by
Olivier Poirier-Leroy
The Speedo Speed Socket 2.0 is a high-grade goggle for competitive swimmers. Here’s a review of this popular slim-profile goggle.
The Speedo Speed Socket 2.0 is one of the best swim goggles on the planet.
They combine exceptional durability, a leak-free fit, and a low-profile lens to make for a swim goggle that is a true dual threat, both in practice and in competition.
The Speed Socket 2.0 Goggles are the ultimate goggles for swimmers looking for high-grade performance during swim training and when stepping up on the blocks.
(Plus, the Speed Sockets are also the goggles of choice of one of the most dominant swimmers on the planet–Caeleb Dressel.)
In this review of the Speed Sockets, we will examine everything you need to know about these goggles and determine whether they are right for you.
With so many swim goggles on the market, it can be really frustrating and confusing trying to figure out which one is the best for you and your swimming.
That’s why we are here.
We’ve tested countless swim goggles over the years, from your super simple and inexpensive training goggles to swim goggles with customized gaskets and even swimming goggles with real-time data for live swim training results.
We know our stuff when it comes to the pool—we are a collection of former national-level swimmers and coaches who still use swim goggles on a regular basis, so we know a quality set of swim goggles when we see one.
The goggles are produced to take a beating. Just because they are designed to be indestructible means you should do jumping jacks on them, however.
Unlike goggles like the classic Swedish goggles, or one of my favorites, the TYR Socket Rockets, the straps are made of silicone and not rubber. Silicone is significantly more durable and less likely to snap on you after repeated exposure to chlorine and general wear.
While many goggle straps will degrade quickly, the Speed Socket’s silicone straps last like crazy.
These goggles were developed and refined at Speedo’s high-performance research and development facility, Aqualab, located in the United Kingdom.
The goggles have been tested with hundreds of elite swimmers from across the world, all with the goal of creating a goggle that is durable and comfortable, but also hydrodynamic and fast.
While they are made for high-performance swimming, they don’t carry the same price tag as Speedo’s top-flight racing swimming goggle, the Fastskin3 Elite goggles.
One of the things I love about Swedish goggles is that you can get completely customize the fit of the goggle. The Speed Socket 2.0 comes with 3 different nose bridges.
While the one out of the package fit my face properly, if you have a particularly wide or narrow nose you will have to change them in and out.
There are also no replacement nose bridges, which means you need to buy a new set of goggles when it eventually breaks.
Speedo’s other popular mid-range swim goggle, the Vanquisher 2.0, is similarly built, but the peripheral is not as good as the Speed Socket.
Both goggles share a lot of features, including the double silicon strap, the plastic nose bridges, and the rubberized gasket.
This google is really popular with elite swimmers. Michael Phelps wore these particular goggles for a long time in competition, from the time he was signed by Speedo until the time he launched his own line of Michael Phelps Xceed swimming goggles in 2014.
More recently, sprint phenom Caeleb Dressel of the United States lit the 2017 FINA World Championships on fire while wearing these goggles, winning the 50 and 100 freestyles, and the 100 butterfly, two of those in times that are the fastest ever performed in a textile suit.
Dressel wore the black/gold polarised Speed Sockets.
If you look at both goggles, they are basically identical. The general shape of the frame is very similar.
That being said, the Speed Socket is better designed for competition. It has a slightly slimmer profile than the Vanquishers, and as mentioned before, better peripheral vision.
The head straps are slightly thinner on the Vanquishers, and the darker tint versions of the Vanquishers are slightly darker than the Speed Sockets. The peripheral vision is also slightly better with the Speed Sockets as well.
The Speed Socket goggle is available in a few different colors, from your mirrored and polarized tints and lenses, to your clear lenses (ideal for darker, indoor pools).
When it comes to swimming goggles, there are a TON of different options on the pool deck.
The Speedo Sockets 2.0 are an excellent set of goggles for the more experienced swimmer who wants a hybrid racing/training goggle that will stand up to the rigors of training and stay snugly in place on race day.
Olivier Poirier-Leroy Olivier Poirier-Leroy is the founder of YourSwimLog.com. He is an author, former national level swimmer, two-time Olympic Trials qualifier, and swim coach.
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