Best Smith Alternatives
On the slopes, brand names don’t matter. Only the effectiveness, durability, and comfort of your gear make a difference. It’s not like walking down the runway at a fashion show, where you’ve got thousands of eyes on you. The only people who will notice the brand of goggles you wear will be the ones who are back at the lodge sipping cocoa.
In case it isn’t obvious, today we’re talking about alternatives to Smith goggles. Other than Oakley, Smith is one of the most respected names in ski goggles. But like people who insist that a Mercedes is better than a Toyota, is it just the prestige of the brand, or is there something to the idea that “more expensive = better”?
When it comes to goggles, what traits should you look for? In our guide, we’ll take a look at some of the best Smith alternatives on the market.
Most Important Features for Ski Goggles
When it comes to ski goggles, what really matters? Here are the features you need:
● Protection: Do they keep your eyes safe?
● Visibility: Can you still see in low light or flat light conditions?
● Fogging: Do they come with fog-mitigation features?
● Field of View: Can you look up, down, and side to side without moving your head?
● Comfort: Can you wear them all day without soreness?
● Aesthetics: Do you like how you look in them?
● Price: Are you getting your money’s worth?
Maybe you want the best, and a brand name like Smith is how you think you’ll get the best. But keep in mind that competition, technology, and manufacturing are challenging the established brands.
Let’s say you want to find a set of goggles that have the fit, form, and function of Smiths without having to buy Smiths. What are your alternatives?
High-End Alternatives
If you’ve got the cash to spend and simply want the best goggles money can buy, it’s not as simple as, “I like that brand!”
Every manufacturer has high-end models and more affordable models. For higher-end models, you can expect more technology to accommodate a wider range of conditions.
Let’s take a look at some high-end goggles on the market and go over the features that make them desirable.
The Glade Adapt 2 needs no introduction. Widely considered the best goggle on the market today, this goggle has won just about every award in the industry including Ski Magazine's Best Overall Goggle, Freeskier's Editor's Choice award, Outside Magazine's Best Goggle, and Blister Gear Review's 'Best Of' award for the last 2 years in a row, to name a few. At only $150 this goggle is truly a steal. One thing to note: Glade seems to sell out of this goggle every season so your choices may be limited depending on when you are looking to purchase.
Features
The Glade Adapt 2 comes standard with anti-fog treatments, an anti-scratch lens with 100% UV protection and a wide range of vision. Still, instead of providing multiple different lens options with varying VLT percentages, the photochromic lens can give you anywhere from 16-61% VLT as it adapts to whatever light conditions are present.
Style
With that signature clean and simple Glade look, to Adapt 2 is another pair of beautifully designed ski goggles. The range of options has expanded to six photochromic lens colors and seven strap colors available, so you can effectively customize your look, while always getting the single lens solution.
Affordability
Again, it’s doubtful you’re going to find too many photochromic ski goggles at this price point with such a great look and these features. Anything within the near vicinity of $150 is a good deal, and with lenses that adapt to various light conditions, you’re saving even more money by ridding yourself of the need to buy extra pairs of goggles.
The Smith Skyline XL goggles are strong, wide goggles that have the benefit of fitting over most normal pairs of glasses. You can even get them with Smith’s optical docking system (ODS) for prescription lens inserts.
Like all Smith goggles, they’re of excellent quality. You can get non-XL versions of the goggles for less money, but they don’t fit over glasses, nor do they have the ODS system.
Protection
Reviewers have complained about lenses that scratch too easily, but this is rare. The lenses themselves are plenty strong to protect your eyes, and they have 100% UV protection!
Visibility
Their Chromapop lens is every bit as good as you’d want them to be for the flat light and low light conditions you might encounter. BUT these goggles don’t have a quick-change system for swapping lenses easily on the slopes.
Grab the lens you want and put it in before you leave. If you want interchangeable lenses, you’ll have to upgrade to the I/O goggles or the MAG series.
Fogging
The Fog-X anti-fogging is quite effective, but depending on the shape of your face, the ventilation can tunnel wind inside the goggles at higher speeds.
Field of View
One of the best features of the goggles? They are WIDE! You’ll see the whole slope, no problem!
Comfort
The Skyline XLs are precise, comfortable, and excellent goggles to have on your face all day.
Aesthetics
These are designed to be more utilitarian than gorgeous, but they’re still Smiths, and they do have that pleasing curve and wide strap.
Two of the most important factors to consider when you’re looking for ski goggles with the ability to fight fog are ventilation and anti-fog coating. With the Smith Squad goggles, you get both of those features at an undeniably agreeable price point.
Their Cylindrical Carbonic-x lens is designed with built-in airflow technology that allows the goggles to breathe away all of that hot and humid air. The Fog-x inner lens prevents any of the hot air that manages to stick around from fogging up your goggles.
Features
Dual-layer moisture-wicking face foam makes for a dry and comfortable experience while also helping to prevent fogging. The set comes with a free replacement lens and a microfiber goggle bag, too. The Smith Squad goggles are designed for perfect compatibility with Smith ski helmets, so if you already own one, these are definitely the anti-fog goggles for you.
Style
The Smith Squad goggles are available with seven different lens colors and three different strap colors, making for a total of 21 combined unique looks. Not a bad selection if you’re trying to match your goggles to your other snow gear.
Affordability
Perhaps the most enticing aspect of the Smith Squad goggles is that they ring in at a reasonable $110, so your efforts to combat lens fog won’t necessarily break the bank. All of those features and color options at that price point are a steal in our book.
