Albertan ski girl
Angel Diva
So I decided to buy new goggles this year - I had the Smith Anthem googles in blue sensor mirror, and a cheapo rc36 for years. I finally upgraded because the first day of the season, I was wearing my anthems in heavy snow and they kept fogging and icing, and they didn't fit with my new helmet etc etc.
I've now worn the I/os Chromapop for about 7 days and have some thoughts on the goggles. I decided to post this review because I know that there has been lots of discussion on the new lens technology/prizm vs. Chromapop etc. My goggles came with two lenses: Chromapop storm and Chromapop everyday.
For reference, I am 35, have blue eyes which are quite sensitive to sun, and wear contacts (blind as a bat without them).
Goggles: the goggles themselves are fantastic. This is a wonderfully sized pair of goggles that fit small faces perfectly. I have struggled before in finding goggles that fit because I have a regular sized head, but the space between my forehead and my nose is quite small. So most goggles that fit my head, would slip over my nose. I even tried kids goggles at one point (field of vision was too small) before finding the smith anthem which fit perfectly and I wore for 3 years. The I/OS is an even better fit with a wide field of vision. I also find them to be very comfortable, and have so far had no fogging whatsoever. They fit perfectly with my smith helmet.
Chromapop Storm lens: I had very high hopes for these lenses, as overcast and cloudy is common here. We also spend a lot of time in the alpine which gets pretty flat. I wear a low-light lens probably 80-90% of my time skiing. I had about 5 days of use of these Chromapop storms - 2 at whistler in all-out storm conditions, 3 at sunshine village in a variety of storm conditions below tree line and in the alpine. Overall, I would say that there is slightly more contrast visible in the terrain/snow. However I do not think these are much better than my Smith Blue Sensor Mirror lenses. I do not think they are worth the extra money over blue sensor mirror lenses. If you are using those now, you do not need to upgrade. In flat light, I noticed no difference at all compared to my blue sensor mirror.
Chromapop Everyday lens: I didn't really think much about this lens...until I wore it for the first time. I was really surprised at how impressed I was with this lens. The definition and contrast on terrain is amazing. Good ol' RC36 doesn't even come close. I wore this lens on one clear bright bluebird day, and one mixed cloud and sun day. On the bluebird day, this lens was amazing - and the one thing I really enjoyed was how well it worked in transitions from sun to shade and back. I have struggled before on bright days with the movement into shade - it felt often like flat light to me. But these goggles rocked that, and I could still see snow contrast in the shade. On the mixed sun and snow day, I was really impressed with how they performed in variable light conditions. I think this is an amazing lens. I'm actually going to try it next time there is a snowy day to see how it works. I think this is a great variable light lens, and works in a greater variety of conditions than any lens I've worn.
Price: I'm torn about this - because I did actually buy these. I paid $220 CAD for the goggles and the two lenses - I am told that is supposed to be a very good price, but I still feel a little guilty when I spend this much money for ski gear, like goggles. I guess my bottom line is the following: if you are concerned about cost, do not buy these goggles. You can get a pair of blue sensor mirror goggles online for about $40-$50, and then get an everyday lens of your choice. Having two pairs of goggles is much more cost effective than the I/OS. On the other hand, I am so impressed with the fit of the I/OS on my face, that I would say this goggle is worth it for me. I've never had a goggle fit my face so well. If you are committed to the I/OS (or I/O) purchase, then I would suggest getting a blue sensor mirror lens for it (much less than the Chromapop Storm) and a Chromapop Everyday. If there is a Chromapop lens that is worth every penny, it is the Chromapop Everyday and not the Chromapop Storm IMHO.
I've now worn the I/os Chromapop for about 7 days and have some thoughts on the goggles. I decided to post this review because I know that there has been lots of discussion on the new lens technology/prizm vs. Chromapop etc. My goggles came with two lenses: Chromapop storm and Chromapop everyday.
For reference, I am 35, have blue eyes which are quite sensitive to sun, and wear contacts (blind as a bat without them).
Goggles: the goggles themselves are fantastic. This is a wonderfully sized pair of goggles that fit small faces perfectly. I have struggled before in finding goggles that fit because I have a regular sized head, but the space between my forehead and my nose is quite small. So most goggles that fit my head, would slip over my nose. I even tried kids goggles at one point (field of vision was too small) before finding the smith anthem which fit perfectly and I wore for 3 years. The I/OS is an even better fit with a wide field of vision. I also find them to be very comfortable, and have so far had no fogging whatsoever. They fit perfectly with my smith helmet.
Chromapop Storm lens: I had very high hopes for these lenses, as overcast and cloudy is common here. We also spend a lot of time in the alpine which gets pretty flat. I wear a low-light lens probably 80-90% of my time skiing. I had about 5 days of use of these Chromapop storms - 2 at whistler in all-out storm conditions, 3 at sunshine village in a variety of storm conditions below tree line and in the alpine. Overall, I would say that there is slightly more contrast visible in the terrain/snow. However I do not think these are much better than my Smith Blue Sensor Mirror lenses. I do not think they are worth the extra money over blue sensor mirror lenses. If you are using those now, you do not need to upgrade. In flat light, I noticed no difference at all compared to my blue sensor mirror.
Chromapop Everyday lens: I didn't really think much about this lens...until I wore it for the first time. I was really surprised at how impressed I was with this lens. The definition and contrast on terrain is amazing. Good ol' RC36 doesn't even come close. I wore this lens on one clear bright bluebird day, and one mixed cloud and sun day. On the bluebird day, this lens was amazing - and the one thing I really enjoyed was how well it worked in transitions from sun to shade and back. I have struggled before on bright days with the movement into shade - it felt often like flat light to me. But these goggles rocked that, and I could still see snow contrast in the shade. On the mixed sun and snow day, I was really impressed with how they performed in variable light conditions. I think this is an amazing lens. I'm actually going to try it next time there is a snowy day to see how it works. I think this is a great variable light lens, and works in a greater variety of conditions than any lens I've worn.
Price: I'm torn about this - because I did actually buy these. I paid $220 CAD for the goggles and the two lenses - I am told that is supposed to be a very good price, but I still feel a little guilty when I spend this much money for ski gear, like goggles. I guess my bottom line is the following: if you are concerned about cost, do not buy these goggles. You can get a pair of blue sensor mirror goggles online for about $40-$50, and then get an everyday lens of your choice. Having two pairs of goggles is much more cost effective than the I/OS. On the other hand, I am so impressed with the fit of the I/OS on my face, that I would say this goggle is worth it for me. I've never had a goggle fit my face so well. If you are committed to the I/OS (or I/O) purchase, then I would suggest getting a blue sensor mirror lens for it (much less than the Chromapop Storm) and a Chromapop Everyday. If there is a Chromapop lens that is worth every penny, it is the Chromapop Everyday and not the Chromapop Storm IMHO.