The Magic 5 Goggles Review: Are They Worth It?

Are you tired of uncomfortable and leaky swim goggles? Do you hate constantly adjusting your goggles every time to find the right fit? Do you have to make your goggle straps so tight that you get headaches and painful raccoon eyes to prevent your goggles from falling off? 

Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret– I do too! And so does every other swimmer and triathlete! 

So when TheMagic5 team reached out to me, asking if I wanted to try their custom-fitting swim goggles, I couldn’t help but say yes. With the promise of eliminating all of the issues mentioned above, I had to put it to the test. 

In this article, I give my honest review of the Magic5 goggles, going into the nitty-gritty details– good and bad. I cover key features, cons, how they work, and whether or not I think these goggles are truly worth the extra buck. I also give you an overview of what to expect and how to make the most of the goggles. 

So whether you are a competitive-, open-water-, or a recreational swimmer or triathlete, wondering if the Magic5 goggles are suitable for you, I’ll cover everything you want to know– and more! 

What Are The Magic 5 Swim Goggles?

Chances are you’ve already heard a bit about the Magic 5 goggles (which is why you’re here), so I’ll keep it brief.

In essence, the Magic5 goggles are custom-fitting swim goggles, tailored and manufactured specifically to fit the contours of YOUR face. This is achieved by doing a facial scan in the Magic5 app, which is then sent to the company and used to manufacture your custom-fitting goggles.

Yes, there is no other pair like it. 

And the best part? If something goes wrong and the goggles don’t fit perfectly for your face– the Magic5 team will replace your goggles. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain! 

Who Are The Magic 5 Swim Goggles For?

The Magic5 swim goggles are for any swimmer or triathlete that wants premium goggles with a custom fit and comfort, unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.

The goggles are also particularly great for swimmers with unique facial features or larger heads since traditional swimming goggles don’t typically work well for athletes in this group. 

That said, the Magic5 goggles are for everyone that loves to swim! 

Unboxing: What Do You Get with The Magic 5 Goggles? 

The Magic5 Goggles come in a neat little black box.

Inside the box, you’ll find the Magic5 goggle case, and inside (yes, you guessed it), your custom-fit Magic5 goggles– complete with that fresh protective goggle film still on the lenses. 

The goggles rest on a soft padding, which can be removed from the case.

Located neatly tucked in on the bottom of the pad, you’ll find four additional sizes of interchangeable nose bridges to further customize the fit of your goggles. 

There is also a little introduction card providing some information about your goggles.

What I Like About The Magic 5 Goggles

Below I share what I liked about the Magic5 Goggles and what I think they can improve on. After that, we’ll get into some of the cons. 

Custom Silicone Gaskets, Interchangeable Nose Bridges, and Loose Straps Provide Superior Comfort

Excited to try them out, I took my custom goggles to the pool to take them for a test run. I kept the straps loose like recommended and put them on. 

It took a bit of fiddling to find the right fit. I had to switch out the nose bridge for the largest one, and the straps had to be made tighter (although still very loose compared to my other goggles). 

I want to point out the unique design of the silicone gasket. As mentioned, this is custom-made to fit perfectly into your eye socket. The gasket on my goggle was also much taller than what is found on typical goggles. Presumably, this is dependent on the depth of your eye socket. 

What I like about the silicone gasket, though, is that it has no eye socket seal. An eye socket seal is the double lip, typically found on goggle gaskets, to prevent leaking and distribute pressure. Since the gasket is custom-made to fit in your eye socket perfectly, this isn’t necessary. 

It took me about two practices to find my perfect setup and get used to the goggles. 

After swimming with the goggles for a week, I felt a bit underwhelmed. It didn’t feel like the Magic5 goggles were that special, after all.

So I switched back to regular goggles to compare, and the difference in comfort was multitudes– I don’t know how I will ever be able to swim with regular goggles again. The Magic5 goggles were clearly in a class of their own when it came to comfort. 

The goggles fit snugly in your eye socket, provide a very comfortable fit, and don’t rely on suction, although you can slightly feel the pressure increase as you speed up to swim faster. 

So if you’re tired of uncomfortable goggles that don’t work for your face shape, why not give the Magic5 goggles a go? 

I should mention the Magic5 goggles weren’t able to eliminate my goggle raccoon eyes (the red marks around your eyes caused by wearing swim goggles) as they promised on their website. Not that it’s a big issue, but I just wanted to let you know. 

