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Cover Your Eyes with the Best Swimming Goggles

  1. Speedo Vanquisher Swimming Goggles
  2. Aqua Sphere Swimming Goggles
  3. Nike Cadet Youth Swimming Goggles
  4. FINIS Fruit Basket Kids Swimming Goggles
  5. Aqua Sphere Michael Phelps K180 Swim Goggles
  6. Aqua Sphere Kaiman Exo Swimming Goggles
  7. Speedo Unisex-Adult Swim Goggles
  8. Speedo Fastskin Speedsocket 2 Swimming Goggles
  9. Buyer's Guide

Swim goggles may not be a flattering fashion statement, but they’re an important part of any swimmer’s checklist. Goggles help protect your eyes while allowing you to see where you’re going. Some are created for serious competition while others are simply made so kids can dive for swimming rings. Regardless of what they’re utilized for, today’s goggles feature hypoallergenic materials and scientifically proven material to comfortably seal the goggles tight to the swimmers face.

With so many styles and sizes, it’s difficult to choose which goggle fits your individual swimming style and fashion sense. No matter what your needs are, you’re going to find the best swim goggles listed here and we’ve also listed a helpful best swim goggles in 2022 and the buyer’s guide below with detailed information to help you in your search.

Compare The Best Swimming Goggle Of 2022

Speedo Vanquisher Swimming Goggles - Best Swimming Goggle Overall

Speedo is well known for producing some of the best swim goggles on the market with the Speedo Jr. Vanquisher 2.0 Swim Goggles are being no exception. These kids’ goggles are a smaller version of the popular adult competition and fitness goggles, with the same low-profile and impeccable clarity in the water.

Theses goggles are easy to adjust and have a tight sealing silicone gasket to minimize marking around the eye. The Vanquisher 2.0 is designed for swimmers 6-14 years old and is ideal for both recreational and competitive use. The lenses also have UV protection for outdoor use, making these goggles a great investment that will last through years of wear.

Aqua Sphere Swimming Goggles - Runner Up

The Kayenne Jr. Swim Goggles by Aqua Sphere are a safe choice for the beach, lake or outdoor pool because of their wide range of vision as well as their scratch-resistant polycarbonate lenses. The wrap-around design closely resembles a dive mask (without the nose being covered) which eliminates drag and increases visibility. These Goggles also feature a one-touch buckle system making the head strap easy to adjust for the perfect fit.

These goggles also have an extra wide silicone gasket that provides a long lasting water tight seal. The wide gasket also makes these goggles one of the most comfortable kid’s goggles out there. Once they’re on, your child will not want to take this pair of goggles off.

Nike Cadet Youth Swimming Goggles - Honorable Mention

The Nike Cadet Kids' Swim Goggles are an extremely lightweight pair of low-profile goggles that are perfect for your soon to be serious swimmer. These goggles come with three nose pieces that coupled with the adjustable double head strap will help give your child a custom fit.

The extra soft gasket makes the Cadet Kids' Swim Goggles exceptionally comfortable while providing a streamlined, drag-reducing fit while in the water. The polycarbonate lenses are UV protective and fog-resistant, ensuring clear vision and protection from the sun’s rays. These goggles are ideal for beginning competitive swimmers.

FINIS Fruit Basket Kids Swimming Goggles - Consider

FINIS Fruit Basket Kids Swim Goggles are the perfect pair of goggles that can grow with your young child through their first years on the water. The frame is made from rigid silicone with a built in silicone gasket ensuring the goggles are flexible enough to fit well without compromising a water tight seal.

These goggles have two adjustment points and a convenient clip makes adjusting the head strap very easy. The soft gasket and youth sizing allow for a custom fit that will reduce red marks and ensure a lasting seal. These goggles are brightly colored and come in different fruity scents, making the FINIS Fruit Basket Goggles a pair that your kid will look forward to wearing all summer long.

Aqua Sphere Michael Phelps K180 Swim Goggles - Best Swimming Goggles Overall

The Aqua Sphere Michael Phelps K180 Swim Goggles have wide lenses which closely resemble a diver’s mask without the nose being covered. The latest version of this swim goggle features a low profile and curved lens to reduce drag and increase speed. These goggles are perfect for open water swimmers who want an unrestricted, panoramic view of the water.

The Aqua Sphere K180 Swim Goggles well known for an excellent seal, even in rough waters while the wide silicone skirt around the frame ensures there’s a comfortable, airtight seal during long periods of wear. These goggles are wide enough so that they can be worn with contact lenses and some glasses frames.

Aqua Sphere Kaiman Exo Swimming Goggles - Best Swimming Goggles Overall

The affordable Aqua Sphere Kaiman Exo Swim Goggle offers a 180 degree field of vision, making them a great pair of goggles for competitive and open water swimmers with scratch resistant lenses offer 100 percent UVA and UVB protection. This latest version of the popular Kaiman Goggles uses a combination of rigid and flexible materials in the frame of the goggle, making the Kaiman EXO comfortable and long-lasting.

The strap has a split back, for additional support and better seal, and is easy to adjust for a snug fit. Although the nose piece is not adjustable, these goggles fit comfortably around the eye and provide a watertight seal for most nose types. The silicone is extra soft around the eye socket for a comfortable seal perfect for lengthy periods of use.

Speedo Unisex-Adult Swim Goggles - Best Swimming Goggles Overall

The TYR Technoflex 4.0 Performance Metalized Goggle is the perfect swim goggle for outdoor use, featuring oversized lenses to give you a wider range of vision for increased safety on open water. Made from durable polycarbonate lenses with UV protection, the TYR Technoflex swim goggles are shatter-resistant and built to last.

