Diffraction glasses turn every point of light into a rainbow, kaleidoscope glasses multiply the whole view, LED glasses light you up for the people around you, and sunglasses are for the daytime sets. What you will be looking at decides which pair to bring, so this guide works through each lens by what it does to the light in front of you.
GloFX Flip Diffraction Glasses
Every pair below is in stock as of this writing, and every spec is taken from its listing. The general points about how the lenses work come from GloFX, which sells both lens types.
| Lens | What it does to the light | Where it earns its place |
|---|---|---|
| Diffraction | Splits each point of light into a rainbow | Stage lights at night |
| Kaleidoscope | Multiplies the whole view through faceted glass | Big LED walls and heavy production |
| LED | Lights up your face for the people around you | Being seen in the crowd after dark |
| Sunglasses | Cuts the glare and finishes the outfit | Daytime and sunset sets |
What is the difference between diffraction glasses and kaleidoscope glasses?
Diffraction glasses split each light source into a rainbow, while kaleidoscope glasses bend the whole scene through faceted glass so it repeats. GloFX, which makes both, says the two are "very different" and puts kaleidoscope "a level above diffraction in intensity."
The practical difference is how much you can still see. With diffraction lenses the room stays where it is and every light grows a rainbow around it. With kaleidoscope lenses the room itself is cut into repeating pieces, which is why the Kaleidoscope Glasses and Retro Round Kaleidoscope Glasses listings carry the line "Please wear with caution. Will distort vision." If you want to dance and walk between stages with the glasses on, start with diffraction. If you want to stand in front of the main stage and have the production take over, kaleidoscope is the stronger effect.
What do diffraction glasses do at a rave?
They turn stage lights, strobes and LED walls into rainbow starbursts, and the effect is strongest on a direct point of light. GloFX describes the lens as a grating marked with thousands of parallel lines that spreads light into a spectrum, and says "White light will show the widest array of colors, whereas looking at a blue light for example will show its component colors."
Two things follow from that, and both come from GloFX's own pages. First, shaped effects need a direct light source: the heart effect listing says the glasses "do not diffract indirect light. To see hearts, you must view a direct light source." So heart and spiral lenses are for facing the stage, not for the walk to the water station. Second, more effect costs clarity: "the more diffraction you have, the less white light passes through the lens creating a more blurry view." A stronger lens is not automatically the better buy for a ten-hour day.
- The GloFX Ultimate Diffraction Glasses, the listing's "Best Selling Model," have laser etched hard plastic lenses in a True-Flex PVC frame the listing calls indestructible, and come in Black or Clear.
- The GloFX Imagine Diffraction Glasses Blue Mirror put laser etched blue mirror tinted diffraction lenses in a vintage silver metal frame.
- The GloFX Spiral Diffraction Glasses use the Spiral Lens-FX hard plastic lenses from GloFX's Specialty Series.
- The Heart Frame Diffraction Glasses and the Heart Diffraction Glasses both promise "See Hearts When You Look at Lights!"; the first has a heart-shaped frame in Black, White or Red, the second comes in White or Pink.
GloFX Ultimate Diffraction Glasses
GloFX Imagine Diffraction Glasses Blue Mirror
Heart Frame Diffraction Glasses
Can you wear diffraction glasses as sunglasses?
No. GloFX's own warning on its diffraction glasses reads "Do not wear these as sunglasses. These glasses do not protect your eyes from ultraviolet light." A tinted or mirrored diffraction lens looks like a sunglass lens and is not one.
The flip-up frames are the ones whose listing describes both kinds of lens. The GloFX Flip Diffraction Glasses have auburn enhanced base lenses with no diffraction and flip-down silver mirror diffraction lenses in a metal crossbar frame, and the listing says you get "diffraction when flipped down, or regular sunglass lenses when flipped up." The GloFX Gold Mirror Flip Diffraction Glasses are the same frame with gold mirror flip-down lenses. Neither listing states a UV rating for the base lenses.
GloFX Gold Mirror Flip Diffraction Glasses
What do kaleidoscope glasses do?
They refract the whole scene through faceted glass so that lights and shapes repeat across your field of view. GloFX says its kaleidoscope lenses "bend light through a series of faceted lenses that create duplicates of light waves" and are "made of real glass."
