Customer Reviews

Aqua Sphere Vista Swim Mask

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

These are simply the best googles. Let us be realistic the majority of us do not race and even if we do the drag of these goggles will not make the difference .
What does make the difference is being able to train and swim with clear vision and without the distraction of leaky or uncomfortable goggles . These are so good I have used two models of Aquasphere goggles and they are far superior to any Speedo TYR or any other.
I love speedo stuff but these goggles are simply better.
Splurge on these at my pool just about every masters swimmer wears them .

I wear contacts and use goggles both at the pool and the ocean. The salt water and chlorine tear up goggles, so I go through a couple of pairs a year. These are by far the best I've ever used.

The Vista Mask is obviously different than other goggles - something of a hybrid between a goggle and a mask (but leaning towards the goggle side). The field of view is spectacular, and because the lenses are bigger, the bigger skirt creates a great seal on my face, and are really comfortable. Sure, they're odd looking from the outside, but from the inside they're nearly perfect.

I don't think of myself as having a big nose or a "wide bridge", but I definitely don't have a petite schnoz, and some of the other goggles (notably the new Kayenne model) aren't nearly as good with my nose.

In the ocean, even though they are bigger, they still manage to cut a pretty low profile and don't come off any more than any other goggle.. One thing I like about them is that I feel like they're safer for my eyes. I always fear that tight goggles, however irrationally, might scoop out my eyeballs in a big wave. There's no danger of that happening with these because of the way they seal to your face.

The company has improved the tightening mechanism on the model - it's a little button that you just press and you can then easily tighen or loosen the straps. Very nice.

For the price, it's nice that they include some lens cleaner/protector, but it would be even better if they came with a bag or a case as well.

I recently got the smoke lens, and it's totally not too dark but cuts the sun.

Haven't tried them in open water yet, but in the pool they were great. Not as "big" as I expected - not like swimming in diving goggles - very snug fit and a great seal.

I have gone through a lot of goggles trying to find ones that don't leak. I was using the Seal XP and they were okay but I could still get leaks. These seem to be doing the trick for me. I have deep set eyes and only use regular goggles for racing as I don't mind having them real tight for short periods of time. For training though these Vista's are great.

They are slightly larger than the Seal XP's and that may be the reason for the better seal for me. If you need a larger goggle and have deeper eye sockets these may be the ticket.

I got them from Amazon for $20 and at that price they are a good bargain.

I bought these yesterday and was very excited to try them. Used them for a 1 hour non-stop swim at an intense aerobic pace (measured with a HRM) in an indoor heated pool.

These goggles do exactly what they promise: they offer excellent lateral visibility with (in my experience) no fogging and very little leakage. Vertical visibility is good but not the best I've experienced (try Speedo Raceviews!). They are very easily adjusted with the 1-button system, and they seal effectively with minimal pressure on the face. I can't complain about any of this. However, I will be returning mine because:

1) This is not something I thought of in advance, since it's not really intuitive to imagine something like this could be a problem in the water, however the biggest complaint by far that I have with these goggles is that the entire part of my face that was covered got VERY hot. Even the air inside the goggles got VERY hot. It was so hot, in fact, that when coming up for air several times I tried pulling the goggles away from my face (as if to let water out the bottom, even though they were pretty much empty) to "vent" them. About 45 minutes into my hourlong swim, it got so bad that I actually pulled them away from my face UNDERWATER so that I could get some cold water on my eyes and face. I mentioned that there is very little leakage. This is a blessing and a curse, because what little water does leak pools at the bottom of the goggles and actually heats up as well. When I pulled the goggles away from my face to "vent", it felt like hot tears streaming out. Imagine putting these on and going for a run - obviously the air inside would get uncomfortably hot, and the rubber would get hot against your face, right? Well, my experience underwater was just like that. I seriously cannot overemphasize this. I felt the heat from about 5 minutes in, all the way to the end. After I finished, I couldn't wait to take the goggles off and submerge myself for a while just so I could cool my face down.

2) The goggles create a fabulous seal with no fussing, however the seal creates another problem which I didn't foresee: as soon as you get underwater, you realize that the goggles are effectively a big air-filled chamber attached to your face, and they float bigtime! It feels like someone is pulling you up by your goggles. This feeling doesn't go away, and was ever-present throughout my swim.

3) although there's not much pressure from the goggles on my face and the fit is generally excellent, there is some pressure on my nasal bone which I can feel hours after my swim. It's not pain, just pressure, but still distracting and uncomfortable.

