There are endless tips and tricks for holding back the tears as you chop, mince, slice and dice mouth- (and eye-) watering onions. But there’s also a product that claims to keep you from crying while you cut: onion goggles.
I put onion goggles to the test to answer one burning question, “Do onion goggles really work?” and to give you my pick for the best onion goggles on the market.
Do onion goggles really work?
I tested different types of onion goggles and put them up against ordinary safety glasses and swim goggles to see if onion goggles do a better job at preventing onion tears than other protective eyewear.
I checked out the claims made by these products while slicing and dicing a bunch of yellow onions, which tend to bring on the tears for me more than any other type of onion.
The verdict: Onion goggles work OK — some better than others. They may make you look a little funny, but they do protect your eyes from getting hit head on with a cloud of onion gas.
At the very least, they do delay or reduce the tears that typically spring to your eyes when you chop an onion.
SEE RELATED: Why do onions make you cry?
Types of onion goggles
I shopped for onion goggles, read reviews and bought four pairs of onion goggles that received good reviews from home cooks. Keep in mind, every type of onion goggles has some fans and some reviewers claiming they don’t work at all.
Here are the onion goggles I tested and how they worked for me, along with features, pros, cons and cost.
The original patented onion goggles
The original patented onion goggles seem to be popular, and are sold at major retailers and also have the best packaging and marketing.
Cost: most expensive
Features: foam seal, anti-fog lenses, gender neutral design that fits most
- Colors: red, black and lime green, white and lime green, tortoise
The bottom line: These fit well, though there was a space at the bridge of my nose. They also worked pretty well to minimize tears while cutting an onion, but my nose stung because I was still breathing onion fumes as I chopped.
Onion goggles with straps
These onion goggles come in eye-catching colors, and they claim to fit better than other onion goggles due to an adjustable strap that fits around your head. They arrived in a clear plastic bag.
- Features: anti-fog, scratch-resistant lenses; UV protection; elastic strap; carrying bag
- Colors: black, green, pink, orange
The bottom line: The adjustable elastic strap fit onto the glasses easily and helped hold them snugly against my face to minimize tearing.
Safety-glasses-style onion goggles
These goggles advertise a lightweight fit and ergonomic construction. They claim to also protect your eyes from other kitchen irritants such as intense heat and smoke and to double as safety glasses. They come with a microfiber pouch.
- Features: anti-fog, scratch-resistant polycarbonate lenses; microfiber cleaning cloth; carrying bag; “vapor-blocking seal”
- Colors: lime green, purple, white
The bottom line: These delayed my sob-fest, but I was in tears by the time I finished chopping the onion.
Laboratory-style onion goggles
While it may be fun to buy a pair of onion goggles for your kitchen, onion goggles can’t be worn with glasses. I wanted to see if safety goggles that fit over my glasses would be a good option.
Some customers even claim they too bought laboratory-style goggles to use as onion goggles.
Cost: least expensive
- Features: high-impact, reinforced polycarbonate lenses; ANSI (American National Standards Institute) approved’ 99% UV protection; adjustable elastic headband
- Colors: clear
The bottom line: These worked OK, and they’re the only onion chopping solution I found that’s glasses-friendly.
Swim goggles
Onion goggles look a lot like swim goggles; plus, swim goggles seal very tightly to the face. Thus, I decided to see if swim goggles would work as well as onion goggles... or perhaps better.
I tested a classic pair of swim goggles, and it seems I’m not the only one who considered these for tear prevention.
- Features: hypoallergenic frame; shatter-resistant, anti-fog lenses; 95% UV protection
- Colors: black, clear, clear with blue lenses, light blue
The bottom line: These swim goggles did a better job protecting my eyes from fumes than any of the onion goggles, but the tight suction also made them uncomfortable to wear in the kitchen.
The best onion goggles
My choice for the best onion goggles: the original patented onion goggles. Why are these the best onion goggles?
Right out of the box, these onion goggles seemed higher quality than the other brands I tested. They have a layer of rubber in between the hard plastic of the glasses and the foam seal, which gives them a tighter fit around the eyes.
They were also the most comfortable onion goggles I tried. And, most importantly, they worked best (aside from the uncomfortable swim goggles) at keeping the tears at bay.
Can you wear onion goggles over glasses?
You can’t wear onion goggles over glasses (at least none that I could find), and some options even state this on the box.
I wear contact lenses most of the time. But for testing purposes, I put on my glasses, which have frames that are on the smaller side.
I tried all pairs of onion goggles and couldn’t fit any of them over my glasses. The onion goggles tend to sit on top of the glasses, which prevents them from sealing to your face, therefore rendering them useless against onion fumes.
However, the protective safety goggles I tested fit over my glasses and did a decent job keeping me tear-free while chopping onions. So if you wear glasses, try safety glasses instead of onion goggles. Just make sure the eyewear you choose forms a tight seal around your eyes.
Onion goggles for dry eye
Onion goggles may help patients who have dry eyes.
Dry eye syndrome can make your eyes feel gritty and irritated even when you’re not dealing with environmental irritants such as onion fumes. But having dry eyes can make a chore like chopping onions a whole lot more painful.
In reviews for the various onion goggles I tested, I found comments from patients with dry eyes who wrote that wearing onion goggles in the kitchen helps them avoid irritation. In fact, some people with dry eyes also wear onion goggles to protect their eyes from air conditioning, dust and wind.
Where to buy onion goggles
You can find a selection of onion goggles online including my pick for best onion goggles: the original patented onion goggles.
You can also buy onion goggles at certain brick-and-mortar retail stores. If you’d rather just pick up a pair of ordinary safety glasses or swim goggles, you can always try discount or home improvement retailers.
