Chinese Goggles on Amazon

[One (+) Sentence]

I see there's another code again.

Unless you feel so bad that Anon/Giro et al. are missing out on their boat payments [in that case, close this thread right now]

-Greg

It’s this line of thinking that really bothers me and probably one of the reasons I trolled this thread knowing there would be plenty of bites.

I know countless people who have forged careers on the wholesale and retail side of skiing and cycling. They are almost exclusively good people with genuine passions for these sports and many have made real concessions professionally to continue working in industries they love. For the most part, they all want to be a part of making these sports even better, and maybe be able to make a living at it at the same time.

If you think the product and sales managers at companies like Rossignol and Kona are sleeping on beds of money with multiple homes and a boat payment you are clueless.

I feel the proponents here of $20, stolen intellectual property, direct from China goggles probably aren’t trying to hook people up with a great deal, but rather are seeking online validation from strangers in their decision to ski in questionable eyewear. Just my 2 cents.

[PNWbrit]

It’s this line of thinking that really bothers me and probably one of the reasons I trolled this thread knowing there would be plenty of bites.

I know countless people who have forged careers on the wholesale and retail side of skiing and cycling. They are almost exclusively good people with genuine passions for these sports and many have made real concessions professionally to continue working in industries they love. For the most part, they all want to be a part of making these sports even better, and maybe be able to make a living at it at the same time.

If you think the product and sales managers at companies like Rossignol and Kona are sleeping on beds of money with multiple homes and a boat payment you are clueless.

I feel the proponents here of $20, stolen intellectual property, direct from China goggles probably aren’t trying to hook people up with a great deal, but rather are seeking online validation from strangers in their decision to ski in questionable eyewear. Just my 2 cents.

On the other hand though... what the fuck did they expect after trying to palm off $200 googles, $1000 ski boots and $1300 skis?

[Soups]

On the other hand though... what the fuck did they expect after trying to palm off $200 googles, $1000 ski boots and $1300 skis?

While moving production over to China. It's not like China ever trys to steal intellectual property.

[One (+) Sentence]

On the other hand though... what the fuck did they expect after trying to palm off $200 googles, $1000 ski boots and $1300 skis?

I hear ya.

I’m not saying spend $200 on goggles. Buy previous year colors, etc at deep discounts and still have a good warranty. Plus, doesn’t everyone have a neighbor who works at Backcountry or EVO now? Support brands that give back in some way to the sport. Whether that’s them contributing to Protect Our Winters, or sponsoring local hill race and freestyle programs, or sponsoring the production of stuff like the FWT. Whatever.

Fuck these knockoff goggles. They are not cool and never will be among core skiers.

[Goniff]

I see there's another code again.

Unless you feel so bad that Anon/Giro et al. are missing out on their boat payments [in that case, close this thread right now] - or unless you worry that magic rays are going to burn your retinas out and you'll for-sure die - well you might be interested in a pair of these at sub $20.

Again, I care not at all if you buy or not. I just know that I've rocked these for at least three years, perhaps four. The pair I got that first year is still very good. [I just got my first day in this year, and I had them jammed in my gear a bit odd, and so the foam on one corner is a bit jacked. Still work totally fine, though. But it's that kind of thing that would really bum me out, if I was handing $200 to Anon, or something silly. It would be a stupid $200 mistake! But that foam jackage is totally my issue - not the goggles. In this case, it's an "Oh well. Guess that happens. I can live with an $18.80 screw-up."]

Anyway - OM has some other stuff on sale too [boot bags, OTG goggles] - I have no opinion on any of the other stuff. It may be good, or it might be junk. I just don't know.

I'll post the slickdeals "deal" here direct - it's too much detail to post up.

So, if you missed the last one, here's another.
I'll repeat - buy all you'll want the first go [or use another Amazon account]. The coupon appears to only be good for a single use/account.

https://slickdeals.net/f/13639897-ou...?src=frontpage

-Greg

Sweet. Just ordered the goggles and 2 boot bags.

[PNWbrit]

Fuck these knockoff goggles.

Won't that ruin the anti fog coating?

