The ROKA R2 Swim Goggle
Let me preface this review with the first thing that came to mind when I put these goggles on for the first time – in the span of the last 10 years I’ve owned a couple ROKA Maverick Pro wetsuits, several pairs of their goggles, their floaty shorts, and a couple pieces of ROKA run apparel…I hope to have some ROKA Rx readers in the near future! If you know anything about ROKA, you know they build their product around quality and performance…you can see it, and you can feel it.
The new phase from the original R1 goggles, ROKA Multisport has released the new R2 goggle that I’ve been swimming in for about a month now, with swims split between pool workouts, open water sessions, and race-day use. This isn’t a long-term durability review. I can’t tell you what they’ll look like after a year of chlorine, sunscreen, baby shampoo, and getting tossed around in a transition bag. What I can tell you is what I’ve experienced during the first month of use—and honestly, it’s been pretty impressive. What I have been testing out of the 7 different options are the Cobalt Mirror
What’s new with the R2 compared to the R1
- 2x Anti-Fog
- Interchangeable Nose Bridge for a Custom Fit
- Premium Silicone Gaskets
- Anti-Slip Silicone Strap
The first thing I noticed right out of the box was the comfort. I’ve worn plenty of goggles that either leak, leave giant raccoon-eye marks, or require the straps to be cranked down so tight that they give you a headache halfway through a swim. The R2s were comfortable from the first swim. The second thing that stood out was the anti-fog performance. I haven’t had them fog once. Not in the pool. Not in open water. Not during race morning. That alone puts them ahead of a lot of goggles I’ve owned over the years…and the only thing I did after each swim was run them under cool water, let them air dry, and return them to their little black ROKA baggie – which is also a nice touch by the way…each pair comes with a storage bag…similar to what you’d receive when buying sunglasses.
Pool Performance
Most of my initial swims with the R2 were in the pool, and they were pretty uneventful—which is exactly what you want from a pair of goggles. No leaks. No constant adjusting. No pressure points around the eye sockets. Just put them on and swim. As mentioned, the gaskets are soft without feeling squishy, and they create a comfortable seal without having to cinch the straps down excessively and after trying out the options I ended up using the medium nose bridge that came standard on the goggles to start with.
Open Water & Sighting
Where I really noticed a difference was in open water. ROKA talks quite a bit about clarity, durability & visibility. RAPIDSIGHT Technology – defined as an 11 degree retrodcopic lens angle tilt that radically opens forward field of view, and SPCTRM optics technology, to make things like yellow and orange buoys pop…and while I usually take marketing claims with a grain of salt, I can honestly say these goggles performed well when it mattered.
Race morning at Jordanelle was super bright and with a 2 loop swim course half of it was swimming pretty much straight into the sun which is usually where even good goggles start to struggle. Despite the glare, I was still able to pick up the buoys and stay on course. That’s probably themoment that sold me on these goggles. When you’re racing, the less time you spend fighting glare, fog, leaks, or visibility issues, the more you can focus on…well…swimming.
So where are we at after 30 days? Between the early morning pool swims, open water swims and a race day. The ROKA R2 has checked every box that matters to me personally. They’re comfortable. They haven’t fogged. They seal well. And the field of vision is open and clear. They’ve performed equally well in all the environments that I have given them. Could something change after six months? Sure. But based on the first month of use, these are some of the best goggles I’ve worn, and with 7 different lens options they’ll definitely continue earning a spot in my swim bag.
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