by
Olivier Poirier-Leroy
Speedo has long been the dominant brand of swim goggles for competitive swimmers. The Speedo Vanquisher 2.0, one of the most popular goggles ever, reminds us why.
When it comes to swimming gear, fewer things are more critical to a swimmer than his or her swimming goggles.
Goggles allow us to see (sounds important), reduce glare and brightness when swimming outdoors, and reduce red and itchy eyes from being exposed to pool water.
Beyond that, our goggles need 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 Swim Goggle delivers on all of these attributes.
Beyond being comfortable enough for long bouts of swim training, the Vanquisher is also exceptionally leak-free, ships in a huge variety of colors and tints, is available in junior, women’s, and optical versions, and is wildly inexpensive.
Best swim goggles ever?
There’s definitely a case to be made for it.
In this review of the Vanquisher goggles, we will examine what we love about them in the pool, what to be aware of, where they fit in amongst Speedo’s other swim goggles, and how they compare to other popular goggles.
Let’s dive right in.
The Speedo Vanquisher 2.0 Swim Goggles are very durable. Thanks to silicone head straps, rubber goggle gaskets, and an essentially shatter-proof polycarbonate lens, these goggles go the distance.
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.
My wife and I have several sets of Vanquishers that have lasted over seven (!!!) years of consistent and heavy use without any kind of strap degradation.
Giddyup!
While on the road last year, I spent a week training in Tucson, Arizona. The city has some fantastic outdoor pools and plenty of sunshine.
The mirrored and dark-tinted Vanquishers are quite dark, which makes them ideal for swimming under the blazing sun and very bright indoor swim pools. With my mirrored Vanquishers I could easily see the pace clock and swim without straining my eyes.
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.
Perhaps the most important thing about these swim goggles, and why they are so popular, is that they are insanely comfortable.
The eye sockets are rubberized, so you don’t have a hard plastic lens digging into your face, and the shape of the lens sits comfortably into the face.
For swimmers who train for 90-120 minutes, goggle comfort is crucial—you want goggles that will be comfortable on your face for extended periods of time.
No one likes taking swim goggles off and having your face feeling as though you took a breaststroke kick to the face.
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 water leak into the lens as you churn up and down the pool.
I’m fond of using Swedes with a chunk of the head 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.
For swimmers who require (or want) a prescription-lens in their goggles, Speedo makes these bad boys in prescription-strength as well.
In fact, the Speedo Vanquisher 2.0 Optical Goggle is our top pick in our comparison of the best prescription swimming goggles for laps. It offers all the perks and features of the regular Vanquisher with an optical lens specific to your eyes.
While the Vanquisher 2.0 goggles are epic in a number of regards, there are a couple of things you should be aware of before hitting “add to cart” at your favorite online retailer:
One complaint with these goggles is that they are a little harder to see out the sides and top. 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 swim snorkel I would like to be able to see peripherally what is ahead of me without having to pick my head up.
In comparison, other goggles that have really good peripheral vision include the Magic5 Swim Goggles and the Arena Cobra Ultra Swipe Goggles.
Earlier I sang the praises of the Vanquisher for being a champ when swimming outdoors, reducing the bright glare of the sun.
But wearing these swim goggles, particularly the mirrored and dark lens, in a pool that is not brightly lit will leave you squinting and straining to see through the lenses, especially once the goggles start to get fogged up.
Of course, you can mitigate some of this by using a decent anti-fog spray for swim goggles to extend the lifespan of the factory anti-fog coating.
and doing your best not to wipe away the factory anti-fog by rubbing the inside of the goggles.
The Vanquisher 2.0 and the Speedo Speed Sockets 2.0 are Speedo’s best two “daily driver” swimming goggles.
The main differences are that the Speed Socket is slightly thinner and has slightly more peripheral vision.
These two characteristics make it an excellent training and racing swim goggle (hence why Olympic gold medalist Caeleb Dressel uses the Speed Sockets in practice and at swim meets).
The Speed Sockets are a true hybrid racing and competition swim goggle, while the Speedo Vanquisher 2.0 goggle is best-suited for training and laps.
Yes! Although the “regular” Vanquishers come in unisex sizing, there is also a women’s version of the Speedo Vanquisher 2.0 goggles. The actual goggles are the same size, but the nose pieces included with the goggles have smaller sizes designed to fit smaller faces better.
These goggles led the pack in our evaluation of the most comfortable and leak-free women’s swim goggles thanks to a blend of excellent fit, tons of color options, and the legendary comfort and performance features standard with Vanquisher goggles.
Chalk up yet another “W” for the Vanquishers.
The Vanquisher 2.0 is an excellent budget-friendly swim goggle for competition, although I would classify it as more of a training swim goggle.
Speedo makes other racing goggles with thinner profiles and wider peripherals—such as the Speedo LZR Pure Focus Goggles—that give you a wide and drag-free goggle for when you step up on the blocks.
There are two primary ways that you can customize the fit of the Vanquisher goggles.
The first is with the nose-piece. Each goggles comes with three different nose-pieces so that you can set the lenses squarely into your eye socket.
Doing this will solve a lot of the leaks that happen when goggles aren’t fitted properly over the eyes.
Secondly, the head straps can be adjusted for length and tightness with a plastic buckle at the back of your head. Shorten or lengthen the straps as necessary so that the goggles sit comfortably and securely on your face.
The Speedo Vanquisher 2.0 has long topped our list of the best swim goggles for recreational and competitive swimmers.
The Vanquishers have it all: They are exceptionally durable and comfortable, and swimmers have a wide range of colors and tints to choose from (including women’s and optical editions). These swim goggles are trusted by countless Olympians, past and present.
The Speedo Vanquisher 2.0 swim goggles are perfect for swimmers who want:
Grab yourself the set of Vanquisher goggles that match your goals and aesthetic, and hit the water in style and comfort.
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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