Smith has had the goggle game on lock for reason and the IO series is at the top of their line. Everyone has their own preference in style so it's difficult to argue which goggle reigns supreme based solely on that, but in terms of optics and functionality few can match the IO.
I rode these on a perfect day at Mont Tremblant, QC, where an inversion gave us blue bird skies up top and some fresh snow falling below the clouds. I used that to put their interchangeable lens system to test and it's as easy as flipping a few tabs, releasing the contact points and popping the new lens into place. The chair ride is more than enough time to make the switch.
Both the high and low light lenses had perfect optical quality, and didn't have any trouble with fog even though I had my balaclava all the way up.
This is the first time I've had the chance to ride Smith goggles and I'm sold!
Big thanks to Mont Tremblant for making these gear tests possible!
The IO/X is the largest Smith goggle on the market. If you have a small face, it'll dominate it. You'll still look cool though.
I have the Black Lense for sunny days, and the rose lense for low light days. The Blackout is awesome, and is effective for sunny days, but can be a little too dark for tree shaded areas. My favorite lense (EVER) is the Rose lense for low light days. It's the most incredible, crystal clear lense out there. They are perfect for foggy days, for cloudy, and days where the black lense is just too much.
The highlight of these goggles is the interchangeable lense. They can be difficult to understand at first, but you quickly pick up on the system, and they lense feel secure every time.
If you want a big goggle that has several lense choices, I'd try the Smith IO/X.
got these to replace my dragon nfx, and have liked them. i have a big face and i like big goggles. these are pretty good sized, but not nearly as big as the NFX. the lenses used to be super crisp (until i started wrecking and scratching them). overall a solid goggle that looks dope, and is super compatible with helmets. what i do have to say though, is if you ever ever get snow inside your goggles, dont wipe them. let them dry or swap lenses. if you wipe them i starts to take off the anti fog layer.
overall solid goggles. 9/10
Got these goggles for glacier skiing this summer, and the dark lens kept the sun out more than adequately, and with a swap to the included red sensor lens, they work great even for night skiing. They are really quite big, so the field of view is really wide.
I do think that the lens swap could be a bit easier, and the unstrap clip deal on the back seems to be a bit useless for anything other than making the gogs more uncomfortable under a helmet.
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