Aqua Sphere Michael Phelps K180 Swimming Goggles Review

Reviewed by Melody Floyde

I was pleased to be asked to review a pair of Aqua Sphere Michael Phelps K180 swimming goggles. From a quick search on the internet I found out that these goggles are aimed at competitive swimmers, triathletes and open water swimmers – I’m none of these, but I have been on a quest to find a pair of goggles that don’t leak and fit me well for some time so I was hopeful that these goggles would fit the bill. After all, if they’re good enough for professionals then they should be good enough for my trips to the local swimming pool with the family!

The goggles are available in a number of different colours, and different lens types – i.e. tinted, mirrored etc. There are also goggles aimed specifically at women. I was sent a pair of orange and white goggles to test. These retail at around £18.99 a pair.

When the goggles arrived they were securely packaged on a card backing with a detachable plastic case to keep them in. The packaging was attractive, with a photo of Michael Phelps in action for those who are in doubt who he is, and made me want to get the goggles out and try them on straight away, which I did.

The goggles look great, they have a white strap, black seals around the eyes with white rims and then orange tinted lenses.  I found them easy to put on and immediately I felt the lenses seal around my eyes so they felt secure and I was confident that they would not leak water like so many of the other goggles I have tried do.  The lenses are slightly curved which, from looking at the information that came with the goggles, I can see is to make them “hydrodynamic” and to give wraparound vision and to fit comfortably and naturally. I certainly found that I was able to see through them well and was only slightly perturbed by the slight orange hue that everything had gained – although this is done to improve visibility by reducing glare.

The goggles come with three different sized nose pieces – Small, Medium and Large which are interchangeable so that the goggles can be adjusted to be the best fit possible for the user. The goggles came with the medium nose piece already fitted, which I found fitted me well. However, in the interests of research I tried out both the small and large ones too. The nose pieces are made from flexible plastic and click into place. They were initially a bit stiff to remove and attach, but it was fairly easy and they felt secure when they were on the goggles. I assume over time they may get a bit looser, but it’s important that they are fixed securely. I found the nose piece was very comfortable.

I found the strap very easy to get on over my head and very easy to adjust once wearing the goggles as well. There is a fastening at the back of the strap with two loose ends, to tighten the goggles I just needed to pull on the two ends of the straps until they were tight enough. This worked really well and the straps felt like they could withstand a lot of use. They were slightly fiddlier to loosen again but this was done by pulling the main strap rather than the ends.

Once I was in the pool itself I very happy to find that the goggles were watertight and felt very comfortable to wear. Even though I didn’t have the straps exceptionally tight the goggles had very easily formed a waterproof seal around my eyes which was impressive. I found that my vision was very good and I was confident in wearing the goggles to swim around in. I also found that the goggles did not steam up which was another bonus and they do mention that they have an anti-fog coating which obviously works. I should mention that I did put the goggles on when my face was dry, before getting into the pool and didn’t remove them for the whole time I was in the pool so I’m unsure if this would be the same if they were put on an already wet face – I’ll check that next time.

Another feature of the goggles is that they have UVA and UVB protection which is great for those who will be using them outside. I plan on taking these on holiday with me this Summer so it is good to know that they will protect my eyes both from the water and the sun.

Overall, I was really impressed with these goggles, and would definitely recommend them to anyone who is looking for a great pair of swimming goggles at a reasonable price. I may not be about to swim the channel or do a triathlon, but I will continue to wear these to my local pool for swimming sessions to keep me fit!

Rating: 5/5

RRP: £18.99

For more information visit www.aquasphereswim.com and michaelphelps.com.

Available to buy from Amazon here.