As I posted last week, I was in need of some new goggles to replace my TYR Racetech pair and ended up purchasing three sets: TYR Velocity, Arena Tracks and Nike Remora, all with clear lenses as the pool I usually swim in is not very well lit and has no natural light.
As the strap on the Racetech goggles had just failed I thought I’d try the Velocity ones first. I’ve now done a couple of sessions with them. They’re a more streamlined design compared with the Racetech pair which had lenses that protrude a fair bit more. Initially I thought that design would help with misting up as I felt that at least some of the problem was due to natural oils transferring from eyelashes to the inside of the lens. It didn’t seem to make any significant difference though, and in fact I found that the lack of streamlined design meant that water tended to drag at them more when pushing off the wall.
Unlike the Racetechs, which appear to have a rubber strap, the Velocity pair have a pair (or rather, two loops) of what looks like a silicone strap, secured by a single adjuster at the back rather than one each side of the eye. The rubber strap was comfortable and didn’t obviously appear to slip, but I don’t think repeated immersion in chlorinated water really did it any good. The single adjuster on the new pair also appears to hold its position well.
One of the things I really did like about the old pair was that they gave quite a good view around me. I have an emergency pair of Speedo goggles that are like staring down a pair of pipes by comparison. The new ones are almost as good. There’s probably a little less definition to the sides because of the shape of the lens, but it’s still possible to tell that something is there. In fact whilst swimming I’m not aware of the presence of the eye gaskets at all, perhaps helped by the fact that they’re also clear.
The only two niggles so far have been that the adjuster can get caught in my hair and that when I take them off it’s clear that the right hand lens has been digging into the side of my nose slightly, though I’ve not been aware of that at all whilst I am swimming. It’s possible that using a wider nosepiece might help, but as the fit is otherwise very comfortable I’m going to leave things a little longer before attempting to change anything.
Unlike many of my previous sets of goggles, none of the ones I’ve bought this time around come with a storage bag or case, though for me that’s not a big deal as I prefer to keep them in a hard case anyhow.
Overall I’d say I’m quite pleased with this pair so far. Mostly I can just forget they’re there whilst I’m swimming which is exactly what I want. It remains to be seen how they perform over a longer period, and in particular how long it takes them to start fogging up.