The hardness of the silicone gasket varies around the lens, being softer along the outside of the frame and becomes more rigid near the solid nose piece. This design makes this a comfortable swim goggle for day-long use without compromising the quality of the seal. The TYR Technoflex 4.0 Performance Metalized Goggle is easy to adjust for a customizable fit using the ratchet side clips on the head band.

Speedo Fastskin Speedsocket 2 Swimming Goggles - Best Swimming Goggles Overall

Speedo is well known for producing some of the best swim goggles on the market and their newest the line of Liquid Storm performance goggles will exceed your expectations. These goggles have a sleek profile and soft silicone gaskets that provide an exceptionally comfortable fit which minimizes marks around your eyes. Speedo’s Liquid Storm Goggles are extremely flexible, but their frame ensures that the seal is not compromised, even though years of heavy use. These goggles will maintain their fit and clarity through years of use because of their quality construction and ideal for use by competitive and fitness swimmers.

Buyer's Guide

Swim Goggle Buyer’s Guide

Whether you swim for fitness, recreation or competition, the importance of having the right pair of swim goggles cannot be underestimated. Buying the right pair of swim goggles starts with determining whether you plan to use them more for competition, training or for recreation. Goggles made for competition and training are designed solely with performance in mind, while recreational swim goggles are simply made to comfortably keep water out of the eyes. There are also goggles for competition, training and recreational swimming which are made specifically for children. Once you’ve determined the main function of the goggles, lens type, lens color and gasket material are important factors to consider.

Goggle Types

Competition Goggles

Goggles made for competition are designed with performance in mind. They are streamlined with a low profile that cuts down on drag while you’re moving through the water. The lenses of competition goggles are small, not much larger than the eye socket.  

Training Goggles

Training goggles have lenses that are slightly larger than competition goggles, making them more comfortable to wear for long periods of time without adding too much resistance.

Recreational Goggles

Recreational swim goggles are designed for function and comfort. These goggles have lenses that vary in size; some pairs of recreational swim goggles are the size of a dive mask and allow for a greater view of the surroundings.

Kids Goggles

Swim goggles made for children come in a wide variety of sizes and designs. Most have adjustable nose pieces and some have chin straps to ensure a lasting seal. Swim goggles for young children often come in bright colors and feature popular cartoon character designs.

The type of lens you choose can determine how well you see when in the water, and can depend on whether you wear glasses or contacts.  Lens color will largely depend on the lighting in the area you will swim most.

Lenses Color

Amber

Amber lenses work well indoors and outdoors in all lighting conditions. Indoors, the amber lens amplifies light by providing contrast, making vision clearer. Outdoors, these lenses cut down on glare and reduce squinting.  

Blue

Blue lenses are best for indoor use. These lenses filter low light, providing some glare reduction.

Clear

These lenses have no light filter and make it easy to see in low light indoors. These lenses are also ideal for outdoor use where conditions may be impacted by murky water or indirect lighting.

Gray

Gray lenses provide protection from bright light outdoors. They provide eye protection from bright sunlight much like sunglasses.

Mirrored

Mirrored lenses are for outdoor use and filter out more light than smoked or gray lenses. These lenses block the swimmers eyes from view and are often used in competition.

Specialty Lenses

UV protection is an additional feature of some swim goggles which you should consider, depending on whether you’ll be swimming indoors or outdoors. There are also goggles fitted with prescription lenses for individuals with glasses or contacts.

Lens Materials

Polycarbonate vs. Optical Grade

Lenses are typically made from either a polycarbonate or optical grade plastic. The common polycarbonate lenses boast the widest range of lenses on the market, but sacrifice some quality. Optical grade plastic lenses are scratch resistant and reduce distortion.

Anti-Fog

Lenses made with either plastic material can come with anti-fog protection, a thin coat pre-applied to the inside of the lens. Anti-fog degrades overtime and can be reapplied using a variety of sprays or drops.

The gasket seals the goggle around your eyes, keeping water out.

Gasket Materials

Silicone and Rubber

These are the most common materials used to make swimming goggle gaskets. There are also gaskets made with silicone which are slightly more expensive than other materials, but they are also hypoallergenic.  These goggles are common in both recreational and competition swimming.

Plastic

Plastic gaskets are used in the Swedish design, a style commonly found in competition goggles where the goggle itself rests directly on the eye socket.  These goggles have small lenses and no soft material that makes the seal.  These goggles are most commonly used for competition and open water swimming.

Foam

Foam gaskets tend to be difficult to find and become problematic over time since the foam separates from the goggle, reducing the seal quality.  Goggles with foam gaskets are more difficult to find.  Goggles with foam gaskets are commonly used in recreational swimming.

Goggle Fitting

The importance of the fit of swim goggles is critical to their proper function with a good pair fitting snugly without leaving marks around the eyes. To test goggles for the right fit, place them on your face without the strap. The nose piece should be adjusted to sit comfortably on the bridge of your nose and create a good seal. If the goggles are a good fit, there should be a moment of suction even without the strap. You should not have to tighten the strap to ensure a good fit around the eye. The strap should only be used to hold the goggle in place.

Goggle Profile

The profile is how far off of the face the goggle is raise.  Competition and open water swimmers typically prefer swim goggles with a low profile, to reduce drag.  Goggles with higher profiles offer more of an underwater view and are more commonly used by recreational swimmers.

 

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