Smith 4D Mag Review

Smith is one of the largest goggle manufacturers, offering multiple styles of goggles at a variety of price points. Smith 4D Mag is Smith's top-of-the-line model. Aside from its stellar fit characteristics, sweet style, and crazy-good ChromaPop optics, it's a standout in the industry for its many lens and frame color and tint choices, multiple size options, and easy-to-find lens replacements.

Lens Quality

Smith is known for its outstanding optical quality across its eyewear products, and the 4D Mag is a revelation to wear. Through Smith's ChromaPop technology, which filters blue/green and green/red wavelengths, colors appear remarkably accurate with excellent definition. The lenses are spherical, which gives it both x- and y-axis curves that better conform the round shape of eyes, enhancing optical quality compared to single-curved cylindrical lens shapes.

Where some competing goggles include low-light lenses of lesser quality, Smith's low-light lenses maintain the same high standards. The darker tints provide good contrast and depth of field, while the low-light lenses truly excel in overcast, foggy, or stormy “flat light” environments that make it hard to see variations on snow-covered slopes. The ability to pick out subtle details while skiing can improve safety, particularly for hard-charging skiers over rough terrain.

A feature unique to the 4D Mag is Smith's BirdsEye Vision, which is the special curvature along the bottom of each lens. That extra dip increases the bottom view by about 7 degrees, making it easier to see pretty much anything below your nose. It makes adjusting boot tension while wearing skis much easier, and if you need to retrieve your phone from your ski jacket pocket and send a quick text, that's easier, too. Parents who have to manage gear for young children report that this minor difference in visibility can be helpful. There is some distortion where the lens curves, but none of our testers have found it distracting or problematic.

Choosing a lens tint from so many options can be tough, but it might help to know that multiple testers have reported top performance results with many different 4D Mag lens options. Our most recent test was with the ChromaPop Sun Blue Mirror, which has a Visible Light Transmission (VLT) of 12%. It's great for sunny days and performed well for us during slightly overcast days, too. If you expect to ski in overcast conditions more often than full sunshine, you could choose a primary lens with a VLT of 20-25%. The ChromaPop Everyday Blue Mirror, for example, allows up to 23% of VLT to pass through to your eye.

Comfort

The Smith 4D Mag is one of the most comfortable goggles we've tested. The three-layer DriWix foam wicks moisture and offers a great blend of cushion and support. The medium fit covers a lot of face sizes well, but the real secret behind its comfy reputation is the flexibility of the frame.

The frame of the 4D Mag uses Smith's Responsive Fit construction. Rather than a solid, single curved section of a stiff material, the frame is built with a lattice-like design that flexes and absorbs pressure. It's able to flex and conform to many different face shapes. In our experience, we found this design to produce a soft feel without pressure points. Smith describes it like this: “Smith's frames act like a suspension system that micro-adjusts to your unique facial structure, assuring a precise, comfortable fit,” and that's what our testers of all shapes and sizes appreciated. While the medium fit does well with many face shapes, Smith also makes a 4D Mag XL, a S, and a Low Bridge Fit version for those with faces that have a lower nose bridge and/or a wide or high cheekbone shape.

Ventilation and Breathability

The ventilation and breathability of the Smith 4D Mag is quite good. The dual-layer lenses and anti-fog treatment work well, and the massive air vents across the top let hot, moist air escape. After multiple seasons, testers continue to report that their 4D Mag goggles remain remarkably fog-free. Just remember to avoid wiping the inside of your goggles when wet because you can damage the anti-fog treatment.

When paired with a Smith helmet equipped with Smith's AirEvac ventilation system, fog-clearing seems to get even better. Because Smith goggles match the curvature of Smith helmets, the precise fit encourages vents in the helmet to create a flow of air that helps pull warm, humid air out of the goggle through the upper vents. In our experience, it seems to work well, but you don't have to wear a Smith helmet to achieve very good ventilation results.

Ease of Changing Lenses

Lens changes are fast and easy with the Smith 4D Mag. Magnets built into the frame help guide the lenses in place, but you do need to flip a lever to release the lens or lock it into place.

While it's easy to do once you know the latch system exists, it's not quite as intuitive as some goggles that hold their lenses in place entirely with magnets. However, the latch system provides extra security for hard-charging skiers who might wreck at high speeds or stomp monster jumps.

Durability

The 4D Mag goggles are incredibly well-made. Our testers have used them for multiple seasons. The foam is durable. The strap retains elasticity and the silicone grip stays put. The anti-fog coating seems to last longer than most competitors, as well.

The lenses are very scratch-resistant, but you can scratch them through abuse or accidents — although this usually takes some time and sometimes misuse. Smith includes a hard-shell travel case for keeping the goggles protected during travel and storage, which helps you protect your investment.

Style

The 4D Mag has a sleek and modern look that seems to appeal to a wide variety of skiers and boarders. It doesn't quite have the huge, alienesque appearance of other goggles and strikes a balance between traditional and modern designs. The spherical shape of the lens, including the BirdsEye curved section, makes the goggles look sleeker and more sophisticated than most.

Currently, the 4D Mag is available with many color choices, so there's likely something for everyone. The multiple options available are not only tinted with different lens colors, the frames and straps also come in different options.

Not that we're trying to match our goggles to our jacket color, but if that's your intent, Smith offers many great color choices.   Credit: Chris Maxcer

We like the sleek, modern vibe of the spherical lenses.   Credit: Chris Maxcer

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Should You Buy the Smith 4D Mag?

If you're a frequent skier (and you can afford them), absolutely. The 4D Mag rings in at a premium price point, but the all-around performance is simply better than most of the competition. The optical quality is outstanding, and a comfortable fit lets us wear these all day long, happily shredding runs and appreciating bluebird mountain vistas. The included extra lens is also a top-quality lens, and the travel case increases the value. As long as you're willing to pay for it, it's a can't-go-wrong goggle.

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