When I was in Iraq, I was issued the standard pair of Oakley’s (the same as most everyone that was deployed in 2007). They weren’t bad, but they steamed up too easily and looked clunky. It wasn’t their fault, they were made for mass issue, and looking pretty wasn’t the priority (at least that’s what my team Sergeant told me, but he was ugly anyway).

When I got back, I bought a pair of Bolle sunglasses for about $150. Those things were stylish, and I loved them; however, they weren’t really sports appropriate. Since then, I haven’t bothered spending much on sunglasses, because I can’t really afford $150 for a pair of shades. Then my old team Sergeant tells me about these sunglasses called Tifosi’s (if you haven’t figured it out yet, my old team Sergeant is Mike, the owner of the site).

Enter the Tifosi Lore sunglasses. They only cost about half of what you pay for a pair of Oakley’s depending upon the lenses you choose, making them much less expensive than many of the alternatives. They are pictured above, and they are glorious.

I’m not sure I even have to say much about the style, you’re looking at them. They’re so beautiful. I mean, really, do I even have to comment on this part?

So I’ll just review the performance for you. The first thing I did after opening them is the first thing any red, white, and blue blooded American would do; I hit the trails. The first thing I noticed (besides the glaringly obvious beauty of the things) was how well the fototec lenses worked. They shift their level of shading based upon the brightness of your environment. This is a great feature for someone like me who likes to run trails. When you’re in deeper forest or it’s cloudy out, the lenses transition to minimal shading. When you’re running out in the sun, the lenses darken to continue providing maximal protection and comfort for your eyes.

Another brilliant feauture is their ability to never fog up. While I initially thought this was due to the invocation of some ancient powerful hex, it turns out that it’s really because of their vented lens technology. This also allows airflow through them, so you’re not getting the gross sweat buildup that you get with some shades. I can officially say that I have used these things in everything from sub-freezing temperatures to bright sunny days in the mid 80’s without once having them fog up on me.

They’re also pretty ridiculously comfortable. Their nose piece is fully adjustable, and the ear pieces are made out of a hydrophilic rubber compound (I don’t know what they means, so in my head I still just say ancient voodoo hex) which allows them to stay perfectly in place while running, biking, or anything else you can put them through.

A few other key features include:

• Lenses that are scratch resistant, shatterproof, and provide 100% UVA and UVB protection
• Lenses that are optically decentered with glare guard, to prevent eye strain
• A frame that is a homopolyamide nylon characterized by an extremely high alternative bending strength, low density, and high resistance to chemical and UV damage (What this essentially means is that they’re made out of the stuff Batman makes his armor out of)

So my only question is, dearest Tifosi, where in the name of fruit cups and bon bons were you when I was in Iraq?