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pchewn

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
2,607
Location
Beaverton OR USA
My guilty pleasure and favorite ski toy these days are my ABOM goggles. These goggles have built in defroster sandwiched between two Carl Zeiss lenses. Bottom line is that they never ever fog up no matter what the conditions are like and because of the two lenses with no delicate anti-fog coating you can wipe the inside of your goggles without ruining them. For me this has been a game changer as I used to travel with multiple goggles and extra lenses to combat those extra wet and sticky days in the PNW where everything fogged over and moisture collected in between the double lenses. Definitely not the cheapest goggles on the market but worth every penny I paid for them. Lots of cool details on the tech and demos of the goggles on their website if you are interested in learning more. https://www.abom.com/

Just to be clear (pun intended) .... The heater in the goggle is designed as a DEFOGGER, not a DEFROSTER. On days with freezing rain or rain at the base of the hill and ice at the top of the lift --- the goggles can still form ice on the OUTSIDE of the goggle. But the inside is clear. I still need to wipe or use my thumb scraper on the outside of the lens on those type of days. But to be fair, everyone else on the lift couldn't see because the outside of their goggles were ice and the inside was fog. Mine had no fog.
 
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dovski

dovski

Waxing my skis and praying for snow
Skier
Joined
Jan 7, 2018
Posts
2,859
Location
Seattle
View attachment 40003
View attachment 40004

OLD GOGGLES (Large)
View attachment 40005

I'm a factory ABOM tester. The older models were large, the newer model is smaller. The newer model has a built-in humidity sensor that conserves battery power so the battery could be made smaller. The lens heats up when the humidity sensor reaches a threshold and then turns off when the humidity decreases. I've been testing the new model and giving feedback to ABOM since November. I skied all last season on the older larger model without the humidity sensor. ABOM have been updating the firmware in my goggles (sometimes every other day) in order to test various humidity sensor thresholds for the correct balance of battery life vs lens heating.

My biggest problem with the goggles is they don't fit over eyeglasses. There are solutions to this (corrective lenses in little holders) -- an aftermarket add-on. But my solution is to ski without glasses. I will say they do NEVER FOG! Even on Mt Hood in the rain/cloud at 90% humidity.

I admit to days when I don't wear them though. On clear sunny days I wear my Scott goggles that fit over my glasses. On any day with any chance of fog, I see much better with the ABOM goggles (No fog), but without my eyeglasses.

I have one old pair and two of the newer models. The lenses are easy enough to change, there is a small connector on the lens to receive the power from the frame of the goggle.

Yes, I got them for free and am testing for ABOM .... but I'm telling you they DO NOT FOG.


The marketing guys at ABOM will be mad if I don't add this:
Original goggle (old, larger one) "ABOM ONE"
New goggle (smaller, with sensor) "ABOM HEET"
Hey Pchewn, my understanding is that this years ABOM ONE have the new tech in them too, is that correct?
 
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dovski

dovski

Waxing my skis and praying for snow
Skier
Joined
Jan 7, 2018
Posts
2,859
Location
Seattle
Just to be clear (pun intended) .... The heater in the goggle is designed as a DEFOGGER, not a DEFROSTER. On days with freezing rain or rain at the base of the hill and ice at the top of the lift --- the goggles can still form ice on the OUTSIDE of the goggle. But the inside is clear. I still need to wipe or use my thumb scraper on the outside of the lens on those type of days. But to be fair, everyone else on the lift couldn't see because the outside of their goggles were ice and the inside was fog. Mine had no fog.
I find in conditions like that if I run my Aboms constantly I can melt the ice enough so that it easily wipes off. ruined two pairs of googles last year trying to wipe ice off the lenses. Agree with your statement they are designed to be a defogger not defroster
 

Kiki

Dreams are the touchstones of our characters
Skier
Joined
Feb 1, 2018
Posts
77
Location
Beautiful BC!
Which lens do you like best for stormy blizzardy days when it seems to be all white on white?
 

Kiki

Dreams are the touchstones of our characters
Skier
Joined
Feb 1, 2018
Posts
77
Location
Beautiful BC!
And the greyer ines like this
IMG_2084.JPG
IMG_2089.JPG
 

Fuller

Semi Local
Skier
Joined
Feb 18, 2016
Posts
1,522
Location
Whitefish or Florida
The ABOM goggles have a single lens, nothing to delaminate, so you will not have this problem. The ABOM goggle has less airflow than other goggles, so your eyes might not be so prone to watering. The insides never get wet or dirty, so there's really nothing to clean....

Thanks @pchewn that was useful information, I would really like to ski without my eyes watering as much as they do. Believe it or not right now I have to take my goggles off to adjust my boots because inevitably when I bend down a big fat tear will drop on the inside of my IOX's (that you're not supposed to touch or clean).

1st world problems, I guess... but a few more questions if you have the time...

I see you are wearing a Smith helmet, I have the Smith Varient Brim so I'm hoping that the ABOM's would fit in a similar manor? I imagine they designed their frames to fit up against the most common helmets.

