I bought the anti-fog Barracudas and after a long, difficult battle managed to get them adjusted so they don't leak. Now I realize that having water leaking into them was the only thing keeping them clear, with the water sloshing around and washing away the condensation. Now that there's no water running in, I can't see anything after 50m!
I have tried the Speedo anti-fog solution with success that varies from day to day. Sometimes it doesn't work at all. Other times I'll get a mild fog that's workable. It seems to work best when I give it two applications between workouts, but even then the results are disappointing.
So. Fog juice, anyone?
Any recommendations on alternative brands of fog solutions, or any other techniques I might try so I can actually see the pace clock?
Oh, I already tried putting them on before getting into the pool. They fog even then, just from the moisture in my eyes. I really don't want to go back to my Speedo goggles, which didn't seem to have this problem. The Speedos gave me rings, the Barracudas don't.
Parents
Former Member
I wanted to thank everyone for their replies and great ideas and give an update on how I'm handling the problem.
I had noticed that the Speedo anti-fog solution I had been using without success seemed soapy and would foam up a little when I rinsed it off the goggles (as per Speedo's instructions). Based on the advice to soak the goggles in soapy substances, I decided to experiment a little more with the Speedo stuff before risking damage to the foam on my Barracudas with soaking.
Speedo says to coat the lenses and then rinse. I do that daily right after I get out of the pool, except that now, every several days I coat the lenses (without coating the foam seals) and let it sit there for several hours before rinsing. The solution dries to the lenses (or at least thickens) and seems to give a better coating that way. I don't let it thicken like that every day, but the quick applications on the days in between seem to help keep a coating on there in case a little too much gets washed off in the pool.
I tried just leaving the stuff in there without rinsing, but that was a bad idea. The first thing that happened when I got into the pool was that I pushed off the wall at a funny angle and got a momentary little leak. It wasn't much, but there was enough water in there to dissolve some of the fog juice AND reach the corner of my eye when I turned my head to breathe. It wasn't painful, but the soapiness of it left an unpleasant "sticky" feeling in the corner of my eye throughout my entire workout. Now I shall always rinse before using.
I'm also more careful now about washing the fog juice off in the pool. I have an overwhelming urge to take my goggles off in between sets, and I've had to suppress it. I also realized that I sometimes sit the goggles on the edge of the pool when not wearing them (for kicks and such), and they get washed into the gutter (we have wiiiiide gutters) where the coating gets washed off. I think that just being more careful with them in the pool has helped.
There was one weird thing I discovered. I had used spit in the past and made a conscious effort to try it again, just to see if it worked better than the fog juice. Maybe there's something wrong with my saliva, but it didn't work! Not at all!
Thanks again everyone for the suggestions. I can swim with much more confidence now that I can see the creatures in the pool to dodge them.
I wanted to thank everyone for their replies and great ideas and give an update on how I'm handling the problem.
I had noticed that the Speedo anti-fog solution I had been using without success seemed soapy and would foam up a little when I rinsed it off the goggles (as per Speedo's instructions). Based on the advice to soak the goggles in soapy substances, I decided to experiment a little more with the Speedo stuff before risking damage to the foam on my Barracudas with soaking.
Speedo says to coat the lenses and then rinse. I do that daily right after I get out of the pool, except that now, every several days I coat the lenses (without coating the foam seals) and let it sit there for several hours before rinsing. The solution dries to the lenses (or at least thickens) and seems to give a better coating that way. I don't let it thicken like that every day, but the quick applications on the days in between seem to help keep a coating on there in case a little too much gets washed off in the pool.
I tried just leaving the stuff in there without rinsing, but that was a bad idea. The first thing that happened when I got into the pool was that I pushed off the wall at a funny angle and got a momentary little leak. It wasn't much, but there was enough water in there to dissolve some of the fog juice AND reach the corner of my eye when I turned my head to breathe. It wasn't painful, but the soapiness of it left an unpleasant "sticky" feeling in the corner of my eye throughout my entire workout. Now I shall always rinse before using.
I'm also more careful now about washing the fog juice off in the pool. I have an overwhelming urge to take my goggles off in between sets, and I've had to suppress it. I also realized that I sometimes sit the goggles on the edge of the pool when not wearing them (for kicks and such), and they get washed into the gutter (we have wiiiiide gutters) where the coating gets washed off. I think that just being more careful with them in the pool has helped.
There was one weird thing I discovered. I had used spit in the past and made a conscious effort to try it again, just to see if it worked better than the fog juice. Maybe there's something wrong with my saliva, but it didn't work! Not at all!
Thanks again everyone for the suggestions. I can swim with much more confidence now that I can see the creatures in the pool to dodge them.
