The Tifosi Swank XL Sunglasses are a superb value pair of lightweight sunglasses made with people with larger faces in mind. With a range of lenses and frame color combinations, a virtual try on and parts and spares available you’ll be hard pushed to find anything this good elsewhere for less than $30.
Full Review
It’s nearly Spring as I write this and its that time of year that you still get strong sun glare when out running, driving in the car and hiking. With the sun low and bright on the horizon the option of sunglasses that remove the glare without necessarily darkening your vision is super useful and the Tifosi XL sunglasses are great for this.
Defeating the ‘Sunglasses Mafia’
I have strong views ( pun) on sunglasses. Almost the entire market is controlled by a ‘Shades Mafia’ called Luxottica who own almost every ‘top’ brand you can think of and deliberately keep prices high and usually dumb down and trash the quality of the brands they ‘acquire’.
$150 dollar sunglasses are not 3 times better than $50 dollar sunglasses. The difference is usually whether Luxottica are involved or not.
What we’ve seen more recently is the rise of the small boutique sunglasses companies who are bucking the high price trend and giving us high quality sunglasses without the Luxottica price tag. What this means is we get sunglasses that we aren’t scared to take out to the beach or trails without fear of them getting ruined because they are so expensive.
Polarized Opinions
I’m not a fan of dark sunglasses for the sake of it for running or hiking. I wear sunglasses on trails because polarizing lenses give me a sharper image and they help keep bugs and branches out of my eye. You will also find that polarizing lenses help you see more accurately when driving in the rain.
The Swank XLs have a few options for lenses in various colors and polarizing and non polarizing. You can choose which option most suits your use.
Amazing Value
A lot of sunglasses can start to be quite samey so the biggest surprise was probably the price. The pair I tried in all black were only $29.95 which is about half the price I expected given what they offer. If you opt for the polarizing lenses this increased the cost but is still well worth it.
Comfort
The oversized frames aren’t too heavy and cumbersome and the grips on the nose mean they don’t fall off easily which is great. There are also a wide range of frame color options to go with the wide range of lense options offered. The ‘virtual try on’ is also useful if you are one of those people that worries about how a pair will suit their face.
Verdict
A superb value pair of lightweight sunglasses made with people with larger faces in mind. With a range of lenses and frame color combinations, a virtual try on and parts and spares available you’ll be hard pushed to find anything this good elsewhere for less than $30.
Specs and Features
Made of Grilamid TR-90, a homopolyamide nylon characterized by an extremely high alternative bending strength, low density, and high resistance to chemical and UV damage. Equipped with Tifosi Glide anti-bounce texture. Rx Available.
Fits: Medium to Extra Large Faces
Weight: 26G
About Tifosi
In 2003, we set out to create an eyewear brand that stood for quality, style, function, and value. With the support and passion of our partners and customers, Tifosi has grown to become a recognized, relevant, and trusted brand in cycling, running, outdoor and golf. We would like to take a moment to thank you, our loyal customers, without whom we could not have succeeded. Thank you for helping to make Tifosi the #1 selling brand of eyewear in specialty cycling stores* and a leader in run and golf markets! We look forward to the future, and as always, we welcome your feedback and input in helping Tifosi to be the best brand of sports optics in the world.
– Joe & Elizabeth Earley
