Sunday, March 7, 2010

Goggles: Still on a quest


After burning out one pair of goggles, losing one and breaking another -- all in the last 2 weeks -- I am down to one lone pair of clear Speedo Vanquishers salvaged from the lost and found. They are fine -- I wore them to BU in the fall -- but the anti-fog is gone and I can hardly see the clock. So again I am on a quest. Mostly I need a pair that doesn't leave me looking like a raccoon face after practice. Unfortunately, that tender under eye skin doesn't bounce back the way it used to at 15.

Here are the finalists: (all prices from Swim2000.com)
Speedo Women's Vanquisher - $13.75 -the tried and true standby for racing. Have to get another pair for Harvard. Even though they are the worst offenders for goggle marks, they are my favorite for racing.

Tyr Femme Crystalflex $14.70 - promised to leave no goggle marks along with "good visibility" and greater peripheral vision, according to testers for Swimmer mag (Jan/Feb 2010).

Tyr Socket Rockets - $6.55 - I'm going to try these as an alternative to the Swedes which everyone recommends for no goggle marks, but really hurt my eyes because they were too big for my eye sockets.

If you have another good candidate let me know. I will test all these and post my findings in a month or so.

11 comments:

x said...

cool link for low priced stuff.... They don't have suits in my size (yet) I am getting there :) but good source on other stuff for sure!

Unknown said...

I'm looking forward to your reviews! The only "normal" goggles I've found that work with the titanium plate I have in my face are in the juniors line from Speedo. But the raccoon eyes are impressive!

I often wear an Aquasphere Seal Mask when I train to avoid the eye issues, but they are pricey and only seem to last me a year or less.

So, in summary, I'm no help at all. ;-)

GetBackJoJo said...

I just stick with my TYR boring googles. :)
Good luck!

Anonymous said...

I assume you're talking about pool/training goggles? I saw some interesting Barracuda goggles similar to swedes/socket rockets. For open water, I will only wear Blue Seventy Elements--the most comfy goggles around that never leak and almost never fog up. Good luck in your search! PS where is registration for the Rockland Breakwater swim?

Swimming for ME said...

Erica - thanks for the tips... how are the goggle marks in the BS Elements?
The registration for Rockland won't go up until the beginning of summer probably... you can find it at www.mainemasters.org --> and go under Schedule.

Anonymous said...

I've never had goggle marks after wearing BS Elements. I actually just checked a picture of myself immediately after a 5k swim, and there are no marks at all. The gaskets have really soft and smooth silicone and you don't need to wear them very tight.
Thanks for the info re: Rockland Breakwater. I'm so excited for that swim.

Ange said...

I love the vanquishers..but yes, major goggle marks for hours.

Unknown said...

Go with the Barracuda HydroBat Goggles. Best goggles made in the industry.

8 different nose bridge positions, hydrostatic pressure keeps the goggles to you face during turns or crashing through waves. Check out Matty Reed, Olympian and killer triathlete. He loves them, you will too.

maria conley said...

Hi Alina, even if I don't make any comments, I'm still reading your blog!!! You are an awesome swimmer.
xoxxo

Jennifer Harrison said...

I LOVE LOVE my women's Vanquishers! FAVORITE for years!!

Anonymous said...

I just had a bad experience with a pair of goggles that had latex gaskets. I awoke with swollen eyes and spent three days out of the water. I took them back to the store as I had forgotten what was on the package. While there I noticed several goggles said hypo-allergenic on them. Now I know why. Latex is an allergy that can slip up on you so be careful!