Hello! I am looking to a second pair of goggles, strictly for use on sunny days in open water. I already have a pair of Swedes that I use in every other case, but I need something else for open-water swims in the ocean or lakes. I was looking at both the Kayenne and the Kaiman from Aquasphere, and I noticed that the Kayenne comes in both a polarized and a mirrored lens option. Does anyone have any experience with both of these styles (in any brand) and can comment on what the real-world difference is like? I have always used polarized lenses in my prescription sunglasses, so I am already familiar with how they work. But is there really any advantage to them when you're in the water? Thanks!
I just started using the Kayenne for OW - I like them better than the smaller 'pool' goggs, as I feel I can sight better. I like the comfort from the larger eye surround as well.
I went for the non-polarized, smoky grey version, mostly due to cost and having never used them before - didn't want to spend the extra cash in case they didn't work for me.
I had a pair of polarized goggs a few years back; can't remember the brand, but they sure help cut the sun glare off the water.
'tuna
I have both the mirror and the polarized in the Kayenne. My vote would be for the polarized. The mirrored are a dark grey lense vs the polarized with the amber lense. The filtering of the amber vs dark grey makes for better visibility. I swim the ocean doing backstroke, and sometimes I prefer the darker mirrored, but overall I prefer the polarized.
But I found the Kayenne the best fit for the bridge of my nose and they are comfortable. I am less impressed with their anti-fog and the adjustment in the front. I have AEGEND and love the quick release in the back and the adjustment in the back.
Take a look at this link from Roka to see how the different lens colors work (you'll have to scroll down a bit).
www.rokasports.com/.../r1-goggle
I've been really happy with my Rokas (light grey). They give a slightly wider view and the tinting helps with sighting quite a bit.
We have MP/AquaSphere rep on our team and she gave me a set of the AquaSphere Kayenne polarized goggles to try out. I've used them for 2 races and like them even better than the Rokas for comfort. They made sighting of the orange buoys super easy. www.aquasphereswim.com/.../women-goggles
I had dark grey which were OK outdoors but terrible in a pool. I also had the cobalt blue ones, even liked them indoors. Then last week the nose bridge broke on the blue ones, so I pulled an old pair of clear lenses out of my bag and I was almost blinded looking toward the sun.
I have both the mirror and the polarized in the Kayenne. My vote would be for the polarized. The mirrored are a dark grey lense vs the polarized with the amber lense. The filtering of the amber vs dark grey makes for better visibility. I swim the ocean doing backstroke, and sometimes I prefer the darker mirrored, but overall I prefer the polarized.
Thank you airborne! That is just the kind of feedback I was looking for. I had no idea that the underlying lens color was different between the polarized (amber) and the mirrored (grey) coating. I have never used any lens tints other than clear and grey in either my goggles or my sunglasses, so I didn't even consider buying amber lenses. I can see how using a grey/mirrored lens would be more comfortable when doing the backstroke. I mostly swim the breaststroke, so I guess I should go with either the amber or the amber/polarized lens. Can anyone else share their experience on the benefits of polarization in a swim goggle? The polarization will only be in effect when your head is out of the water, right? So do you notice that much of a difference during the actual swim event, or is it mostly for the benefit of glare-free vision on the surface before/after?
Thank you airborne! That is just the kind of feedback I was looking for. I had no idea that the underlying lens color was different between the polarized (amber) and the mirrored (grey) coating. I have never used any lens tints other than clear and grey in either my goggles or my sunglasses, so I didn't even consider buying amber lenses. I can see how using a grey/mirrored lens would be more comfortable when doing the backstroke. I mostly swim the breaststroke, so I guess I should go with either the amber or the amber/polarized lens. Can anyone else share their experience on the benefits of polarization in a swim goggle? The polarization will only be in effect when your head is out of the water, right? So do you notice that much of a difference during the actual swim event, or is it mostly for the benefit of glare-free vision on the surface before/after?
You should go try on sunglasses and test out an amber lense. Since it blocks a part of the light spectrum it creates a high contrast visual and improves visibility. Amber is good in many light situations where dark grey is not.
