Swedish Goggles Users Are Insane!

I thought I would give these a try, much like a nicotene addict, might decide to become more hardcore and switch from a light cigarette to rolling your own smokes, with Bugle tobacco.

And, to do this right, I bought the pure sweedish goggles, the ones you have to put together. I encourage everyone who is upset or tired of their own more expensive goggles to try these, just to make you appreciate, how good you actually had it. Secondly, after putting them together and wearing them, there’s a good reason, why most Sweedish goggle users, blaze by everyone in swimming pools and open water swims. I am convinced they are immune to pain, and many of them probably have root canals without drugs or numbing medicine.

In putting these together, for the unaqainted Sweedish goggle initiate, the nose piece part is the most difficult to afix correctly.

The company gives you about a 2 inch small piece of cheap yarn, which uncoils. This is to be looped under a small rolling plastic bridge, around the microscopic nose part holes. The small, tiny piece of yarn uncoils, is not strong enough to hold the pressure, and didn’t work for me, and so I ended up using 15 pound fishing line test, to tie the nose piece together. This, by the way, took me a full 2 hours to install, having to tie one double fishing knot after another to keep the nose line from pulling apart. When you are using fishing line to hook this up, and using your best sailor tying knot skills, this ought to tell you, the kind of people you are dealing with, who wear these things. They are people to be truly feared in the water.

The head straps are also “do the best you can with this,” and, if you don’t like it, well, that’s the beauty of using Swedes, so go “find some chicken wire.”

After getting this all set up, I head to the pool, and sure enough, there is great eye socket suction. There is no fog, and there is no leaking, which should come as no surprise, because how could anything get through to the eyes, here, anyway? The price to be paid here is perhaps a migraine headache, but no leaks, trade off for you? These things suck out both of your eyeballs and whole orbital lobe, with perhaps some minute brain particles.

After 50 yards of it, I’d had my fill with Sweedish goggles.

And, for the record, Sweedish is spelled with one “e,” but I’m too lazy to go pick back through and fix the errors.

ROTFLMAO!

I was thinking about them…

Thanks for your honest consumer review.

Why give up so easily?

Don’t you know that with all great gear there is an insiders secret on how to use it?

Here’s the secret: for the nosepiece, throw out the thread (or in your case fishing line)! Simply cut a piece of the elastic and thread it through the nosepiece - it is MUCH easier than using the thread, and more flexible.

Simple Solution: TYR now makes “swedes” that have a “padding” around the edges for comfort, and also have the elastic nosepiece already in it!

You got it all wrong in your setup. You need to cut a piece out of the head strap, maybe 2". Make sure to cut it on a slight angle so you can feed it through the small nosepiece holes and grab it with your fingertips. This makes an easily adjustable nosepiece that is soft and forgiving. Please make sure to orient the excess pieces of the strap so that your goggles are “horns up.”

Swedes are the only thing to swim in period.

Dre

Funny review, thanks!

Tying the nose piece is definitely an art and and excersize of patience. As a loooonnnng time swimmer, I have used a variety of goggles, and Swedish goggles do work great, but, for the first week of wearing, are painful. But the pain deminishes, and the fit is unbeatable.

I would only use Swedish goggles for lap swimming. No way would I wear them in open water stuff, as a good kick in the face would probably pop an eye out with these.

Chris

Question of protocol here.

I take it from Dre and some of the other Swede hardcores, its either the ones from Sweden, or not. Everything else is NOT A SWEDE, even if Speedo or Tyr make a very minimalist swede like goggle. Those would be Swede imposters.

Kind of like saddles - one guy says butter and the next screams preparation H. Find one that fits then buy a spare.

For me them swedes are very painful.

Also sounds like you muswt have the head strap WAAAAAAAAAY too tight. There shouldn’t be that much stress on the nose piece that you have to resort ot fishing line. The string they include with the goggles shoudl tie in a basic square knot pretty easily. Also, I don’t ever feel like there is suction from the eye-cups…they are just there. They should not be worn like “regular” goggles, just make sure you have the straps up a little higher on the head than most people wear their goggles and they will stay on just fine.

The key to Swedish googles is that they need to be adjusted perfectly. Sounds like you had your headband way to tight. It doesn’t have to be. If they’re adjusted properly the really just kinda sit there and don’t move. You definitely don’t want them too tight.

I’d give it a couple more tries after adjusting them.

If it’s a common brand name like Speedo or Tyr, they’re not really swedes. However, I do have to throw in a good word for my Chinese no-brand knock-offs. They’ve smoothed down the rims of the eyecups , which ends up reducing the break in period when you get a new set, and the head strap (and nose piece since I use part of the strap for that too) has been more durable and remained more flexible than the EU version.

No idea who makes them. They’re just what my tri shop has on hand.

where could one find the real swedes online?

http://www.trisports.com/swedishgoggles.html
.

I too use, or used, the Swedes. I have graduated to the TYR minimalist Swede knock-off with a very small gasket around the eye piece. Just as many have said use a piece of the head strap for the nose piece, and it dos take a little while to get used to them. Once you do they are great.

Well, I’m still in school then. Using the TYR Sosket Rocket’s 2.0. Very similar to the Swedes, but they don’t have the sharp edges, and you don’t have to put them togethor. I do luv how cheap they are though. I could buy a box full for the price of one Seal Mask.

Are you guys comfortable doing a triathlon in Swedes? I had a friend who swore by them until she got kicked in swim and had a nice black eye and cut for a good week. I don’t think the same thing would’ve happened if she had goggles that were a little more forgiving on the eye socket. I’ve never tried them, by the way.

Awesome - great review, dude. Unfortunately, as some other posters here have already pointed out, you made a few rookie mistakes.

I for one use the bit of string they give you, but don’t bother with the little plastic tube you’re supposed to thread it through. The keys to a good (and painless) fit are correct nosepiece length, and headstrap tension. You can secure the string with a simple double overhand knot (double being that you pass both ends of the rope through the knot simultaneously, not the “loop it twice” double knot). If you use a bit of the headstrap instead of the string, it will be more of a pain in the ass to thread, but you will save yourself the trouble of re-tying the knot in the nosepiese n times until you get the perfect length fit.

Secondly, adjust the headstrap such that there is light tension on the goggle cups. When pressed against the eye sockets they should stick of their own accord - the strap is simply to keep them there. Any type of goggles will crush your brain if you tie the strap too tight.

I also swim with Swedes in open water just fine.

Yes, I am comfortable wearing these in a race. I really don’t think it matters what you wear if you get kicked in the face. However, I can see the advantages of a seal mask in those situations.

The only time I got punched in the face was in the pool at masters practice. Yes, a black eye for a couple of days.

Yes, I wear them for tris.

They have drugs and numbing medicine for root canals?!?!

Not for you.

The endodontist alresdy knows you wear Swedes.