# Smith I/OX Review + Lens tints review



## smokebelch109

Hi,

So for the first time in about 10 years i upgraded my goggles from a cheapo pair of Bolle's to the Smith I/OX with Blue Sensor Mirror and Green Sol-X lens options. This came after much deliberation, trying on the Dragon APX's the EG2's and the Oakley Canopy's, I really liked both the I/OX and the Canopy but the I/OX was quite a lot cheaper and came with 2 lenses which won it for me. There are a fair few aspects to cover here so I am going to keep them brief and segment it in to: Fit - Fogging - Peripheral Vision - Durability - Lens Tints - Lens Changing


*Fit*

Firstly as a man with an XL noggin these things a amazingly comfy on my head, no pressure marks after a full day of wearing from 8am till 5pm nonstop, did not have to take them off once, the foam is comfy, great at wicking but if they oversized the last layer of foam, the one that touches your face, it may improve the comfort as occasionally i felt the 2nd layer itching me slightly around the very edges of the goggle as it is coarser to aid wicking.

*Fogging*

Ok I tried to fog these things up at -10 celcius... stuck my scarf on, tucked it under my goggles and breathed upwards out of my mouth doing my very best to fog them... The anti fog black magic trickery on these things are unreal. Yes i was able to make it fog but only barely in the bottom half of the goggle! Even with all this effort the fog dissipated within seconds every time. The fact that you cannot wipe off this anti fog technology is just the icing on the cake really. Under normal conditions it never fogged once.

*Peripheral Vision*

Whilst not the widest peripheral vision i tried on, that award goes to the Oakley Canopy, it absolutely felt large enough and unless you actually go looking for the goggle frame you arent going to notice it either horizontally or vertically.

*Durability*

Ok so here...day 1 I scratched my mirrored lens through very minimal contact when resting them on my leg. I'm not even sure what i caught it on tbh... I learned very quickly to be abit more careful with them as they are fairly fragile. As for the rest of the goggle, the clip system at the back is sturdy and easy to use, the rubberised grip on the straps are great and the straps themselves feel very sturdy but are going to start looking scruffy if you catch velcro straps on them from your jacket sleeves etc.

*Lens Tints*

Blue Sensor Mirror - Honestly you could use this lens all day every day. I had total bluebirds not a cloud in the sky to complete whiteout and flatlight to test these in and they are fantastic. Maybe slightly squinty at some points during the bluebird but nothing excessive or unbearable, tbh the only reason i swapped to the Sol-X was out of curiosity, i felt no genuine need to swap. Just FYI - There is no miracle cure to solve your flatlight definition woes but these do help and i actually found that i could see definition better in flatlight with them on than when i took them off so the definition enhancing sales jargon does hold some merit! If your conditions are ever changing and you just want to stick with 1 lens...this one is a winner.

Green Sol-X - Awesome to look at, bust them out on the 2nd bluebird day and loved it. in total bluebird conditions during the day they are definitely more relaxing to wear than the Blue Sensor and work really well but as the evening rolled in and the sun set behind the mountains definition disappeared rapidly. 

Overall I'll still wear the Sol-X from time to time when its a totally stunning day and i feel like a change but the Blue sensor mirror will be on 90% of the time.

*Lens Changing*

So in the I/OX model you have 2 extra steps added to that of the I/O model in order to pop the lens out in that you have to turn each of the goggle straps 90 degree's aswell as pop 2 notches on the top of the lens and then you just yank the lens out pretty easily. This does make it slightly more fiddly but nothing too gruelling. Probably takes a minute or so to change the first few times then decreases slightly as you get past the learning curve of pinching the nose of the goggle frame and learn that you can be fairly firm with the lenses... I was quite sheepish at first as I didnt want to break them!

Overall i love the I/OX if you are going to buy a pair just be sure to take care of the lenses as they are prone to scratching, as for the rest of it, huge thumbs up from me! Hope you enjoyed :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Treegreen

Your comments on the Blue Sensor Mirror are the exact same experience as I've had. I'm pretty convinced it's one of the best lenses ever. I pretty much never remove it unless I'm actually riding into the sun. I'll second their proness to scratching, but I worry less about it as I've only had to replace mine once in 3 seasons and the replacements aren't completely unreasonably priced.

