Viper, Nimesis and Cobra are r-evolutionary goggles made by Arena. The first two come from the training range and the third from the racing range. Although they are all different and distinctive in their own way, what they have in common is their unmistakable Arena style.
I asked if I could try them out for myself during a training session when I aimed to test out their technical features and qualities.
I gave them a score from 6-10, assessing their design, lenses, fit, visibility and comfort.
After a short warmup, I swam 200 m at my own pace and 6 x 50 m kick/drill/scull with 20” rest. My session consisted of three main sets:
1. 6x400m freestyle at aerobic pace with 30” rest and 100m recovery
2. 8x50m fast freestyle with 20” rest and 100m recovery
3. 3x200m freestyle swimming 25 with my head held high + 75m pulling as hard as I could without pushing off at the turns to simulate open-water swimming (see also “Learn all about open water”)
At this point, depending on the set I was doing, I decided to wear a different pair of goggles each time chosen based on their technical features.
For the first set I wore the Viper Mirror. Goggles designed for the triathlon and open water swimming; they were perfect for the session I was about to “swim”.
The first thing that struck me was how easy they were to put on. The goggles fitted my face perfectly, as did the self-adjustable nose bridge, guaranteeing a perfect fit. Their square-shaped design also makes the person wearing them look “tough” and cool.
Although the split strap seemed to be extremely thin, it was very easy and handy to adjust; a really important plus factor, particularly during the kind of long and difficult training session I was swimming.
I then tested the lenses by imagining I was in open water. Their curvature allows excellent front and side vision, although the mirror lenses are slightly less eye-catching if worn in an indoor pool.
The session went really well and the goggles turned out to be extremely comfortable:
Design 9
Lenses 9
Fit 9
Visibility 8
Comfort 8
I decided to wear the Cobra Mirror for the 8×50 m fast freestyle. These are racing goggles and since I wanted to swim fast I thought they would be perfect for this session.
My first impression was…..WOW!
The design is really eye-catching and you can tell they are racing goggles. The lenses are excellent, although it would have been interesting to try them outdoors to test them out in all conditions. They “protected me” from the lights in the indoor pool, without making it seem too dark.
They fit superbly. They seem to just rest on your eyes but they never move. Thanks to the dual strap, even when you tighten them, they always feel comfortable without hurting, unlike most other goggles available on the market.
I felt tired after the previous set, but the goggles helped me get through it:
Design 10
Lenses 9
Fit 10
Visibility 9
Comfort 10
I finished with the most complicated session of all, simulating swimming in open water. I wore the Nimesis Polarised goggles for this session. They are specially designed for the triathlon, so what better opportunity to test them out?!
Swimming with my head held high, it was important they fitted properly and did not come off ….. Excellent!
The frame design makes them bigger than other goggles, covering a larger part of the eye area and making them extremely practical and comfortable to wear.
The soft curved lenses also provide excellent front and side vision and the split strap meant I could put them on and adjust them easily. The strap also makes them extremely comfortable to wear and ensures they are a tight fit.
With the help of these goggles I managed to complete the drill successfully:
Design 8
Lenses 8
Fit 9
Visibility 8
Comfort 8
As the weather gets better, we will suggest some workouts and useful tips for using these goggles for open water swimming. Stay tuned!
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Are you looking for the ideal goggles for you? Take a look at the Arena range!