Tifosi launched the Swank collection of sunglasses nearly five years ago as affordable hybrid eyewear that could accommodate a wide range of faces. The Smirk is the latest edition to the collection and are designed to be fashionable yet functional. Pricing starts at $29.95 for standard lenses while the polarized lens is $54.95. Tifosi also offers prescription options for the Smirk with a wide range of options including transition lenses and mirroring that tops out at $329.90. Whichever version you pick, you’ll get a durable Grilamid TR-90 frame and the retro styling. The glasses also feature Tifosi Glide technology, a non-slip material, that ensures they are easy to put on and off while remaining in place during high effort activities.
The Tifosi Smirk sunglasses combine a retro design with a lightweight frame and a variety of prescription options.
| Retail Price | $29.95 – $329.90 (prescription w/ all options) |
| Rating | Design: A Optics: A Comfort: A Value: A+ |
| Measured weight (in g) | 24 |
| Likes | + Budget friendly + Attractive retro styling works in any setting + Available in a variety of prescription options |
| Dislikes | – Limited availability at brick-and-mortar optometrists |
| Where to Buy (US) | Tifosi |
UNBOXING
The Tifosi Smirk comes in a simple cardboard box with green with bright branding and specs printed directly onto it. Inside the box you’ll find:
- TIfosi Smirk sunglasses
- Branded fabric carrying bag
With the prescription option, Tifosi also includes a rigid rectangular carrying case to help protect the sunglasses. It’s a sleek all-black design with a folding lid and button to secure it in place.
FIT & FINISH
The Tifosi Smirk are designed to be do-it-all glasses that can be used for errands or sports. To achieve this, the Smirk combines retro-styling with high performance materials traditionally found on their cycling specific sunglasses. The Smirk is available in seven colorways, ranging from muted tones to bright colors including Matte Blue Tortoise, Blackout, Crystal Denim, Honey, and Aqua Shimmer. In this review, we have the Crystal Denim version which has a semi-transparent navy frame color and gold Tifosi logos on the side. The sunglasses have a lifestyle or retro design with teardrop shaped lens and a flexible nose bridge. It’s a highly flexible design that is also robust enough for daily use thanks to the TR-90 frame construction. Note, the prescription version is currently limited to five color options.
The sunglasses have a straight temple design with auto-locking hinges that make it easy to put the glasses on or off with one hand. For optimal fit, the temple arms are highly flexible to contour around different face sizes and feature Tifosi’s Glide technology which is a special coating in place of rubber inserts. The arms have a textured non-slip finish on the entire surface which eliminates the need for traditional ear sock designs. As with other lifestyle sunglasses, like the ROKA Lockhart, the nose pads are integrated into the frame with hydrophilic rubber on the inner surface to hold them in place.
PRESCRIPTION
Tifosi offers prescription options for the Smirk in both single vision and progressive lenses. To get the Smirk Rx, you need to upload a prescription from your optometrist with the Pupillary Distance (PD) included. Note, most Optometrists may not fill in the PD if you ask for a copy of your prescription unless you explicitly ask for it. If you need progressive lenses, ensure that power is explicitly listed on your prescription to ensure a smooth ordering process. With the prescription variation of the Smirk, Tifosi utilizes a full lens replacement approach rather than using inserts. This ensures optical clarity, edge to edge clarity, minimizal distortion and provides better and more improved optics.
Tifosi prescription lenses are made of shatterproof and scratch resistant poly-carbonate. Prescription sunglasses are non-refundable as they are custom built to the prescription specifications. The base price for single vision Smirk Rx with standard clear lenses (no tint) and no coating is $104.90. Add-ons include: standard lens with tint and mirroring; polarized lenses (+$75) with tint and Mirror; or Fototec light adjusting (+$75). With each version, you can add an anti-fog, and or anti-reflective coating except for the polarized lens which does not offer anti-reflective coating. For the Smirk in this review, we have the Fototec lens with anti-fog and anti-reflective coating which came out to $254.90. Although this is quite a bit more than the $29.95 base price, it’s on par with other prescription options and most vision insurance policies will provide sizable refunds to offset the cost.
ON THE ROAD
We utilized the prescription ordering process to customize the Smirk to use as an all-around pair of sunglasses. The sunglasses arrived within a few weeks and looked and felt great right out of the box. With their retro lifestyle design, the Smirked looked great driving, shopping, and even for high-intensity activities like running. Aside from some fogging when coming to stop from running (the Smirk lacks vents like other cycling sunglasses), the Fototec lenses worked well and felt robust enough for daily use. The Tifosi Glide tech also allows the Smirk to stay in place while running or cycling even without the need for temple earsocks or other rubber inserts.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Tifosi Smirk sunglasses have an attractive retro design and excellent optics. With our prescription version, we were impressed with the quality and clarity of the sunglasses. The order process is straightforward and offers a variety of coating options and lens colors to personalize them to your style. Tifosi has done an excellent job keeping the cost down with the $29.95 base price with standard lenses with even the prescription versions being on par with other brands. The Fototec lens technology allows the lenses to automatically change to the environment and eliminate the need for multiple lenses. Although the Smirk may lack the oversized design of other sports sunglasses, like the Tifosi Rail, the modern design and lens technology make the Smirk great for all-around use.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Tifosi. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.