The first time I tried snowboarding, I decided to wear a pair of mirrored aviators. I didn’t own goggles and forgot to borrow some, and I also thought it might look cool. I learned some important lessons that day, namely:
- Nothing makes you look cool when it takes you 45 minutes to heel-slide down a green run;
- Goggles are much, much more efficient than sunglasses.
I recently had the opportunity to test drive Oakley’s Airbrake goggles. Here is the low-down:
The Good
The Airbrake’s main attraction is that it comes with two lenses. The reality is that no single lens will cover you in all conditions, so having two lenses that can be easily changed is a definite plus. PLUS, you can always buy extra lenses so that you have easy-to-click-in lenses for every single condition.
The “easily changed” detail is not to be overlooked. I often only remember to change my lens as I’m heading out the door, so if it requires much time/effort, it's not going to happen. The Airbrakes are about as easy to change as you can get. You lift a little lever on one side of the lens, and pop out the old and in the new, then pull the lever back down. There aren’t a lot of moving parts, and so the lens stays put.
While fit is something that will vary from person to person, the Airbrake was just right for my averagely-proportioned face. My buddy who claims that most Oakley goggles don’t fit him properly said that the Airbrake fit him perfectly. My goggles always seem to slide around my helmet when I lift them up, but the anti-slip grips along the inside of the strap kept the goggles in place.
My number one criteria in a goggle is that it won’t fog up. I won’t say the Airbrake is perfect—they did fog up a bit during some heavy breathing on a hike, but it cleared up super quickly.
Also, this might seem cosmetic, but I am a big fan of the goggle case that came with the goggles. Every other goggle I’ve owned has just come in a little pouch. This case might look somewhat aggressive, but is super convenient for storage and transportation.
Overall, there is a whole lot of good to say about the Airbrake. The lenses are clear and sharp. The view is not distorted and the peripheral visibility is top notch. A solid goggle.
The Bad
10/10 shred bums agree: at $260 for most models (and up to $295 for some others), the price of the Airbrake is no joke. Of course, you have to consider that it comes with two lenses, so it’s like two goggles in one. Still—the Smith IOs, which also have two lenses, retail for $190. There’s no way around it; the Airbrake is flipping expensive, and your average resort-living local will only be able to get their paws on it a) as a very generous Christmas gift from their parents, b) through a heavy staff discount at the ski shop they work at, or c) by reviewing awesome products for a snowboarding website. As my friend Will said, “I would want a GPS and altimeter on my lens if I was going to pay almost $300 for a set of goggles!”.
The Ugly
There’s nothing ugly about the Airbrakes—in fact, they look awesome. A wide assortment of colours means that you’ll have no problem finding a pair that tickles your fancy.
Right now, each colour option is presented with a preselected lens combo. They do a good job at making sure that the lenses suit different conditions – you can learn about the options here (click sports performance). However, I think it would be rad to be able to select which colour you want and which two lenses you would like to go with your goggle, instead of having each colour come with two preselected lenses. This might be tough in a retail setting, but it would be cool to have this option when ordering online.
Magee Says
If you can afford them, the Airbrakes are awesome in just about every way. Endorsed.
Check the out on the Oakley site HERE.
