Swans Valkyrie goggles review

There’s no escaping it, the look of your goggles will have an impact on how you feel when you swim. Which is why, the Swans Valkyrie goggles (£44.99/$54) immediately caught my interest.

Sleek, stylish and screaming ‘performance’, these are a classy package right from the off. They come in a plastic case with a clear sliding lid which is handy for keeping them free from dirt and scratches.

No matter how careful I am with my goggles, unless they go in a case after every swim I know they’ll end up looking (as a fellow swimmer once said) “like something out of the lost property cupboard”. Anyway. I digress.

The colour way here is described as black/emerald smoke and they’re mirrored too. That mirrored finish is designed to help reduce glare and reflections which is brilliant in bright light conditions.

Mirrored lenses also look cool, too (ask any triathlete), and mean you can psych out your competitors at race start. No matter how scared you are, your eyes won’t show it!

This style also comes in a whopping 16 colour and lens options, so if the emerald/smoke isn’t doing it for you, then there’s bound to be a style that does. Included in the range are clear lenses, smoked and coloured tints as well as other mirrored colours.

Comfort and adjustability

Out of the box, the double strap was easy to adjust. The two sides go through one central clip which can be opened to easily adjust them. You wouldn’t be able to adjust them mid-swim, but that’s not something I tend to need to do anyway. My tip? Get them right in training and then leave the straps alone!

The silicone straps were comfortable and did a good job of making the goggles feel secure. These are low-profile goggles, so the gaskets are quite shallow. They were comfortable though and I quickly found a good seal without loads of faffing around with them.

Designed for racing in both pool and open water, the Valkyries are a smaller goggle, fitting inside the eye socket. This isn’t always for everyone, but I found them very comfortable. As someone who usually wears slightly larger goggles, that was a pleasant surprise!

Five interchangeable nose bridges are included with the goggles, sized from XS to XL. I went for the medium as a starting point, thinking I could always change up or down from there. It was a good fit though and while I might experiment with other nose bridges before racing in these, they were immediately comfortable.

Swimming in the Swans

These goggles passed my ‘dive test’ (off the pontoon at my lake!) without budging. Not necessarily something you’d worry about too much in triathlon, but definitely a factor for pool competitions. They’re FINA-approved too, if you’re a pool swimmer.

On my 2 km test swim they didn’t leak or fog at all and I was impressed with the level of visibility they gave for a smaller, sleeker goggle. The curved lenses gave good peripheral vision and the mirrored lenses kept colours true while cutting out glare. I swam in these in crystal clear water in changeable conditions, from bright sunshine to some cloud cover.

We couldn’t see the gaskets much while swimming. Just a small part at the bottom of each lens, which didn’t affect our view of surroundings or other swimmers.

Conclusion

The Swans Valkyries are a great pair of goggles. I liked the sleek looks and the low profile, while visibility was superb. The emerald/smoke mirrored option kept colours true in the water and performed well with no leaking or fogging.

These are an investment. With a £44.99 ($54) price tag they’ll be a considered purchase for many swimmers, however if you swim regularly and want goggles that perform well, I’d say they’re worth the money.

As with any goggles, just be sure to look after them. Keep them in the case when not being used, rinse them in fresh water after each swim and never touch the lenses, as this could damage the anti-fog coating.

Still looking for the perfect goggles? Check out this guide to the best swimming goggles for triathlon.

Thank you to The Lake at the South West Maritime Academy for allowing us to use their venue for testing and photography.

Price:	£44.99/$54
Lens/colour options:	16 total
Style:	Low profile
Case:	Yes, plastic
Straps:	Twin, with clip