Tifosi Moab Sunglasses Review – Unbeatable Value

My favorite climbing shirt for colder weather is a Marmot running shirt I found on top of a dumpster at Camp 4 in Yosemite Valley. When I somehow lost the nipple of my hydration pack a year or so back, I didn’t buy a new one. I was confident that I would find one at some point on the ground, and eventually, I did. Why am I sharing this? Because value is my M.O., and nothing ever beats free. Still, if free isn’t an option, cheap is a good substitute. I can hardly think of a company that offers value more consistently than Tifosi, and the new Moab sunglasses are no exception.

Tifosi Moab Sunglasses Features:

• Grilamid TR-90 frame is lightweight and durable for all day comfort
• Adjustable hydrophilic rubber ear and nose pieces provide a no-slip grip – the more you perspire, the more they grip
• Polycarbonate lenses are shatterproof, scratch resistant
• Available with either 3 lenses for bright, low and no light scenarios, or one Fototec photochromic lens
• Clarion – features a water-repellent coating to protect against enhanced moisture buildup.
• Weight: 31G (as stated)
• MSRP: $80

Not Just for the Desert

Value, though, is not just a measure of price, but of the quality that comes for the price. At $80 though, the Tifosi Moab sunglasses are set up for an easy dunk. With a solid photochromic lens, a comfortable fit, a killer field of vision, and good looks, I’d say they do just that. Let’s start off with the field of vision.

The lens on the Moab is a large, shield-style plate of polycarbonate. My pair didn’t have any optical distortion. I’m happy to say that has been the case for all pairs of Tifosi glasses I’ve owned. It’s just one huge panel of clear, unobstructed vision, with no blips or blurs to be seen. I’m easily bothered by that kind of thing, especially in high-focus activities like mountain biking, which is what I used the Moab’s exclusively for.

I’ve biked in a fair few pairs of sunglasses, and these are up there as one of my favorites. It’s not just the wide, clear field of vision, but also how stable they are on my face while riding. All the jostling in the world doesn’t seem to shake them down my nose, even in moments of poor form when I’m looking more downwards than ahead. They just stay planted and comfortable, and I don’t think about them at all. The adjustable arms and nose piece help to get that dialed-in, perfect fit.

I don’t even really think about them when I’m making the transition between open fields and the dense PNW forests, or vice versa. In many pairs of glasses, sunglasses or clear lenses, these transitions leave a person momentarily blinded. With sunglasses, going from sunshine and blue skies into the darkness of the forest puts you in pitch black until your eyes adjust. There’s a horrifying moment or two of complete chance. Similarly, with clear lenses while riding in the depths of the woods and bursting out into the plains, your eyes are flooded with sunlight all at once, and it can be hard to see for a moment.

The Moab’s Fototec photochromic lens is just for moments like these, adjusting its tint automatically to the level of light outside. Riding around in Bellingham, I find myself regularly bombing down lines that make those forest to plains to forest transitions throughout the descent. I’m going fast, focusing on the terrain, and sharply keeping my line of sight on what’s to come. The Moabs are here for the transitions. They don’t have the darkest tint as sunglasses, but they do the trick in the heavy sun, and they flip to nearly-clear in low-light. What’s more, they do it in an instant. Of all the glasses I’ve ridden in, I find these the most rideable through transitions in light conditions.

Beyond these things, the Moabs just have a good look to them. Aesthetics are a subjective topic, of course, but these shades don’t look nearly as odd as many MTB-focused frames out there today. In fact, if you ask me, they look pretty dang good when you’re donning a helmet. For $80, you could do a whole lot worse.

Fit: I have a medium-sized face, and these fit me nicely. They also cooperate well with my MTB helmets.

Buy Now: Available at Tifosi