Tifosi Optics Prescription Sunglasses Review

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I absolutely love prescription sunglasses! Once, I decided to add the transitions lenses to my regular daily prescription glasses. Those are built-in and change to a darker tint when you go outside with bright sun. The concept is great, but I just don’t care for it much. It may have been due to the frame style, but ever since then, I have gotten prescription sunglasses. I appreciate them for when I’m in the car, and can easily store a pair in the console for an easy swap between my regulars. Likewise, for when I bike or run, I need a way to block the sun at at elevations of one to two miles in the mountains. All the while, still being able to see more than 3 foot in front of my face.

Hence, the opportunity to see what Tifosi’s Prescription Sunglass process is all about was welcomed and truly sounds awesome. Tifosi Optics Prescription sunglasses are cool, unique, and with the ability to see them on-line, try them on virtually, as well as getting some shipped to try-on in person, definitely piqued my interest.

I ordered 4 try-on at home glasses, and received a small box in the mail thinking I would get three more. I really thought I only got one pair. Not the case, all four sample try-on specs fit snugly inside, and were packed away in plastic and their very own drawstring bag.

At Home Try-on Process For The Tifosi Optics Prescription Sunglasses

I think that this is a more unique way to reach a segment of people who prefer seeing the glasses in person. I concur with that process, since it is a big decision as these could be something you “wear” every single day. That said, I do like the virtual option as well. More on that later. First of all, you go on-line to look at the Tifosi Prescription Sunglasses page, and you have quite a few options with mild, intermediate, and strong prescriptions to choose from. The style of frame determines if they are able to put a stronger prescription in or not.

You pick your favorite options that are available to try-on and add them to your cart. I settled on four; two on the casual side, and two on the sporty side. It costs $25 per, but you get a full refund upon return. You use the same box to return them. Plus, they have provided the return address label. Rather easy!

Tifosi Salto

I do think that these are a bit goofy looking, or maybe that’s just me? I thought these would work well with the larger lens and lightweight frame which would hopefully not bounce or slide off with running in particular.

Tifosi Swank

That’s a hard No. No, No, No! I selected these, because of the possibility of going with a more casual look. I do think they could have been a valid option with the endless amount of color options, but I am just not a fan of that 60’s look and style (or at least that’s the vibe it gave me).

Tifosi Rivet

The Rivet is kind of the easy shoo-in option if I am trying to not overthink this and make a quick choice. They are sleek, smaller, and fit well with the nosepiece. A tried and true method to prevent glasses from sliding off when it’s hot, and the sweat factor comes into play.

Tifosi Swick

I thought I would like these more, but alas they did not make the final cut. Maybe the other colors for this model could have been a better try-on option in this case. Maybe, that’s an opportunity for allowing more try-on colors…? I can imagine the logistical concerns from a corporate standpoint might not make my wish feasible. Therefore, I do give them a pass this time.

Tifosi Optics At Home Try-on Glasses Breakdown

The dwindling down process, and the train of thought for the at home try-on and virtual glasses:

• Salto – maybe (virtual try-on = maybe)
• Swank – no (virtual try-on = no)
• Swick – no (Virtual try-on = no)
• Rivet – Maybe (virtual = maybe)

I was pretty stoked to actually try all of these on, because I have such a difficult time settling on a style that I might think looks good. That mistake has been made before, and my family would not really like them. Thus, I need a note from my wife now to pick out styles of spectacles. Anyway, I tried them all on and modeled them for the family. The only problem is that they were all black with clear glasses. That threw everyone off a little bit, because with shades the look becomes so much better. I think we finally got past that with a bit of vision.

In the end, I ended up with two finalists in the bunch; the Salto and the Rivet. The Rivet, because it’s almost a throwback to 15 to 20 years ago when I had a very similar pair of sport glasses. And the Salto, because they are one of the biggest frames in the selection, and I think I want to go that route this time. To that end, the Salto ended up being my favorite from the 4 that were sent to me.

Tifosi Sanctum Prescription Sunglasses

With a cruel twist of fate, I ended up not settling on any of the frames that were sent to me. I went with the Tifosi Sanctum instead. I can’t recall if those were even a try-on option at the time, but for some reason I didn’t select them initially. That said, they were the biggest and baddest of the bunch. And for what it’s worth, the process of elimination did help with my sample try-at-home glasses.

Tifosi Sanctum Specifications And Details

• Frame: Light & Durable Plant-based Thrive Frame
• Lens: Clear – Shatterproof polycarbonate lenses with 100% UVA / UVB protection from harmful UV Rays
• Features: Hydrophilic rubber nose pads that increase grip the more you sweat, Tifosi Glide technology allows the frame to slide on comfortably and provide an anti-bounce fit, & an integrated hinge that never pulls hair
• Fit: Medium-Large
• Weight: 26G
• Included: Microfiber Cleaning Bag

The Sanctum sunglasses have these hydrophilic nose pads that are supposed to keep a really secure fit even during a mid summer’s suffer sweat fest. We will see if they stay in place. I do have high hopes for these nose pads!