4) The pressure on my nasal bone, as another reviewer mentioned, means that I have to wear the goggles a little higher up on my face than the "natural" position. Unfortunately, as I start swimming, the goggles tend to gravitate down a bit towards the more natural position (we're talking millimeters of movement, but it's enough to be a problem) and restrict the airflow into and out of my nose. As a test, try pressing down on the top of your septum / nasal bone with your fingers, then breathe in and out.

5) I swim mostly breast-stroke (due to a shoulder injury that makes other strokes difficult). When I go under, the goggles float and pull me up (as mentioned above). When I come up to breathe, the heft of the goggles is apparent and feels like it's pulling me down. This, coupled with the fact that the rubber seal covers most of my face and doesn't allow me to feel the water on my cheeks as much, means that I lose my natural perspective on the waterline, and I end up swallowing water much more often that normal.

6) The goggles are not very hydrodynamic. They feel like there's something big attached to your face which is creating resistance. I couldn't care less about going quickly, since I only swim for fitness, however the resistance is something that I can feel tugging at my face and is yet another thing that doesn't let me forget that I'm wearing these goggles, which in the end is what good goggles should aspire to.

About my issues with goggles (why I bought these in the first place):

I have had trouble finding goggles that are right for me due to a bit of a wide nose and I think possibly deep-set eyes which means that most goggles either leak or have to be so tight that they bruise the sides of my nose (by my tear-ducts) and the top of my cheekbones. So far the only thing that's worked for me are the Speedo Vanquishers because they have a wide nose bridge, are low-profile (meaning they can better fit my eye sockets without aggravating my cheekbones) and have enough rubber on them that they don't hurt when pressed against my face. However, I have tried many other models and although I couldn't find something comfortable, I have experienced what "better" optics can be, and so I've continued my search for goggles that combine good optics (which my current goggles don't really have) with comfort (which my current goggles are OK at).

After one month of use I am very pleased with these goggles. Previously had a pair of Aqua Sphere Kaimans but found that these were prone to leaking (on my face at least) and also I found them a bit uncomfortable after 30 minutes. Can wear the Vistas for as long as I want and they don't leak. Two reasons why I don't give a 5 star rating are that (1) they are expensive for goggles so would hope they perform well, and (2) instead of panda eyes from smaller googles I end up with marks around my forehead and cheekbones that to the none swimmer look very odd.

I was overjoyed when I got these in the mail the other day - and tried them this afternoon. Wonderful swim mask!
I have tried countless goggles (i mean almost a dozen) from small to large and after each swim, been left with rings around my eyes that would darken over time (I guess from the suction) and leave me looking like a panda. But these Aqua Spheres are simply perfect. Lighter than I thought they would be, they fit around the outer part of the eye (resting on the top of the cheek bones and about 1/4 inch above the brow line) which puts more pressure seal further from the actual eyeball. At first, I thought i would look like a freak at the pool because they are not as small as most goggles, but to my surprise, I was not the only swimmer who is now opting for bigger lenses.

The field of vision is great, and quick adjustment system allows me to loosen or tighten without having to tug at my swim-cap in the process. And so far, so good in the anti-fog department. I was told by a friend who scuba dives: "as for a spot fogging - spit works the best, but don't wipe down your lenses. Rinse with cold water and hang to dry and then put into a protective pouch to keep from scratches." but I will be buying an ant-fog solution just in case. But so far, so good. I'll keep you posted if they do fog up...

I've tried the small eyes-only goggles and masks that cover the nose, but was never happy with them. When I started swimming much more often to train for a triathlon I ordered these and the Barracuda Wire Mask. These are the ones I use all the time; love 'em. Comfortable, quick and easy to adjust the fit, they don't need to be very tight to seal well, and the visibility is simply spectacular.

So I just came back from an hour swim and those goggles were fantastic. Seriously, comfortable, no leeks, great visibility and very little marks on my face afterwards. What else do you want? I was primarely looking for a pair of goggles taht would not suck my eyes out of my face, leaving deep under eye circles after, and I found them! I'm really happy... You should buy them.

I get "raccoon eyes" from other goggles. These are super. Yes, I do get a bit of red color to the skin in-between my eyebrows and maybe a bit above them, but this clears much faster than the circles under my eyes from other goggles. I previously had another model of these goggles that are broader, but this streamline design is super. Leaking is not a problem. I do have a bit of an issue navigating backstoke due to the odd vision these goggles provide (and backstroke is not one of my strengths).