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Individual Review Giro Agent Goggles: Good ideas, bad execution

Keith H

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In November I purchased Agent Goggles. I even returned a set of Dragon X1s goggles which were too small to get these. I'm disappointed I did.

The first time I used your product was just before Christmas in the evening at a local hill with the high school ski club I help chaperone. Switching the sunny day lens was easy as it "popped" off well, but the replacement overcast lens doesn't feel as solid. The soft frame is warped and doesn't connect to one of your magnets on the goggle above the left eye. Taking the goggle off and resting it on the helmet "pops" the lens off which has dropped in the snow, and almost lost on a ski lift. The frame is so flimsy I'm afraid I won't get more than 1 season out of it, and for $230 I would expect better.

As I look at the 2 lenses that came with the goggles, the darker version has a much more solid feel it snaps into place and the magnets hold it firmly.

The second lens (lighter for overcast days) is much sloppier in fit and finish. This is the one that I have been using for night skiing. The magnets are barely in contact with the frame, or not in contact at all, and one has even came off the lens and stayed on the frame. I've realized that one magnet was installed on the lens so that the poles matched (North to north or south to south) so that it repels instead of attracts.
Agent Upload.jpg


The strap is an interesting idea as far as being able to change it to match your outfit or mood, but since you can't rest the goggles on your helm with some tension the straps fall out of their notch with ease (gravity wins). I don't wear my goggles in the parking lot walking to the hill, but I have to if I don't want my frame to fall off the strap. If they entered from the top instead of the bottom, or had a different way of securing them into the frame I would be on board with this idea.

I bought these because after 40 years I wanted to invest in a good pair of goggles, and I am going to Vermont to ski at Okemo at the end of January, (wanted something decent to see out of). The lenses to see out of have been great, unfortunately the frame, straps, and attaching mechanism are left wanting.
 

dbostedo

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I love my Anon M2 goggles. Been using them for the last 4 seasons... I've never had a lens come off when I didn't want it to, or had any issue with them really. (Well, a bit of fogging a couple of times - maybe the airflow isn't the best... but I find that's dependent on my helmet vents too.)
 

Rod MacDonald

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I don't recommend m2 anon goggles at all, they're a great idea poorly executed, although better than those in the original post above.
 

Rod MacDonald

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Poorly executed, how?
M2 GOGGLES - Well you did ask ....

A friend and I bought these amazing looking goggles - well I bought them while in the States. They look superb, and in general I'm very impressed with the quality of the lenses and comfort etc. However, we both encountered major fogging problems with them, to the extent they were almost dangerous to use in the conditions
To be specific -25 last February in the Dolomites, bluebird days . Both pairs fogged fairly heavily from the bottom centre of the lens, both tried using different lenses and swapping lenses and frames between us to try for a best possible fit. Mine were so bad that the major problem was that the fog actually froze solid , which isn't much good when you really want to see where you are going. There is no possibility that the lens imply wasn't seated correctly, these results were evident under repeated swaps/ refits.

The problem with the goggles is twofold, the strap outriggers do not work, at all. They are clipped onto the frame and you can unclip them , but then the lens can't be removed without clipping them back in place. This causes the problem, the lens is very strong, much more rigid than the frame. If the frame is pulled by the strap in an outward direction, i.e when wearing the goggles with a helmet, the frame moves away from the lens at the nosepiece and completely fails to seal . This allows moist air to enter the goggle which causes misting/freezing . The nose piece of the frame should really have some sort of engagement over the lens here, which would prevent movement here as the attachment magnets are quite far away from the peak of the nose. It may be that another additional magnet right at this point would prevent it too.

Under the circumstances of no helmet this problem may not be evident, but we both wear different helmets , and it affected us both.

I also concede that during the wearing of the goggles , the nose area and frame is "kept in position" by your nose/face far more than it is, when you simply handle the goggles, but it was still sufficiently unsealed to cause them to be useless when it would have been potentially dangerous not to wear eye protection.

If you have these goggles, or perhaps any magnetic lens goggles, simply hold the goggles facing you and pull gently in an outward direction, you'll see the frame flex away from the lens and a gap appear.

I've spoken about this problem with several Anon stockists , and whilst they didn't admit to a problem, they did agree that they had all had a few buyers return the M2's and exchange for M3's, the cylindrical lens seems to be less rigid , and flexes better with the frame.

I complained to the Burton tech support in Europe, which is in Austria, and they convinced me that there had been a batch with faulty magnets, under strength . They sent me 2 replacement pairs, but they were exactly the same , at which point they refunded my purchase costs.
We have both now purchased other brands , but were disappointed to do so, as we really liked the M2's.

I have not been able to get my hands on a pair of the new M4's to compare, but suspect the problem may well reoccur in those, when the Toric lens is chosen as opposed to the cylindrical version.

I'm sure that these goggles are highly regarded by most owners, and it may well be that we were unfortunate in our choices of helmet , the temperature being so low , but it's simply not good enough for the goggles not to be fit for purpose under less than ideal conditions.
 

dbostedo

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^^^
FWIW, the only fogging I've ever had, in temps from -10F up, is in the outside upper corners of the lenses. I also don't have any issue at all with the lens pulling away from the frame due to wearing the goggle (with a Smith Variance helmet, in my case).

I also don't follow a couple of things - the strap is removable? Looks like maybe it is, but it's not obvious, and if it is I've never realized it. Why would you remove it?

And on your flex test, I have to pull the straps awfully hard to get your gap, and in a direction they wouldn't normally be pulled. Could be head/face shape and helmet shape make a big difference. I can't see how I'd get the gap like that when actually wearing them.
 

