# Zeal Portal vs Spy Legacy vs Oakley Airbrake XL vs Smith I/O Mag



## Bsarosi (Jan 5, 2013)

Looking for a new pair of goggles this season and came across these 4 options. Prices are comparable as I can get any of them in the $140-170 price range. I’ve done some research and all seem similar in terms of quality but I’m hoping the board can help me distinguish the differences. All appear to be med-large in terms of size, which is what I’m looking for.

Most important factors for me are quality of visibility in low, med, and bright light including diversity of lenses, durability i.e. scratch resistance, and ease of switching lenses without smearing or getting finger prints all over the lens.

The chromapop and prizm lenses from Smith and Oakley seem to offer the best quality of visibility but is there any significant difference between them? And is any brand more durable than the others? Are there any other factors that distinguish these goggles from one another or are they all pretty similar?

Appreciate the board’s insights.


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## LeDe (May 16, 2018)

Hello, 

I know only about the Oakley ans the Smith. 
I would classify the Airbrake as definitely large, a good bit bigger than the IO Mag. 

I bought the Smith for my sister in law. It is quite light but feels almost too fragile, I was particularly worried about the foam. But it is just an initial impression, she has not ride yet with it. The lenses change fast tough not as smooth as the Anons. 

The Airbrake is not fast change. 
As of today, I would struggle to justify paying as much without getting the last tech. 

My preference goes to the Anons. The lenses are apparently on par with Oakley and Smith now. My brother bought a M2 last year, really happy about it. I almost went for the M4, it feels solid. It felt more solid in the shop, the magnet is really powerful, and I love the size! I ll treat myself next year. 

Hope this helps


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

The I/O Mag is hands down the best lens changing system I've seen, super quick and easy but also will keep the lens very secure. The Airbrakes are definitely a lot bigger than the I/O mag and more fiddly to change, but not difficult at all. I prefer Oakley lenses over Smith's but there's not much in it at all, and what there is could well be confirmation bias. Smith supposedly have better anti-fog, but I haven't had an issue with either. 

Can't comment on Zeal or Spy, but for any goggles you're buying, *try them on with your helmet* and if you can't and you're ordering online, make sure it's a good return policy. Goggles are like boots, fit is king, and your helmet plays a big part in that too.


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## MMSlasher (Mar 18, 2016)

Evo.com is having a sale on some of Smith goggles. I think I saw a pair of Chromopop Squads for under $60. It seems that most of their line is around 50% off.

Here is a link to their Smith page. 
https://www.evo.com/shop/deep-winter-sale/smith


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## Bsarosi (Jan 5, 2013)

Has anyone tried the Dragon lumalens photochromic lenses? Or what they previously called echo transition? Appears you only need one lens and it transitions from cloudy to sunny conditions. Although the X1 doesn't appear to be as easy to change lenses out, only having one lens for most conditions eliminates the need to change out lenses.


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