Swim
Maru MX2 Xtra
A striking design from the UK brand and one that divided opinion in the 220 office. Aesthetics aside, though, it was by far the best-fitting suit on test, with perfect coverage for the 34 tested. The only fiddly bit being the crossover straps at the back, which took a few minutes to adjust. Pleasingly, Maru […]
Zoggs Jewel Reef Speedback
On first look at Zoggs’ offering we weren’t convinced; the pattern a little too garish for our muted palette. But at least it was a single-layer suit in the old-school style. In fact, we’d been so used to testing the double-layer suits that we felt quite exposed stepping poolside. But this is a traditional swim […]
Blueseventy Eclipse
We had high hopes for this one: a well-respected swim brand, a stylish design and a quality finish. Unfortunately, the sizing let it down. A 34 was almost big enough for two people to fit in to and, again, the double layer – which this time was used across almost the entire suit, even the […]
Orca One Piece
First impressions? Buy the size up. The 10 made us feel like we were slowing being squeezed in a vice, rendering us almost hunchback in the water. Once in the 12… well it was still too tight, most noticeably across the shoulders. Like the Aqua Sphere the Orca has two layers on the front panel, […]
Aqua Sphere Manaus
A simple yet striking design from the swimwear behemoths Aqua Sphere. Although we were a little worried that it would be too small – as there didn’t seem to be much give getting it on, it fitted like a second skin; testing a 34 (a UK10), the sizing was spot on. With the yellow flatlock-stitched […]
TYR Catalyst Brites
TYR produce a range of six paddle sizes for use by everyone from beginners to elite swimmers. The paddles tested here are medium sized, and, according to TYR, are suitable for ‘older secondary school males, senior national females, mid-level masters and triathletes’. The paddle design has two major features to aid technique. The first – […]
Maru Training Fins
There’s little triathletes detest more than kicking drills in the swimming pool; legs that are heavy from cycling or tired from running are certainly not automatically conditioned for front-crawl kick. However, training fins like these ones from Maru can come to the rescue by helping to develop your ankle flexibility and build strength in the […]
Aquaman Art
Aquaman has been around since the very beginnings of triathlon in the early 1980s, and holds a substantial share of the wetsuit market in France and the USA. Due to issues around distribution and pricing, they’ve been conspicuously absent from the UK market for a while but are now back for 2011/12 with a new […]
Speedo Aquacoach
Swimovate, creators of the revolutionary wrist-mounted swimming computer, the Pool-Mate, has teamed up with Speedo to help develop its Aquacoach watch. The four-year agreement allows Speedo to use Swimovate’s lap-counting technology. Speedo’s Aquacoach isn’t just a lap counter, though. It also estimates calorific expenditure and compares up to 50 sessions stored in its memory. The […]
Complete Fitness Palm Paddles
The Palm Paddle is a swim training aid aimed at improving your technique. Made from plastic, it’s shaped to fit into the palm of your hand and has a single strap for your middle finger. The paddle works by allowing water to slip around your palm, thus reducing grip from your hand and increasing the […]
Speedo Triathlete Thin-Pro
The Thin-Pro is a 1mm ultra-light wetsuit from Speedo, designed to give ultimate freedom of movement. The upside of making the whole suit from 1mm neoprene is that it’s ultra flexible, easy to slip on and off, and packs down to a tiny size. The downside is that it’s nothing like as warm as a […]
Sable RS922
They may be quite expensive, but for your money you get a smoke tint on the lenses, a carrycase and a selection of nose bridges for a precise fit. But the key sell for the brand is the option for full optical lenses with a prescription of up to -10 plus different left/right options. The […]
Aqua Sphere Kaynenne
Aqua Sphere’s Kayenne goggle is rather large and retains and unusual shape with a low profile below the eye. Because of this sizing it’s not the most streamlined goggle here, and we could feel the water buffering the goggle when diving, making it too big for races with a dive start or fast swimmers. But […]
Blueseventy Hydra-Vision
New Zealand brand Blueseventy’s Hydra-Vision may be larger than your average pool swimming goggle yet they remain streamlined enough to be drag-efficient. They come with a variety of lens options to suit all types of light conditions, with our preference being to opt for a transparent or slightly tinted lens to prevent glare from the […]
Zoggs Predator Flex Polarized
With the 2012 open-water season just around the corner, thoughts turn to aspects of lake and sea swimming that we don’t have to deal with over the winter, such as temperature, navigation issues and glare. Sunlight can cause a problem, whether you’re swimming directly into the sunrise or dealing with the glare of the midday […]
Head Tiger LSR+
Head’s new Tiger LSR+ goggles use bi-silicone technology to ensure a super-soft fit with no leaking or fogging. Goggles typically use a harder material around the frame and a soft silicone around the eyes, but here Head get around that problem by developing a moulded gasket with two types of silicone. The result is a […]
Sharkeye Tracker
If you want to get to the bottom of your swim limitations, or have aspirations of becoming a coach, then the Sharkeye could be for you. This standalone underwater camera lets you walk alongside a swimmer – pending approval from your pool – to capture their technique as well as being able to view the […]
Swimovate Pool-Mate
Using motion-sensors, the Pool-Mate records your entire swim session, storing information about how many lengths you’ve done (invaluable if you often lose count), your pace per 100m, stroke rate, calorie-burn and efficiency, without you needing to press any buttons during your swim. You only need to hit ‘Start’ at the beginning and ‘Stop’ at the […]
