Zoggs Predator Wiro-Frame goggles review

With maximum UV protection

2 March 2007 0:00 GMT / By Chris Hall

You might wonder how you can review a set of goggles, afterall, if they keep the water out of your eyes and are comfortable, then surely that is all there is to say? Well yes and no. Of course, we wouldn’t write a review about a set of goggles that weren’t worth writing a review about … so we strapped on the Zoggs Predator Wiro-Frame goggles and dived into the pool.

From the moment you strap the goggles on, you know you are dealing with a quality piece of equipment, and you should expect nothing less from a company like Zoggs, who have a history of exemplary swim products.

One of the main features of the Predators are the curved lenses. This increases your field of vision, reducing the binocular effect that is common on other models. The view was also crystal clear – surprisingly so – and having swum in the same pool with at least three different pairs of goggles, this is probably the best so far.

The lenses come with Fogbuster – impregnated anti-fog lenses – but by force of habit, we did the normal spit trick before setting off, so whether the lens treatment has any effect, we wouldn’t know. The lenses also claim to have maximum UV protection – something that swimmers in the UK might laugh about, but those in Australia in an open air pool will consider essential. (We tried to convince the Pocket-lint bosses that a trip to the Gold Coast was in order to test them…)

The strap is the usual two strand option, but is 100% silicon, so is very comfortable. Likewise, the silicone gaskets provided good suction, a fit that didn’t leak in normal swimming and a high level of comfort. The strap can be adjusted using a simple quick adjust clip, so can easily be tightened mid-swim on your head, without taking them off.

So all rosy huh? Not quite. We set up the goggles to be a comfortable fit for a long swim – they could have been tighter and this would have solved the problem mentioned here. Coming out of a strong turn, with your head down, there would be the occasional leak – but I’m talking a tiny amount, and only on a very explosive turn. Of course, lifting the head a bit would counter this.

Verdict

It also revealed something else – we had problems getting all of the water out, some would sit in the bottom of the eyecup. At first it was annoying, because you can see it sitting there, but on the other hand, it’s better sitting in the bottom of the eyecup than splashing into your eyes. A minor gripe – but there is nothing else to moan about.

If given the choice of where to spend our hard earned, we happily recommend that Zoggs Predator Wiro-Frame goggles – they are supremely comfortable with unrivalled visibility. They also come in a range of colours to match your eyes, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Score

Review Recap

Price as reviewed: £12.99
The good: UV protection, comfort, visibility
The bad: Can leak on really hard turns, minor eyecup pooling
Quick verdict: If given the choice of where to spend our hard earned, we happily recommend that Zoggs Predator Wiro-Frame goggles
Score
Winner