Expensive vs Budget Goggles: You get what you pay for!

[@amirsyoutube9518]

Recently bought an $80 pair of low light goggles to replace $350 Oakleys that I thought I lost. Skied most this season with the cheaper ones before finding the Oakleys. Tried those, and found I preferred the cheaper pair. I think the highest end goggles you are paying for all the r&d and also vanity. Wait two years, and those same features are in mid-priced goggles.

[@theoutsider6191]

I never paid more than 80 bucks for a pair of goggles. There are plenty expensive sets around that are simply a vanity exercise, and when you can get a great pair for 40 notes in the sales, why pay 600 notes? Answer cause you want the badge that says that was how much you spent. Some people of course think that Oakley for example are a good brand - and they used to be, but not so much these days in terms of product quality. But still people have brand loyalty for names like Oakley. People also buy Bogner ski gear for showy nature, though i think they are actually good materials, but still, 1500 notes for a jacket.....

[@kobayashimaru8114]

What's funny is years ago when I bought my first decent goggle (Smith Phenom) I spent a couple hundred bucks for spherical, dual pane lens. I spent about the same for my next goggle (Smith I/O). Now I have a $45 CAD goggle from Amazon that has the same features plus magnetic lens and works just as well as my old Smiths.

[@halfportion5764]

Really? A friend of mine said he found cheap dual lens rail goggles on amazon, so something close to yours. What were yours called?

[@itaintobeezy]

name of goggle?

[@therolando608]

The cheap Amazon goggles are bad. Bad scratch resistance, bad UV protection, bad ventilation, bad optics, bad quality, etc.

[@jimshorts5970]

Was hoping for something about the lens visibility.

[@bobdavis2689]

In my experience, toric lenses are easier to scratch because they stand proud of the frame, whereas cylindrical lenses are less likely to get scratched because they sit inside the frame edge.

[@caspzz6215]

He's back!

[@Grace_planes]

Here are my thoughts: 30 is budget, which contrary to other gear doesn’t necessarily mean that sits bad at all. It does the job just fine, However I do notice that more expensive goggles (oakley) do have a better performance. my goggles were 210, but I ski competitively so I need the extra bit of sight and protection. but I don’t think that the regular skier needs those at all! The budgets are great, maybe if you want that extra quality you can opt for 80-120 price range. Now when it comes to fitting, one thing I also noticed is that sometimes the price does not matter. When I wanted new goggles when I was younger, I first looked at the red bull Spect. These were just not fitting for me, pinching my nose making it harder for me to breathe normally. Then I asked an employee to help me and give me advice, I got a perfect fitting sinner goggles for 30 euros. So, I think that as long you have help selecting your goggles, it doesn’t really matter.

[@markmd9]

I would say 20-40 is budget, 80-120 expensive and higher just fancy

[@MrMarcec85]

I don't know what he is talking about.. there is a lot of advertising in this video... here over the top goggles are around 120- 140€. Normal good ones, with Zeiss lenses, or photocromatic lenses are around 90-100. Every person who lives the mountain, and not the "fashion guy", says that 2 goggles is more efficient than one with 2 lenses that you ll never change. Anyway.. everyone is free to buy a 300$ goggle 😁. Also: " you don't really see single layer lenses often"... true, except that is what Pro alpine skiers use. Same for the cylindrical lens: almost no-one use the spherical lens in the circuit. Nowadays cylindricals are as corrected as rhe sphericals. Toric are so useful that here are sold in ONE model of ONE house... nobody else sell the toric lenses... wondering why.

[@born2drum1]

@@MrMarcec85 when is having 2 entire sets of goggles more convenient than just snapping different lenses back and forth? You have unlimited options and only have to pay for 1 pair of frames. I have a pair of smith 4D’s with 2 lenses, 2 soft cases and a hard case, I got it on sale for $180 and they’ll last me atleast 10+ years.

[@nastysoda9212]

exactly. Skiirs/snowboarders are not good consumers. Most are posers and buy insanely expensive stuff just for the name. The more expensive the more they want it.

[@misterfunnybones]

I have the Oakley flight deck with a contrast lens & welding-mask sun lens & they're amazing, but for anyone in the PNW, always take a cheaper goggle on near 0°C storm days because you do not want to be chiselling ice off your $200+ goggles. Also, keep your goggles in your pack or jacket pocket until you actually need them. That morning upload line in the precip will soak the foam on your goggles perched on your helmet & then freeze as you ascend into powder heaven.

[@Saltinator]

If your lense freezes up remove the frozen one and replace it with the nice warm one you have in your coat pocket and let the frozen one warm up and melt off. "problem" solved.

