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How Good Are the Smith Chromapop Lenses/Goggles?

SMichael08

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hi all, curious just how good the Smith chromapop lenses are. The context is: I bought some new Wildhorn goggles last winter based on a mix of price-point and easy-change lenses. However, I went with the junior size and am now discovering that I can't get amber lenses in junior size (they've been out of stock for nearly a year), so I basically have yellows for night skiing and some other lenses for brighter weather at varying VLT, but all a variation of basic darkening/gray. Skiing in the wetter part of the PNW, I like having a good rose or amber lense for those not-super-sunny days. I'll go ahead and keep my junior size Wildhorns and the various lenses I have for those since I'm well-past any return window. But I'd still like a good amber/rose option, so it looks like I need to buy a new set of goggles. (I'm a bit annoyed I didn't fully understand the limited color options in the goggles I bought last year, but c'est la vie.)

I can get a different style from Wildhorn for roughly $99 and then amber or rose lenses for about $15/each on Amazon. OR Evo currently has some Smith I/O Smith MAGs on sale for $150 (normally $250). That comes with a basic everyday lense and a rose storm lense. That's a pretty smokin' deal on the Smiths, but any other replacement lenses would be about $100+ each. So the upfront investment is fairly comparable, but any additional lenses in the future would be far more expensive if I go with the Smiths.

My question for you Divas is, are the Smith chromapop lenses really that great? Should I jump on the good deal for the Smiths now and know that if I need additional lenses in the future the extra expense is worth it? Or should I go for the more economical-across-the-board Wildhorns? Any input is appreciated!
 

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
I like my Smith IO/S goggles a lot, but I’m afraid I don’t have much in the way of comparison. Previously I was going through cheap goggles every other season or so because I wasn’t wearing Asian fit goggles.

As for new lenses, there’s a place that stocks duplicates online for a few dollars cheaper. My local ski shop directed me there when I asked about replacements. I’ll try to dig out the link.
 

gingerjess

Angel Diva
Oooh, thanks for posting about the Smiths! I love my pair, but when I went to put them on for the first time this season yesterday the strap kept coming out, so I need to replace them. This is a solid deal.
 

Luvs2ski

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
That is a fabulous deal! I have Smith I/OS but mine are not the MAG, which seem to be super convenient. I have had a few pair of smiths & love them, the lenses are great & they pie perfectly with my smith helmet. @ilovepugs good to know about the replacement lenses, since I need a lens for low light conditions (my older eyes are not digging the low light these days).
 

santacruz skier

Angel Diva
I like my Smith IO/S goggles a lot, but I’m afraid I don’t have much in the way of comparison. Previously I was going through cheap goggles every other season or so because I wasn’t wearing Asian fit goggles.

As for new lenses, there’s a place that stocks duplicates online for a few dollars cheaper. My local ski shop directed me there when I asked about replacements. I’ll try to dig out the link.
Same. Wear smith io/s goggles with 3 interchangeable lenses.
 

fgor

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Oh, I have smith i/o goggles with 3 interchangeable lenses too. Mine are from the year before they went Chromapop though. They're great though, even the non-chromapop lenses.
 

SMichael08

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Thanks all, I picked up a new Smith helmet last year as well, so I'm thinking I'll go ahead and order them while on sale since I've got an Evo store in town if I need to return them. It does appear they are "past season's colors" and it looks like Smith might have updated the lense fit (additional magnets) since previous seasons, so it's not clear to me if newer replacement lenses would fit these goggles or not, but at the current price and easy returns, I'll give them a shot.
 

ESGCO

Certified Ski Diva
Worth the cost! I have the mags and it is so easy to change them out,

I have 3 lenses that serve my purposes pretty well (all chromapop):
Storm Yellow Flash for dawn patrols and really gray, flat days.
Photochromic Rose Flash is my daily driver for backcountry and typical CO cloudy/sunny/cloudy/sunny days (and they're also SO pretty!)
Black for bluebird days.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I have a couple of the Chromopop lenses for my non-mag IO/S. Been pretty happy with them. Although I end up using the Blue Sensor lens the most often in low light situations.
 

contesstant

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The Rose Storm lens is a really great horrible light lens. I have that, I have the Oakley Prizm Hi Pink, and the Giro Vivid low light (can't remember what it's called.) I find them all quite comparable (with the Oakley being the least favorite) and much better than anything else I've tried, including yellow of any kind. The first time I went with the Smith lens was when I stole my husband's goggles with that lens at Grand Targhee (Grand Foggy) and I could see so much better.

The Smith and the Giro are pretty comparable. I'd go for it if I were you.
 

Ski Sine Fine

Angel Diva
I also have the mags with storm yellow flash for low lights and photochromic rose flash for everyday. There is a third lens that came with the set but I’ve never used it and don’t remember what it is. I think it might be black or green sun or some such.

I used to have the IO/X with very similar setups and upgraded to the mags for the ease of changing lenses.
 

KWlovessnow

Angel Diva
I have Smith goggles and used to use their regular lenses and then upgraded my lenses to Chromopop. The regular lenses are good, but the Chromopop lenses are wonderful! Their storm rose goggle is my absolute favorite for cloudy days (I ski mostly in Michigan, so I get a lot of those). So much definition on flat light days. I also have a darker lens for when I go out west.

I can't really compare to other brands because I really have kept with Smith.
 

jmfd84

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The regular lenses are good, but the Chromopop lenses are wonderful! Their storm rose goggle is my absolute favorite for cloudy days (I ski mostly in Michigan, so I get a lot of those). So much definition on flat light days.

Absolutely agree! I bought Smith I/O Mag goggles on end-of-season sale after 3 seasons of wearing $25 cheap goggles and constantly feeling like I "couldn't see" when it got cloudy. I ski in the East, so this was happening basically every ski day. Even sunny days are not that bright at my local mtn. I pretty much never take the storm rose lens off now - I love it so much.
 

Iwannaski

Angel Diva
I am blaming all of you for last night’s impulse buy of sale Smith I/O Mag S goggles.
:thumbsup:

TBH, I was struggling both with a feeling of suffocation in my current (fairly inexpensive) goggles and the previous 20 year old low VLT Smiths. I realized that it’s both the lens and I think the unisex frames are too big for my face and they’re mashing my nostrils.

(Oh, and I’m middle-aged, so my eyes are predictably acting like a**holes)

It’s an REI purchase, so I figure this is the easy way to try them on. I did go to the store to find them and they are so low on stock, this is the best way.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Oh, and I’m middle-aged, so my eyes are predictably acting like a**holes)
HEARD.

I have older-model Smith IO/S goggles with Storm Rose and whatever the slightly more light-blocking green lens is. They are great; I have blue eyes that are hyper-sensitive to light and those two lenses are 98% all I ever need in Vermont. Yeah, flat light is always a struggle, but the rose lenses are good. Better than clear, and a little better than the yellow lenses. Even better when I can be arsed to put my contacts in. :smile:

Are the lenses as good as the companies all claim? Nope. Sometimes the light is just difficult. But I've been happy with my Smiths-- good visibility and heckin' durable.
 

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