50 Words or Less
ROKA sunglasses offer a great blend of style and performance. Wonderfully light weight with ample gription. Plentiful frame and lens options.
Introduction
Golf is such an interesting space in the retail marketplace. There’s a full sector of golf specific items like clubs, balls, and tees. And then there’s the segment that crosses paths with more general categories like apparel and sunglasses. And just when we think we’ve covered them all on Plugged In Golf, a new name hits our radar. That’s what happened with ROKA, a performance eyewear brand out of Austin, Texas. Eager to share a fresh brand with our readers, I grabbed three distinctive pairs of ROKA sunglasses – displayed from top to bottom in the photo below:
- Barton 2.0, matte black with Dark Carbon Polar lens
- TL-1, white with HC Fusion Mirror lens
- Estacado, sandalwood with Bronze Polar lens
Style & Fit
There’s a definite sport theme to the ROKA website, yet many of their frames have a casual, contemporary style. The key to the brand is having sport performance elements in every pair of sunglasses. Going for a run? There’s no reason you can’t wear a classic aviator style. I love this tagline from ROKA: “If you’re active and need a versatile eyewear solution, we’ve got you covered.”
That’s not to say that the semi-rimless TL-1 is a proper style for an outdoor wedding – even in white – but I wouldn’t hesitate wearing the Barton 2.0 after sneaking in 18 holes prior to the ceremony. I love the touch of tortoise in these frames. Especially when traveling, I appreciate being able to bring just one pair of sunglasses.
ROKA embraces fit in several ways. For starters, many frames come in more than one size. I opted for their regular fit and found the sizing just right for me. Next, ROKA provides different size nose pads. Spring hinges offer a touch of security as well as shock absorption. And finally, my favorite element – GEKO. GEKO equals gription and was inspired by the soft and sticky feet of the Gecko. The patented technology is “hydrophilic (moisture absorbing), chemical resistant, and supports multi-directional traction with comfort.” ROKA utilizes GEKO in their nose pads and temple ends.
Performance
Staying with fit, I found all three ROKA models stayed in place as well as any sunglasses I’ve ever worn. Whether on an afternoon dog walk or during the gyrations of my golf swing – both in the summer sweltering heat of coastal South Carolina – I was impressed with GEKO.
I was also pleased with how comfortable the ROKA sunglasses were on my face after many hours of wear. Initially I wasn’t sure what FloatFit was all about, but now I understand how being lightweight adds to fit in the comfort equation.
Looking stylish and staying in place is important with sunglasses, but eye protection is why we wear them, and ROKA doesn’t miss a beat in understanding that. I found the optics to be excellent with all three pairs. ROKA brands their lens technology as “C3 Optics” with the C’s being color, contrast, and, clarity. I wasn’t able to find a place where all the ROKA lens choices were listed, but I easily counted six – all with concise descriptions and a nifty slider window that displays a view with and without the lens.
The three lenses I tested were selected for their potential performance on the golf course. Let’s take a closer look at how each ROKA frame and lens combo performed.
The Dark Carbon Polar lens in the Barton 2.0 let in the least light with a 12% light transmission. The lens tint kept my eyes very relaxed during bright and sunny conditions. In general, colors remained neutral, but the tint did boost the blue of the sky and made clouds look whiter. The somewhat large frame left my peripheral unencumbered, but did allow some unwanted light to enter from the sides.
The Estacado frame provided a smaller coverage area. The translucent sandalwood color turned luminescent in the sun which was a tad distracting. I did enjoy the Bronze Polar lens color which enhanced the brown and green colors around the golf course and cut the glare off moist grass on one noteworthy morning excursion. Similar to the Dark Carbon Polar, the Bronze Polar lenses boosted the blues and whites of the sky.
The lens that best enhanced my vision on the course was the HC Fusion Mirror – which wasn’t surprising once I ciphered that HC stood for High Contrast. The rose hue made every blade of grass look crisper. And like its siblings, the HC Fusion Mirror also enhanced the sky colors. At 17% light transfusion, the HC Fusion Mirror fall right on the edge of being too bright for my sensitive eyes on clear sunny days. As for the TL-1 frames – they are pure wrap-around sporty goodness. The temple arms feature bendable titanium core wire which allows for even more fit customization. My only negative about the straight temples is they can fight for head space with my big rimmed sun hats – you can’t slip them over the headband like with normal golf hats.
Value
ROKA sunglasses fall in the premium price category. I didn’t purposefully list them by ascending price in the Intro, but as it turned out the retail prices are $205, $210, and $220. Packaging is first-class and includes a hard case, microfiber bag, and interchangeable nose pads. The TL-1 case shown below even has slots for storing interchangeable lenses.
Support Plugged In Golf, buy Roka sunglasses HERE
Bonus discovery: As someone who’s worn glasses since I was 5 years old, I quickly noticed that many of the ROKA frames – including the Barton 2.0 and Estacado – are available with prescription lenses. With their comfort and performance attributes, prescription ROKA’s offer an intriguing option to the typical fashion-only frames seen at optometrists’ offices. ROKA also offers readers and ANSI Z87 protective glasses.
Conclusion
One aspect of writing for Plugged In Golf that I truly enjoy is learning about new companies and their products. ROKA is a brand I’m impressed with – and I think you will be too. With their lightweight comfort and exceptional stay-in-place power, the three ROKA sunglasses were all winners in their own way. The Barton 2.0 were my favorite frames all-around. The Bronze Polar lens took top marks for enhanced vision on the golf course and for eye comfort. The wrap-around TL-1 frames offered the most secure fit and are the sunglasses I’ll grab for a trail ride or intense game of pickleball. And if none of these sunglasses are your style, the good news is ROKA has plenty of options in frames and lenses to satisfy most everyone. Plus, you can preview how they’ll look with the ROKA virtual try-on web feature.
Visit ROKA Sunglasses HERE
Senior Writer at Plugged In Golf
Matt – aka ‘Meeks’ – lives in the beautiful Lowcountry of South Carolina with his wife who allows his golf obsession to stretch the limits of normalcy.