Tifosi Synapse Sunglasses Review
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Tifosi is an Italian word that translates to “Super-Fan”. Which according to their website is, “exactly who we are and who we make our eyewear for. Our mission is to provide technically advanced eyewear to enthusiasts of all sports and outdoor activities. We design, test, and torture our product to enhance your sport whether you’re running a 5k, riding your first century or playing 18 holes on Sunday. Tifosi defines us; we are enthusiasts about our product, our sport, and our fun.”
This kind of company statement makes me want to check out the glasses a little closer and see if I will be a “Tifosi” of their eyewear. And I get the chance to with the all new Tifosi Synapse.
Tifosi states that the Synapse is, “charged with features designed for high voltage performance, engineered to excel in both extreme conditions and high energy situations. The Synapse has been wired with an open lens frame design that fuses lightweight comfort with an unparalleled field of vision.”
Let’s check them out.
Tifosi Synapse with Light Night Fototec Lenses
Frame
The frame of the Synapse is made from Grilamid TR-90, which without getting into the scientific specifics, basically means they are virtually indestructible, while remaining highly flexible. The open lens frame design fuses lightweight comfort with a unobstructed field of vision. The ear and nose pieces are made from hydrophilic rubber which increase their grip the more you sweat. The adjustable nose and temple pads are easily adaptable on it’s generously curved frame, ensuring that you’ll never want to take them off.
Lenses
The lenses that come on the Race Neon Synapse are the Light Night Fototec lenses. Fototec lenses are made up of microscopic photochromic particles that are embedded in the lens. In bright sunlight, the lens particles react to UV rays, darkening the optics and ensuring additional glare protection. Tifosi Fototec lenses are polycarbonate and offer 100 percent UVA/UVB protection. Once in the sun the lenses darken in about 12 seconds and return to their original color in about two minutes.
The Fototec lenses are shatter-proof and scratch-resistant. Sitting in the frame the lenses are optically decentered, which means moving the “sweet spot” of the lens from the center of the lens to a point in front of your eye, which helps eliminate prismatic distortions and makes for a clearer lens. Theses lenses are also vented to help prevent fogging.
In testing, the Synapse’s Fototec lens, offered excellent optics and glare reduction. While providing noticeable definition of objects on the trail and road. The Fototec lenses ensure you perform at your best in any lighting condition.
Interchangeable Lenses
The Synapse is an interchangeable lens model. While the Race Neon only comes with the Light Night Fototec lenses, the other two color way offerings of the Synapse come with three pairs of easy to change lenses per frame.
Interchangeable Lenses
The Race Red with Clarion Red lenses and Matte Black with Smoke lenses both include AC Red and clear lenses. All Synapse glasses come with a cleaning bag and a ballistic nylon case.
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- Race Neon with Light Night Fototec Lenses
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- Race Red with Clarion Red / AC Red / Clear Lenses
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- Matte Black with Smoke / AC Red / Clear Lenses
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- Cleaning Bag and Ballistic Nylon Case
Fit and Comfort
The Synapse has a lightweight design that delivers noticeable comfort on the road and trail. One of my favorite features of the Synapse is its true adjust-ability for a custom fit, both its nose-pads and temple tips are bendable and adjustable so you can dial in your own perfect fit.
While testing the Synapse in high-impact activities, like trail running and mountain biking, the grippy hydrophilic rubber coated nose-pads and temple tips helped the glasses stay securely in place.
Because of its wrapped design, the Synapse did an excellent job of blocking my eyes from the wind. While the side vented lenses worked well to minimize lens fogging.
Specifications
- Made of Grilamid TR-90, a homopolyamide nylon characterized by an extremely high alternative bending strength
- Synapse has a sport lens cut makes it perfect for any type of sport activity
- Hydrophilic adjustable rubber ear and adjustable nose pieces
- Vented lenses reduce fog when sweat builds up
- Includes Light Night Fototec lenses
Final Thoughts
The Tifosi Synapse shades offer clear vision during anytime of the day, thanks to the photochromic lenses being able to transition from light to dark with ease. The homopolyamide nylon frames stand up to any abuse you can dish out. The adjustable nose pads and temple grip pads ensure that these stay on your head no matter how rigorous your activities become. Coming in at only $80, you would be hard pressed to find a higher quality photochromatic pair of glasses at such a reasonable price.
For more information or to purchase, please visit: www.tifosioptics.com MSRP $80
