The swim goggle is one of the essential pieces of swim gear for both the competitive and recreational swimmer. It helps you to steer clear of obstacles (i.e. other swimmers in your lane!), better judge distance to the walls so that you can execute a bang-on flip turn, and perhaps more noticeably, protects your eyes from the irritants of chloramines, which result from the interaction between chlorine and human sweat and, um, other stuff.
Here’s a quick set of tips for how to pick out the best swimming goggles for you and your swimming:
Silicone vs rubber straps. One of the big considerations to make when buying swim goggles is longevity. After all, you want to be able to buy goggles that are going to last you a while so that you aren’t running back to the local swim shop every few weeks to drop cashola on a fresh pair. Many of the more popular goggles that you will in training environments are a latex or rubber material. Swedes, one of the most frequently seen type of goggle on deck at practice, have goggle straps that are made of this material. Silicone straps, more often seen on elite competition goggles like the Michael Phelps Xceed goggles, are more durable and will last far longer. This is particularly good for when you are standing behind the blocks about to race—the last thing you want is for your goggle straps to snap on you while you are getting to ready to compete. The added durability does come at a cost, as goggles with silicone straps tend to be a little more expensive.
Tint colour. I have always loved the smoke and mirror lenses. There’s just something about those particular colors that make you look like a certified badass in the water. These kind of goggles are particularly useful for outdoor swimming. Almost all goggles are UV-coated to protect your eyes from the sunshine, but a darker lens also allows you to see a bit better. This is especially handy for you backstrokers out there who have to stare up into the sky while swimming. On the other hand, a lighter, or even a clear lens, is more suitable for darker and indoor pools. Additionally, because the moment the anti-fog wears off—and it always does—you will still be able to see pretty well through the clear and light colored lenses. The darker and mirrored lenses, not so much.
Comfort. Let’s be honest here, the goggles you end up wearing and buying are going to be on your face, suctioning your eye sockets, for hours and hours on end. So the obvious thing to say here is that they should be comfortable! This is why it’s key that you should get down to your local swim shop and try on a few different pairs. Most swim stores have display models of their goggles, and if not, you can always try to ask. In terms of comfort, it’s really going to be on you to tighten or loosen the goggle straps to ensure that they are snug, but not too tight, on your face. The real consideration to make before purchasing is deciding whether to go with a rubberized gasket (like the Speedo Vanquishers 2.0), or with a more “old school” hard plastic gasket like the Swedes. The latter will take some getting used to for the newbie to this type of goggle, as after the first couple wears you might find your orbital bone to be a little bit sore.