Know how you'd sometimes rather squint through your yellow lenses into a retina-scalding sun, or "use the force" to get down some milk-bird mogul field in your dark iridiums 'cause you can't handle the stress of swapping lenses? Well, Vermont's anon optics just solved your dilemma -- with frickin' magnets. (How do they work?)
WHY IT RULES:
The M1 is a good-lookin' gogg, something anon has been known for since Day One. But what really makes piles of men and boys here is the Magna-Tech Quick Lens Change Technology. Magna-Tech means six magnet connection points between frame and lens: three on top; three on bottom. An exchange that was once couched in brittle clips, tiny snaps, and muttered cusses is now as easy as pushing your friend over as he one-foots it through the flats.
Just like Japan's famous shinkansen bullet trains: magnets make 'em faster. Check the video of pro rider Jake Welch messing with the M1 and you'll see that he snaps lenses in and out without really even looking. You can even change tints without taking the frames from your face. That satisfying click lets you know you're ready to point it.
YEAH, BUT DOES IT WORK?
"[After] I took my first hard slam, the first thing I did was check to see if my lens stayed in. Sure enough, it stayed in perfect," said Welch. You can see some worthy tomahawking in his video and, yep, they stay in. The six magnets lead to a retention strength of 20 lbs. when fully bonded.
anon pro and occasional model, Johnnie Paxson, adds: "The benefits of [Magna-Tech] go way beyond ease-of-use. I can clean snow out of my goggle instantly without leaving chunks in the frame. It also kills it for hiking: you can take [your] lens out and put it in a jacket pocket so you don't fog on the way up."
WHAT ELSE?
"There are a lot of companies bringing interesting quick lens-change systems to the game, but the M1 is the only one I've seen that doesn't look like it was designed for space travel instead of snowboarding. The concept behind [it] is simple: make it work faster and make it look sick," says anon's Randy Torcom.
"Sick" in this case also means spherical lens tech that mimics the curvature of the human eye (superior optics); a solid array of color options, fabric wraps and finishes; dual lens climate control; triple layer face foam; and perfect helmet integration.
GET SOME: Painted M1's will put you back $199.95. Premium finishes go for $219.95. The new magnetic wünder-goggs are available online (after 8/13) here or at your favorite local anon dealer.
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