The Best Smith Snow Goggles: A Complete Guide to Smith’s Ski Optics

Smith Goggles Comparison Chart

Scroll right to view all of the columns: Price, Best for, Lenses, Frame size and Lens shape

Smith Snow Goggles: A 60-Year History

In 1965, Dr. Bob Smith, an orthodontist, built the first sealed thermal lens and breathable vent foam. He started hand-building goggles in his garage and sold them out of his van in Colorado and Utah. I’ll do the math for you. Smith Optics turned 60 years old in 2025.

For six decades, the brand has evolved from a simple one-man operation into one of the largest snowsport-oriented optics companies in the world. Today, Smith Optics manufactures and sells eyewear, helmets, goggles, and even some apparel. It has pioneered many innovations in the eyewear space, such as ChromaPop lenses that enhance specific color wavelengths and Koroyd protection in snow helmets.

Smith Goggles: Head-To-Head Testing

For this guide, I skied most of the 2024-2025 season in Smith Goggles, primarily the 4D Mag. These proved to be fantastic over a wide range of conditions, from bright bluebird days to deep powder storms. I also collected field notes from my fellow GearJunkie editor Will Brendza.

Next, I also skied multiple days in the Squad and Transfer goggles. Through these in-person testing days, I became intimately familiar with each goggle’s pros and cons.

Then, I compared the goggles head-to-head in bench testing, closely examining the foam, lens interchange, coatings, and straps. I learned a lot in this process, which revealed some significant differences between Smith goggles.

Finally, I spoke with brand representatives to learn other perspectives about the goggles and the brand. What I present here is my holistic view on what I’ve learned about Smith Optics.

So, if you already love the brand or own a Smith helmet and want perfect lens integration, don’t hesitate. I’ve tested them out, and Smith goggles are a top choice among many great brands on the market.

Smith Goggles Compared to Other Snow Goggles

Smith competes actively with several top brands of snow goggles:

• Oakley: Renowned for Prizm lens technology, stylish designs, and a deep catalog of sunglasses and other eyewear. Oakley competes well with Smith, but lags in field of vision versus the 4D Mag.
• Dragon Alliance: Popular for high-performance goggles, Dragon offers edgier styling popular among younger skiers and riders.
• Giro: Known for its focus on performance and value, with a range of goggle options. 
• Anon: A sub-brand of Burton, Anon builds premium, snowboarding-first optics. Its Toric lens is highly regarded but pricy.
• Julbo: A brand known for its photochromic lenses, high-quality optics, and unique ski touring goggles that allow exceptional venting. 
• POC: Popular with racers, POC is known for its focus on safety and protection. 
• Spy Optic: A popular brand for style and performance, Spy Optic offers good quality at a slightly lower price range than Smith.
• Sweet Protection: A Swedish company with roots in whitewater protection, Sweet Protection is a legit player in the eyewear space. It offers some unique functionality, such as venting between double lenses to account for changes in altitude.

There are obviously many good choices in ski goggles. Smith stacks up well against all these brands and is often regarded as the leader. Especially if you plan to wear a Smith helmet, Smith goggles will integrate perfectly.

The Best Smith Goggles: How To Choose

If you’re shopping for snow goggles, there’s a very good chance Smith will be one of your options. The brand offers 22 ski goggles, each with several sizes, lens colors, and styles. So how should you choose?

Budget

For many riders, the sweet spot will be the Squad line of goggles. Here, you get excellent fit, peripheral vision, and comfort with top-tier lenses for between $75 and $155. These goggles have interchangeable lenses, so you can simply replace old lenses if they get worn and scratched during use.

Mid-Tier

Among Smith’s goggles, my favorite option is the Squad. While not the most expensive, the Squad hits a sweet spot on these. I don’t change lenses frequently, so I don’t often need the fast-change ability of the magnetic interchange. That said, Smith’s top-of-the-line 4D Mag Chromapop goggles are fantastic.

Premium

Smith’s top-tier 4D Mag line offers incredible peripheral vision and great lenses. They have an excellent lens interchange system, solid frames, and various straps for both style and function. They also have a superb hard case that will protect them for many years of riding. For those who ski or ride many days each year, they are worth the investment.

After testing several pairs of Smith’s goggles head-to-head, I believe that all the models Smith manufactures are capable of giving skiers and snowboarders a good experience. But as with most things, spending more will result in a better product and better performance on the slopes.

Smith Goggles: Every Model Available

Below, find every model. Generally, these range from cheapest to most expensive, with prices varying depending on lens selection:

• 4D Mag family: 4D Mag S, 4D Mag, and 4D Mag XL ($340)
• Kids Models: Rascal ($35-$45), Snow Day ($45-$55), Daredevil ($50-$60), Grom ($75-$95)
• Over The Glasses Models: (Caribou at $55), Reason ($95), Sequence, Showcase (women’s partner to the reason),
• New Entry-Level Adult Models for 2025-2026: Tribute (smaller, $55) and Transfer (larger, $55)
• Carry-through Models: Rally (smaller, $95), Blazer (larger, $95)
• Squad Family: Squad (S) (Squad) (Squad XL); $75 to $160; many lenses available.
• Mid-Price Spherical: Proxy (larger, $155) and Moment (smaller, $155)
• Carry-through Models: Skyline ($185), Skyline XL ($185)
• New for 2025-2026: Preview ($200; full frame, non-mag, 4D lens)
• Magnetic: Squad Mag – $245 to $283
• I/O Mag family: I/O Mag S, I/O Mag, and I/O Mag XL ($275)

Helmet Integration

Don’t want a gaper gap? Smith helmets and goggles work together seamlessly. In testing various combinations of helmets and goggles, every pair matched beautifully, providing a gap-free fit between helmet and goggle.

Many brands similarly make sure their helmets and goggles work together. Generally, the best way to ensure your helmet and goggles work well together is to buy them from the same brand. But I can confirm, Smith goggles and helmets will integrate perfectly for draft-free skiing and riding.

Warranty & Exchanges

All Smith sunglasses and goggles (including custom goggles) are covered for the lifetime of the product to be free from manufacturer’s defects. And no, that won’t cover scratches, cracks, or breakage if you sit on them, run them over with your car, or let your dog chew on them.

One of the most overlooked parts of snow goggles is the case or sock. You’re investing hundreds of dollars into good optics, and a good case will protect them, whether bouncing around in the back of a car or stuffed in a backpack. Yet many people completely ignore the case when buying goggles.

Smith’s top-tier I/O family of goggles comes with some of the best cases I’ve tested. Its mid-tier goggles also come with a good case. Its entry-level goggles come only with a sock. While serviceable, the sock offers only minimal protection. So keep in mind that when you’re buying a pricy pair of goggles, you’re also getting a great tool to keep them clean and scratch-free for a long time.