Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time: winning no fewer than 28 medals during his career, 23 of which were gold. He competed in his first Olympic games at the tender age of 15 and set many world records during his career. If anyone should know what makes decent swimming gear, it is him.

In August 2014, Michael Phelps, Bob Bowman (Phelps’ long-time Hall of Fame coach) and swimming equipment brand Aqua Sphere joined forces to begin the process of creating the perfect competition kit.  The brand is called MP and its XCEED goggles have been developed in close collaboration with  both Michael Phelps and Bob Bowman.  Michael has even said that they are "the best goggles I've ever used", but he probably would say that wouldn’t he?

The XCEED have patented curved lens that provide a wide field of vision, which is important in competitive swimming as it lets you keep a beady eye on your competitors, it’s also important at the local public swimming pool to prevent you smacking into those gossiping old ladies that never get their hair wet. These goggles have been engineered with Exo-Core technology, which combines two materials for the best possible performance and the ultrasoft gasket is made from Softeril, this  creates a comfortable leak-resistant seal and a low profile the sits close to the face. The semi-rigid exoskeleton ensures structural durability and stability, the hydrodynamic, low-profile head buckle makes for quick and easy adjustments in the pool, whilst the flat silicone strap has a textured grip which securely holds the googles in place, ideally on a swimming cap but it is also effective on hair and skin. The polycarbonate lenses have an anti-fog coating, and there are four interchangeable nose bridges included for a customised fit and these are easy to swap in and have been created to be ergonomic and ingrate smoothly with the rest of the googles.

These aren’t the cheapest googles out there, but they certainly aren’t the most expensive. What you get are a thoroughly well-thought-out pair of goggles that provide excellent peripheral vision. I could see two lanes over on both sides of me and the anti-fog worked perfectly. The only downside is low profile gaskets aren’t the most comfortable I have tried, but not enough to put me off from wearing them again. All models are FINA approved and start at RRP £26.99 for the entry level clear lens versions up to £45.99 for the top-of-the-range as-worn-by-Phelps harder-than-nails titanium versions with ultra cool titanium coated mirrored lenses for enhanced sun and glare protection

4 out of 5

Current Cheapest Price

Pros

Wide peripheral visuals  

Quick nose bridge replacement

Polycarbonate lenses

Anti-fog

Straps hold firmly in place

Low profile

Cons

Not the most comfortable