
Posts: 142 - Karma: 13
Find a shape that works, THEN worry about price. 

I've had very expensive and not-so-expensive goggles; I prefer the ones that fit.  Using Anon Figments currently - they give me everything I ask for in a goggle.
Feb 20 2010 4:25PM
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Backyard.Skier
Posts: 5397 - Karma: 1,497

the most expensive googles have very nice lenses in them. the frame of a $200 google cost about $80. the lenses are the main part of the google becuase they block out harmful UV rays and will give you good depth percision. you also pay for the name, for example the JP Crowbars when they came out were more money then regular crowbars becuase they were a "pro model". it also depends on what fits well with your face, cheaper googles will not conform as well to your face compared to a more expensive one.

Feb 20 2010 4:26PM
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T-Nutcracker
Posts: 1056 - Karma: 434
i used to own electric eg1, because i got them pretty cheap and i didint think gogs are that important.
 they started to bug me cause the lens were getting foggy all the time i hated the limited visibility.
then when i got crowbars i noticed that googles can actually make a big difference.
they have really wide vision, the lens never get foggy, the fit is so good.
so im my opinon its worth it to add a few bucks and get crowbars cause theyre really one of the best googles around and you will appreciate the comfort
Feb 20 2010 5:09PM
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Hamster.
Posts: 1636 - Karma: 26
$150
Feb 20 2010 5:28PM
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Turnup_swiperigh
Posts: 990 - Karma: 108
ya i love these goggles, got them for 40 new, and smith has an awsome warrenty too. Im looking for some smith i/o right now
Feb 22 2010 3:42PM
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b-kul
Posts: 4350 - Karma: 1,111
just shop around and be smart. i got giro roots for $30 and smith prodigys for $60. you can get good goggle for not good goggle prices is you look around.
Feb 22 2010 3:52PM
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KravtZ
Posts: 6637 - Karma: 2,629
if you only have 400 you might want to consider saving money...or atleast get a job
Feb 22 2010 4:09PM
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dbstar
Posts: 2038 - Karma: 20
the difference is that 200 dollar goggles like crowbars are marketed feverishly to the trend obsessed rich skiers that infest this site
Feb 22 2010 4:16PM
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DrZoidberg
Posts: 5675 - Karma: 4,269
I don't know about 200 dollar goggles, but I've definitely seen a difference between my like 10 dolar goggles and 90 dollar ones. We are visual cretures, you vision is your most used sense while skiing. I see no problem paying for a wider field of view and a sharper lens. Paying for looks, well some do and some don't. I may even upgrade next season because the ones I have, in my opinion, don't have enough peripheral vision for skiing backwards comfortably. I really need to turn my head and see a lot of the inside of the goggle.
Feb 22 2010 5:21PM
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jibjunkie
Posts: 3807 - Karma: 191
so truth
Feb 22 2010 7:18PM
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Ben.
Posts: 21463 - Karma: 683
where are you spending 200 on crowbars?

honestly the only place you are going to spend 200 dollars on goggles is polarized stuff. which is really unnecessary for most people

now, the difference between a 100$ pair of goggles and a 30$ pair of goggles?

a few things. fit is some of it. generally speaking, there is more research put into the fit of something that expensive, so if you find something that fits, its gonna fit well.

also lense quality. flat lenses are not as good as spherical lenses. period. there is no way around that. they distort what you are looking at, and make your eyes strain more. think about it, your eyeball isnt flat, a prescription eyeglass lense isnt flat, even a normal sunglass lense isnt flat, they are all curved.

even amongst spherical lenses, there is a difference in quality. truth is, hands down oakley has THE best optics out there. they spend a ton of money researching that stuff, and making lenses that distort very very little. smiths lense quality is also great, very slightly below oakleys.
Feb 22 2010 7:24PM
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Chompo.
Posts: 4952 - Karma: 88
i got smith i/o's for a couple reasons. I got a good deal, they have two different lenses, can change lenses depending on conditions, fit my face as well as full tilts fit your feet, and go right into my helmet so a gaper gap is practically impossible
Feb 22 2010 7:28PM
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a_pla5tic_bag
Posts: 9217 - Karma: 5,399
I used to have some like $30 pair of goggles, then I got some wisdoms (let the hate flow) and the optical quality is much better. It's nice to have good goggles, cause you need to see while skiing; it's your most important sense. Why hamper it down with shitty optics?
Feb 22 2010 7:43PM
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B-runge
Posts: 16558 - Karma: 361
i have like 3 pairs of 50 dollar goggles

and they are all crowbars.....
Feb 22 2010 7:47PM
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Aaaron.
Posts: 11817 - Karma: 903
my crowbars cost 52.99 brand new from backcountry.com

Feb 22 2010 7:47PM
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Ben.
Posts: 21463 - Karma: 683
exactly. everyone hates on cbars for being expensive, but if you are a remotely competent shopper, you can easily get them for under a hundred. i paid 50 for one pair, nothing for another, and then my custom pair was obviously stupid expensive, but i didnt care, because they are the best goggles ever.
Feb 22 2010 7:54PM
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cct_222
Posts: 1526 - Karma: 141

a nice pair of goggles for me makes a huge difference

look for any pair on...

tramdock.com

brociety.com

whiskeymilitia.com

or just snag a pair for cheap here on NS

Feb 22 2010 8:09PM
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