Premium Build Quality

Made from premium materials like silicone and polycarbonate, the same materials used on other premium goggles like the Arena Cobra Ultra or Speedo LZR Pure Focus, the Magic5s deliver premium build quality.

The straps also felt like they were of high standard.

All in all, I was pleased with the overall quality of the goggles. Not only are they comfortable, but they’re also high quality. They will likely be very durable if you look after them properly. 

The Angled Diamond Cut Lenses Provide Unmatched Peripheral Vision

The Magic5 goggles have the best peripheral vision I’ve ever experienced on a swim goggle. I had a full field of view with no part of the goggle frame or gasket obstructing my view. 

Out of the corner of my eyes, I was even able to see swimmers two lanes across from me while maintaining a perfect head position.

Depending on your racing strategy, the goggles may be great for competition usage from a vision perspective. That said, if you want to know if the goggles are ideal for racing, I cover this more in-depth later in this review. 

The angular shape of the lens causes a thin line at the bottom of the goggle that you may find slightly dizzying or annoying at the start. That said, you’ll soon not only get used to but also grow fond of it– and the wide field of view that it provides. 

A neat feature of the lenses is that you can pick a mirrored lens with a different color on the inside. For example, you can have a mirrored lens that’s tinted blue or the same mirrored lens that is tinted black (see-through, of course) from the inside. 

FINA Approved: You Can Use them for Swim Meets and Official Events

The Magic5 swim goggles are FINA (the governing body of swimming) approved for use at any swim meet– whether in the pool or open water. 

Since the approval, the goggles were used by 3 Olympians during the Tokyo Olympics. Olympic medalist swimmers and triathletes have also joined the brand in the likes of Matt Grevers (a 6-time Olympic medalist) and Jan Frodeno (an Olympic gold medalist and multiple Ironman world championships winner).

Low Profile and Hydrodynamic Design

On the topic of racing, let’s talk about hydrodynamics. Many racing goggles, such as the Arena Cobra Ultra and Speedo LZR Pure Focus, pride themselves on their low profile, drag reduction designs. 

While the Magic5 goggles are also low-profile and hydrodynamic, their overall size is slightly larger than racing goggles like the Arena Cobra Ultra goggles.

The main reason for this is the large lenses. In this regard, the Magic5 offers much better peripheral vision than the Cobra Ultras. 

That said, which goggles you prefer will depend on your preference for racing. 

If you want to glance at your competitors from the corner of your eye while racing, the Magic5s are great. 

But if you want to lock in and focus solely on your race, the tunnel vision of the Cobra Ultras are better– kind of like the blinders worn by racehorses so they can only see in front of them. Remember, the Ultras still have peripheral vision, just not as much as the Magic5s. 

They Come with a Goggle Case

Every swimmer hates accidentally scratching their goggle lenses or damaging their goggles after throwing them in their swim bag after practice. (I mean, what are you supposed to do?). 

A goggle case is an excellent way to protect your goggles and keep them in mint condition. 

A neat feature of the Magic5 goggles is the included goggle case. Typically, you’d have to spend an extra $10-$15 if you want one of these. 

The fact that the same company makes them is also nice since your Magic5 goggles will fit precisely inside.

They also have a specialized area for keeping your extra nose bridges built-in, allowing you to easily replace yours should it be needed. 

What I Don’t Like About The Magic 5 Goggles

As much as I like the Magic5 goggles, they, unfortunately, also have some downsides. Here are the things that I don’t like about them. 

The Magic5 Goggles Don’t Come Cheap

Although the Magic5s aren’t much more expensive (if at all) compared to other high-end goggles, like the Arena Cobra Ultras, Speedo LZR Pure Focus, or TYR RZR Racer Xs, they still have a hefty price tag compared to more simple goggles that will also get the job done. 

You’ll also have to pay for shipping, with prices varying depending on your location. (Fortunately, worldwide delivery is available). 

While the price can be discouraging, you also have to note that these are premium goggles– and that their price isn’t far away from what other companies charge for similar goggles that aren’t custom.

Cheaper goggles will still work fine if that’s what you’re after, but with the Magic5s, you are paying for more than just “another goggle.” You are paying for comfort and quality.

