We put swimming goggles to the test
In the January 2008 issue of Holiday Which? (page 26), we revealed the results of our user trial tests on 10 of the UK’s best selling pairs of unisex, adult, non-prescription leisure goggles. Testers rated each pair of goggles for comfort, ease of adjustment and fitting and levels of leakage, fogging, vision and slippage, and swam 157 miles in the process. The magazine report contained details of all the goggles which achieved a 4 or 3 star rating, and here we reveal our test results for those goggles which achieved two stars.
Diana Cosmo
2 stars £13.95
Best for Small faced swimmers
Cheapest retailerNess Swimwear
The mirrored lenses of these goggles may be very stylish, but over half our testers said they definitely wouldn’t consider buying them. Small uncomfortable eye cups, a short headstrap and inflexible nose bridges were some of the features which came under fire by our testers. On the plus side, they scored well for vision and the small amount marking they left around the eyes after use.
One tester said ”Even though they come with 3 nose bridge fittings, none of them fitted me as I have a broad nose”.
Maru Air 2 Anti-fog
2 stars £10.49
Best for Larger faced swimmers
Cheapest retailerWiggle
The protective mesh carry pouch is a welcome idea, but doesn’t compensate for the below average performance of the goggle’s main functions. Over half our testers thought the eye cup was uncomfortable, and they rated the head strap adjustment as fiddly, and their peripheral vision as average. The vast majority said they wouldn’t buy these goggles themselves.
One tester said “These goggles are too rigid and their adjustments don’t have enough flexibility”.
Zoggs Predator Wiro
2 stars £12.99
Best for The futuristic design and fully split strap of these goggles may appeal to super stylish swimmers.
Cheapest retailersSwimshop, Mailsports, Wiggle
The Curved Lens Technology in these goggles, designed to aid ‘extreme peripheral vision’, was not a hit with our testers, over half of whom said that these goggles distorted their vision. Although they were comfortable enough, the majority of our tester said they would definitely not buy these goggles. They were the easily the poorest performing goggle in our tests.
One tester said ”The curved lenses prevent you from focusing which is a major problem – I found it difficult to distinguish distance and pool markings”.