Smith has been making eyewear since a dentist built the first sealed ski goggle in a Sun Valley basement in 1965, and the throughline ever since has been the lens. ChromaPop is the reason most people end up in a pair, the lens tech that pulls confusing colors apart so the water, the road, and the trail read sharper than they do through ordinary tint. This is a buyer's guide to the live Smith lineup, sorted by where you actually wear them, with real prices and the lens choices that matter.
ChromaPop, the reason to start here
ChromaPop is Smith's lens technology, built to separate the colors your eye tends to confuse so contrast and detail jump on water, terrain, and open ground. It comes in several tints tuned to different light, and most frames offer it in polarized and non-polarized versions. If you fish, drive a lot, or spend the day outdoors, the polarized ChromaPop options are where Smith earns its price. The full breakdown lives in our ChromaPop explainer, and the polarized side of the catalog sits in the polarized collection. For glass purists, Smith also offers ChromaPop Glass, a heavier lens with the sharpest optics in the range.
On the water
This is where Smith is hardest to beat. The Guide's Choice is the fishing flagship, with wide temples, side coverage, and the option to step up to ChromaPop Glass for the clearest optics Smith makes, priced from $207. The ChromaPop Glass Polarized build runs $269 if you want the glass lens with a mirror finish. For a lighter, lower-cost water frame, the Outrigger covers the same job from $217. Polarized is not optional out here. Cutting the glare off the surface is the whole reason to spend the money.
Driving and everyday
For the daily pair, the Lowdown 2 CORE is the one most people land on. It runs $147, ships polarized, is built from recycled material, and reads as an everyday frame rather than sport gear. If the Lowdown sits too wide on your face, the Shoutout CORE is the same idea in a slightly different shape at the same $147. Both knock the glare off a windshield and a wet road without turning the dashboard black.
Trail, sport, and big coverage
When you want goggle-like coverage that still looks like a pair of sunglasses, Smith builds a hybrid shield. The Wildcat is the one you have seen on every gravel ride and trailhead, from $217 with ChromaPop. The Bobcat is the same concept with a little less frame, and the Pursuit tops the range at $347 with the most coverage Smith puts in a sunglass. These are the frames for moving fast in bright, shifting light.
ChromaPop is the reason most people end up in a pair of Smiths. Everything after that is fit and how much coverage you want.
Fit, and the CORE frames
The shields run large. The Wildcat, Bobcat, and Pursuit are built for medium-to-large faces and full coverage, so a smaller face should start with the Lowdown 2 or Shoutout. The CORE versions of those two are made from recycled material as part of Smith's sustainability line, worth knowing if that matters to you or your buyers. Across the range, if you are choosing between two tints, pick by light: a brighter mirror for open water and snow, a more neutral ChromaPop for mixed sun and trees.
How to choose
Start with where you spend the most hours. Water or a lot of driving means polarized, and the Guide's Choice or a Lowdown 2 covers most of it. Fast outdoor sport in changing light means a ChromaPop shield like the Wildcat or the Pursuit. If pure optical clarity is the priority and a little extra weight is fine, the ChromaPop Glass builds are the step up. Buying more than one pair? Standardize on a single ChromaPop tint so the look and the optics stay consistent across the group.
Common questions
Are Smith sunglasses polarized?
Most models offer a polarized option, and several ship polarized by default, including the Lowdown 2 and Shoutout at $147. The Guide's Choice and the ChromaPop Glass builds are polarized as well. Check the specific lens, since some ChromaPop tints come in both polarized and non-polarized.
What is ChromaPop?
ChromaPop is Smith's lens technology, designed to separate the colors the eye tends to confuse so contrast and detail stand out on water, terrain, and open ground. Our ChromaPop explainer walks through the tints and where each one works.
What is the best Smith for fishing?
The Guide's Choice, especially in ChromaPop Glass Polarized. It has the widest coverage and the clearest optics Smith offers, which is why it is the brand's standard on the water. The Outrigger is the lighter, lower-cost alternative.
Are Smith sunglasses Z87 rated?
No. Smith's current sunglasses are built for optics and sun protection, not the ANSI Z87.1 impact standard. If you need a frame rated for the shop or the job site, shop our Z87 safety collection, where every frame carries the mark, and our guide to the best polarized safety glasses covers the work-rated polarized options.
Smith is the pick when the lens is the priority and the light is hard. See the full range and every ChromaPop tint in the Smith collection, and match the frame to the water, the road, or the trail where you spend the most time.
