Speedo has long been the dominant goggle brand for competitive swimmers. The Speedo Vanquisher 2.0, one of their most popular goggles to date, reminds us why.
When it comes to swimming gear there are fewer things more critical to the swimmer than his or her swimming goggles. They allow us to see (sounds important), and it also keeps our eyes from getting red and irritated from the chloramines in the water.
Beyond that, our goggles need to not leak, be comfortable, and be able to suffer the daily punishment we give them by spending hours of the day in pools full of chlorine.
The Speedo Vanquisher 2.0 delivers on all of these.
The YSB Review: Speedo Vanquishers 2.0
I’ve purchased three pairs of Vanquishers over the past few years in different colors. Here’s my take on the good and the bad when it comes to these goggles.
They last forever. Unlike the straps on other goggles like the TYR Socket Rocket (one of my favorites) or the regular old Swede goggles, the Vanquisher straps are thick and long-lasting. I have a couple of pairs of Vanquishers that have lasted 3 years of heavy use without any kind of strap degradation. Giddyup.
Perfect for swimming outdoors. While on the road last year I spent a week training in Tucson, Arizona. They have some fantastic outdoor pools, and plenty of sunshine. The Vanquishers are quite dark, which makes them ideal for swimming under the blazing sun. I did find that how dark they are made seeing a little more difficult in darker, indoor pools, like my local YMCA. This becomes particularly problematic (if you swim in darker pools indoors) once the anti-fog begins to wear off. And it always does.
The peripheral vision isn’t as good as the Swedes. My only complaint with these goggles is that it is a little harder to see out the sides and the top of them. Compared to Swede goggles, which have fantastic all-around vision, the Vanquisher 2.0 is a little harder to see out of if you aren’t looking straight ahead. This might not matter for most swimmers, but when swimming face-down with a snorkel I would like to be able to see peripherally what is ahead of me without having to pick my head up.
They are comfortable. These Speedo goggles are a comfortable wear. Very similar to the Fastskin3 Elite goggles that Speedo makes without the big price tag. The eye sockets are rubberized, so you don’t have the hard plastic lens digging into your face. For swimmers who train for 90-120 minutes this is key—you want goggles that will be comfortable on your face for extended periods of time.
They’ve yet to leak on me. The Vanquishers come with a hard plastic nose piece (with several different sizes to adjust to your particular nose width—I’ve been good to use the one it comes packaged with). This means that as long the goggle straps are even moderately fitting you won’t have any leakage. I’m fond of using Swedes with a chunk of strap as the nose piece—while convenient and quick to do, the strap wears out after a few weeks of constant water and falls apart. No such issues with the Vanquishers.
They come in an optical version. For swimmers who require (or want) a prescription-lens in their goggles, Speedo makes these bad boys in prescription-strength as well! Click here to learn more in our guide to prescription swim goggles.
Want to pick up a pair of Vanquishers 2.0 for yourself?
Vanquishers come in a metric ton of colors and lens coatings, from clear to mirrored, and are available on Amazon and at Swim Outlet.
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