Cheap Prescription Glasses Thread (as low as $19)

[esoteric0]

i bought some glasses from zenni a while ago, and they were fine. but next month i'm getting lasik, so i won't be needing these threads any more .

 

[konakona]

Originally posted by: thi
I ordered from $19 (Zenni Optical) & Optical4less. My order form Zenni came in today. I ordered a rimless memory plastic frame, the quality is average, my Rx is -4.00 and the lens is quite thick compared to my previous pair of Ray Bans. But I only paid $33 versus $300. I would recommend the anti reflection coating, it works great. I actually see alot clearer through these than the Ray bans. The only problem is that I specified the wrong shape when I ordered. So I ordered a different pair, semi-rimless metal this time with 20% gray tint, something more traditional ($30). I'm also waiting for my glasses from Optical4less, also a rimless but with metal frame ($65). I know it's significantly more than the others but, they had an option for thinner lenses. The ones from Optical4less is my main choice so I still have my fingers crossed. In conclusion, even though the Zenni glasses were not exactly as I envisioned them, I was still very satisfied. So one down and two to go!

3 pairs = $128
Ray Ban = $300

I'm still Ahead

I am sure I am not the only one curious about how the two places (zenni and the optical4less) compare, please do us a favor and follow up when you get your second pair TIA

 

[HomeAppraiser]

Thanks Doc!

Sure beats my Lenscrafters $329 done in an hour; ok done in two hours; ah go to dinner and well call you (never called); the machine is broke can we mail the glasses to you. F no refund now!!!

 

[harobikes333]

bump to see how everyones glasses worked out.

 

[xarmian]

I've had my pair of glasses from myopticals.com since March of last year, and they've been great. Unfortunately, myopticals has disappeared. I was looking through the new additions from the OP and found frames I liked on goggles4u.com but the price of $13 shipped which scares me. If anyone has experience with them, please let me know.

-Dave

 

[rockable]

Originally posted by: xarmian
I've had my pair of glasses from myopticals.com since March of last year, and they've been great. Unfortunately, myopticals has disappeared. I was looking through the new additions from the OP and found frames I liked on goggles4u.com but the price of $13 shipped which scares me. If anyone has experience with them, please let me know.

-Dave

No , don't try goggles4u . The quality of their glasses is the worst I've ever had . Very cheap frame and the lenses came with wrong focus .
If you are looking for quality glasses in these cheap place I suggest http://optical4less.com . I've ordered from them a few times in these years and never had any problem .

 

[alternety]

In response to an earlier post. I have been doing a lot of research on glasses because I need a pair. I need a progressive lens (continuous variable focus version of bifocals). There seems to be al lot of choices out there in terms of lenses, characteristics, and prices. Fit can be particularly important in these lenses and proper measurement of separate PD (pupilary distance) for each eye. There appears to be major differences between some brands and even within the lines of a single vendor. Thre are some brands that require unique (i.e., expensive and rare) to actually measure the parameters of your particular eyes and interaction with the selected frame. The lenses are then micromachined as a unique set specifically for you, your head/frame realtionship, and how your eyes move under certain circumstances.

The size of the glasses (hence size of lens) has a major impact on performance and the wrong lens in a small frame will preform badly. I would really hesitate buying this type online. Small frames in general do not appear to be real good if you want progressives to perform optimally.

There are trade-offs for particular lenses. There are three general zones of vision related to the lenses. Near (reading), intermediate (PC), and far (driving). Lenses are optimized for different purposes and the importance of use for these three areas. In all cases vision will fall off as you look further and further off axis. Some lenses do much better than others and the width of the "good" area varies by lens. A small but significant number of people appear to not be able to adapt to these lenses. The ability to return and try something else is valuable. Even someone already using progressives may not be able to stand a different lens design. Prescription plays a big part in what lenses can work for you.

In progressives you should know the manufacturer and model when you buy. If you had these particular lenses before and they worked for you, you are in better shape for online replacement. For a new user I think it is scary.

AR and protective coatings seem to be well received. There are however big differences between coatings. Some scratch easily and attract dirt.

 

[thi]

sorry for the late reply, here's an update from my earlier post regarding the quality of zennioptical vs optical4less. As far as Price & Quality goes I would have to recommend zennioptical. I currently have two pairs (same frame, one for work (electrician)) from them and both are of good quality. Zennioptical also has a much faster shipment 1 1/2 weeks to Baton Rouge, LA. Hope this helps. Here's a breakdown of frame selection, I ordered a total of 4 frames 1 from optical4less & 3 from zennioptical. Only 2 of my frames are actually wearable in public, hehe, I paid a total of $125.xx. I think this is a much better deal than, $3xx.xx for 1 pair of Ray Bans which broke after 2 years of use. Hope this helps! Another thing, regarding the tinting, they did a good job, but the lightest level of gray tint is pretty dark, even though they say its not noticeable to the wearer. So don't tint it if you plan to wear them at night or you'll end up looking like a weirdo.

