Tifosi Torrent Photochromatic Sunglasses

A while back I reviewed a pair of Vogel sunglasses from Tifosi and they have become my go-to glasses for everyday wear. This Tifosi Torrent model though is the pair I pull out when it's time to go for a bike ride or a hike.

They're photochromatic, which means they'll adjust to the brightness and become darker as needed. So if you're going from indoors to outdoors and shade to sunlight, the glasses will adjust to the conditions. As always, that means they don't get as dark as standard sunglasses, but to me that's a fair trade-off and they're "dark enough" for most situations.

As with most wrap glasses, they curve a bit around the eye to block out more harmful rays and fit snugly without moving around. (One drawback: if you have long eyelashes they might rub against the lens.) These Torrent glasses go beyond in two ways though. First, the nosepiece actually gets tackier when wet, so if you're sweaty or it starts drizzling the sunglasses don't slide off your nose.

Second, they have a small vent in the top corner of each end to let air flow through. This might sound like a gimmick, but in my tests it made a difference. I usually start getting tears in the corners of my eyes if I'm skiing or coming down a hill fast on a bike from the wind, but with these on it doesn't seem to happen.

These sunglasses come with a hard zippered case that has a pocket on the inside, plus a soft carrying pouch that doubles as a lens cleaner. At a retail price of $60, these shades deliver at a high level for the price. (The polarized versions are $90.) And hey, they let you see the world through rose-colored glasses...

Get the Tifosi Torrent FC Photochromic Sunglasses at REI

See more at the Tifosi Optics website.

Vogel Sunglasses from Tifosi - Smooooth

One particular week this summer I saw three people with Tifosi Optics shades on: a guy I was playing golf with, a cyclist, and the owner of a bike shop. The last one said Tifosis were his favorite shades. Figuring he ought to know, I took it as a sign to check out a few pairs.

I've got one pair that I'm trying out while biking---more on that later---but this Vogel pair pictured here I can wear anywhere, anytime. You get all their regular lens technology, but put into a casual style.

These are some of the most comfortable sunglasses I've ever worn, probably due in no small part to the adjustable nosepiece being barely attached to the glasses. Then the glasses themselves can dispense with the plural: it's one polycarbonate lens stretched across your entire face. This creates an odd sensation when you're wearing them: no dead spots and complete peripheral vision. It's about as close as you can get to getting the benefits of sunglasses without feeling like anything is blocking your line of sight.

The Vogel model from Tifosi comes in seven different lens and color combinations, with models specifically for golf and ones with Fototec lenses that get darker as you go outside into bright light. Whichever lens model you get, it's promised to be shatterproof. The Vogel retails for around $60 and comes with a protective zippered hard case and a lens cleaning cloth. See all the specs at the Tifosi website.

Tifosi Vogel sunglasses at REI

Julbo Light-Adjusting Sunglasses

When it comes to around town sunglasses for the car and strolling, I tend to go for cheapo shades I don't have to care about losing. For biking or other activities though, it pays to have quality sport-oriented sunglasses that will last.

I've been trying out some hi-tech sport shades from Julbo that look stylish without being showy. The design on these is the tried and true wraparound, but with flexible stems and an extra-comfortable nose piece.

The real money, however, is in the lenses. A photochromic Zebra lens transitions from a high contrast Category 2 to a dark Category 4 in brighter light conditions. This is ideal for conditions where you are moving between shade and sun, which is common with a lot of outdoor activities. If you like your lenses super-dark this may not be ideal, but it keeps you from going headfirst over a tree stump when you're mountain biking through the woods.

The change in reflection power was pretty subtle: expect it to take about 30 seconds for a full transition. Basically someone can see your eyes if you're inside and can't see them after you've been in the sun a little while. I wore these for hours at a time over several days and they never rubbed or made anything sore. I still don't have a single scratch on the lens, which is usually my downfall with these non-glass ones. The lenses have an anti-fog coating as well.

The Addict and The Deep versions with these lenses both retail for $110. The Deep is essentially the same frame as the Addict but fits smaller faces. (And yes, it comes in plenty of colors besides pink.) Follow this link for info on the Julbo Lifestyle line.

Julbo Addict Sunglasses - Zebra Lenses


Julbo Deep Sunglasses - Zebra Lenses