About a year ago there was a thread about Seal Masks on this forum and I made some dispariging (sp?) comments about them. I didn’t like them much for open water swimming.
On the recommendation of a fine customer of ours, Mr. Andrew Kennedy- an excellent swimmer, we bought a good quantity of the Aquasphere Kaiman goggles. Andrew showed me the Kaiman is the best goggle around at Doug Stern’s Triathlon Training CAmp in Curacao this winter. I was sold on Kaimans.
Our Aquasphere rep. talked me into taking a few of the new Seal Mask XP’s with our order of Kaimans. I was skeptical but, what the heck. Maybe some of our customers would be into them.
During warm-up at American Express Explorer Seahorse yesterday I was having a tough time sighting the course and seeing very well. I went back up to my bag and got a new Seal Mask Xp to try and see if it was any better.
What a difference! Awesome! I could navigate easily and see no problem. I was very impressed. These things are nice.
Check out the new (smaller) Seal Mask XP. I think you’ll like it.
how is this smaller? My complaint about the Seal mask is that the silicone skirt is slightly small for my face, hence, it leaks. I like Kaiman googles, but I recently discovered I like Barracuda googles better. the nose bridge is not as long. also good is Lane 4 - they have an interesting srtap/bidge feature that makes them fit well.
I use the kaimans and they are definitely great - really comfortable, good field of vision, and they do not leak. The regular seal masks just seem to darn big, like i’d use them for snorkeling or something. I can see why the XP would be preferable to the ordinary seal mask, but do you think they beat out the kaiman? Havent seen the xp up close but I find that hard to believe. I mean the xp from what I can see is just the missing link between the mask and the kaiman. good maybe to gradually ween those who use masks off of them so that eventually they can get comfortable with the kaiman…
I love the fit and excellent visibility of the Kaimens, but mine ripped at the nose bridge and died. Has anyone else had a problem with their durability?
I probably averaged one swim/wk. with them for six months, so it’s not like I was a real heavy user. I’d still get another pair for their fit and performance, but they’re not available locally so the loss sort of irks me.
The Seal Mask XP sits closer to the face- it is “lower volume” in SCUBA terminology. The lense area is reduced by- my guess- 15-20% over a standard Seal Mask. The entire unit is lower profile.
The gasket that seals it to your face is soft and large, it extends quite a way up my forehead. When I first put it on I did not realize the seal had extended over my swim cap and it leaked. I put the Seal Mask XP on, then the swim cap and it was perfect. Zero “goggle eyes”. Super comfortable and incredible vision. I know I went a little faster because could navigate better.
I’m surprised your Kaiman goggles failed. I know the straps almost never break. There is a guarantee. If you phone the company I bet they will provide you with a replacement.
i only use mine for races and ow swims. the first pair i got i used for pool swims and eventually lost water-tight seal around outside. so now i use cheap, slightly uncomfortable but functional “swedish goggles” (3.95 @ trisports.com) for all pool swims. btw kaimans are one size fits all i think so easy to get online.
I, too, love the Kaimans but have had 4 pair rip at the nose piece. I was told by the rep that it was an injection mold problem which has since been fixed.
I’ve had all four replaced by the manufacturer with no problems.
Actually now that you mention it I do recall Andrew Kennedy telling about this. As you mentioned, it appears to have been corrected. I haven;t had any problems with mine and have done a lot of swimming in them.
-No such problem with the Seal Mask XP, there is no nose bridge to break.
Eventually they all lose their seal but I found if you periodicallywash off the pool residue with some liquid dish detergent the seal seems to last longer.
I’m living overseas, so there’s no way I could come to your shop and buy one pair and I can’t find them over the Internet (trisports, or tri-zone don’t carry it yet, neither does Totalimmersion).
Are they already selling them, or do you just have a few pairs to try out before they get released to the mass ?