Tuesday, October 01, 2024

Review: Tifosi Moab Eyewear

 Note: Tifosi Optics sent the Moab model eyewear to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge for test/review. I am not being paid nor bribed for this review and all opinions expressed are my own. 

The Tifosi Optics Moab in the Sahara colorway.
Tifosi has been around quite a while now. I first came into contact with the brand when Tifosi sponsored the first Trans Iowa in 2005 by providing each entrant a free pair of glasses. Since then Tifosi has been a brand I have used off and on for my eye protection needs on the bike. Last year I was able to review their Rail model glasses, and now comes the brand new Moab model which I am reviewing here. 

What It Is: In typical Tifosi style, the Moab is available in several colors and with a couple of options in lenses including Fototec, Tifosi's photo-chromatic lens technology, Interchange, which includes three lenses for varying light conditions, and the Clarion lens which has a water repellent enhancement to prevent excessive moisture build-up. The frame is made of Gryllamid and has hydrophobic ear and nose pieces which get grippier with moisture build up and are also adjustable for a premium fit. The Polycarbonate lenses are scratch-resistant, shatterproof, and on the Moab, have ventilation spaces to allow for anti-fogging. The Moab weighs a claimed 31 grams and is recommended for Medium to Large faces. The price for the Moab is $79.95

The two optional lenses which come with the Interchange package.

I received the Interchange package with my Moab frames which includes a mirrored lens, a reddish colored lens called "Red AC", and the clear lens for night time or low-light conditions. 

The lenses are not too bad when it comes to exchanging them, but you will have to clean them each time you do this since it is nearly impossible not to switch lenses without touching them in the process. Fortunately Tifosi's included bag for the storage of the Moab doubles as a cleaning cloth. There is also a soft case in the box which you can stash the two unused lenses in, and which holds the Moab frames. 

Fit And Function

The Moab is a "sheild" style of eyewear that is popular these days with cyclists and the lens bridges across both eyes in one piece. This provides excellent peripheral vision without obstruction. I found I could only see tiny portions of the frame while wearing the Moab, despite its full-frame design, and even that was no distraction at all. 

The Moab looks okay on my large face, if I do say so myself. Others thought they looked good on me. So much for that. This doesn't matter while riding, really, but it was nice to know that people thought these enhanced my appeal, I suppose. 

As for riding, yes, they do the job. I did notice less air turbulence behind the lens and around my eyes. The day I tried these was a very windy one with gusts up to and over 30mph often during the ride. This did not deter the Moab in its mission to keep my eyes from dealing with that. Plus it was full-Sun out and the Moab did a bang-on job of helping me discern which lines were best in the gravel as I rode. 

The day also happened to be well into the 90's for temperature and the nose piece and ear pieces did their job of keeping the Moab on my face where I wanted the Moab to sit. No sliding down the nose at all. 

So Far... Tifosi does it again with a great style for cyclists and with their typical value-packed, feature-rich glasses. I do like this style of eyewear and it is nice to see it offered at a reasonable price. I'll be trying out the Red AC lens next and I expect similar results as I experienced with the Red AC lens in the Rail model last year. 

Stay tuned for a Final Word coming in a few weeks.

4 comments:

Rydn9ers said...

Picked up a pair of their Stash glasses earlier this year and really like them for gravel races or events like that where I won't be taking them off and on frequently. For casual rides the Tifosi Swank is my personal choice as it's smaller and easier to hold/stash/place somewhere when not wearing them. Moabs look interesting, I'll have to check out the next post about them.

Guitar Ted said...

@Rydyn9ers - So your Swanks are easy to "stash"? Maybe they should be the "Stash" and.....oh, never mind! :>) Thanks for the comments!

shiggy person said...

HA! The official announcement for the Moab was Friday

shiggy person said...

I have been wearing Tifosi for years and have more than a dozen different models. My latest is also my current favorite. The Stash. A shield type lens, not as large as the Rail (a “frameless” style) with no top to the frame, which improves the visibility for me. Generally prefer the Fototec lens, and have the Light Night version (limited style availability) for morning/evening rides