I have to kindly disagree here about the quality of glasses purchased on-line. Almost every pair I have (i am bordering on 20 here) have been optically and visually perfect. The frames are sturdy and well built, and the coatings are perfect. When I bring out my eyeglass collection to show a "newbie" (someone who is considering buying online) I ask them to go ahead and pick up the brick and mortar pairs I have mixed in. They can never tell, and my brick and mortar pairs were a minimum of $300-$400 for each pair, and were most definitely not worth the money.
I believe that in this day and age, finding a deal like prescription eyeglasses at an affordable price sounds too good to be true. I know people who have ordered glasses online and had them checked at a b&m store and were perfect, but they were still unsatisfied because they DIDN'T spend hundreds of dollars on them and were thus inferior in their eyes. I would say it's like the Apple/PC argument that one is better than the other, when in reality they are just name brands. On Apr 1, 1:28 am, Chuck Knight <[email protected]> wrote:> I will speak only to the accuracy of the Zenni lenses/frames, since I have > experience with them. > > Last year, my ophthalmologist tested many pairs of glasses, and while most > were within tolerances, only 4 pairs all year were absolutely perfect > matches for the prescription. > > 3 of those pairs were mine, from Zenni. One was from another customer, and > they also came from Zenni. In other words, ALL the perfect pairs came from > a single retailer. > > This says to me that the optical quality and accuracy of the Zenni lenses > exceeds that provided by the local B/M stores. Admittedly, 4 pairs is not a > sufficiently large sample size from which to draw a conclusion...but it > definitely implies a few things. Posts on this forum are consistent with > those findings. > > Now, the frames. > > Comparing the quality of the frames to the ones on display at the local > stores, they hold up remarkably well to the lower end "generic" store > brand offerings. They are not the equal of a $400 handmade frame, and > frankly, they don't pretend to be. They *are* the equal of some designer > brand frames... > > Thinking about it, Hyundai is a pretty good analogy...well made, competent, > but lacking the fit 'n finish of the higher end offerings. My first pair > had a slight "mold" mark on the earpiece, and it caused some discomfort. > So, I filed it off with a nailfile...problem solved. > > Had I paid hundreds of dollars ($428 estimate for that > particular prescription) I would have expected absolute perfection...even > something so minor would have been unacceptable. > > -- Chuck Knight > > On Tue, Mar 31, 2009 at 5:23 PM, J. Evan <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I am disappointed to report that after five pairs of eyeglasses from > > five different discount retailers, I cannot share in most others' > > enthusiasm about the overall satisfactory experience. > > > I have to say, that all of the glasses feel like I just bought the > > generic brand of toilet paper at the grocery store instead of the > > triple-ply with a nicer smell, name brand. Oh sure, I spent 30% more > > on the name brand, but I was much happier with the result. Did I just > > buy an Hyundai when I really wanted a Honda? > > > To be fair, I cannot complain about the overall quality and > > workmanship when you consider the prices paid, but that is at least in > > part do to the fact that we've all been lashed into believing that > > glasses should cost way too much. Are we all really being honest with > > ourselves and each other with our gushes about Zenni's amazing lens > > accuracy or O4L's shipping times? Haven't we all been so burned by the > > B&M stores that even hot alternatives feel cold? When we really look > > closely at the discount frames and lenses, are we really seeing the > > same level of quality as what we had paid hundreds of dollars more > > for? Or are we just selectively choosing what we consider unacceptable > > given the comparatively cheaper prices? > > > I don't want to appear to be bashing the discount retailers (e- > > tailers), I'm not. I do really and honestly believe that most of them > > offer excellent quality and value and service. I just don't think I > > agree with the many others that say their Zenni frames are just as > > good as their B&M name brand frames at 8-10 times the price. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Check us out at the oft-updated http://www.glassyeyes.com! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "GlassyEyes" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/glassyeyes?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
