Choosing a lens for swimming goggles
- Mirror lenses
- Smoked lentils
- Clear lenses
Which goggles are best for you? - Swimming goggles selection guide
Swimming goggles testing
Before we delve into the various glass models, it is worth knowing how to fit the glasses to your head and ensure the fit on your own face.
This is how you test glasses
► Place the glasses on your forehead and pull the silicone bands into place behind your head. Please note that the straps should not be so tight that they squeeze your head. So loosen the straps even more if necessary.
► After this, put the glasses on your eyes and gently press the silicone seals into place, holding onto the frames.
► Now slowly pull the glasses away from your eyes, still holding the frames of both lenses.
The glass is suitable for you when
1. The silicone seal sticks to both of your eyes like a suction cup.
2. The glass does not weigh down your face, but sits comfortably on the skin around the eyes.
Test another glass model if
1. You don't get the suction cup effect at all.
2. The glass presses your face very uncomfortably.
Additional considerations
► If you can only get the suction cup in one of your eyes, try to change the nose bridge, if the glasses have this option. An incorrectly sized nose bridge can cause the suction cup to form in only one eye at a time.
► If you are looking for a very comfortable glass, it is good to note that the farther the swimming glass sits from the sensitive skin around the eyes, the softer and more comfortable it is in principle.
Choosing a suitable swimming goggle model
✅ Glasses with a great fit and soft silicone padding
These glasses usually sit on the bones of your eyes, away from the delicate skin around the eyes. This brings comfort to the wearer of the glasses, as the pressure caused by the glasses is distributed over a larger surface area. However, since the glasses are large, they are not ideal for jumping exercises, because the risk of the glasses rolling out of place while jumping increases as the size of the glass increases.
For whom: These glasses are great for open water swimming and fitness swimming. Glasses are a great option for those who value comfort, who also like the larger field of vision brought by glasses. Glasses are often available in models for unisex faces, as well as for narrower faces, because these glasses do not have a replaceable nose bridge (pls. Arena Air-Bold, where you can find not only a large fit but also replaceable nose bridges).
✅ Glasses with medium fit and reasonable silicone padding
These glasses sit either partially over the bones of your eyes or slightly inside them. The glasses have reasonable silicone pads, so they are comfortable even during longer swimming sessions. In glasses with a smaller fit, you often also find a two-part silicone strap, which helps the glasses stay in place better even during jumps. In addition, these glasses also have replaceable nose bridges, which allow you to adjust the model to fit your face.
Who: The glasses are a great option for faster training swimming, for beginner competitive swimmers, for jumping exercises, as well as good general glasses for many uses.
✅ Glasses with a small fit and minimal silicone padding
The glasses sit close to your eyes, normally well inside your eye bones. Thanks to this, the glasses protrude from the face as little as possible, so that they stay firmly on the head even during the wildest jumps and turns. In addition to the minimal fit, these glasses often also have the smallest silicone padding to ensure a snug fit. This can slightly increase the feeling of pressure around the eyes during longer workouts. You can also find replaceable nose bridges in these glasses to ensure a personal fit.
For whom: The best option for competitive swimmers, as well as for those who definitely want a tight and well-fitting glass. These glasses often have the best adjustment options for different faces.
Now you are ready to choose the glasses that suit your purpose.
Check out our most popular glasses in different categories below. The categories are divided as follows:
► Under the category of our choice for competitive swimming, you will find glasses with a small fit and a minimal silicone seal. These are suitable for competitive swimming as well as for swimmers who want a very tight fit.
► Under the category of our choice for training swimming, you will find glasses with a medium fit and moderate silicone padding. These are excellent general goggles for training swimming, jumping exercises as well as fitness swimming.
► Under the category for open water and fitness swimming, you will find glasses with a large fit and soft silicone padding. These glasses are a great choice for swimmers who value comfort and a wide field of vision.
OUR SELECTION FOR THE COMPETITION
1. Arena Ultra Swipe - the favourite of the race swimmers
The flagship of the arena's cobra family, the Cobra Ultra swipe bone glass is a favourite of many racers for both racing and training.
The low-profile swim glass features a wide field of view and UV-protected polycarbonate lens.
New to the swim goggles is SWIPE technology, a new anti-fog treatment that makes them last up to 10 times longer than traditional anti-fog treatments.
The goggles come with 5 interchangeable nose bridges to customise the fit of the goggles to suit every face type.
Many different colour options are available, see the designs here
2. Speedo Fastskin swim goggles - developed with the world's top swimmers
Speedo fastskin is a range of products developed with the world's top swimmers. Speedo Aqualab works with Team Speedo athletes like Adam Peaty to create the optimal training equipment for swimmers. The result is the Fastskin range of swimwear, including goggles and equipment.
