The Smith I/O MAG meets
the Glade Adapt 2
Best Overall at GearJunkie and Treeline Review, with the highest lens quality score in GearJunkie's guide. We tested it head-to-head against the Glade Adapt 2 across 6 key dimensions.
Smith I/O MAG
“Best Overall at GearJunkie and Treeline Review, with the highest lens quality score in GearJunkie's guide”
Glade Adapt 2
“OutdoorGearLab's Best Midrange Value, with a photochromic lens and a 79/100 score for about half the I/O MAG's price”
Head-to-Head Breakdown
Strengths & Weaknesses
Smith I/O MAG
- Best Overall at GearJunkie (9/10) and Treeline Review, and Slope Magazine's top pick for optics in its photochromic version
- GearJunkie scored its lens quality 9.5, the best in its guide, and rated anti-fog 9 out of 10
- Magnetic lens change with a low-light lens included, in small, medium, XL and low-bridge frames
- Costs $295 and comes without a hard case, the two downsides OutdoorGearLab listed
- GearJunkie found the frameless lens easy to smudge during swaps
- Airflow scored 7 out of 10 at OutdoorGearLab, a point behind the Glade Adapt 2
Glade Adapt 2
- Scored 79/100 and won Best Midrange Value at OutdoorGearLab, the top score under $200 in its 16-goggle test
- Photochromic lens adjusts its tint as the light changes, so you don't stop to swap lenses
- Airflow scored 8 out of 10 at OutdoorGearLab, and Better Trail called its anti-fog very effective
- OutdoorGearLab found snow surface detail fell off in low light
- Ships with one lens, and swapping it is slower because there are no magnets
- SKI's testers found the Adapt 2S gave less peripheral vision than most goggles they tried
The Verdict
Our Bottom Line
Two of our nine sources named the Smith I/O MAG their best ski goggle outright. GearJunkie rated it 9 out of 10, the top mark in its guide, after SnowSports Senior Editor Morgan Tilton and Bergen Tjossem tested it in variable and low light. Treeline Review's Jill Sanford, whose testers ski more than 50 days a season, also made it Best Overall. Slope Magazine put the photochromic version of the I/O MAG first on its list for optics, and OutdoorGearLab scored it 81 out of 100 in a 16-goggle test, two points behind its winner.
Smith I/O MAG
Two of our nine sources named the Smith I/O MAG their best ski goggle outright. GearJunkie rated it 9 out of 10, the top mark in its guide, after SnowSports Senior Editor Morgan Tilton and Bergen Tjossem tested it in variable and low light. Treeline Review's Jill Sanford, whose testers ski more than 50 days a season, also made it Best Overall. Slope Magazine put the photochromic version of the I/O MAG first on its list for optics, and OutdoorGearLab scored it 81 out of 100 in a 16-goggle test, two points behind its winner.
- You ski in changing light and want to switch to a low-light lens in seconds
- You want the goggle GearJunkie and Treeline Review both rank first
- You need a specific size: Smith makes it in small, medium, XL and low bridge
- You wear a Smith helmet and want the two to fit together
- You'll pay $295 for top optics but don't need the 4D MAG's extra downward view
Glade Adapt 2
The Glade Adapt 2 scored 79 out of 100 in OutdoorGearLab's 16-goggle test, the best score of any goggle under $200, and won its Best Midrange Value award. That puts it two points behind the $295 I/O MAG. Better Trail's John Ellings and Delaney Miller made it their level-up pick for skiers ready to spend more than budget money, and SKI Magazine's 13 testers chose the smaller Adapt 2S as the best goggle for smaller faces in their 2027 test.
- You'd rather never stop to change lenses
- You want a photochromic goggle for about half the price of a premium pair
- You wear prescription glasses under your goggles
- You ski mostly at resorts, in a mix of sun and cloud
- You have a smaller face and can size down to the Adapt 2S