[@misterfunnybones]

@@Saltinator Good suggestion, but in the PNW it will get to the point of rime ice on everything. I've been covered in rime ice to the point I can't get my pack off or unzip jacket - coated in ice. That warm lens in your coat, if you do swap it, will quickly be covered in ... rime ice.

[@puregsr]

I'm looking for a pair of interchangeable lenses, over the glasses, and Asian fit, but can't seem to find any locally. Just ordered a pair of Giro Index 2.0 Asian fit (perhaps not the quick interchangeable lens system I'm looking for), but we will see. I thought that would be a HUGE market, you know, Asians with glasses, especially the ones in their 40's, got money to spend, work a lot so night skiing, but also go on many vacations, and too lazy to put on contacts.

[@MountainVibes]

The Index 2.0 has has the size, fit, but the "old school" way of changing lenses. It will take time to swap them. You're almost looking for a needle in a haystack, unfortunately. Giro has the best fitting AF goggles, with some models have a quicker lens system (Contour, and Article) but the cut out for glasses is minimal. If you're not satisfied with the Index, search for Zeal Portal AF. The lenses can easily be swapped out and have a large frame for glasses. Best of luck.

[@chandraramamoorthy871]

is it possible to buy foam to fix the goggles. I have a small face and bought goggles specially made for women and paid a fair amount but the foam is worn off.

[@MountainVibes]

You’ll have to reach out to the manufacturer. I don’t think it’s something they do though.

[@CS-vx5ox]

What are your thoughts on Wildhorn Roca’s ?

[@MountainVibes]

I’ve seen these goggles before, but under a different brand name. I’m always skeptical when I see a company make products like this. It makes it harder I deal with warranties, and customer service. I’d stay away and go with a more reputable brand name.

[@aau_626]

@@MountainVibes what was the name of the other company/brand name?

[@MountainVibes]

Outdoor Master.

[@Ry_Metal]

@@MountainVibes don't think Wildhorn & Outdoor Master are the same companies...

[@noneone2u]

Great video!

[@theoutsider6191]

Never paid more than 80 notes for a pair of goggles, and mostly its been less than that. Normally it'll be around 50 notes in the season end sales, and you get an excellent pair for that. The Dragon D1XT pairs i bought 8 years ago are still in perfect condition now. And recently bought a pair of Spect Red Bull goggles for 50 notes. Again a good pair for a reasonable price. That said while i was looking i did see some eye-wateringly bad prices for some like Gucci and YNIQ. The reality of which is they will not make you a better skier because they are more expensive 🙂

[@cellokid5104]

Why would I switch out a lense anyway?Do people keep backup lenses?

[@MountainVibes]

If the lighting conditions change drastically, then having a proper lens helps.

[@peppolicchiopappo7274]

I do that all the time, if you skii all day, by the end of the day is darkish and your normal lense is really shitty, you switch to your foggy conditions lense and everything is so much better, life saver especially if you hit the park a lor

[@therolando608]

Lenses are made for very specific conditions. Sure there are some "universal" lenses they push on mid and low tier goggles, but they aren't great. You wouldn't want to use a blackout lense when it is cloudy and snowing or a storm lense for when it is really sunny.

[@KuroTenshi00]

Excellent video. I wished I saw this before I started researching for my new goggles but you definitely assured me with my expensive goggle purchase! :'D

[@Puzzoozoo]

Goggles now also come as standard, and otg for glasses wearers, and in the review lists Oakley and Smith seem to always be in the top spots.

[@EverythingStudios]

Hey! I know this guy haha🤙wicked video!

[@jonathanscholes2629]

Hey! Awesome video! Question- what are your thoughts on Outdoor Master Ski goggles Pro? They seem to have a lot of these higher end benefits, but the price is really low! Should I be cautious?

[@MountainVibes]

Thanks! Um, I have seen these goggles in person, and they do feel cheap. They claim to be polarized, however, not all polarization is done equally. I'm sure they'll get the job done, but for how long though? Read reviews on amazon and get a take away from them.

[@Djakis114]

I have a pair of outdoor master ski goggles pro, for 4 years now, with 2 seperate lenses. They have triple foam, and magnets. Indeed, the feeling is cheap, espesially when you try to change lenses. Although no signs of wearing till now, so I am thinking to buy another one lense, to be able to suit more conditions. This year which we wear masks KN95 (due to coronavirus measures) to ski, I noticed a little bit of fogging.

[@felipe2fp]

I like my detour gougles much more than my smiths. Their lens are really good.

[@aaronjohnson4573]

I own Anon M4 Goggles, glade Adapt 2 and some cheap 60.00 Smiths. I found the lenses on the Anon and glades to be the same in clarity. The cheap smiths are not near as good in clarity. No way i would purchase the Anon goggles again. For about 150.00 the Glades seems to be as good as the Anons and a lot better then the Smiths. Plus at 150.00 you can afford to replace them in the lenses get scratched.

