Swimming goggles review: TYR Socket Rockets 2.0

Review by Phil Gerrard, Updated 26th of April 2021

When I’m at a swim meet, and I want to let the opposition I mean business, I pull out my mirrored TYR Socket Rockets. These are a stealthy racing goggle. They have comfort with a gasket that won’t deform. They are low drag.

The big difference between Malmsten swedes, and Socket Rockets, is that Socket Rockets have hard silicone gaskets rather than simply the plastic lens without gasket of traditional Swedish goggles. The gasket isn’t your typical suction style gasket. It relies on strap pressure to form the seal. Another innovative goggle with similar design cues to the Socket Rockets are the Arena Swedix. They are also worth a shot if you are into swedes.

	TYR Socket Rockets 2.0 Racing Goggle • Innovative variation on the classic Swedish goggle • Comfortable hard rubber gasket • Quality anti-fog coating and strap
	Malmsten Swedish Goggles • Malmsten swedes – WITH anti-fog • Mirror finish • Includes spare head strap
	Arena Swedix • Creative dual lens design • Sought-after and popular racing goggle

Are TYR Socket Rockets Swedish goggles?

As a class of goggle, the answer is yes. But are they the original swedes, no. The original Swedish goggles were created by Malmsten in the 70’s. They are designed without any gasket at all. The plastic lens sits on your face directly, and the pressure formed from the goggle strap makes the goggles watertight. But as a class of goggle – yes these are firmly Swedish style. That is, they don’t rely on gasket suction to form the watertight seal between the lenses and your face like most normal goggles.

Comfort of TYR Socket Rockets 2.0

Whilst I enjoy Malmsten Swedish goggles, the TYR Socket Rocket gasket does add a level of refinement to the original design. Having a silicone gasket has allowed TYR to improve the contouring of the edge that sits on your face.

Adjusting TYR Socket Rockets

It’s important – like any Swedish goggle, to get the nose strap adjusted correctly. And when it’s not the right width, not only will the goggles feel uncomfortable, the water will pour in as you swim. This is made a little easier with the TYR Socket Rockets, as they come with a rubber nose strap that you can easily adjust. While they rubber strap is useful for figuring out the correct fit of the goggles, I highly recommend using the string to keep the gap exact once you done with requiring adjustment. This is because if the nose strap adjustment gets bumped out of place, your goggles will not seal well, and let water in as you swim.

TYR Socket Rocket options

TYR socket rockets have a variety of style and feature options, making them suited for a range of conditions. The colored lenses seriously look amazing – especially in the mirror finishes. But be aware that mirror finishes take a lot of care to maintain without scratching the finish. In terms of vision, the best choices are clear for indoor swimming where there is no direct sunlight, and a smoke tint for sunny conditions. Yes sometimes this choice is difficult, as some indoor pools still get direct sunlight. I have multiple pairs, so I can choose the right pair for the conditions. I find smoke lenses make an indoor pool without direct sunlight a bit dark.

Caring for your Socket Rockets

As mentioned earlier, the mirror finish on Socket Rockets are fragile. This isn’t particular to Socket Rockets. It’s the same for all mirror finish goggles. The issue is that the mirror finish is applied to the outside of the lens. The outside is much more likely to receive damage than the inside. What this means is that a case is needed to care for your goggles.

TYR Socket Rockets also have an anti-fog coating (unlike the original Malmsten Swedish Goggles that did not have an anti-fog coating present). Typical rules apply when dealing with the inside of the lens. Don’t scratch inside the lens, or your goggles will be ruined. Spit and rinse works well before swimming. Or a goggle anti-fog spray achieves the same result – if you dislike the spit approach!

Like all swimming goggles, if you want the best life span, rinse them in fresh water after each use. This keeps your vision clear, but also drastically extends the life of the latex strap.