Are you riding your I/OX with a helmet? Only reason I ask is with my I/O I had to get the extender which I didn't find to be a big deal, but I think I would prefer the clips for the ease of putting them on or taking them off.


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## smokebelch109

Yep I'm stunned at how versatile the Blue Sensor lens is.

Yes I wore them with a K2 Helmet and the straps were more than long enough to fit round the XL helmet with room to spare.


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## Derp

Not that I doubt you, but where did you hear that you can't hurt the antifog coating on the inside? I took a nasty spill today and got them pretty snow packed. Was really paranoid to touch the insides at all and let them air dry. Now sitting with a few water spots, but nothing major. 

I also love the red sensor mirror. I also have a XL Bern helmet and had tons of adjustment room for the strap to go over the helmet. No pressure points whatsoever.


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## smokebelch109

Straight from the smith website and plenty of other sources. the 5x refers to the fact that they made it 5 times bigger.

'A hydrophilic chemical treatment creates a micro-etched surface on the inner lens to absorb moisture before fog can form. Because Fog-X is a treatment that is actually burned into the lens, it can’t be wiped away like other anti-fog coatings.'


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## Derp

smokebelch109 said:


> Straight from the smith website and plenty of other sources. the 5x refers to the fact that they made it 5 times bigger.
> 
> 'A hydrophilic chemical treatment creates a micro-etched surface on the inner lens to absorb moisture before fog can form. Because Fog-X is a treatment that is actually burned into the lens, it can’t be wiped away like other anti-fog coatings.'


Much appreciated. I feel more comfortable now touching the inner lens with a micro fiber cloth.


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## smokebelch109

Nay worries, that was one of the major selling points for me too


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## J.Schaef

Derp said:


> Much appreciated. I feel more comfortable now touching the inner lens with a micro fiber cloth.


DO NOT rub the inside lens while it is wet or damp.

only dab water out. 

They say that you can't rub the fog coating off, but if you read the papers that come with your goggles, it states very clearly that you should never touch the inside of the lens when wet/damp.

I have these goggles too, and I love them I prefer the red sensor mirror most days up here in the NW. Blue sensor is great when it is a bit foggy, or starting to get dark.


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## CK93

I have the Smith I/OX goggles as well and love them. I also bought a Smith helmet to help in the venting. 

I don't know what lenses I have though. They came with 2- a red one and a pinkish one. The salesman told me the red was for sunny and the pinkish for overcast/snowing days. So I have been going by what he told me. 

These blue lenses your talking about sound very interesting. I will see if I can order just the blue lens.

But yeah, I was just up on a very wet day (40 degrees), my friend couldn't keep his lenses from fogging--mine had no issue what so ever.


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## dknj

A friend and I both just got the I/OS. Any idea where a good place is to buy replacement lenses down the road, without paying full price?


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## XR4Ti

I've bought from prolens.com with success last fall.


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## pdxrealtor

Snowolf said:


> Another satisfied IOX user here in the PNW!
> 
> I can get them to fog here pretty easy but we are talking 32F and raining. After half a day, I get minor fogging in between the inner and outer lens but letting them air dry in the house overnight makes them good to go in the morning.
> 
> I am also a fan of the red sensor lens for the PNW flat light.
> 
> Great goggle at a decent price....:thumbsup:


None of the I/O (I/O, I/Os, I/OX) lenses should be fogging between the glass. This just happened to TWO of my lenses last time I was out. It was obviously moisture inside the lens because the fog went away when taken off my face, that was warmer than outside air.

How the moisture got in there I have no clue. Has to be a bad seal or bad vent. I haven't been in the rain once, washed them in the sink once, nor have I had face plants or tons of face shots. I'm at a loss...... BUT even if I'd been in all of those conditions they still shouldn't fog between the glass. 

It didn't happen once all the days of spring riding I've been doing. But the first day in the 20's it happened. 

I used to wash my I/O lenses under the faucet with soap and water and only had a fogging issue on one lens after repeatedly washing them after every trip out. I only stopped because smith said it wasn't needed, that I could wipe the insides when completely dry with no issues. 

I need to call Smith. 

lol... sorry for the ramble..... bottom line is they should not fog between the lenses from what I was told by Smith.


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