[Boissal]

Fuck these knockoff goggles. They are not cool and never will be among core skiers.

Core skiers uh? Shelling out $200 to sport a recognized brand name on the side of your head only gives you status among clueless bros...

[PNWbrit]

Core skiers uh? Shelling out $200 to sport a recognized brand name on the side of your head only gives you status among clueless bros...

I just ordered some Wu Chao pro models.

[toast2266]

Are they knockoff goggles? Or did Anon pay to put their brand name on a generic goggle that they picked out of a catalog without signing a contract that gave them exclusive rights to that particular design? Which is something that happens all the time with shitty plastic products sourced from Asia.

If you want to justify the absurd price tag for goggles, make them in North America. Then you don't have to worry about someone using the same mold to sell the same product at 1/8 the price. But if you think selling an $8 piece of plastic for $200 makes sense, and that the market is willing to go along with that bullshit because its supporting a great guy that's into skiing, well... that's how you end up with $18 goggles on Amazon.

[One (+) Sentence]

Core skiers uh? Shelling out $200 to sport a recognized brand name on the side of your head only gives you status among clueless bros...

Oh, and for the record, I am a core skier.

[One (+) Sentence]

Are they knockoff goggles? Or did Anon pay to put their brand name on a generic goggle that they picked out of a catalog without signing a contract that gave them exclusive rights to that particular design? Which is something that happens all the time with shitty plastic products sourced from Asia.

If you want to justify the absurd price tag for goggles, make them in North America. Then you don't have to worry about someone using the same mold to sell the same product at 1/8 the price. But if you think selling an $8 piece of plastic for $200 makes sense, and that the market is willing to go along with that bullshit because its supporting a great guy that's into skiing, well... that's how you end up with $18 goggles on Amazon.

I don’t specifically know a ton about goggles, but I think it is not totally uncommon for expensive eyewear to have frames produced in China, but the lenses elsewhere (in Italy, for example.) Smith and 100% I believe have both done this at some point.

And to be fair, companies like Smith and Giro also make fine $60 MSRP goggles.

[PNWbrit]

Oh, and for the record, I am a core skier.

Can we touch you?

[Mudfoot]

Companies with all kinds of products move production to China to severally cut production costs and maximize profits when we pay their high prices. China steals their designs and undercuts their prices with cheap knockoffs. Dealer's choice on which one you want to buy. It appears enough people are not smart enough or too ethical to buy the knockoffs, so everybody gets what they want and it is not killing the retailers.

[One (+) Sentence]

Can we touch you?

My sarcasm hasn’t played well here in a long time...

ps- We? How many guys are sitting around the computer with you right now?

[gregorys]

Oh, and for the record, I am a core skier.

No, you are, at best, a clueless troll; At worst, an inane troll.

I don't know if I was one of the first here to buy these way back years ago - but there wasn't much data about them anywhere I could find.

Back then I didn't care if they looked like Anon or Giro or whatever. I just looked at them - and they seemed reasonable. I *still* don't care if they look like anyone else's goggles. I'm not trying to rip anyone off - I'm simply trying to find goggles that are inexpensive, just like my Performance Bike glasses are/were.

I've owned cheap sunglasses for the last 15-20 years - Bike Nashbar, Performance Bike, etc. They weren't much different than the Smith's, etc I'd also had. So, clearly, if one liked how they looked, they did more than a reasonable job. [And I lose or break my glasses way more often than I'd like - so finding a cheaper less painful way to go was pretty nice.]

When I was looking for new goggles I used the same approach.
I considered EBay initially, but returning and and warranty can be pretty sketch.

But Amazon? I figured it was totally worth a try - if I thought they were junk, Amazon's going to make the vendor handle it.
So, I got a pair.
And they were really nice.

Cue to today. As it was last year - these have gone on sale and they are very good. At the sale price, they are INSANELY good, IMO.

The company, at least historically, has been really excellent about resolving any defects. [The only defects I've had have been lenses - either an optical issue or the sandwich leaks.] The last time I had a problem - last spring - I had to wait until Oct this year and they got more stock. They didn't just replace the lens - they sent a whole goggle set.

