Anon M4 Toric Review – Great High Performance Ski Goggles

Updated December 1st, 2023

The Anon M4 Toric goggles are the latest design from Anon Optics. The M4 goggles feature the latest toric lens with Perceive technology. They have the slickest magnetic lens swapping system out there and an integrated facemask. If you are in the market for high performance ski or snowboard goggles you should check them out. Keep reading for our full Anon M4 Toric review.

Anon M4 Toric MFI Review and Test

Overall Design

The M4 Goggles are a framed design. You see a slight rim around the edge of the lens that is attached to the lens. When you change lenses, the frame color changes with the lens. The M4 frames can accommodate both M4 Cylindrical and M4 Toric lenses. Some people prefer the flat look of cylindrical lenses better. The goggles are a large to extra large fit. They are available with a variety of band designs as well as lenses. They come with 2 lenses, a hard lens compression case, and a microfiber goggle bag.

The Anon M4 is a size up from the Anon M3 and M2. The M2 and M3 are both medium fit. The M2 is a spherical lens goggle and the M3 is a cylindrical lens goggle.

These goggles are available in regular and “low bridge fit” a.k.a. “Asian fit” versions.

Price

These goggles run from $300 to $320 depending on where you look. The price is the same for the cylindrical and toric lens versions. There is a polarized lens version that runs $359-$379 as well. I haven’t had any luck looking for last year’s version of M4 for less.

Spare goggle lenses run about $100-140 depending on where you look.

Lens

These goggles are available with a toric lens or cylindrical lens. I picked up a set of them with a toric lens. I chose Perceive Variable Blue 21% VLT and Perceive Cloudy Pink 53% VLT. Here in Michigan, it’s rarely ever bright and sunny so a lens for cloudy days is best.

The available lens range runs from a Perceive Sunny Onyx 6% VLT to a clear 85% VLT lens. They cover all light conditions you will ever encounter on the mountain. There is no photochromic lens option available with toric or cylindrical lenses.

The toric goggle lens is a cross between a cylindrical and spherical lens. It comes from a torus or donut shape. It is spherical in the vertical direction and cylindrical in the horizontal direction. Think of it as cutting a slice out of the side of a donut. A cylindrical goggle lens is cut out of the side of a can. A spherical lens is a section cut out of a ball. Toric lens technology makes a goggle lens shape with superior optics that better match your eye and face shape. This gives you enhanced peripheral vision and less distortion.

Anon’s Perceive lens tech is similar to Smith ChromaPop and Oakley Prizm. It replaces the Sonar by Zeiss lens tech of previous years. It filters colors between Blue and Green and between Green and Red. What this means is that you can see features in the terrain better than with the naked eye. On flat light days, you will have crystal clear vision looking at the snow terrain. These lenses are just as good or better than the Sonar lens they replace.

Frame

The frame is made of dual stiffness plastics. The outer frame is stiffer plastic where it needs to be rigid for the goggle structure. The inner frame is softer so it conforms to your face and feels comfortable. There is triple layer face foam around the perimeter. The inner layer has a nice smooth feel to it that feels comfortable against skin. It has moisture wicking so you don’t feel like you have spongy wet goggles on your face.

The nose opening is a little larger on the Anon M4 than most other goggles. This gives a little less pinch feel around your nose. For people with larger noses, this is a definite plus.

MAGNA-TECH Lens swapping system

Anon introduced the magnetic lens swap system with their M1 Goggles in 2012. It is the slickest, easiest to use interchangeable lens system out there. All you do is bend the frame a little and pull on the tabs on the lenses and off it comes. To put the new lens on, just hold it within an inch of the frame and the magnets will magically suck it into position. Lens changes are as easy as that. The powerful magnetic lens retention keeps the lens on through falls, faceplants, tumbles, etc… If you decide to swap the lens on a chairlift you run the risk of dropping it just like anything else.

See the below video for a demonstration of just how easy lens swaps are.

Ventilation

This ski goggle has full perimeter vent channels. They have vents around the sides of the goggle as well as the top and bottom. Most goggles only have vents on the top and bottom. This increased airflow provides maximized venting in the goggle to prevent fogging.

Anti-fog coating

Part of the Perceive lens technology is a moisture and oil resistant anti fog coating. This prevents moisture from turning into fog on the goggles. It helps resist smudging and oil buildup from your fingers touching the lenses.

Helmet compatibility

The goggles have a helmet compatible strap that is long enough to work with most helmets. They have silicone bands on the inside of the strap so they won’t slide around on smooth helmet surfaces. The goggles are a good fit with Anon helmets with little to no gap. I tried it out with an Anon Echo MIPS helmet. The fit is very good. See the images below.

MFI facemask integration

One really nice feature of Anon M4 goggle is the MFI magnetic facemask integration. There is a set of 4 magnets on the bottom of the frame that MFI face masks can attach to. The goggles come with an MFI mask to use with them. There are many other MFI styles and warmth level facemasks available from Anon. The included one will work great for a COVID facemask if you are skiing somewhere requiring it.

OTG Compatible

The Anon M4 snowboard goggle is OTG compatible. I tried wearing them over my glasses and they work. My glasses are 5.3 inches x 1.3 inches and they fit okay.

How do they work?

Lens

The lens clarity is excellent. It is on par with my Smith I/O Chromapop lenses. The field of view is better thanks to the toric lens shape. I notice very little distortion around the edges of the lens when looking around. The Cloudy Pink 53% VLT lens does an excellent job of bringing out snow features on dull drab overcast days. It works okay for night skiing. A lighter clear lens might be a little better.

The Variable Blue 21% VLT does an okay job on sunny days and a good job on cloudy days. We are at a lower altitude in Michigan so the light isn’t as bright as Colorado at much higher altitudes. If I was skiing in Colorado I would get an 8% lens for bluebird bright days.

These 2 lenses do not have a mirror appearance. The color isn’t that obvious looking at the goggle lenses. They don’t have the bright mirror color appearance that Smith ChromaPop or Oakley Iridium lenses have. If mirrored lenses are your thing you might want to look at Oakley Flight Deck or Smith I/O goggles.

Anti-fog

These goggles defog as good as any snow goggle I have ever used before. They will clear up right away when you start moving if they fog up while standing around. The anti-fog performance works better if they are used with a helmet with anti-fog vents. I don’t have any problems with fogging on sweaty warmer spring days or humid foggy days.

Face mask

I hate wearing facemasks while skiing because they always slide out of place. I have tried pinching it between my goggles and nose and other things. The MFI mask is loose fitting and easily slides up into place and pulls down. It can stay on your head after you take your helmets and goggles off. I have a Columbia neckwarmer I normally wear while skiing for warmth. The lightweight MFI mask does a good job going over it for COVID facemask requirements.

The goggles seem to defog just as well with or without the MFI facemask in place. It doesn’t make things any worse. The mask was designed to not cover the vents on the bottom of the goggle when it’s in place.

The Verdict

The Anon M4 Toric Goggles perform great. They are top notch in almost every category with optimal optics, lens clarity, distortion and peripheral vision. They hae great anti-fog performance. They have one of the best lens swap systems out there. The MFI magnetic face mask integration is a nice bonus. They are expensive but if you want great performance from your goggles they are worth it.

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