Anon Sonar Lenses

[mtskibum16]

It's been a while since I've looked at or spent much money on goggles. I'm wanting to grab a new pair during sales. Trying on a few I think I'm going to get some Anon M2s. I'm having a hard time deciding on lenses and hope someone has some first hand experience. All that I'm looking at come with the Sonar Infrared (57% VLT) which is their best storm day lens and what I will probably use a much of the time here in the PNW.

The options I'm looking at would include either the Sonar Red (14% VLT) or Sonar Green (23% VLT). When looking thorugh them they both seem lighter than I'd expect for the given VLT compared to previous goggles I've had. On paper the Sonar Green seems like the most versatile option for my second lens as I don't spend a lot of days in blue bird high exposure conditions and would work better as a backup storm day lens. However they seem quite bright while just viewing outside on a mixed cloud/sun day. Along those lines, the Sonar Red also seems brighter than the 14% VLT would indicate. Maybe it's the bronzish tint that just makes it "look" brighter but not actually letting any more light in. But just looking through them it seems like they could be an "everyday" (non storm day) lens, but I don't want to end up with something that's going to be too dark in shade and trees.

Leaning towards going with what makes most sense on paper and getting the Sonar Green / Sonar Infrared combo. Does anyone have any real world experience with any of these?

[mattig]

I hate my M2s in general. Can't wait to upgrade. Scratch resistance is a joke. Not a PNWet-friendly option. Anti fog also sucked.
The blue lagoon is a shitty low light lense. Red solex rocks, however. Can use that in just about any light (and often did due to how beat up the blue lagoon got).

Invariably, some skinny person who doesn't sweat and who skis blower pow in sub freezing temperatures will offer counterargument, but fuck that guy anyway!

The lens change is, of course, the best in the biz, but the only time I ever needed to use it was to swap to a lens that wasn't fogged up or crusted with hoary pnw mini-rime. With a more durable lens, I could have been more aggressive with the ski-gee and kept on trucking. Red solex was fine with the ski-gee, but the lagoon was zero tolerance.

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[mtskibum16]

Huh, that's a bummer to hear. I've mainly only heard great things about them. I've had fogging problems with my Smith I/O and Oakley Flightdeck XM so I was looking to go in a different direction. I don't think the Sonar Infrared (their newest storm lens) has much of a mirror coating on the outside, so it could be better durability wise.

[mattig]

Huh, that's a bummer to hear. I've mainly only heard great things about them. I've had fogging problems with my Smith I/O and Oakley Flightdeck XM so I was looking to go in a different direction. I don't think the Sonar Infrared (their newest storm lens) has much of a mirror coating on the outside, so it could be better durability wise.

If it's anything like their red solex lens (sounds similar?) The durability should be much better than the lens I'm bitching about. I wish I'd gotten 2 of those and no blue lagoon. I prefer rose based low light lenses anyway, but it wasn't offered.

I've heard good things about them too, fwiw. My experience is likely the exception.

edit: felt compelled to check my math and came up with the following. Maybe my experience isn't so unique after all: https://www.google.com/shopping/prod...32621098150198

[theetruscan]

I'm not a skinny guy. I ski tahoe. I sweat. I've found the anti-fog pretty good. like blue lagoon well. IDK, goggles aren't that complicated. Do they fit? Great. Are you happy with the lens changing? double great.

[MHSP1497]

If it's anything like their red solex lens (sounds similar?) The durability should be much better than the lens I'm bitching about. I wish I'd gotten 2 of those and no blue lagoon. I prefer rose based low light lenses anyway, but it wasn't offered.

I've heard good things about them too, fwiw. My experience is likely the exception.

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Guess I’ll find out next season, as I just scored some M2’s. They came w/ the Blue Sonar Infrared and the low-light/night lens. I ordered a Green Sonar lens for sunny days, because I have a spare set of Flight Decks w/ a Torch Iridium lens if needed (tho I usually wear a pair of sunglasses on these kinds of days if it’s warm enough) and the green has more steeze for my outfit...

If they suck as much as Mattig suggest they “might” they’ll go into the spare pool and I will try the Zeal’s I scored for free...

The Flight Decks are great and all, they’re just too damn big and too damn warm/hot on some days. I too have had fogging issues on my current Green Prizm lenses and on a set of Rose low-light lenses that I threw away 1/2 way thru last season (tho the Torch ones are the oldest and heave never fogged).

Here’s hoping the M2’s are at least OK... The PNWet rime issues concerns me, that’s a regular thing on Mt. Hood. Time will tell.

[Ted Striker]

I'll be that guy... I'm skinny, live in the pnw, and haven't had any fogging issues - or at least not worse any other googles I've had. But obviously ymmv.

That said, the Smith I/O Mag is a better goggle.

My general observation on the anon lenses is that the non-sonar/zeiss lenses are not on the same level as Smith or Oakley. The blue lagoon, which was the standard free lens has a yellow base, but not anywhere near as contrast enhancing as other brands. The red solex is a straight up copy of the Oakley. It even has the greenish hue.