[@dr.yooc.wrightmddoctorofop6914]

What do you think about Giro's Cruz goggles for $40?

[@MountainVibes]

They’re okay for the price. Not the best optics, or fit for that matter. You get what you pay for.

[@tims8299]

Great video. Thanks.

[@shutupmanful]

My $40 Outdoor Master Ski goggles work perfectly fine!

[@brettstock3284]

Nice, I bought used smith I/o with two lenses for $50 lol

[@Bigp154]

@@brettstock3284 but are they frameless smith googles bc the ones from outdoor are

[@rogerskugrud8609]

I will agree with you about outdoor Master goggles, but not 100%. I have found they look and feel like the more expensive brands, however and the material they are made of is not the same quality as the name brands use. They are good for folks that ski just a time or two every year, but will not stand up to regular usage for more than a year or so

[@isvvc7394]

The outdoor master goggles are not good i just upgraded and its a game changer

[@soldiercoop]

I’ve used the same Outdoor Master magnetic ones for 5 seasons and they’ve been great. I only ski one trip per year (3-4 days), so cant rate heavy use. Been curious on differences between expensive ones.

[@EZEvans1]

Great Video. your delivery style is spot on!

[@HuckingPlastic]

Should do a review of shadyrays goggles. I'm curious how they compare to more expensive one

[@mattfoster5934]

I have Shady rays and they are excellent they were cheap and I have a bunch of different lenses they have sales at the beginning of year Black Friday and end-of-year sales

[@GrampyScott]

Junk. Material is junk, cost like 26 cents to make. I thought my Prius was awesome until I drove a Ferrari, lol.

[@vijayanchomatil8413]

I wonder if you can do a video on SKI Socks!

[@toner37]

I picked up a pair of Decibel goggles for about $40 CDN. Heading into the wind at -25c I could tell where the air flow was. What I noticed was that when I changed my direction and the wind was at my back the fogging of the lens was more obvious. And by the time I was done it appeared to have frost build up and more fogging and I was having reduced visibility. The company even gave me tips and such and it didn't help.

[@Bloodysugar]

What I love about very expensive googles is they make no non-sens middle range googles cheaper, while giving them better technology where it really matters. Like having chromapop, X-Fog coating, 3 foam layers, but no trendy expensive worthless magnets, no mechanical security to not lose magnetic lenses, no several X-Fog layers, no "North Face special edition" etc, making some products like "basic" Squads (XL) a bang for each buck invested.

[@beardedbarnstormer9577]

300 dollar goggles are a scam pure and simple. I got out of riding for 5 years and it's appalling coming back. Goggles have changed little except the horrible mark up. Top their used to be 180-200 now it's 280-300+ with very little to show for it. For reference you used to get heads up display goggles for 300.

[@MountainVibes]

I remember those Heads-up Display goggles. Wasn't a fan, but cool for the times.

[@beardedbarnstormer9577]

@@MountainVibes not gonna lie they were garbage for skiing and boarding but they were the bomb for wingsuiting and paragliding. Talk about sports that wouldn't blink an eye at 600 dollar goggles 🤣

[@proverbalizer]

just like lift tickets

[@robertsophiea05]

A budget goggle is $20 a high end goggle is $80. $300 goggles indicates a corporate sponsorship or a crippling spending problem.

[@born2drum1]

Think again man.

[@robertsophiea05]

@DB honestly my comment comes off a bit judgmental. My bad

[@nastysoda9212]

skiir's and snowboarders are the biggest posers around. Idiot consumers

[@keithskoglund10]

Wrong

[@therolando608]

Goggles are the most important safety equipment you have on the slopes. It pays to make sure your goggles will keep your eyes safe but also allow you to see properly in any condition. I wouldn't pay under $150 for goggles.

[@speck_the_nomad]

Fun fact: the rest of the video wad filmed thru another pair of goggles

[@larsw.larsen4173]

Magnets can make the lens feels quite heavy - since they are “far away” from the face.

[@MarkMoore-l4g]

Young Richard Taylor Ronald Moore Nancy

[@nastysoda9212]

goggle prices are asinine. You guys allowed them to get that expensive by being stupid consumers. In motorcross we have the exact same quality goggles but they are $120 max. Same companies as well

[@therolando608]

Motorcross and Ski goggles have vastly different use cases and required technology the latter being much more rigorous. Ski goggles need to allow you to see small differences in the snow pack while at the same time providing adequate ventilation and reducing eye fatigue from sun. They are the most important important safety equipment a Skier/Snowboarder has.