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Choosing the Best Swimming Goggles

If you are a novice, choosing the best swimming goggles for your needs can be a frustrating experience if you don’t know what to look for at the sports store.

This page gives you some tips so that you can make an informed decision the next time you are out to buy new swimming goggles.

Swimming goggles
Some tips to help you choosing the best swimming goggles

3 Quick Tests to Assess the Goggles’ Quality

It is advisable that you try on the swim goggles you are interested in, ideally, the exact pair that you’ll be buying.

Nothing is more frustrating than having bought a new pair of goggles that are uncomfortable or useless because they leak.

So here are three tests you can make to quickly asses the quality of swim goggles:

1) Comfort without strap: Are the lenses comfortable? Leave the strap off, and push the lenses against your eyes. This will give you a quick idea on if the lenses will be comfortable enough for you to be worn for an hour or two at the pool.

The lenses will be more comfortable if they are padded with gaskets made of foam rubber or silicone. Also, check that the nose bridge doesn’t cut your nose and hurt.

2) Suction: Now push the lenses some more against the eyes, then release them. The goggles should stick on your face a few seconds thanks to the suction, even if the strap is off. If this isn’t the case and the swim goggles fall off, they will leak water and be useless.

3) Comfort with strap on: If the goggles pass the first two tests, put the strap on and see if the goggles are still comfortable. Check if the lenses don’t suck too much on the eyes or that the strap must not be tightened too fast.

Some Additional Tips

Adjustability: Check if the strap can be easily adjusted and doesn’t detach itself too easily. Otherwise, you’ll quickly become frustrated when you try to adjust it at the pool.

Lens color: Are the lenses dark or light? I prefer light lenses. But if you swim outside or in bright environments dark lenses can be preferable.

Anti-fog coating: Check that the lenses have an anti-fog coating. Coated lenses are better as you won’t need to defog them as often (I have yet to find a pair of swim goggles that never becomes fogged).

Size: Swim goggles come in a lot of sizes and shapes. Choosing the right ones is mostly a matter of personal preferences.

However, if you need to dive from starting blocks or do quick flip turns, be aware that larger goggles will slide more easily than smaller ones. Also, avoid the bulk diving goggles.

Look: Finally, make sure you chose a look that you like. If you don’t feel good wearing your goggles, it won’t be long before you’ll want to buy another pair. So don’t neglect this important aspect!

Conclusion

I hope now that the next time you’ll be at the sports store, you’ll know how to choose the best swimming goggles! I like the Futura Ice Plus goggles made by Speedo.

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kelly

Tuesday 21st of February 2017

Thanks. Any idea what model the ones in the title photo are?

Christophe

Wednesday 22nd of February 2017

Hi Kelly,

I am sorry but I bought the title photo from a stock photography site, so I don't know what model those swim goggles are.

MG

Saturday 11th of February 2017

Have you tried the Speedo Lazer Active goggles? So far, this pair that I have (over ten years now) hasn't fogged up on me ever and doesn't leak. I can say that it's the best one I've ever tried.

Christophe

Saturday 11th of February 2017

Hi,

No I never tried the Speedo Lazer Active goggles. Sadly, it seems they aren't making them anymore...

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