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  1. #1
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    swimming goggles

    i think it's fair to say that in all my life i have never had a comfortable pair of swim goggles.

    every pair ends up crushing my face after 30 min if i'm lucky. any looser, the necessary suction in the lens threatens to extract my eyeballs.

    anybody have any recommendations? i'm going to be swimming a lot more. cost is an issue but good, better, best?

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by wyeaster View Post
    i think it's fair to say that in all my life i have never had a comfortable pair of swim goggles.

    every pair ends up crushing my face after 30 min if i'm lucky. any looser, the necessary suction in the lens threatens to extract my eyeballs.

    anybody have any recommendations? i'm going to be swimming a lot more. cost is an issue but good, better, best?
    Most recreational swimmers think that they need to have their straps tight so that the water seal between the foam and your socket isn't breached. Having been a collegiate swimmer who spent close to 30 hours a week training - please just take my word. You can loosen those straps only when you have created a worthwhile seal. Foam is never going to get you there. Thats why most people with these types of goggles are always pressing them into their faces for suction. You're wasting your time with those goggles. All legitimate swimmers (save those who have sponsorship deals with other brands) are using these:

    https://www.swimoutlet.com/p/swedes-...147/?color=208

    They are called Swedish goggles and they are so simple is beautiful. Notice that there isn't any barrier between the plastic of the goggle and your skin. This might cause you trepidation, but again - please just take my word for it. At $5 what do you have to lose? For best results have the straps tied just tight enough to hold the goggles close to your skin and they won't leak.

    Let me know if you have any questions.

  3. #3
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    Seconded. Used those exclusively for ten years of training and competition. You'll be sore for a week but wait it out.

    For the nose bridge, don't worry about getting the strings tied just right. Tie them a little long, twist the eyepieces until the correct width is reached, then lace the straps. You'll have the right width every time by just having the straps straight (uncrossed or twisted on the head).

  4. #4
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    Illegitimate as fuck but I have been using swedish spectacles for underwater basket weaving for the last 20 years. Order extra head and nose straps because they will dry out, crack and rot. Get the red ones!

  5. #5
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    Thirded.
    No matter where you go, there you are. - BB

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by mooseknuckles View Post
    Get the red ones!
    For speed, youbetcha.

    I was always a little bothered by the colored lenses. I'd go with clear ones for indoors and smoke/mirrored for outdoors.

  7. #7
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    wow that was easy! thanks guys. i'm slow in the pool but i can go for a while and it's frustrating when my goggles force me to stop. i quit using foam a long time ago because as you said, i couldn't get a good seal. the last pair is a speedo with a soft plastic cup between the lens and the socket. the strap feels loose but the suction is either borderline too much or a slow, irritating leak giving my eyeballs a bath.

    in any case, i may order 3 for that price.

    thanks again!

  8. #8
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    i was going to ask if red was for speed. i swim pretty much only indoors. i was thinking clear but maybe blue - i would almost think blue should be for speed in water. orange also looks interesting. maybe i wear a different color depending on my mood. with a matching speedo and flip flops.

  9. #9
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    TGR swimmers represent! Love it!

    Now we should just start guessing what stroke everyone swims based on personality...
    "In the end, these things matter most: how well did you love? How fully did you live? How deeply did you let go?" - Buddha

    "Come back alive, come back as friends, get to the top-in that order." -Mark Twight

  10. #10
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    I don't swim anymore, but I'm still pretty good at breast stroke.

  11. #11
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    Have used a mask style goggle for a while now and prefer it over any of the in the eye socket models.. https://www.swimoutlet.com/p/aqua-sp...7/?color=28070

  12. #12
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    Dec 2009
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    FlowingAlpy:
    You can get a waterproofed iPod nano (edit: iPod shuffle, the old postage stamp sized model) on Amazon for a bit over $100. I'm really happy with it. A bunch of companies offer them (I think they spray foam inside as an aftermarket mod). I went with Audio Flood. It's definitely the best of the few music devices I've tried. I listen to music but I'm sure you could do podcasts for talk.

    Speaking of lesser devices, I have a new in box unused generic waterproof FM transmitter MP3 player. It's called the Diver. I bought one and didn't like it. They mailed me a pink unit for free to try and buy a good review. I'd be happy to mail it to you if you want to give it a go.
    Last edited by TexasGortex; 01-06-2017 at 09:42 AM.

  13. #13
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    I've been playing polo and swimming for 20 years. I cannot stand sweds. The Speedo Vanquisher is what I use. They make a dope rainbow one I rock.

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    Best Skier on the Mountain
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  14. #14
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    Had the OG Audio Flood, lasted about 5 days in the pool...haven't bought them since. They were great when it lasted.

  15. #15
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    I have a cheapo pair of tyr goggles. Have had them for like 6 years. They still work great.
    sigless.

  16. #16
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    I've always been a fan of orange swedes. Better for training. Save the red ones for race day.

