Smith XC Flip Up Sunglasses Review

• ChromaPop lenses enhance contrast and natural color to make the details pop
• Flip-up lens feature
• Smudge and moisture resistant coatings
• 4-base spherical shield lens curvature with modest wrap-around fit
• Megan nose pads
• Auto lock hinges stay open for easy one-hand on and off
• Goggle-inspired temple tips are strap compatible
• Evolve™ bio-based frame material is lightweight and durable
• MSRP: $185

Don’t flip out, flip up:

Our team at Feed the Habit have written long and hard about Smith’s ChromaPop technology, which is the de facto centerpiece of the XC’s since lens performance is so crucial. I will discuss the lens technology, but we’ll also focus more on the XC’s unusual feature set.

Starting with the lens, the idea behind ChromaPop is to increase the separation between the colors that you’re seeing to enhance contrast. Technically, they do this by creating lenses that filter out some of the intermediate areas of the visible spectrum, essentially creating a bigger ‘gap’ between colors. They have a variety of lenses for a variety of applications, everything from road riding to fishing to surfing.

ChromaPop is an easy favorite, and it makes a noticeable difference in the PNW’s challenging low-light activity conditions. I tested the High Viz Opal ChromaPop lens, which is meant for the higher end of sunlight intensities but Smith also offers the Low Light Copper for the dimmest days.

Other than the lens technology, the unique feature of these is the epic flip-up design which gives delightful 80’s throwback vibes. The hinge mechanism is basically a bar of plastic with two screws to pinch the lens in place. This in turn is set into the brow piece, and there’s a detent in the plastic to hold the lenses up in the air. When the lenses are down, there’s a plastic latch that fits up between the lens and the nose piece.

90% of the flip lens feature is perfect, delightful and cool. I love the feature for its practicality: on muggy ascents, being able to flip a steamy lens out of my face is pure bliss. 10% of the time, I felt like the latch between the lens and nose piece didn’t release well and I was worried about breaking some plastic. It hasn’t actually happened, but I worry about it.

As anyone living in the Northwest knows, this has been a challenging winter for snow sports. I’ve wound up using the XC’s more aboard my mountain and fat bikes than I have a set of skis, but true to form I’ve had some Nordic days mixed in here. So, while these are built with XC skiing in mind, clearly they have plenty to offer in all sorts of activities.

My days spent nordic skiing, AT skiing and biking in the XC’s have been pretty satisfying. The lens performance is really great, with excellent contrast that I especially appreciated on the fat bike where things come at you faster. I didn’t have major issues with fogging, which I credit in part to the more generous gap between your face and the sides of the lenses than some shield-style frames.

For me, the flip-up lens is more than just a fun party trick. I really loved being able to pop those puppies up on the skin track (or fat bike climb) when I started to heat up. Anything to avoid fogging up the lenses. There’s good airflow even with the lenses down, but I love having that escape valve.

One thing to be aware of is that the temple design is a retro-inspired and strap-compatible affair that’s somewhat overbuilt compared to modern shield style glasses. The ear tips are big enough that you can really feel them beneath a helmet, and sometimes that could be uncomfortable. It’s part of the esthetic, but might count as a minor performance ding particularly if you wear these under a helmet.

Also absent are some of the traditional features Smith users might expect, such as an adjustable nose piece or a Megol (sweat-loving) temple pad. The more aggressively curved temple mostly makes up for the lack of Megol there.

Buy Now: Available from SmithOptics.com