The hinge points are quite unique, solid, and work well. Notched into the frame helps protect them from outside influences. And here are those hydrophilic rubber nose pads in more detail. They are nicely tucked into the plastic frame.

Putting The Sanctum: Tifosi Optics Prescription Sunglasses To The Test

This review has kind of a two part approach to it. The first part above is the process that Tifosi has created to ensure that we as consumers are able to accurately choose and select the perfect set of spectacles. The second part will actually focus on the specific pair of glasses I ended up going with: The Sanctum!

As mentioned above, deciding on glasses is such an overwhelming process for me. My oldest daughter has a good sense of style to tell me what looks good or not. The abundance of 300+ days of sunshine can be a bear especially when you go higher up into the mountains. Therefore, I am relying on them more and more which most definitely is needed for my longer athletic endeavors: as in 2-3 hour runs and 5-6 hour bike rides. I recently got a concussion, so shades in the car while driving have been a must these last 3-4 weeks.

The Tifosi Sanctum Prescription glasses are not what I would traditionally choose. I would go more with a classic timeless look that I know would work for numerous years. In all reality, I suppose these are kind of retro. As in an 80’s vibe that screams muscle shirts splashed with neon colors. Well, I don’t care. I am really liking my gnarly rad shades that have me chillin’ like villain. And depending on who you ask, these Sanctum can either be considered a serious throw back, or the latest and greatest. I suppose styles do come full circle at times.

The Tifosi prescription sunglasses have such an amazing field of vision. I feel like I have a front row seat to a 3d movie. The blue-ish hue creates a vivid and crisp image that brings everything to life.

Biking in the Tifosi Prescription Sunglasses for me have been a bit of a mixed bag. The summer is in full swing, and my efforts have been rather intense with solid group rides and solo TT session. On that note, I have been sweating quite a bit, and those sweat drops are definitely depositing on the interior and exterior of the lenses. It creates a cloudy vision situation which is not ideal. I am sure with fall and winter riding, I will sport these more frequently again.

You may be able to slightly see the sweat stain reflection on the above left photo. When riding hard and sweating, the lenses did collect a fair bit of sweat as it poured from my forehead. With that in mind, I declare this to be a 75 degree and under prescription sun glass pick.

On the other hand, while cruising my single speed with my bright yellow helmet, the shades definitely made me a cool cat commuter. I can really appreciate the big screen vision that made me super aware of my surroundings. A cool breeze with the morning sun through these blue-tinted lenses made me want to take the long way to work.

Running has been where these Sanctums have been a super hit for me. I’d say, the best pair of running shades I have ever had. A long 16 miler at solid race pace gave me the impetus to provide nothing but solid feedback. They first and foremost protected my eyes from the UV rays. Moreover, they didn’t bounce or slide from excessive sweating. My disclaimer will be that everyone’s skin, sweat rate, running style, etc., will be different, which could impact how they react for you. With that in mind, I am absolutely ecstatic about them at this point.

Yeti Spotting is also fun to do while cruising through the mountains.

The biggest day of testing came on a beautiful summer mountain day. A group of us traversed from Breckenridge, up and over a few mountains, to our final destination in Jefferson, Colorado. 26 miles of up and down with a variety of trails, gravel roads, scree, and single track. The best thing is that they never bounced around no matter the technicality of the trails. The Tifosi Optics prescription Sanctum stayed put through all of it. Even when I was cruising on a slight downhill at a solid pace. Furthermore, the sweat drop on my lenses have been non-existent.

Final Eye-Opening Thoughts On The Tifosi Optics Prescription Sunglasses

The Tifosi Optics prescription program has a wide array of solid options depending on your personal preference. It allows one to try-on as many pairs of samples at home as you’d like. A great opportunity to select (or in my case) eliminate ones that might work for you. My choice was the Tifosi Sanctum, which has been superb for my running endeavors these last few weeks. First and foremost, they have been great from a functional standpoint. The Sanctum has stayed put on my nose during hot weather and intense runs for hours on end. In addition, the clarity of the lenses is amazing, especially with the wider frame of view. It’s almost as if I have a front row seat in the best hi-definition 3D movie theatre. The clarity and crispness especially with my blue tinted lenses is second to none.

I’ll definitely be spreading the word for quite some time to come. If you are in the market for a sporty pair of prescription sunglasses, I would definitely recommend giving the Tifosi line a try. There are lots of variations with frames, lens options, and prescriptions, so pricing one out would be a good place to start. If you would like more details on these and any of their prescription glasses visit tifosioptics.com.