Finally, vision quality, I've read the other threads and I'm getting the feeling that "quality" is a bit of a subjective issue. I like my Smith Chromapop lens (until it delaminated a week after a got it) and folks speak highly of the Oakley Prizm, how would you rate your ability to see texture in bad light conditions compared to other brands?
 

pchewn

Skiing the powder
Skier
Joined
Apr 24, 2017
Posts
2,607
Location
Beaverton OR USA
Thanks @pchewn that was useful information, I would really like to ski without my eyes watering as much as they do. Believe it or not right now I have to take my goggles off to adjust my boots because inevitably when I bend down a big fat tear will drop on the inside of my IOX's (that you're not supposed to touch or clean).

1st world problems, I guess... but a few more questions if you have the time...

I see you are wearing a Smith helmet, I have the Smith Varient Brim so I'm hoping that the ABOM's would fit in a similar manor? I imagine they designed their frames to fit up against the most common helmets.

Finally, vision quality, I've read the other threads and I'm getting the feeling that "quality" is a bit of a subjective issue. I like my Smith Chromapop lens (until it delaminated a week after a got it) and folks speak highly of the Oakley Prizm, how would you rate your ability to see texture in bad light conditions compared to other brands?

On the SMITH helmet, every goggle (pushes up slightly on the brow/rim of the goggle). The ABOM ONE more than the ABOM HEET. Not a problem. No gap. Comfortable.

Vision quality is excellent. Best goggle for clarity I've ever had. My other goggles are just like looking through a plastic lens. The ABOM goggles are like looking through glass.
 

Black Dog

Its all downhill from here..
Skier
Joined
Aug 22, 2016
Posts
393
Location
On The Edge
I have a pair of Smith Chromapop Storm Yellow that I got last month. I am getting condensation between the lenses on cold days.
I contacted Smith a few weeks ago and got a support ticket but no response from them yet. Anybody else having this problem?
 

Fuller

Semi Local
Skier
Joined
Feb 18, 2016
Posts
1,522
Location
Whitefish or Florida
I would check carefully where the inner lens is glued to the foam gasket, that's where I have had issues on 4 different lenses. I noticed today, on one that had already delaminated but had not had any water intrusion from that place, that some water had actually found it's way through the small vent hole on the outside lens. The result is a small streak in between the lenses.

As for warranty I've not had a problem with them replacing a lens but now I have two more to deal with. I think I need to be talking to them beyond the standard protocol, this product is clearly not working for me. It cost money to UPS the old ones back and I need to wear something else while it's being dealt with.

I'm also going to find an ABOM retailer and try on the two versions.
 
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dovski

dovski

Waxing my skis and praying for snow
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Jan 7, 2018
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Location
Seattle
FYI Campsaver.com had the Abom One on sale in case you were interested in a mid season deal
 

Fuller

Semi Local
Skier
Joined
Feb 18, 2016
Posts
1,522
Location
Whitefish or Florida
Went to Sportsman's to try on a few pairs. The ABOM One sits away from the face quite a bit, the HEET version fits tighter and even though the lens is smaller it had a bit extra peripheral vision. Both fit the Smith helmet well. I liked them both but neither one was a great fit for my face. Also tried the Oakley version but it is a fixed lens and it has that huge battery on the side. Still looking but I may come back to the ABOM.
 

David

"Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati"
Skier
Joined
Oct 14, 2017
Posts
1,344
Location
Holland, MI
I love my Giro Onset goggles! They're not the easiest to change but I dont need to often.
 
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dovski

dovski

Waxing my skis and praying for snow
Skier
Joined
Jan 7, 2018
Posts
2,859
Location
Seattle
Isn't there a Smith Turbo or are you done with Smith? I am.
There is I believe that one has a fan in it, but not even close to comparable with the ABOM. The ABOM technology is years ahead of everyone else and works no matter how wet and soggy your goggles are. Their lenses are a sealed system with a heating element that instantly defogs them which is super cool. I also like the fact that both inner and outer lens are Carl Zeiss. In other words you can wipe both the inside and outside of the goggles without damaging them, all the other goggles I have owned (SPY Doom, Dragon APX ... etc.) have a delicate anti fog inner lens that you cannot wipe without damaging :(
 

CalG

Out on the slopes
Pass Pulled
Joined
Feb 5, 2017
Posts
1,962
Location
Vt
My guilty pleasure and favorite ski toy these days are my ABOM goggles. These goggles have built in defroster sandwiched between two Carl Zeiss lenses. Bottom line is that they never ever fog up no matter what the conditions are like and because of the two lenses with no delicate anti-fog coating you can wipe the inside of your goggles without ruining them. For me this has been a game changer as I used to travel with multiple goggles and extra lenses to combat those extra wet and sticky days in the PNW where everything fogged over and moisture collected in between the double lenses. Definitely not the cheapest goggles on the market but worth every penny I paid for them. Lots of cool details on the tech and demos of the goggles on their website if you are interested in learning more. https://www.abom.com/

If I get a set of those goggles, will I be able to do those inverted aerials like they show on the web page?
 

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