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Get ready to make a splash! Whether you’re gearing up for a triathlon or diving into the pool for some laps, the right pair of swimming goggles is your ticket to clear vision and confident strokes. But with so many options out there, how do you choose?
Fear not, we’ve got you covered. In this guide, we’ll explore the top picks for traditional goggles and cutting-edge smart goggles like those from Finis and FORM.
From streamlined designs built for speed to smart technology that tracks your performance in real-time, we’ll help you find the perfect pair to suit your style and goals.
So, whether you’re chasing podium finishes or simply swimming for fitness, join us as we dive into the world of swimming goggles. Get ready to swim smart and swim strong with the best goggles for triathletes and swimmers.
Let’s make waves!
Quick List of the Swim Googles for Triathlon
Speedo Vanquisher 2.0 – Best Overall Swim Goggles
ROKA R1 – Best Open Water Swim Goggles
TYR Sport Special Ops 2.0 – Most Comfortable Goggles
Aegend Swim Goggles – Best Value Triathlon Goggles
Speedo Hydrospex Classic
Aqua Sphere Kayenne
Zoggs Predator Flex – Best for both Pool and Open Water Swimming
FORM 1 Smart Swim
FINIS Smart Swim Goggle
Best Triathlon Goggles – Speedo Vanquisher 2.0
Overall these goggle win for the best overall triathlon swimming goggles. These Speedo goggles are the best mirrored and clear goggles on the market today. The goggles themselves are simple in their design yet are durable and can hold up to many miles in the pool or open water. The mirroring is prefect for outdoor swimming and does a good job of blocking any sun with the glare.
I would highly recommend getting a pair of the clear goggles and a pair of the mirriored goggles. The clear goggles are great for pool indoor swimming and the mirrored goggles are best for outside. You’ll need both for training and on race day.
Another great feature of these goggles is the padding. Its a very soft and comfortable padding that helps seal the goggles and prevent leaks. The photo below shows the padding around the lens (sorry about the sand, I was using them at the beach).
What makes the Speedo Mirrored Vanquisher 2.0 the best triathlon swim goggles?
- Excellent anti-fog protection that lasts longer than most goggles
- Strong UV protection and anti-glare to help shield your eyes from the sun on the most sunny days
- Wide view lens to allow you to see more around you during open water swimming
- Silicon seal cousins around the eyes which are great at sealing and preventing leaks
- Multiple interchangeable nose piece options to fit most noses and faces
Also Buy from:
From $21.99 at Speedo.com
From $21.99 at DicksSportingGoods.com
Best Open Water Swimming Goggles – Roka R1
Although a bit more expensive that most other swim goggles, the Roka R1 are the best premium triathlon swim goggles. The Roka R1’s were literally create specifically for open water swimming and have all the important features needed.
The most important feature is the tilted lends, which gives you about an 11% increase in your upper sight line. This helps when you’re looking ahead at where you’re going. They also have the basic open water features including anti-fog, mirror UV protected lens, and a durable frame.
Most Comfortable Goggles – TYR SPORT Special OPS 2.0 Polarized Goggles
The TYR Sport Special Ops goggles are the most comfortable on our list.
Due too the soft frames and efficient suction these goggles are not only comfortable but also form an excellent water tight barrier that holds for long periods of time. This is critical especially for swimmers going for longer distances of more than a mile. These goggles are also polarized and have an anti fog coating which makes them perfect for open water swimming.
Also Buy From:
$34.99 at Tyr.com
$35.00 at REI.com
Best Value Triathlon Goggles – Aegend Swim Goggles
The Aegeng googles have UV protection, anti-fog and come in a plastic protective case. They have a great seal with their ergonomic design and high-quality silicone give a close fit and no leaks. They claim to leave no marks on your face after your swim.
A wide 180-degree view gives you a clear and long-range view of swimming underwater. These are great for pool and open water swimming with an anti-glare coating for those sunny days.
The well-designed clasp makes it easy to put goggles on and take off without pulling your hair.
You can choose between a mirror finish, clear or tinted lenses. The mirror ones are for very bright, sunny conditions, the clear for darker, pool swims and the tinted ones are a great all-rounder for pool and swimming outdoors.
Speedo Hydrospex Classic
The Speedo Hydrospex is your basic swim goggle. They don’t have many of the more advanced features of many triathlon or open water specific goggles, they they are a good simple pair of goggles that could be used for training.
At this price point you can buy a couple pairs to use as backups too. As with all goggles on this list, they do feature anti-fog, UV protection, and a leak proof design. Additionally, the tint on the goggles is a little lighter, so there may be some issues in direct sunlight.
Also Buy From:
$15.99 at Speedo.com
$15.99 at SwimOutlet.com
Aqua Sphere Kayenne
The Aqua Sphere Kayenne are larger swim goggles that can be tricky to use. Some users have reported issues with underwater clarity, fog, and leaking. These issues can be remedied by adjusting the goggles, but given their larger size they are more prone to these issues.
Although they do feature a nice adjustable and comfortable strap. The main feature is the large lens, which allows for a larger range of view than the more narrow counterparts.