E221b

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I’ve similarly had no problems with fogging in 2 years with the M2s. In fact, with the MFI magnetic face mask system, I’m encountering even less fogging than ever before with any other goggle system.

Edit: my helmets have been a Smith Vantage and now a Smith Quantum
 

Rod MacDonald

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^^^
FWIW, the only fogging I've ever had, in temps from -10F up, is in the outside upper corners of the lenses. I also don't have any issue at all with the lens pulling away from the frame due to wearing the goggle (with a Smith Variance helmet, in my case).

I also don't follow a couple of things - the strap is removable? Looks like maybe it is, but it's not obvious, and if it is I've never realized it. Why would you remove it?

And on your flex test, I have to pull the straps awfully hard to get your gap, and in a direction they wouldn't normally be pulled. Could be head/face shape and helmet shape make a big difference. I can't see how I'd get the gap like that when actually wearing them.

One of the helmets (not mine ) was a smith, although not sure of the model . Mine is a Salomon Prophet. It also doesn't take a hard pull , and it's easy to see the gap even when just wearing the goggles on the helmet .

Not sure what you mean about removing the strap , I never mentioned this at all ?
 

Rod MacDonald

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apologies if I've frightened anybody's dog , or children.

I did make a small video showing the pull on the strap, but it won't upload for some reason.
 

dbostedo

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Thanks for the pic... I see more clearly what you mean now. I'll have to try to see if I see that on mine.

This is the line that confused me on the strap: "... the strap outriggers do not work, at all. They are clipped onto the frame and you can unclip them , but then the lens can't be removed without clipping them back in place."

What are you unclipping? What's an "outrigger" with regard to a strap?
 

Rod MacDonald

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In the pic above they are the greeny turquoise part of the frame . The straps attach to them and they are supposed to adapt the strap attachment dependant on the angle the strap approaches the frame . The ones on the m2s actually click into the closed position instead of moving.
Look at oakley crowbars or airbrake for a better idea of outriggers .
 

dbostedo

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Hmm... never thought about move-able goggle straps. And didn't know I could remove the one on my M2s. When I tried a bunch on before getting the M2s, that wasn't something I was looking at.
 

Rod MacDonald

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Hmm... never thought about move-able goggle straps. And didn't know I could remove the one on my M2s. When I tried a bunch on before getting the M2s, that wasn't something I was looking at.

Nothing to do with removing the straps. You're missing the point.
 

E221b

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I see what you mean about the gap. I checked mine, and that gap only appears when the ends of the goggle are simulateously pushed forward beyond what I think is normal wearing tolerance, which only happens (to me) if they’re particularly tight on my helmet (like in your picture) which case it doesn’t bother or affect me at all. When they’re on my face, there is no gap, and the center magnet (which is directly over the bridge of the nose, center of the goggle) is secure to the frame/lens.

Edit: to be clear, my version of the M2 has a center magnet over the nose.
 

coskigirl

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I love my Anon M2 goggles. Been using them for the last 4 seasons... I've never had a lens come off when I didn't want it to, or had any issue with them really. (Well, a bit of fogging a couple of times - maybe the airflow isn't the best... but I find that's dependent on my helmet vents too.)

I could have written the exact same sentence except I have the WM1.
 

Rod MacDonald

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I see what you mean about the gap. I checked mine, and that gap only appears when the ends of the goggle are simulateously pushed forward beyond what I think is normal wearing tolerance, which only happens (to me) if they’re particularly tight on my helmet (like in your picture) which case it doesn’t bother or affect me at all. When they’re on my face, there is no gap, and the center magnet (which is directly over the bridge of the nose, center of the goggle) is secure to the frame/lens.

Edit: to be clear, my version of the M2 has a center magnet over the nose.
Interesting, none of the 4 pairs we used had this magnet.
 

dbostedo

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Interesting, none of the 4 pairs we used had this magnet.

Mine does not either. Sounds like they may have fixed the problem.

Nothing to do with removing the straps. You're missing the point.

Clearly I guess. I'll check again, but looking at mine, I don't see anything at all adjustable or movable about how the strap attaches to the goggles. Are you saying yours had some adjustment for how the strap attaches or where it's located?

When you said "...The ones on the m2s actually click into the closed position instead of moving." are you saying your outriggers move in some way? Mine don't seem to have "positions". Maybe that's another design change that's gone on?
 

Rod MacDonald

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Mine does not either. Sounds like they may have fixed the problem.



Clearly I guess. I'll check again, but looking at mine, I don't see anything at all adjustable or movable about how the strap attaches to the goggles. Are you saying yours had some adjustment for how the strap attaches or where it's located?

When you said "...The ones on the m2s actually click into the closed position instead of moving." are you saying your outriggers move in some way? Mine don't seem to have "positions". Maybe that's another design change that's gone on?


Right, see the turquoise parts where the strap attaches to the goggle ? Those are the outriggers. In most goggles they move somewhat from the fully back position forwards , in order to allow the straps to adjust themselves to fit the position the elastic is approaching the goggle frame.

Anon call them "Flush mount outriggers"

The M2 ones, can ALSO be moved, but as in the pic above, they click into the closed position and DO NOT move freely . They can be UNCLICKED from the frame and hinge forwards a little, but this makes changing the lenses impossible or very difficult since the outrigger impedes the removal of the lens.
In other words, they exist, but do not function as they do on other goggles.

Try it ! Take the lens off first in case of accident .
 

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