The sonar lenses have better clarity and contrast, but their names and VLT specs are a little confusing compared to S and O. For instance, sonar blue has a light amber tint with a faint flash blue mirror like the older Smith sensor mirror. Your eyes won't melt if the sun comes out, but IME, at 46% VLT it's a little too light to be an everyday lens, and a little dark for real storm days. However, it is really good for overcast and shadows/trees. I feel like a lot of their lenses are like that: poorly described, and/or too specialized.

[mattig]

I'll be that guy... I'm skinny, live in the pnw, and haven't had any fogging issues - or at least not worse any other googles I've had. But obviously ymmv.

That said, the Smith I/O Mag is a better goggle.

My general observation on the anon lenses is that the non-sonar/zeiss lenses are not on the same level as Smith or Oakley. The blue lagoon, which was the standard free lens has a yellow base, but not anywhere near as contrast enhancing as other brands. The red solex is a straight up copy of the Oakley. It even has the greenish hue.

The sonar lenses have better clarity and contrast, but their names and VLT specs are a little confusing compared to S and O. For instance, sonar blue has a light amber tint with a faint flash blue mirror like the older Smith sensor mirror. Your eyes won't melt if the sun comes out, but IME, at 46% VLT it's a little too light to be an everyday lens, and a little dark for real storm days. However, it is really good for overcast and shadows/trees. I feel like a lot of their lenses are like that: poorly described, and/or too specialized.

Talk to me about favorite contrast enhancing lens from S or O? Preferably one that can take some love from my ski gee.

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[mtskibum16]

Well the newer run of Sonar/Zeiss lenses (Anon's version of Chromapop/Prizm) is exactly why I was hoping for more feedback. Most review info I was digging up was for older lenses. I think the VLT matches up between Smith and Anon pretty well. Oakley is the strange one - the Prizm Rose is described as low light at 25-28% VLT. Their storm day Prizm lens is the Hi-Pink at 35-40%. I see the Sonar Blue listed in the low-light category. But their stormiest storm day lens is the Sonar Infrared at 57% VLT and it's like a redish/amber base.

I was hoping for some Sonar Red (sun) vs Sonar Green (everyday) feedback. I think I'm going to just roll with the Sonar Green and Sonar Infrared combo. I can also snag another lens if the green is too bright on sunny days.

[Ted Striker]

I bought a sonar green last year, and ended up returning it after looking through it on sunny and overcast days. IIRC, it was too unnatural looking and/or I liked the red solex better on sunny days, and that it wasn't as good as the sonar blue on overcast.

My best advice would be to look at them all in the store (if possible) or buy them online from somewhere with a good return policy.

[mtskibum16]

So I actually did buy a pair with the sonar green and one with the sonar red. The Sonar Red is darker than the red solex. It's just a bit tough to tell at home what the lens will be like on the mountain. The green seems a bit bright compared to the listed VLT. But then the VLT of the red makes me think it may be too dark. The infrared will be my most used lens, so I think the green will be ok for the second and a backup storm day. Just wasn't sure if it was as bright as it seemed at home. It does seem to have really good contrast.

I like the Sonar Infrared much better than the Chromapop Storm that I also bought. The Chromapop Everyday Red seems like a great lens though. The real test is always on the slopes.

[Cladragon04]

I like my Smith I/O goggles. Have you tried those?

Edit: Didn’t see that you currently have Smiths and you already bought. I really need to start reading the whole thread.

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[DGamms]

I had the Smith I/Os for three seasons, switched to Anon M2 this year. Overall, I’ve liked it. Much bigger field of vision than the Smith I/O. No fogging issues. Ski UT, not a sweaty dude, YMMV, blah blah blah

I’ve run the Sonar Infrared almost all season. Overall, I’ve loved it. Clarity and contrast as good as any of my I/O lenses. Maybe my Smith Yellow Sensor Mirror was a bit better on truly shitty low viz days. But it’s close. Only downside is they are no more scratch resistant than the mirrored Smith lenses. So I have some significant dings after 40-50 days of use.

Now that spring has sprung, the Sonar Infrared is not blocking quite enough light on full sunny days. Picked up the Sonar Bronze yesterday, nice amber base tone. Will update when I use them. FWIW, I like higher VLT on a given day than most people, and I hate true blackout VLT 5-10% lenses

[nickbokhoven]

I am a long time owner of M2’s. Ditto on the lens durability as I have had some coatings come off one pair and super simple scratches show up. Foam is separating this year. This year I switched to Wildhorn off Amazon. Direct link https://www.wildhornoutfitters.com/collections/snow. Much cheaper, as good if not better quality, magnetic lens swap. Look for a coupon and they save you some money and have lens selection that can suit most needs.


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[Ted Striker]

Talk to me about favorite contrast enhancing lens from S or O? Preferably one that can take some love from my ski gee.

I haven't owned a pair of Oakleys in quite a while now, but picked up a new pair of Smith I/O Mags this year. I was skeptical of chromapop being marketing bs, but I've been really happy with the storm yellow.

My only complaint with the I/O mag is that it isn't as comfortable (on me) as the M2.