Swim Loops Story
Thanks for finding and visiting Swim Loops! As the father of three competitive swimmers for the past 16 years, I have replaced a lot of lost goggles. As much as I searched, I was never able to find a good solution to labeling my kids' goggles.
So about 8 years ago, I started prototyping my own solutions. I started off by 3D printing a clip that attached to the goggle strap. It didn't quite work because the clip wasn't really recognizable.
So I kept plugging away and after 5 or 6 years of working on this idea on the side, I finally honed in on creating fun aquatic animal shapes (and a unicorn) looped around the goggle strap with my kids' names written in permanent ink. I knew it could work when a pair of my son's goggles were returned to him in our mailbox. The next challenge was finding the "right" kind of rubber to use.
I initially prototyped pieces using polyurethane rubber-- a very durable rubber that holds permanent ink well in pool water. Unfortunately, the colors didn't hold up well in sunlight. After more research and speaking with many manufacturers of rubber and rubber products, I was able to find the SBR rubber that I am currently using to make goggle tags. SBR rubber is mostly used in car tires and other industrial uses, so it's strong, durable, and the colors hold up well. Also, it comes in volumes and prices that are affordable for me (a small business owner) to offer at a reasonable cost to you.
Our Swim Loops goggle tags should hold up well in chlorinated water and identify your kids' goggles from their friends' (since they all have the same pair!). So after 8 years of work, I bring you... Swim Loops goggle tags. I hope you and your kids enjoy them and I hope you have far fewer lost goggles.
Thanks!
Sam Raimondi