I bought these X4 goggles to replace a pair of Habervision Riva goggles that are about 5-6 years old. Those have a single lens which is a brown tint with a blue flash and they are polarized. I love that lens for enhancing contrast and reducing glare but.....they are really only suitable for bright light with about an 18% VLT. In overcast, when it's snowing, or flat light at the end of the day, vision degrades noticeably. They are usable but not great. Habervision sells replacement lenses but getting the lens out and another one installed correctly and cleaned afterward is a 30 minute ordeal. So basically no one would ever do it.
Here's what I bought for lenses given my previously stated realization that here in New England I end up skiing in bad light 80% of the time.....
SUNNY CONDITIONS- The grey tint lens with the Revo Red flash and 16.87% VLT. This is the lens that shipped with the goggles. I like the brown tint of my Habers and their polarized lens better but this is a good trade off since I seldom encounter a need for polarized glare reduction. This grey tint doesn't distort colors like the brown tint and the red flash helps cut glare enough to make a difference. This looks like the typical sunglass lens. It just darkens everything while keeping colors natural looking. The red flash looks cool from the outside of the lens too.
CLOUDY / MID BRIGHT / OR CHANGING CONDITIONS - The purple or fuchsia tint lens with no flash and 49.02% VLT. This is likely the lens I'll end up using the most. LOL, I don't like the purple look and it does alter colors with a purple tint to everything. But it does pop the contrast in lousy light and allow me to see the terrain. Seeing where I'm going is high on my list of priorities at 60 mph on skis so, I'm willing to live with the purple look and a little color distortion in exchange for my safety. I'm not concerned at all that these aren't polarized as glare becomes a non-issue in low light conditions. The Light Red lens with 41.62% VLT would likely be very similar to this lens if you can't rock the purple lens. What I actually wanted to buy for my cloudy day lens was the orange tint lens with the Revo Red flash and a VLT of 55.76%. But that was out of stock so I ended up with the Purple.
LOW LIGHT / SNOWING / FOG - The light yellow / green lens with 70.48% VLT. Amazing! This lens is the one that gave me an Oh My God moment when compared to what I was using before. Yes, they put a yellow tint on everything and distort colors. But, the pop in contrast and general brightness gives the illusion they are amplifying the existing light. They aren't of course but, your brain perceives a huge increase in visible light and contrast. These will likely be my "go to" lens when it's snowing or every afternoon when the flat light kicks in or in really overcast conditions. Once again, I'm not concerned at all that these aren't polarized as glare becomes a non-issue in low light conditions or a snow storm.
That's my 3 lens solution. Obviously, everyone's choices will vary with their needs and preferences. But the good news is that you have a lot of choices. I do wish they had a brown tint lens available as that's my favorite for eye comfort but the grey is a good enough substitute for my purposes. All my lenses arrived in perfect condition but.....the spare lenses arrive with no protection whatsoever outside of the packaging for shipping. I would highly recommend picking up a microfiber bag for each spare lens to protect it even if you buy the hard case. The goggles themselves do come with a microfiber bag that will protect the goggles and one installed lens. I did buy the hard case and it will hold the goggles and two replacement lenses.
As for the magnetic lens changing system, I've popped all three lenses on and off multiple times. They are attached strongly with no air leaks but they pop off easily when using your hand and the lenses are easy to grip. Popping them back on, the lens basically jumps out of your hand when it gets close to the frame and seems to center itself perfectly. At least that's what it's done for me every time. I was expecting to need to be really careful lining it up but the magnets seem to be foolproof as long as you have the lens lined up reasonably well. This is what I bought these goggles for and I Love It!!!!!
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 6.97 x 4.65 x 2.05 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 0.08 Kilograms |
| Brand Name | ZIONOR |
| Color | Zionor X4 Orangerevored Lens Vlt 55.76% |
| Suggested Users | Unisex-Adult |
| Manufacturer | ZIONOR |
| Part Number | snow-X4-NEW-OrRevoRedLens-1 |
| Size | One Size |
| Sport Type | Snow Skiing, Snowboarding, Snowmobiling |