  17. #17
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    Just play water polo and swim heads up.

    I agree it is a constitutional right for Americans to be assholes...its just too bad that so many take the opportunity...
    iscariot

  18. #18
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    so do you regular swimmers wear caps? i thought they were primarily for efficiency, not protecting your hair because your hair still gets wet, doesn't it? my hair is turning to hay. i also use wax plugs in my ears because i have issues with ear infections after repeatedly rupturing an eardrum and am probably going to get a nose clip, too. the chlorine is just too strong at the two pools i swim at and it's irritating my sinuses. maybe i need a body condom with a breathing tube.

  19. #19
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    Yep, your hair will turn to straw without a cap. Wearing one prevents the constant flow of chlorine-rich pool water from addling your strands. Some gets underneath, but it acts as a buffer.

  20. #20
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    I never a wear a cap, I think they are pretty uncomfortable. Back in HS and college, when I was in the pool 20 hours a week, my hair was green and I could snap a strand in half. Now that I am in the pool about 5 hours a week it slightly colors it and drys it out a little.

    I really don't know how much wearing a cap would prevent your hair from drying out. You hair does get wet under a cap. Most girls that swim a decent amount have hair damage.

    All this also depends on what type of pool system you are in. A traditional chlorine system is a lot more damaging than the salt water systems. Most newer facilities are salt water (cheaper to maintain and more comfortable).

    If the cap, earplugs, and nose clip help you get a better workout, do it. All that stuff would drive me crazy though.
    Last edited by nickwm21; 02-01-2017 at 07:50 AM.
    Best Skier on the Mountain
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  21. #21
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    yeah, it will probably drive me crazy but since i'm so limited in what i can do to exercise, i will be in the pool maybe 4-5x/wk for 30-60 min, which is a lot for me in a long time. i swim at l.a. fitness. maybe i will get used to it. the issues with my sinuses have been bad enough i've had to take a break from the pool twice already in a month to let it calm down.

  22. #22
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    Getting used to a cap is an acquired taste. It will take time but it will pay dividends.

  23. #23
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    Quote Originally Posted by wyeaster View Post
    i swim at l.a. fitness.
    That might be why your nose is burning and your hair is falling out. Big chain fitness clubs have been known to be heavy handed on the pool chemicals... Check out a local public pool.
    Best Skier on the Mountain
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    Squaw Valley, USA

  24. #24
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    Quote Originally Posted by wyeaster View Post
    so do you regular swimmers wear caps? i thought they were primarily for efficiency, not protecting your hair because your hair still gets wet, doesn't it? my hair is turning to hay. i also use wax plugs in my ears because i have issues with ear infections after repeatedly rupturing an eardrum and am probably going to get a nose clip, too. the chlorine is just too strong at the two pools i swim at and it's irritating my sinuses. maybe i need a body condom with a breathing tube.
    So caps can help protect your hair and prevent hair-turning-to-ash syndrome, and there are solutions for the ears/ nose issues.

    (1) to protect your hair, before swimming, if you wear a cap and you have lots of hair, lather the hair up with conditioner before it's wet and then put the cap on. I used to be too cool to do this when I was younger but now I just don't care anymore. I'd rather have long, pretty hair. Yeah, you look like a dork either walking out of the locker room with your cap already on or with matted down conditioner hair, or for lathering up your hair on deck before you get in, but I think it's totally worth the weird looks you get.

    (2) For swimmer's ear prevention in lieu of yucky wax earplugs:

    After swimming (every time), use half rubbing alcohol and half white vinegar and pour a little into each of your ears while you're in the locker room, before showering. Let it go all the way down (takes a minute, you'll feel it), and then turn your head over and drain it out. The idea is to get the water out. Otherwise it stays behind and makes a little pond of water in your outer ear, which is prime swimmer's ear bacteria habitat. Alcohol mixes with the water and helps it dry out if all the water doesn't drain in the process, and the vinegar changes the PH a little so that your ear is less bacteria friendly. When I swam two-a-day's I would basically get swimmer's ear like clockwork if I got lazy about doing this, otherwise I'd be swimmer's ear free. Swimmers ear really messes with your training schedule if it gets bad, so this is totally worth the effort. And wearing wax plugs and getting wax in your ears and not being able to hear the bubbles is worse in my opinion.

    (3) DO NOT wear a nose plug. You should be breathing out through your nose continuously while swimming. If you're not breathing out through your nose now, you should start, because it will make everything about your stroke and technique more efficient, and improve the quality of exercise you get. If you are doing it now, don't get a nose plug and stop for the same reasons. You don't ski, run, hike, or play soccer while holding your breath, do you? Think about how weird and uncomfortable that would be. Swimming is this way too.
    "In the end, these things matter most: how well did you love? How fully did you live? How deeply did you let go?" - Buddha

    "Come back alive, come back as friends, get to the top-in that order." -Mark Twight

  25. #25
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    thanks, jesski. i appreciate the input!

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