It Will Always Be the Same: They Fog Up

The Magic5 team may have solved the problem of leaky and uncomfortable swim goggles, but they certainly didn’t make much progress on the anti-fog frontier.

Despite the Magic5 goggles’ anti-fog coating, they still fogged up. 

Without thinking about it, I swiped the inside of the lenses to get rid of the fog. But, unfortunately, this also removes the built-in anti-fog (which wasn’t working well to start with), causing the goggles to fog up more. 

Even goggles featuring Arena’s Swipe anti-fog technology, which is the best out there, still eventually fog up. 

Your best bet is to purchase an additional anti-fog spray that you can apply to your goggles when the built-in anti-fog has worn off (or you’ve accidentally wiped it off like me). 

The Magic5 sells their own anti-fog spray, but I’d recommend either the Arena or Jaws anti-fog, which is available on Swimoutlet since the Magic5 anti-fog is quite expensive. 

Related: How to stop your swimming goggles from fogging.

You Have to Put Them on Correctly, or They’ll Leak

As you know by now, the Magic5s are made to fit the contours of your face precisely and don’t rely on suction like other goggles to keep water out. 

Therefore, it’s essential to position them exactly right when you put them on. Otherwise, they end up leaking. 

Since starting to swim with them, I’ve gotten used to putting them on correctly and rarely have problems with leaking. That said, sometimes, even if positioning them just slightly incorrectly, they will leak. This means I have to stop and reposition them to avoid further leakage. 

Not Enough Nose Bridge Sizes

Although custom, the Magic5 goggles may require you to switch out the nose bridge to find a fit that’s comfortable and ideal for you.

I had to switch to the largest nose bridge, which works well for me. That said, I have an average size nose. 

Swimmers with larger (or perhaps smaller noses) may not find a nose bridge size that works particularly well for them and might have to settle for something less than optimal. 

In my opinion, it would be nice if there were a few more nose bridge options to pick from. 

The Big Question: Are the Magic 5 Goggles Worth It?

In my opinion, the Magic5 goggles are 100% worth it– despite the couple of cons I mentioned. 

They are by far the most comfortable goggles I have ever swam with; they are practical and offer excellent vision. 

(And your teammates will constantly compliment your cool-looking goggles).

Are The Magic 5 Goggles Good for Racing? 

As mentioned throughout the article, the Magic5s have plenty of features that will make them suitable for racing.

They are hydrodynamic, low-profile, and offer a great field of view. 

That said, every swimmer’s worst nightmare is their goggles falling off while racing. (And this nightmare is well justified– it happens to all of us at some point– a terribly traumatic experience, I know). 

The Magic5s are more prone to falling off, in my opinion, since it’s recommended to wear the straps relatively loose. Personally, this isn’t a risk I would want to take. 

You can always adjust the straps to be tighter when racing, but then it takes away from their comfort. 

At the end of the day, whether or not you race with the Magic5 goggles will be up to you. I’d recommend experimenting with the strap tension to find a fit that’s both comfortable and will keep your goggles on your face. (Even when diving).

Related: Best swimming goggles for racing.

How to Take Care of Your Magic5 Swim Goggles

Taking care of your Magic5 goggles is like taking care of any other pair of goggles. Here are some quick tips for keeping them in tip-top condition:

• Rinse them off with fresh water after use to remove chlorine and other chemicals.
• Keep them in the goggle case when not using them.
• Only take them off once you are out of the pool. Taking them off before can cause you to scratch the lenses as you get out. 
• Try not to wipe the inside of the lenses if you can help it. This will remove the anti-fog coating. 

Where Can You Purchase Your Custom Magic 5 Goggles?

The Magic5 goggles are available for purchase directly on The Magic5 website. 

Once you have placed your order, you can download The Magic5 app, complete, and submit your facial scan. 

The Magic5 team will then verify that the scan is correct, and your goggles will start the manufacturing process. All in all, this process is super straightforward.

My goggles were manufactured within two days, and I received them on my doorstep within seven days of submitting my scan. The shipping took the longest in my case, but it will differ depending on where you live. 

The Magic 5 Goggles Are Worth It! 

After years of swimming and countless pairs of goggles, I have yet to find goggles as comfortable as the Magic5s. 

So if you are looking for a high-quality pair of custom swim goggles, perfectly shaped just for you, then I highly recommend the Magic5 swim goggles.