swim goggles fogging up...are they too cheap?

And I have also been told by long time swimmers I know that the more you use the anti fog the faster your lenses will start to wear out causing them to fog faster even with the anti fog.

spit in them....thats what i do in my dive mask

This used to bother me a lot. Now I close my eyes on purpose to simulate OWS and try to swim straight without visual cues. I spit in them because I heard the Antifog wears the lens.
Anne

I was always told spitting in your mask/goggles could lead to an eye infection.  True?  Not 100% sure, but I do it from time to time.  I think antifog and new goggles probably cost less than a trip to the doctor to treat an eye infection. 

you're prolly right but i give it a quik rinse too. Procedure: spit, rub in, quick dip, wear.

I'm sure some of the lake water isnt too great for the eyes either, i guess everything has its chances.

*knocks on wood* no infection yet!

No evidence out there about spitting, rubbing and dip giving eye infection. No evidence out there what antifog can do to your eyes over time, either. With all the chemicals floating around in our YMCA pool my own spit is probably the least of my worries. I recall having to put out quite a bit of money, starting with masks then goggles. I ended up with Aquasphere goggles with antifog coating after reading reviews on this awesome website. Then I found out that I needed child-size goggles for my face, and that helped reduce leaks more than anything...and the cost went way down.
Thanks for reminding me about lessons learned. Finding the rigght goggles is a constant... should we say...adventure.

Baby shampoo the night before. Add a little water, rub in, dump water, let dry overnight.

I lick the inside of the lens, wipe a little water on my face to wet it (so the gaskets seal), and put them on.  No rinsing, no anything else.  If you really wet your face, you just have that much more water between your skin and lens to condense on the cold surface (ie. the lens).  I don't park the goggles on top of my head (again, where they can pick up extra moisture). 

Edited by McFuzz 2009-06-04 11:54 AM

I've been spitting, rubbing and rince for years with no issues. Try giving them a good cleaning with some dish soap, perhaps they are just too dirty for the antifog to work.

FishHog

Thanx for all the advice everyone. They're a fairly new pair, I will try all the suggestions.

This is a helpful thread.  I am new to tris but have the same problem.  I actually have four googles -  pretty decent ones - purchased out of frustration.  They all fog completely within 15 minutes. They begin fogging at the edges by 10 minutes and completely fog within 15 minutes.  Once they fog, I can clear them but they will fog over again completely within ONE pool length!!  No one at a swim shop, tri shop, tri expo, or manufacturer can explain this to me.

I've tried anti-fog, spit, wearning my contacts, not wearing my contacts, etc.  None leak, they just fog.  It makes me crazy and I'm at a loss for how to fix the problem.  All have fogged immediately out of the brand new packaging - so dirt and scratches shouldn't be an issue.  I sent a pair back to TYR and they said they "analyzed" them (whatever that means) and they were fine, yet they continue to fog.  I might try the baby shampoo or dishsoap options, but I'm beginning to think it's just me.

I bought a $25 pair of speedo goggles at Dick's Sporting Goods early last year. Spit, rub, rinse before every dip in the pool and they never ever fog. I also have a $15 pair of Nike goggles that fogs in the first length.

One day, my wife was using the good goggles and I was using the crappy ones. When she got out, I switched to the good goggles and, after 30 minutes in foggy goggles, the good ones were so clear that it was distracting.

I will agree that foggy goggles do a nice job of simulating OWS conditions.

i can tell ya that i have been wearing them too tight, so my next swim session tomorrow i will loosen them up, the spit technique seems to work best although they are still fogging up after about 100 meters.

Spit, rub rinse, put on face is what I do. I have Nike goggles and my old pair started to fog on me after about 8 months of regular use which is when I knew to make them a my backups and get a new pair. the fogging issue could also have something to do with the water temperature outside the goggles VS air temp inside...have you tried them in different pools or lakes under different temperature conditions. My really old pair of speedos used to fog up terribly in cold lake water but were always fine in pools.

Just something else to consider.

Eh, my goggles start fogging up after 3-4 months of use. I just toss them and get a new pair.

I also try to make them last as long as possible by doing this... when I swim, I get a little bit of water in each one... so that way when they fog up, I can shake my head and clear it up. Yes, it take a perfect balance of water in the goggle for this to work and for it to not slosh water in your eye when you turn your head to breathe.

I got a pair of goggles from Sam's Club of all places (2 pk of Speedo's) and they haven't fogged on me yet in 1 month of use.  I still have to spit and rinse them, but they don't fog even for my longest swims (only 1 mi, I'm a noob).  My previous pair of Speedo goggles would fog after about 400 yds even on their best days. 

I guess you might just have to just try a few different pairs until something works for you.

Hi there.

Swim goggles fogging up - a neverending issue it seems?

At first - I think the price you pay for a pair of goggles doesn't matter that much.
I use Speedo Junior Jet goggles which are quite cheap, they cost around 12$ (they're probably cheaper because they're junior size - but they fit me).
They don't fog at all when new, and I am not sure when they start to fog.. I have a pair which I have been using once a week or so, and they fog sometimes.

But I have some strategies in order to keep the clear sight when using goggles:
I keep several pairs of them:

• a pair for regular training in the pool (it doesn't matter much when they start to fog, because I know where I am)
• a pair for swimming outside (with lighter color in order to be able to see clearly what's around me)
• a pair for racing (lighter color, and I try to HANDLE them WITH CARE, so they won't get scratches, be touched on the inside, although that's a bit hard when I'm trying to have an effective T1)

They don't fog too soon. I think as long as you don't touch them on the inside, they will last quite long. A soon as you touch them on the inside, or rub, they'll start to fog more easily, at least that's what I have found out.

What I do to make my training goggles last longer and fog less:
In the shower before getting in the pool, I'll have a little dash of hair conditioner on the inside, and rub veeery gently (avoid touching the goggles but staying in top of the conditioner film) to cover the inside lense.
Then I rinse excess conditioner away with water from the shower or spring, but gently here, too, because I don't want the conditioner to come off.

You'll see that the inside of the goggle lenses are covered with a "film" of conditioner. That will prevent the fogging. Just make sure not too much is left from the conditioner or it'll hurt when getting into your eyes (ouch).
I guess that's how anti-fog products work, too, but I am on a tight budget, so I use what I already have, and I really try to be nice with my goggles so they stay fine.
I also ALWAYS keep them in the original box they come with so they won't get scratched or damaged.

I don't mind a little fogging while training, and think it's more important to have clear goggles when I race so I see where I am on the swim.
So quite often, I buy a new pair just for the race (but I will testswim them once before). Especially for a long race or an important one or a new/unknown swim race course.

So I really hope my new goggles won't fog tomorrow, as there is a sprint race coming up, and I surely want to see where I am swimming (although there is always some feet to heng on and follow, good thing I am not THAT fast )

Good luck with your goggles!

Imke