Swimming Gear Review: Speedo Futura Biofuse Junior

My 8-year likes to go by the book. If her toothpaste says “Ages 6 and under”, she pauses and tells me she can’t use it anymore even though she really likes it. When we got her a new pair of swimming goggles, the first thing she looked for was her age range. The Speedo Futura Biofuse Junior are designed for Juniors 6-14 years, it says so on the box. “They’re for me!” she said, asking me to remove them from the rack for her because she was too short. “Wait, don’t you want to see them?” I asked. “Oh yes, I should probably before we buy them. Let’s open the box.”

My youngest one has been taking swim lessons throughout the school year but her usual goggles went missing after the last class. Go figure. On the morning she left on grandparents’ camp for the summer, I took her shopping for a new pair. As mentioned above, the first consideration was the age range. So far so good, 8 is definitely between 6 and 14.

The next item to check on the list was the color. These goggles came in blue and yellow or pink and teal. “These will go well with my blue and pink swim suit,” my daughter said. It’s funny that she should think in terms of one swim suit but it’s the only one she packed for the summer so it makes sense this year. When she outgrows it, who knows what the reasoning is going to be.

The next item on the list was the fog  factor. The old goggles my daughter used tended to fog up so quickly that she paused several times during each lap to clean them. I’d say it’s serendipity that she lost them. The Futura Biofuse Junior have an anti-fog ultra coat so we should be rid of the fog problem. Since I know my daughter will be using these at the seaside and in rivers or lakes, it was essential that they be treated for the sun too. Speedo did well, these goggles feature UV protection too.

The icing on the cake? Wide vision. I love when goggles give me an unrestricted view of what’s happening underwater and I bet with these, my daughter is going to be enjoying her swims a lot more. They’re not quite as wide vision as my adult pair, but a definite step-up from the old pair.

The only hitch came when my daughter asked that I adjust the head straps to her size. I’m used to simply pulling on side straps – hadn’t seen the “speed fit” button you have to press to release the side straps. Uh oh, I snapped the headband of the first pair – geez, is it flimsy? – and had to come back to the swimming pool to get a second pair. Sneaky system! Guess I could have read the instructions too but I didn’t think swimming goggles would need instructions. I hope the headband will really last long enough, it’s the only thing I’m worried about.

I can’t wait to see how well these goggles perform in the long run, paying special attention to fogginess and leakage. Will report back if anything goes wrong but right now, they’re the designated swimming goggles of my 8-year old fish and she’s happy as a clam with them.

Disclaimer: Speedo did not send these goggles to me to review. I bought them for my little girl.