Form Goggles Review

Form Goggles Review

“Back in my day” of swimming (IE before 2012), we didn’t have GPS watches to count laps, underwater headphones, or goggles that gave you feedback directly through the lens.  My how have things changed since then!

It’s been fun taking a break from the sport and coming back when there is so much technology.

As both a runner and a swimmer, there a lot of things that track running.  Watches? Pods? But there aren’t a lot of things that track swimming. In fact, you’ll either need to get an expensive GPS watch or the latest Form Goggles.

I was given the opportunity to test out Form Goggles. As an “old school salty swimmer,” I wasn’t sure I wanted all of that technology in front of me at all times. Part of the reason I like swimming is just to get back in the pool and have nothing but my thoughts and myself.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I appreciated all of the feedback from Form Goggles plus they didn’t take away from my actual swim.

Pros of Form Goggles:

• Just an excellent goggle. If you break down Form Goggles to the most basic component, they are a good goggle. Form Goggles is anti-fog and keeps water out of your eyes.
• Accurate at Tracking Laps
• The display is easy to read (and also doesn’t give me a migraine or make me dizzy)

Cons of Form Goggles:

• $199 is expensive for goggles, but if you are a serious swimmer and training, it’s a great tool.
• Swimming only
• Must be able to continuously swim to get the full benefits

So What are Form Goggles?

Form Swim Goggles are goggles with a smart display inside the lens of the goggle. The augmented reality smart display shows various information, including:

• time
• stroke rate
• laps
• splits

So while you are swimming, you have that information in front of you like an onboard computer.

Form goggles are controlled by 2 buttons on the side of the goggles. In the lens of the goggle, you have a small display of your laps which you can program to include splits, laps, or distance. You aren’t getting high definition inside your goggles, but do you need it? No. Form Goggles displays information inside the goggle in real-time. Programming Form Goggles is easy; in fact, I did it 5 minutes before I went for a swim.  There are a few different displays to go through and once you’re done, you can get to swimming.

Form Goggles shows you the following:

• Stroke Count
• Split Time (you can program 25 meters, yards, 50 meters, or yards, and custom or unknown length.
• Total lengths swam

Form Goggles connect back to your phone, which can give you an overall breakdown of your performance. Like a running GPS watch, you can see every split and it points out which is your fastest.

How do Form Goggles Know How Far You’ve Swam?

According to Form Goggles, they use a combination of an accelerometer, gyroscope, and algorithms.  Swimming in a pool also makes it easy to track when you turn around (flip turn, turn around, or whatever).

I’ve swam about 20,000 meters in Form Goggles now and haven’t had an issue where I question if it was accurate. I’ve compared to both my Coros APEX GPS watch and both have come up with the same laps each time.

The difference between Form Goggles and a GPS watch for running, is they don’t need to include a GPS function to determine your route. Most pools are standardized, so it just needs to know the length of the pool. Based on that, it determines when you change directions.

Swimming Continuously:

Form Goggles relies on you swimming proficiently down the lane. So, for instance, if you are attempting to swim 25 meters and stop in the middle at say 12 meters; it might end up counting as a lap. I’ve had to stop a couple of random times and it will count it as a lap midway through.

If you are thinking of swimming 500 meters of start and stop (which is fine), it’s not an investment I would make. If you get in the pool and swim laps and laps, or are a previous swimmer, training for a triathlon, or just like swimming, then it might be something I would consider. The system and tracking of Form Goggles rely on you being able to swim consistently.

Form Goggles Fit:

At the fundamental principle, Form Goggles are a goggle. A goggle should be able to keep water out of your face and the silicone eye seals do just that. In the about 20,000 meters I’ve swam using Form Goggles; I haven’t had an issue with water getting in my eyes or Form Goggles fogging. So at the fundamental principle, Form Goggles are well designed for lap swimming. Form Goggles also comes with several different nose bridge sizes to figure out which one fits the best on your face. Plus, Form Goggles have a 45-day fit guarantee, which is nice.

How I Felt While Using Form Goggles:

I was slightly worried Form Goggles would feel heavy on my face, but they don’t. They feel like a lightweight goggle and I don’t notice a difference. No one seemed to notice I was wearing Form Goggles while swimming my laps either.

I was also worried that Form Goggles might trigger a migraine or make me dizzy from staring at a screen while swimming (something I get from something too tight on my head or reading something while moving, but it hasn’t done that either.).  I can’t wear tight headbands because they trigger migraines.

Are Form Goggles Right for Me?

A great question and it’s pretty easily answered. If you are swimming multiple days a week and for a substantial amount, you can benefit from them.  If you are only swimming and don’t want a watch that can track running mileage than yes.

If you swim a couple of times a month for a little bit, you don’t necessarily need Form Goggles.

If you’re a “serious or competitive swimmer” and someone who trains competitively (whether it an open water swim or triathlon), I would recommend Form Goggles.

If you are more casual with your laps, than finding a GPS watch that can do other fitness activities would be beneficial. There is no hard line there, and you certainly don’t need to be Micheal Phelps to benefit from them.

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Questions for you:

Have you tried Form Goggles?

Do you like swimming?