Real glass is the point to remember when you pack them. GloFX's care page says to keep kaleidoscope glasses away from hard objects and out of bags with loose items, and to clean them with water and a microfiber cloth only. Our Retro Round Kaleidoscope Glasses listing says the same thing in fewer words: the lenses "are made of glass." They come in Baby Pink, Clear or Black, the Kaleidoscope Glasses come in White or Black, and the Spiky Kaleidoscope Steampunk Goggles add spike details around the frame in Silver, Black or Pink. All three listings carry the wear-with-caution line, so plan to lift them between songs rather than wear them for the whole set.
Retro Round Kaleidoscope Glasses
Spiky Kaleidoscope Steampunk Goggles
What do LED glasses do, and how long do the batteries last?
LED glasses change how you look to everyone else rather than how the show looks to you, and the four pairs below do not all take the same batteries. The GloFX Pixel Pro Infinite Portal Goggles listing gives an "average battery life of 5-7 hours depending on the mode" from the USB rechargeable pack included.
Check the power source before you buy, because it decides what you carry:
- The GloFX Pixel Pro LED Glasses have a USB rechargeable battery pack, a pocket-sized remote, over 350 modes, 14 selectable brightness levels and on-board memory, and the listing says the lenses are tinted and "Easy to see through!"
- The GloFX Pixel Pro Infinite Portal Goggles create an "Infinity Effect" with LED pixels behind one-way mirror lenses, with the same 350 modes and 14 brightness levels, and an adjustable elastic band with a built-in battery sleeve.
- The 8-Bit LED Glasses have three flash modes and the listing says they require two AAA batteries, not included.
- The Into the Matrix LED Glasses have multicolor LED lights and the listing says the button batteries are included.
The 14 brightness levels on the Pixel Pro pairs are worth knowing about for the same reason the diffraction clarity point is: the brightest setting is for photos, not for standing shoulder to shoulder in a crowd for an hour.
GloFX Pixel Pro Infinite Portal Goggles
Which rave sunglasses work for a daytime festival set?
The Sport Mode Sunglasses and the New Wave Unisex Sunglasses are the two pairs whose listings state "polarized protection," and none of our sunglasses listings states a UV rating. Most of them describe the frame and the look rather than the lens, so read the listing of the pair you want before trusting it at noon in July.
Beyond that, the daytime choice is about coverage and fit. The Kandi Mountain Sunglasses have a clear shield frame and come in six colors: blue, orange, purple, red, yellow and pink. The Basement Unisex Sunglasses list a lens about 2.8 inches wide and 2.3 inches tall in polycarbonate, which is a large lens for a festival frame. The Afters Sunglasses come in Silver, Black, White, Pink and Blue for matching an outfit. For the full range, see our rave glasses and festival goggles.
Should you choose glasses or goggles for a rave?
Goggles stay on when you dance and seal out dust, glasses are lighter and easier to lift between songs. The GloFX Black Diffraction Ski Goggles put diffraction lenses in a ski goggle with comfort foam, an adjustable strap and dual pane, fog resistant lenses, which is the build for a dusty outdoor camping festival.
The Pink I Heart U Goggles are the other way to think about goggles. The listing describes rhinestone studded edges, an elastic adjustable strap and rainbow reflected lenses, and says that when you tire of wearing them over your eyes you can "rock them as an accessory on your forehead or the strap allows you to let them dangle on your neck."
GloFX Black Diffraction Ski Goggles - Rainbow Gradient
How do you clean diffraction and kaleidoscope glasses?
Plain water and a cotton or microfiber cloth, nothing else. GloFX's care instructions for its diffraction glasses say "Do not use any cleaning solutions or soaps on your lenses" and to avoid contact with any oily substances, because oils fill the microscopic etched slits that make the effect and are nearly impossible to remove.
The same page says to store the glasses in a cloth pouch or case away from dirt and debris, and GloFX's heart effect listing adds not to leave them in direct sunlight or in hot, humid places for an extended period, "to avoid diffraction effect loss." Kaleidoscope glasses get the same water-and-cloth rule plus the glass rule above: keep them away from anything hard in your bag.
Where can you see every pair together?
Our rave glasses collection holds every diffraction, kaleidoscope, LED and sunglasses style we carry in one grid, and our rave accessories cover the rest of what goes in the bag. For the outfit the glasses finish, start with our guide to what to wear to a rave.
