RSVP International Onion Goggles

Well, I used to look absolutely ridiculous, and now I look slightly less ridiculous. A la "Diva," an '80s French cult film with a guy who chopped onions wearing a mask and snorkel, I used to tromp into the kitchen with mine because my eyes bothered me so much when I'd chop onions. Enter the Onion Goggles! And yes, they really DO work. You do NOT have to have your nose covered, as I'd once believed. So far I've bought a pair for my son, myself, my brother, and a friend. The only downside is that they don't fit over eyeglasses, but since I'm not terribly farsighted this isn't a problem for me. If your eyes are sensitive to onion fumes, try these. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Some people have remarked that these onion goggles are a cheap rip-off. I recently received a pair of these from my wishlist as a birthday gift. The quality seems very good to me. I think that, perhaps, RSVP must have changed manufacturers for a while during 07 to 08, realized they were crap, and found a better manufacturer. I have not seen glasses from prior to 07 to be able to compare today's goggles with them, but I do know that the product I received is of a good quality.

The glasses are shaped like wrap-around sunglasses, curved to fit the shape of the face. Behind the frame that surrounds the lenses is a light foam material that creates a seal with your face. This foam has a layer of material (a little like a very thin black polyester flannel) that covers the part of the foam that touches your skin. This material makes the foam more comfortable, as well as strengthening the foam's edge--which without the support looks like it could easily tear. There are no ventilation holes cut into the foam.

Just like many wrap-around sunglasses, the fit of these onion-goggles is pretty snug. If you have a large head (like I do), don't expect to be wearing these for a long period of time (like for dry eyes.) While the fit is snug on me, (23" circumference head, size large hat) I find that I can wear them for at least a half an hour without discomfort--plenty of time to chop a lot of onions.

As the foam creates a seal between the nose and eyes, I did not have a problem with fogging. The foam seems porous enough that some circulation of humidity could occur. Interestingly, though, this did not seem to allow the onion fumes in.

The fumes. I could still smell the onions. The fumes still irritated my sinuses. But interestingly, the fumes did not affect my eyes. While I could feel a little burn in my nose, I had none of the tears (and consequently none of the runny nose) of cutting onions.

Fact: As long as they create a seal against your face, they work.

The glasses come in a soft plastic glasses case, which you can keep them in for storage. The case has a magnetic closure, which is nice when your hands are covered with meatloaf and you don't want to grab hard at the plastic to struggle with a snap.

Why did I give them only 4 stars? According to the Vision Council of America, 64% of adult Americans wear glasses. There is absolutely no way to fit a pair of glasses beneath these onion goggles. If you have a pair of contacts you can switch into--great! But good luck taking the contacts out after you've been cutting onions. It's clear that it would be difficult to create a good seal against onion fumes around a pair of glasses, but if ski-goggle manufacturers can do it, couldn't the onion goggle people? They could offer it as a separate product.

My prescription is around -2.0. I had no trouble cutting onions without my glasses on. But if your vision is worse, do a test drive at home, cutting onions without your glasses on, before you buy these.

I have not tested these goggles to see how easy they are to clean. I suspect soap and water and a gentle touch with a towel.

Last note: my cousin, who rides motorcycles, was at my birthday party. She commented that these looked almost exactly like motorcycle glasses. If you have ski goggles, motorcycle goggles, or a gas mask, give them a try. (Don't laugh--my dad was in the military and my mom used to use his old gas mask.)

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These goggles really work.....I put them on then chop onions...no tears! And, they actually improve my vision a little, so I would highly recommend to people sensitive to onions.

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These are worthless. Too narrow to fit my face. It's not flexible and does not conform to your shape of face. You really are better off buying a cheap pair of swimming googles or ski googles, I wish I had.

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I haven't used these to cut onions. I actually bought them for my girlfriend to wear to Burning Man. These are great for the desert and far superior to regular sunglasses for keeping dust out of your eyes (although, they don't block the sun, if that's a concern).

They could fit just a bit more snugly, and i've seen larger ones elsewhere that probably provide better protection, but these are worth considering for Burning Man aficionados or, I suppose, people that cut a lot of onions.

Five stars if you're cutting onions at Burning Man.

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