Also Buy From:
$30.99 at AquaSphere.com
$29.99 at DicksSportingGoods.com
Zoggs Predator Flex – Best for Pool and Open Water Swimming
I have been using these goggles in both the pool and open water for many years. They have UV protection and anti-fog built in. I have kept the same pair for over five years thanks to the Zoggs rigid case and Cressi anti-fog spray.
They are very comfortable and stay leak free – even in the sea. I find they don’t mark my face so don’t have “goggle face” after my swims.
Also Buy From:
$30.99 at AquaSphere.com
$29.99 at DicksSportingGoods.com
FORM Smart Swim 1
Smart goggles are coming down in price and offer some great features to help you’re your swimming technique. The FORM Smart Swim 1 offers real-time metrics for triathletes and swimmers, displayed in a customizable transparent display. You can see heart rate, time, distance, pace, stroke rate and more. Onboard motion sensors capture your data for detailed review in the FORM app.
They have and Industry-leading anti-fog coating, 7 interchangeable nose bridges, silicone eye seals, and 16 hours of swim time on a single charge all backed by a 2-year warranty.
They have a new feature called “SwimStraight”. This is a great new feature for triathletes and helps you stay on course while in open water using the world’s-first in-goggle digital compass. They are race approved by USAT, World Triathlon, PTO and supertri so you can swim straight during a race and knock valuable seconds off your swim time.
HeadCoach offers in-goggle visual coaching, an in-app assessment of your skills and educational resources to improve your technique. You can 2 a two-month free trial of these premium features and the its $8.25 per month.
Choose from 45+ training plans and 1500+ workouts, create your own or get them from a coach, or seamlessly import from TrainingPeaks.
Get time and stroke rate to pace perfectly or pair to a Garmin or Apple Watch to display GPS data in your goggles when open water swimming.
They come in a protective case and if your want to display your heart rate as you swim, with this version of the FORM goggles you will need to get the Polar Verity Sense heart rate monitor.
Also Buy From:
$179 at FormSwim.com
Finis Smart Goggles
Take your training to the next level with the FINIS Smart Goggle Kit that tracks and displays your laps, splits, set time, rest time, and more while you train.
The Smart Goggle, Powered by Ciye™, is designed to help swimmers improve and meet their fitness goals. The in-goggle display and activity tracker gives real-time feedback to help you track your distance and time allowing you to get the most out of your swim.
Once you’re out of the water, the app provides an in-depth analysis of your workouts, logs your history, and allows you to connect with friends and fitness apps.
You can choose the metrics you want to see in your goggles depending on your goals in using the Ciye™ app. If you swim laps the goggles will count them so you can focus on technique. If you swim sets, you won’t need to rely on pace clocks as the goggles will keep you on track. There’s swim time and clock in your lens so you can keep your head down and just swim.
The ability to view real-time workout information will not only keep you accountable for laps, splits, rest time, and swim time, but motivate you to improve your performance. Whether you are looking to shave a couple of seconds off your time, or simply count your laps, the FINIS Smart Goggle will assist you every stroke of the way.
If you scratch your goggle lens you can buy a new set of Finis goggles and put your smart coach module in the new goggles – no need to buy a whole new set.
The open water swimming tools are limited and only feature a running clock to keep an eye on your time.
Also Buy From:
$179 at SwimOutlet.com
Indoor vs Outdoor Swimming
Obviously most triathlons are outdoors and the swim portion is in a lake, so tinted or mirrored goggles are the best bet for open water swim training outside. For indoor triathlons or pool training tinted goggles are usually too dark. For this type of training clear goggles are going to be important. In addition to sunlight and tint, the range of view from goggles is also important. Indoor pool swimmers only need a limited range of vision, so more narrow goggles are fine. Outdoor swimmers need a wider view in order to swim in the correct direction.
So in summary, clear limited range goggles are best for swimming indoors and tinted or mirrors goggles with a wider view range are best for outdoor swimming.
Goggle Fit and Size
Fit and size for swim goggles are really more personal preference. Everyone has a different face and it may take a few goggles to find the perfect fit. Some goggles comes with interchangeable pieces that will help fit different faces so I would encourage you to find a pair that is able to be adjusted. Having a proper fit will not only help the goggles be more comfortable, but will also prevent leaks.
Fog Protection
Fog can be a big problem for swimmers. Having your goggles fog can obstruct your vision and cause eye discomfort. This usually leads to the swimmer having to stop and clear out their goggles which impacts swim time.
Most goggles come with some form of fog protection. The fog protection is a thin layer that helps prevent condensation on the inside lens. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is rubbing the inside of the lens before or after they swim – don’t do this! You are basically wiping off the anti-fog layer which means your goggles will start fogging.
Inevitably, most goggles’ fog protection wears off. There are some natural and other methods of retaining the anti fog protection. The natural method is saliva. Your own spit anti-fog properties and can be used in a bind. Another way is using an anti-fog solution, such as the aptly named Quick Spit or Cressi Anti-Fog.
I purchased Eversport goggles for children early this summer. The button clasp in the back is a failure point that broke on 2 of the 4 that we purchased. Kids are hard on stuff.
HOWEVER, by taking out the middle clasp section and using the two outer sections to secure the straps by overlapping the straps, they became a workable option for the original clasp.
I’ve found the best anti-fog is cressi anti-fog spray which was developed for divers but great for swimmers. Another added benefit is it’s reef safe so won’t pollute the oceans and rivers.