The Speedon Fastskin Hyper Elite swim goggles are low profile and feature a dynamic design that minimises water resistance and ensures maximum speed. The goggles feature Qfit™ technology, which allows the goggles to be customised to suit your needs.
The goggles are available in both mirrored and mirrorless versions and in different colours. See the available models here.
OUR CHOICE FOR TRAINING SWIMMING
3. Arena Tracks - the juniors' favourite
This swim glass offers a different price-performance ratio and is ideal for training, as a first racing glass and for active swimmers.
The glass has been in Arena's range for a long time, it has an anti-fog, durable and UV protected polycarbonate lens, injected lightweight silicone gasket and silicone strap.
Three interchangeable nose bridges ensure a fit for every face type.
We especially recommend this goggle for young swimmers. The swim goggles do not have a replaceable anti-fog treatment, so we recommend purchasing one in addition.
Available colours here .
4. AirSpeed - For narrow faces
Innovative and very comfortable swimming goggles for beginner competitive swimmers, training swimming, and fitness swimming. AirSpeed is a very good fit for narrow faces, and because of this, it is especially a favorite glass for women.
The wide lenses enable a wide field of vision and the lens' honeycomb seals help to direct the pressure only where it is needed. Thus, the swimming goggles are comfortable to use even during longer workouts.
Three replaceable nose bridges and a two-part tightening strap guarantee an individual fit. The lenses have anti-fog and UV protection.
You can find all our AirSpeed goggles here.
FOR WHOM?
Air-Speed Mirror goggles are suitable for active and competitive swimmers who have narrow faces and want larger lenses than most racing goggles. Larger lenses increase comfort around the eye.
FOR OPEN WATER AND REHABILITATION
4. Orca Killa 180 - the open water swimmer's favourite
Year after year, Orca's top-rated open water swimming goggles are also great for the pool. If you're looking for a soft, well-fitting glass
that combines both comfort and streamlining, this glass is an absolute must.
The glass has an ergonomic 3D silicone cushioning that is designed to sit on the face to reduce the feeling of pressure in the eye area. With easy adjustment, you'll find it quick and easy to adjust the glass in open water. Highly durable anti-fog treatment that keeps the glass clear in a variety of weather conditions.
Swimming goggles are available in both mirrored and mirrorless versions, mirrored glass is good in sunny weather for reflecting light and keeping your field of vision clear.
See the available colours here.
5. Arena The One swim goggles - the fitness swimmer's choice
The Arena One series has been designed based on the company's research into the shape of the face.
Arena The ONE is therefore often the fitness swimmer's first choice. The streamlined The ONE swim goggles are shaped to fit a variety of faces. The fit of the glasses is based on the results of product development on the structure of different faces. Based on these results, The ONE glasses are shaped with Arena's unique Orbit-Proof technology. The area around the eye is the most important part of the face when designing swimming goggles that do not leak. The seals on The ONE glasses are designed so that a wider seal is applied to a wider area of skin around the eyes. Wide-angle polycarbonate lenses achieve the best possible underwater view forward as well as to the edges of the field of vision.
In addition to unisex goggles, The One range includes a separate version for women and children, as well as a swim mask.
Click here to see the available models and colours.
7. Speedo Biofuse 2.0 - For fitness swimmers with a large fit
Speedo's best-selling Biofuse swimming goggles have been updated to an even better 2.0 version.
Biofuse 2.0 swimming goggles are the first to use biosynthetic materials in the frame and lenses.
• Very soft seal
• Flexible and snappy frame
• Patented adjustment button on the silicone strap
• Renewed lens shape
• Well-fitting and low-profile design
• Anti-Fog technology reduces lens fogging, UV400 protection
Glass maintenance
Preventing fogging
Almost all the glasses in our collection already have an anti-fogging coating, which increases the comfort of use in the glasses considerably. This is why it is important not to touch the inner surface of the glass unnecessarily, because at the same time this important coating will also be accidentally wiped off.
(Racing series glasses can use Swipe Antifog technology, where, according to the instructions, the inner surface is wiped to reveal a new coating. However, this does not apply to other glasses.)
At some point, however, all good things come to an end and even the anti-fog treatment wears off the glass over time. In this case, the best maintenance procedure is to spray the glasseswith Arena or Speedo anti-fog spray, which will renew the anti-fog coating of the glasses. The spray should be sprayed on the glasses already at home, when there is no moisture on the surface of the glasses.
Glass storage
The glasses should be stored in the protective bag or case reserved for them. This way you prevent the glasses from being scratched and worn into an unusable shape. You can view the best way to protect glasses, i.e. cases , here.