01.Introduction
Walk into any retail outlet that sells goggles and you'll be faced with a sea of different colours, shapes and sizes. The packaging will bamboozle you with technological acronyms you've probably never heard of, such as TPE and TPR.
Our test aims to help you decode the different terms and suggest which types of goggles are generally the safest bet. As a general rule we found:
• Goggles that have moulded or fixed frames and are anti-fog are more likely to perform best
• Price generally indicates the quality of a pair of goggles and how well they perform
Please note: this information was current as of November 2009 but is still a useful guide today.
How we tested
CHOICE conducted a trial of 17 goggles priced between $3 and $50. We selected from brands typically sold at department stores such as Kmart, sports goods retailers and swimming centres. We bought the highest and lowest priced, as well as the best-seller for each brand. Fifteen regular swimmers were recruited, and they did the trial in two sessions on two different days. Each participant was given ample time to adjust their goggles before swimming 100 metres of freestyle. After finishing the two laps, they rated the goggles on how easily adjustable, watertight, fog-free and comfortable they found them.
10 Dec 2007
|
Recently, a new type of mass produced epoxy surfboard arrived on the market which the makers claim is more suitable for novice surfers than the traditional fibreglass surfboard.
29 Oct 2007
|
Bodyboards are a great way to hit the surf without going through the hard yards of learning to surf.
2 Sep 2007
|
There are many myths about exercise — fictions which are endlessly perpetuated and validated through sheer repetition.
20 Jul 2008
|
We subjected seven cleaners to difficult test conditions using a variety of common pool debris to see how they would cope.