So spare me the angst about how persecuted Anon and Giro are.

The reason Anon sells goggles for $200 is because there ARE people who are way too [IMO] concerned about how they look and they'll pay $200 to have the Anon logo pasted on their head. Enjoy that vapid way of thinking, I guess. I'm not spending $180 more for aesthetics or functionality that's no better than these $20 pairs. Perhaps if companies that bank on "steeze" decided to simply produce great value they wouldn't leave huge spaces like these where they'll get their lunch eaten. But instead they rely on folks like you to prop up their bottom line. Fine by me, I guess. If Anon sold a similar solid goggle at $40-60, perhaps even a bit more, I'd probably consider it. But they don't. So I won't. They shut themselves out of the space where I'd buy their product in the hopes they could squeeze more cash out of the public. That's not my fault - that's their choice and I'm simply not going to feel sorry for them about it - just like I don't feel the least sorry for wearing Performance Bike glasses vs Oakley's or something else "steezy."

TLDR;
Aesthetics are certainly reasonable.
Quality is first rate.
Warranty is just fine - probably better than what I'd get with any brand-name company.
And when one damages a pair, which is inevitable, the cost is way less painful.

Cheers.

[evasive_MT]

Are they knockoff goggles? Or did Anon pay to put their brand name on a generic goggle that they picked out of a catalog without signing a contract that gave them exclusive rights to that particular design? Which is something that happens all the time with shitty plastic products sourced from Asia.

If you want to justify the absurd price tag for goggles, make them in North America. Then you don't have to worry about someone using the same mold to sell the same product at 1/8 the price. But if you think selling an $8 piece of plastic for $200 makes sense, and that the market is willing to go along with that bullshit because its supporting a great guy that's into skiing, well... that's how you end up with $18 goggles on Amazon.

That’s my guess. I’ve owned one pair of Anon aviator sunglasses and one pair of goggles. Bought both in ~2008-9. I bought them both from BC without seeing them in person. I wasn’t impressed with the quality of either. They definitely didn’t feel as well-made as Smith.

[BobMc]

$40.31 for two pair, thx for the link. I’ve been rocking scratched as shit Spy weed goggles that I was gifted at the first BBI, these will replace them nicely.

[2FUNKY]

Looks like they’re back to full price and slim pickins. Glad i grabbed some more for the wife.
If anyone has an extra clear lens one ill take it.

[One (+) Sentence]

Looks like they’re back to full price and slim pickins. Glad i grabbed some more for the wife.
If anyone has an extra clear lens one ill take it.

Not sure if you’re specifically looking for Zionor or Outdoor Master goggles, but Smith still offers the Cascade with clear lenses. Here they are at REI for $30.

https://www.rei.com/product/890809/s...SABEgK2L_D_BwE

[Boissal]

Not sure if you’re specifically looking for Zionor or Outdoor Master goggles, but Smith still offers the Cascade with clear lenses. Here they are at REI for $30.

https://www.rei.com/product/890809/s...SABEgK2L_D_BwE

Tsssss. More $$ and considerably less steeze than their Chinese counterparts...

[phatty]

Tsssss. More $$ and considerably less steeze than their Chinese counterparts...

I don't know. Kind of a cool, retro steeze.

[toast2266]

I don't know. Kind of a cool, retro steeze.

That's the kind of retro steeze that's inevitably accompanied by a 3" gaper gap.

[One (+) Sentence]

Tsssss. More $$ and considerably less steeze than their Chinese counterparts...

Wait, I thought this whole thing with the China direct goggles WASN’T about steeze? You’re such a slave to fashion, Boissal!

That's the kind of retro steeze that's inevitably accompanied by a 3" gaper gap.

Lazy style. Like it ain’t no thang...

[Skidog]

Oh, and for the record, I am a core skier.

core skier or fashionista? Sounds like the latter...

"im so core bro, look how much i spend on my gear...."

[One (+) Sentence]

core skier or fashionista? Sounds like the latter...

Truth be told, I’m both.

You get a Patsy in yesterday with Supreme opening?