Anon M4 Toric Review

Anon is a branch of Burton Snowboards, and they have been producing high-quality ski and snowboard goggles for many years. A few years ago, they introduced their first magnetic lenses, and now there are a number of competitors on the market offering similar products. We added the M4 to the test this year to see if they could compete with the top of the line offerings from other well-known manufacturers. Spoiler Alert: they can. Our testers were impressed with them right off the bat due to their great optics, the magnetic lens system, integrated magnetic facemask, and comfortable fit.

Performance Comparison

Lens Quality

Anon uses their SONAR by Zeiss lenses throughout their M4 goggle line, and they include a bright light and low light lens with each pair. Zeiss is one of the premier names in optics, and it shows in the incredible optical clarity of the Toric lenses we tested. Toric is a spherical style lens that is designed to mimic the curvature of the eye to prevent distortion. You'd be hard-pressed to tell the difference looking through a typical spherical lens versus a Toric lens, but we found the optics of the M4 lens to be very good and distortion-free.

SONAR is a lens technology developed exclusively for Anon through its partnership with Zeiss. It is similar in intention and function to other top performing lenses, as it increases depth perception and enhances contrast to help you see the world around you more clearly. Testers found the SONAR Red lens to work very well in bright light conditions while still providing great visibility in shady terrain or on overcast days. In very low light conditions, cloudy or storming, the SONAR Infrared lens works very well and helps to brighten things up and increase contrast. The lenses are incredibly easy to swap out, and the goggles come with a hard curved lens case to store the spare when not in use. A microfiber goggle bag to clean your lenses with a sleeve to store the spare lens is also included.

Goggle lenses keep improving, and these days it's really challenging to differentiate between the best lenses on the market. Spherical and Toric lenses provide clearer and less distorted vision than cylindrical lenses, but even then the difference is quite minimal and often unnoticeable. That said, testers found the optics and overall lens quality of the M4 to be on par with our award winners, which offer the least distortion, clearest vision, and best depth perception in our test selection. Not surprisingly, these are also the most expensive goggles in the test. All of the other models in our test have relatively good and functional optics as well.

Comfort

When it comes to comfort, the M4 has a lot of things working in its favor, and this is one of the most comfortable models we tested. The frame itself is nicely contoured and relatively large, especially in its width, and it fits our testers with large faces very well. Interestingly, people with medium and smaller sized facial features also found these goggles to fit pretty comfortably, and no one complained of air gaps or unwanted pressure on any part of their facial structure. The triple layer face foam provides ample cushion, with an especially soft Outlast fleece that makes contact with your face and helps wick moisture.

Anon has put a nice wide strap on the M4 with two beads of silicone to help keep it in the place where you want it on your helmet or beanie. The strap is highly adjustable and can easily be extended to fit around a helmet or cinched down for use without. The frame shape fits well with most helmets with no gaps to speak of.

Getting a goggle that fits your face properly is one of the most important elements for your comfort. The size of the M4 is on the larger end of the spectrum and our testers with larger facial structures found the M4 to be among the most comfortable goggles in the test. Those with small to medium-sized facial structures preferred the fit of other options with a smaller fit.

Ventilation and Breathability

During testing we found the ventilation and breathability of the M4 to be very good. The frame has open cell foam across the top, on the bottom, and on the sides which allows for great breathability while never feeling drafty. Additionally, the lenses are treated with an anti-fog treatment called Integral Clarity Technology (ICT) which we found to prevent fog throughout all of our testing. The outermost layer of the face foam, the part that touches your face, is soft fleece material made with Outlast which is intended wick sweat away to help in fog management. Should you ever feel too hot in these goggles, you can always remove the lens for a minute while you're riding the chair to let any fog dissipate or clean the lens.

To be honest, all of the high-end goggles have adequate and functional ventilation and breathability. It's only when you really exert yourself and work up a huge sweat if hiking uphill for an extended period, that you might notice fog in any of these competitors. The M4 is one of the top-performing models in this metric.

Ease of Changing Lenses

Have you ever wondered how magnets work? I know that the Insane Clown Posse has, they even mention it in their song “Miracles.” If you've never heard that song, I suggest you watch the music video on YouTube right now. And you're welcome.

Seriously though, the “Magna-Tech” magnetic lens system on the M4 goggle works incredibly well and results in the most user-friendly lens changing system imaginable. Anon has integrated nine small but powerful magnets into the inside of the frame and the edge of the lens's thin frame. They hold the lens securely in place until you wish to remove it for cleaning or to swap to a different one. Simply grasp the top and bottom of the lens on either side and pull out. With a little force, the lens comes right off and can be swapped out just that easily. To put the lens back in you simply need to line it up and get it close, the magnets do the rest of the work. This system is so easy to use that you can swap lenses on the fly while the goggles are still on your face. They also include their MFI (magnetic facemask integration) with the M4 which is a facemask that attaches to the bottom of the goggle with magnets just like the lenses.

The M4 is by far the easiest goggle to change lenses in our test fleet. There are other models that are similar, although theirs requires you to unlock the lens from the frame by pressing a small tab that is hidden underneath the strap-frame connection. While these other choices are remarkably easy to use, you can't really swap lenses with the goggles on your face like you can with the M4. The non-magnetic lens competitors all fall behind the competitors with magnetic lenses in this metric. The lenses of the other competitors can all be swapped out, and with relative ease, though their lens attachment system requires a little more time and effort than the M4.

Durability

During testing, we found the durability of the M4 to be quite good. We ripped around the resort on powder days and frequently stuffed them into our packs for backcountry ski tours, and they appear no worse for the wear. The frame is on the stiffer side with more torsional rigidity than most of the other models in the test. The frame is a dual molded PC-ABS/TPU plastic combination, and it seems to be very solidly put together.

The straps have maintained all of their elasticity, and the silicone beads are still very well attached. The foam covering the vents and the face foam are all still in great condition. We've experienced no issues of any kind the magnets of the Magna-Tech system. Since the lenses are so easy to change, you are also less likely to mess them or the frame up during the lens change process. As with all shiny goggle lens coatings we were concerned about the scratch resistance of the lenses on the M4, but as of yet, we haven't done any damage to them. Assuming you take reasonably good care of your expensive ski accessories, these should last you for many years of faithful service.

Style

The M4 has a pretty modern look and a very clean style. They don't have the completely “frameless” look that is pretty popular with some skiers and riders these days, but they are pretty close. They are on the verge of looking space-age or bug-ish, without actually going all the way. They have a large lens with just a thin bit of frame around the outside edge all the way around. The Red color frame we tested has a two-toned red strap and highly reflective SONAR Red lens, they definitely pop. They are also offered in a variety of color and lens options to suit your tastes or match your kit.

Style is incredibly subjective, but we feel the M4 strikes a good balance of modern/futuristic without being over the top. For those of you who really want the freshest look on the mountain, these are a good way to go. If you're into the trendiest or most space-age look, you may want to check out goggles with full coverage frameless design.

Value

The M4 is the most expensive goggle in our test selection, yet we still feel this is a good value if you can justify spending that much on a pair of goggles. You get two high-quality lenses for different light conditions, innovative design like the Magna Tech lens system and integrated magnetic facemask, comfort, and style in a durable package. With the M4 we feel you get what you pay for.

Conclusion