As a recent recipient of Lasik eye surgery, I’m a big fan of sunglasses of all sorts. My eyes are a little more sensitive to light than they were before so I typically have several pairs on me at all times.

As a coach, fitness enthusiast, and part-time adventurer, I can be pretty rough on sunglasses. However, I do have several pre-requisites for my shades:

1. Do they keep the sun out of my eyes? Sounds silly, but just because a pair of sunglasses looks cool doesn’t mean that they’re actually good at doing what they’re supposed to do. The Swank XLs definitely do the trick. I drove about two hours on a cloud-free sunny Colorado day up to the mountains and actually forgot I had them on.

2. Do they stay on my face? Again, regardless of looks and doing what they’re supposed to do, I’ve had issues in the past with “slippage”. If they won’t stay on my face when I’m training, or adventuring, I can’t use them. Not only did the Swank XLs stay on my head, but they also have this  cool feature where if and when you start sweating, they actually start gripping your face even more

3. Are they durable? As I mentioned earlier, I can be a little rough on my toys so my shades need to hold up. I’ve had too many cheap sunglasses snap a lense out or break an arm off just because I wasn’t delicate enough with them.

I watched a video online where they tried to smash the polycarbonate lenses of the Swank XLs but with no success. Personally, I haven’t tried to smash them because I like them. However, I’ve dropped them on several occasions and they look like they’re going to hold up for a while.

4. Do they look cool? Once I’ve knocked out the other three stipulations, I still want and need a little fashion in my life… Multiple people have commented on the lenses. In fact, the guy at the chair lift said “Sick shades bro”. Not that I need the validation of a ski bro for my sunglasses, but I was impressed that he was impressed.

The final thing I’ll mention about the shades is their price point. When it comes to structure and style, they look very similar to the Smith Lowdown. However, the Lowdowns come in around $100 and the Swanks come in at $30.

That’s a pretty big difference… I don’t know the differences in how they’re built and that’s just my opinion, but they do look very similar. I personally have not tried on the Smith Lowdown yet so I can’t speak fully to their capabilities.

As far as the “what do you not like about them” section, I mean, for the price they’re a stellar pair of shades. When I first put them on I noticed that I could see the logo for a hot second in the corner of the lenses.

However, I think this was both a result of my new super eyeballs from my recent LASIK surgery and being a first-time user. After I had them on for a bit I couldn’t see the logo anymore. I also asked several friends to try them on and they couldn’t see anything.

Overall, I’d give these shades more than a nod of approval and I’d recommend them for any active human who’s looking for a fair-priced pair of sunglasses that are comfortable on the face, extremely durable, and make ski bros jealous.

After a short stint in the US Navy, he went back to school for Exercise Science and then moved to the beautiful state of Colorado (still dreaming of adventure).

He currently runs Denver’s one and only gym designed for adventure athletes (Axistence: Training For A Life of Adventure). He’s also the founder of “The Adventurous Life LLC”, a customized online program designed for adventure-minded entrepreneurs.

Ryan’s philosophy on fitness (and life in general) is that everything works, nothing works forever, and there’s always room to improve. In his spare time, you may find him hiking, paddleboarding, climbing, snowshoeing, skiing, or just about any adventure that Colorado has to offer.

Ryan Humphries

Co-Founder, Head Coach: Axistence: Training For A Life Of Adventure

Founder, The Adventurous Life LLC

Instagram @ryanmitchellhumphries

Facebook www.facebook.com/ryanhumphries

Tifosi Swank XL – Great Performance on a Budget

Andrew Piotrowski

 

When you think of Athletic or Running specific Sunglasses there are a few key boxes that a good pair needs to check. For me, these are mostly centered around performance. In my opinion, many brands overly focus on their lens technology.

While the latest state-of-the-art lens technology might be important if I was running for many days in the desert or snow, I often find that as long as the pair does a nice job protecting my eyes without the dreaded face slipping then I’m stoked! For running, I really care about things like comfort, bounce/slipping, and durability when choosing a pair. Based on these standards the Tifosi Swank XL proved to be a great choice.

Over the past month, I have worn them for trail running, road running, driving, hiking, and even backcountry snowboarding. However, I spent most of my time trail running in them and found them to be great for all types of trail conditions. These ranged from easy and flat gravel speed workouts to five-hour runs on rocky singletrack.

Key Features:

Hydrophilic Rubber: The single most important trait for me is if the glasses stay on my face during intense trail running. The Tifosi Swank XL rises well to that occasion thanks to the Rubber used in the nose area. Its comfy on the nose and does a great job of keeping them from sliding off or bouncing. I found Tifosi’s claim that the grip increases as you sweat to be 100% true.

Light and Durable Frames: The Grilamid TR 90 frame keeps them really light without sacrificing durability. I never once used a case or cover with them and they often got shoved in a hydration vest or work bag.

Despite being tossed around and compressed in a bag, they did not bend or break. Plus, the Polycarbonate lenses are both scratch-resistant and shatterproof. I honestly don’t understand how they can be so durable for only $29.95.

Sun Protection: The 100% UVA/UVB Protection does a nice job of keeping the sun out of your eyes. I found them to perform well in sun fields and shady forests alike. They worked well on a recent Snowboarding Tour to keep my eyes protected during the skin up. However, they are not glacier glasses and should not be your only choice for extended snowy alpine trips.

Style: The large lenses and variety of colors look awesome on both the trail and back in town.