I have been playing with my Tifosi lenses during tennis and pickleball for the last three weeks, so I’d like to share my experience with them and all the objective facts about how they fit into my game.
Research
According to this study by African Vision & Eye Health, non-polarized tinted sunglasses, such as those tested, do not have a statistically significant effect on depth perception under typical, well-lit conditions. This is completely backed by most science on the subject, and I will say that the tracking of the ball was not affected by the frames at all when I played with the Tifosi lenses.
First Impressions
They are stylish, affordable, and clean looking. The packaging was nice and it feels like a quality product. For the price, they are very sturdy, and I like the styles that they offer, where a lot of more affordable brands really struggle to have a lot of flashy colors and styles.
Real World Testing
Though, as someone who doesn’t play with glasses normally, there is definitely an adjustment to playing with them. It’s not easy to play when it’s suddenly much darker than before! (Who would have thought! Duh!) I found that coaching on a sunny day with these though was great. However, when I needed to play my toughest matches, it would be tough to get me to keep them on when I feel that with my vision restricted even slightly would affect my play and lose or win a point (just that small edge might be the difference!) If you’re worried about a dimmer experience, take a look at the clear options they offer—Mike went into detail about these in his write-up.
Heads Up
I want to point out also that on this model, its a little misleading, because the center of the glasses looks to be a lens, but in reality, there is a plastic piece behind it which still restricts your field of vision a little bit. When I chose this model I was thinking, well, this will have an unobstructed range of vision, so it will be superior, but I was wrong when they came. They still function like normal glasses, but I was bummed to see they weren’t full range of motion.
Wrapping Up
All in all, I would recommend this company! Especially if you’re someone who really needs and uses glasses for all your ball / racquet sports. If you’re someone who just needs eye protection, and you’re worried about the darkening of the vision, like I said they do have quite a selection of clear glasses to protect the eye. This is something I always recommend when I coach pickleball so I will be recommending my students to purchase their clear styles, which work perfect for indoor play too.
