As part of my Gear West Test Team duties, I not only test products, but I also write reviews of the products I test. I will post those reviews here in addition to sending them to Gear West to post on their website. Here is my first review of the year:
Product
Sable WaterOptics 101 Tri Goggles
Rating
Similar Products Used
TYR Tracer, Speedo Vanquisher, Speedo Air Seal Tri
Today is the day. Today I am finally getting back into the pool after a few months far, far away from it. I don’t remember the last time I entered the pool with such excitement and anticipation, and all this emotion was over a new pair of goggles. Wearing a new pair of goggles is like getting the first squeeze out of a fresh tube of toothpaste. There is something so gratifying about the first few laps in a fresh pair of goggles. Maybe it is the hope that these goggles will actually deliver on their “no fog” promise, the clarity with which you can see the bottom of the pool through the unscratched lenses, or the cushy feel of the gaskets that are not yet digging into your eye sockets from laps and laps of usage. The novelty wears off after you find that these hopes have been dashed, and your goggles fog up after your warm up, you scratch the lenses after the fifth time you literally have taken the defogging into your own hands and you look in the locker room mirror only to see purple ovals around your eyes. Darn, foiled again!
You can imagine my dismay when my new pair of Sable 101 Tri goggles did not deliver on these disappointments. Wait, I can get through a whole swim without cursing my goggles? What are these magical gems I am wearing? I seemingly made a mistake when I allowed my husband to try them on before getting a single lap in the pool. He had a moment of envy when I exclaimed, “WOW! These are the clearest goggles I have ever worn!” His response was, “Oh! Gimme, gimme!” so I reluctantly obliged and he, of course, got water on the lenses. He handed them back to me and I said, “Oh man! Look at what you did! All the literature that came with the lenses stresses the importance of NEVER TOUCHING THE LENSES, even with your finger.” He gave me that look that says, “Uh huh, get over it.” Clearly having lost this battle for now, I did what any spouse would do and filed this situation away for future use, just in case he ruined the anti-fog. ::Remember the last time I let you wear my new goggles, and you got them wet? Yeah, well, the anti-fog hasn’t worked since!::
In defeat, I put my new Sable 101 Tri goggles on and took off down the pool, and was not at all surprised when the little bit of water on the lenses turned into fog. Deciding to tough it out and having hope that the anti-fog would do its thing, I was pleasantly and incredibly surprised when it actually worked and the fog cleared. I enjoyed an entire workout without any recurring fog! The other feature that quite frankly blew my mind was how much clearer the lenses are with the Sable 101s than any other goggle I have worn. The clarity of the lenses is unmatched. I was much more impressed with the Sable 101s than I was the first time I used the TYR Tracers. That is saying a lot considering I loved my new Tracers so much I did not want to take them off, and I almost went to bed wearing them. After four swim workouts wearing the new Sables, I am just as pleased with them as the first time I wore them which I definitely couldn’t say for the Tracers. As long as I care for them as instructed, Sable continues to deliver on their promises.
My only complaint is that I do have a little discomfort around my eyes after long usage. I have not figured out the optimal strap positioning for myself yet, but the positive aspects of these goggles far outweigh this negative. When looking for the Sables, you may have a little sticker shock, but rest assured the Sable 101 are well worth the higher price tag. For those of you that wear prescription lenses, Sable WaterOptics also makes customized prescription goggles so you can experience a fog-free, clear vision swim too! Right now, I can neither confirm nor deny that I have tried to go to bed wearing them yet, but I will admit that I have recommended them to all my goggle-nirvana-seeking friends.
