The OutdoorMaster Ultra XL Snow Goggle – Test and Review

Updated November 25th, 2024

The OutdoorMaster Ultra XL Snow Goggle is the latest ski and snowboard goggle from OutdoorMaster. They could be one of the best new ski goggles this winter from any goggle maker. The Ultra XL promises great lens technology, great anti-fog performance, and other improvements. They are priced under $100 to still be the great value you have come to expect from OutdoorMaster. We got our hands on a pair. Keep reading our OutdoorMaster Ultra XL Snow Goggle review to learn more.

OutdoorMaster Ultra XL Snow Goggle Review and Test

I have been a fan of OutdoorMaster goggles since their Ski Goggles Pro came out. It had a really slick magnetic lens change system and spherical lenses. It came with a hardcase for storing extra lenses. It had good performance on the mountain. You got all that for under $50. It didn’t quite have the lens clarity of Oakley PRIZM or Smith ChromaPop but it was good enough for most skiers.

I picked up the Ultra XL with Black Sonic Strap frames, Silver 10% VLT Lens and Light Blue 85% VLT Lens. The Silver lens is good for most day skiing and the 85% blue lens is good for dark flat days and night skiing. There are currently 10 lenses available for the Ultra XL goggles with a VLT range from 10% to 90%. There are no photochromic lenses for people looking for one.

I also have a set with the 13% Revo Saphire Blue lens and Black Sonic Strap. I picked up a VLT 26% Optimize Orange Lens with Full REVO Blue spare lens to use on flat light days.

I have spent some time skiing with these in evening flat light shadows with the 29% Silver Optimize Orange lens. It is as good as any lens from Oakley or Smith in flat light conditions. I have also spent some time with the VLT 26% Optimize Orange Revo Blue Lens and it is also an excellent performer in flat light. The 22% Revo Pink Optimize Orange lenses would also be a good choice and are well worth the money.

Price

OutdoorMaster introduced the Ultra to have a ski goggle that can compete with the best ski goggles from Smith, Oakley, and Anon while keeping the price under $100. For $100 you get the goggles, an extra lens, a hard case for the extra lens, and 2 microfiber storage bags. You can get it even less if you use our 15% off code ERO15.

Lenses

The biggest new thing with the Ultra XL goggles is the lenses. To start with they are polycarbonate with a toric lens shape. They are a hybrid of a cylindrical lens and spherical lens shape. You get less distortion and greater peripheral vision from a Toric shape. The lenses and frames are noticeably taller than the OM Pro Goggle lenses giving you unparalleled peripheral vision.

These lenses have Color Optimization Technology. Part of the blue light band is filtered out allowing you to see with greater clarity. By filtering some of the blue band you can better differentiate snow terrain features. You can see better in flat light condition with these goggles than without.

They make use of Super HD Technology by using a Luminous Refractive Pressed lens. This lens focuses what you are seeing at the back of your retina. This allows you to see everything more clearly with great focus.

These lenses have similar technology to what is used in Oakley PRIZM and Smith Chromapop lenses. They all use blue light filtering and better quality lenses. This gives better clarity and terrain differentiation than the naked eye.

On top of that, the lenses also have a new and improved anti fog coating. The new coating promises 3 times better anti fog performance compared to the Pro goggles. I never had problems with the Pro model goggles fogging. These will be even better.

Like all over OutdoorMaster goggles, they offer 100% UV400 protection against UV Rays. You can feel confident you are skiing or snowboarding with good UV protection while wearing them.

Frame

The Ultra XL frame is new and improved over the OutdoorMaster Pro Goggle frame. They would be a large fit goggle where the Pro was more of a medium fit. The frame is a bit taller and it’s also more round shaped. When I press the frames against my face they fit with less bending.

The frames have a triple layer foam on the inside. The inner most layer is softer and smoother feeling than what is on other OM goggles. It feels very close to the material used on Smith I/O goggles. The foam in the nose area is compressed to give you a better shape around your nose. Smith does the same thing with the foam in the nose of the I/O Goggles as well. It makes for a very comfortable feeling goggle that doesn’t pinch your nose at all.

The frame is OTG compatible and will fit over prescription glasses up to 5.3inches x 1.65 inches. I tried them out while wearing glasses and they easily slide over my glasses. They were comfortable to wear over top of them.

Swappable lenses

The Ultra XL uses the same magnetic interchangeable lens system found on the OM Pro goggles. It uses 8 magnets to hold the lens on. It is super slick. To swap lenses just bend the frame a little while pulling on the edge of the lens. That will pop the lens off. To put the new lens on, hold it an inch or so away from the frames and let it go. It will pull into the frame in perfect alignment.

The system feels slightly stronger on these goggles than the Pro goggles. I have a set of Anon M4 Toric goggles which also use a magnetic lens swapping system. The effort to take off the removable lenses is higher on the OutdoorMaster goggles. I would not worry at all about lenses falling out of the frame during falls or any other time. You can easily change lenses while the goggles are on your face.

Goggle Performance

When I put on a set of OutdoorMaster Pro goggles right after a set of Smith I/O Goggles I could tell the lens was not as good. It felt like the OM Pro lens had a slight haze to it. Everything seemed crystal clear with the Smith Optics ChromaPop lens.

When I do the same thing with the Ultra XL lens they have the same crystal clear look. Everything has a slight pop to it that you didn’t see with the old Pro model goggles.

I also compared the Ultra XL to a set of Anon M4 Toric goggles with their Perceive lens. I would give the Ultra XL a slight edge over the Perceive lens. The Anon Perceive lens had more noise and reflective glare in it. The photos below show the Ultra XL lens shape and size compared to the Anon M4 Toric lens goggles. The toric profile is similar. The overall sizes of the 2 goggles look pretty similar.

I do not have a set of Oakley ski goggles to compare them to a Prizm lens. As soon as I can get my hands on a set of Oakley Flight Deck goggles I will do a comparison.

I have skied with a set of Oakley Flight Deck XM’s this winter as well. In bright light conditions, I don’t notice any advantage for either goggle. The flat light performance of the Ultra XL Optimize Orange Lens is really close to the Oakley Prizm Snow Hi Pink lens. It does not leave you wishing you paid way more for Oakleys.

I would say that OutdoorMaster did their homework with the lens design on the Ultra XL. The one missing item is that the lenses are not polarized. If you want a polarized lens goggle, look at the new OutdoorMaster Vision XL goggles.

The only thing missing from the Ultra XL goggles that I really like on the Anon M4 Toric goggles is the MFI magnetic facemask. I really like that feature especially with Covid facemask rules still in effect this winter. The Ultra XL costs $100 and the Anon M4 cost $300. It’s a very expensive $200 facemask for the price increase.

Helmet compatibility

The Ultra XL work very well with the OutdoorMaster Kelvin helmet. They have no gap and fit well. They are a great match with the new OutdoorMaster Diamond MIPS helmet too. They also work really well with my Anon Echo MIPS helmet. I also tried them with a Smith helmet and Giro helmet. See the images below to see how they fit with the various ski and snowboard helmets.

The Verdict

The OutdoorMaster Ultra XL are really great goggles for an even greater price. They improve upon the OutdoorMaster Ski Goggles Pro in almost every area. They are a true competitor against the high end goggles from Smith, Oakley and Anon at 1/3rd to 1/2 the price. They also work well as OTG ski goggles. They protect against harmful uv rays. Anyone looking for new ski, snowboard, or any other snow sport goggles should check them out.