 

[HankD]

And you can always donate the old/unused/don't fit glasses, here are a couple of links to get ya started.
http://www.givethegiftofsight.com/
http://vision.about.com/od/contactlenseseyeglasses/a/donatingglasses.htm

btw when this thread started, about a year and a half ago, I ordered a pair from Zenni.... nice glasses until about 3 months ago when the recliner mangled them during a particularly bad Jets loss and temper tantrum by yours truly.... oh well, back to the website.

Hank

 

[Zebo]

I think women in glasses are sexy - asked my wife please don't get the Lasik and was sure to point out all the risks and there are many. The risks are way understated because their is so much money being made.

 

[DrPizza]

bumpity for someone asking in OT

 

[szechuanpork]

anyone know where to get cheap exams?

 

[smage]

Cheap exams would scare me...

 

[gergever]

Cheap lasik would scare me, like those ads for $299 per eye on TV or the ads in the sunday paper. Has anyone had that done on the cheap?

 

[HomeAppraiser]

I'm still too chicken and not vain enough to try Lasik. A friend of mine made the trip to Canada for the $1,000 special and she still needs glasses!

She insists her eyesite is better, but why bother if you still NEED glasses?

 

[jolycu]

I ordered three pair from Zenni Optical back when this thread first started. Two of them were alright, but the third pair which were rimless, were garbage. The nose piece wasn't centered properly and came loose after a couple days. I called them and they had me return them and they said they would give me credit towards another pair. I waited and finally called them. They said they would check and call me back, which they never did. So I called them again a week later and they said they were investigating and would let me know. Never heard anything from them again, even though I sent several emails after that. I finally just gave up because it wasn't worth the aggrevation. So, if the pair you get are satisfactory, Great!, but if they aren't, don't expect anything in the way of service or warranties. :thumbsdown::thumbsdown::frown:

 

[FTLOSM]

My quick reply about 2 pairs I ordered thru http://zennioptical.com wayyy back when these deals were first mentioned.

Both scripts were current and in general for years have remained the same, but were current when ordered.

First pair - sunglasses for myself, just something to toss in the car for days I wore glasses and found it too bright.
These were ok but the frames were SUPER flimsy, and vision out of right eye was a bit weird, sorta as if the only clear vision I had was if i looked a bit to the right vs thru the center, one arm broke off within about 3 months so they ended up in the trash soon after.

Second pair - ordered at same time, was for my wife as a backup set of glasses, again recent script all confirmed before sending, glasses came frames were ok, lenses looked good (clean polished didnt look like $19 glasses actually spent like 35 for hers cuz we did thin lenses and antiglare etc), yet she couldn't see jack out of them clearly.

Spent about 5 days and numerous emails trying to get this corrected was told a new pair was coming on 2 different occasions, never got new pair. Figured it wasn't worth the time to keep trying to get replacements for hers and mine broke soon into owning them, so overall I would say it was a .5 out of 5 for our experience.

Other customers swore by this place so it may have just been a fluke, but for me its costco all the way, if it isn't right they go right back and they fix it...my last pair from Costco with thin lenses and glare/scratch resistant was just over $100 ok not super cheap but they still are together over a year later and everytime I walk into Costco they tighten them up, clean/check them for me etc etc.


YMMV and to those who did order thru Zenni and they came in good shape etc, congrats and enjoy the savings (not knocking them totally) just my experience with them was a washout and I lost about $60 on two pair of glasses.

Bill

 

[doze]

I ordered the $49 titanium frames from Optical 4 less a few months ago, got glasses in about 2 weeks. Frames are very nice and lightweight, standard lenses are thin, and they came with a hard case with a cleaning cloth. These glasses would have easily cost $150+ in any retail store.

I do not wear these glasses all day, just evenings or weekends when not wearing contacts so I had no problem buying online sight unseen.

 

[aswedc]

I spent about $35 at http://zennioptical.com/. The frame feels cheap, but it is light and the prescription seems to be right. I can't complain given the price. I'm going to try a rimless pair from http://optical4less.com/ now

 

[Budarow]

I really like the titanium pair (Model 3132) from Zenni. I bought 3 pairs (1 silver, 1 gold and 1 sunglasses). They're light, stylish, spot-on script and they passed the durability test. My 8-year son and I were rough-housing and he somehow pushed my specks up over my face and into my forehead (OUCH!) and over the top of my head. The hinge was bent pretty badly, but I just bent it back and they're good as new.


I paid a total of $129 for all three pairs which is ~$130 LESS than a single pair at the B and M stores.

 

[QuixoticOne]

I ordered a pair from 39dollarglasses.com, and I've been quite happy with them.
I wear a strong prescription, so I need the 1.66 high index material lenses,
which Zenni doesn't sell at all. Every retailer / site I checked charged a premium
for high index 1.66 lenses, and having a prescription as strong as mine
e.g. (-10.5 and several points of astigmatism cylinder too).

So I git the smallest lens size / widest frame size (139mm) of
39dollarglasses.com's "bendable titanium" frame, high index 1.66 lenses,
anti-reflection coating.

I used the fat wallet coupon / discount ordering link, and all told the order
came out to just under $200, which was sadly a lot higher than the $19 or $39
a lot of people with weak prescriptions can get glasses for, but, still, I think
the best and cheapest pair of glasses I can ever remember getting.

ALL of the local "glasses in about an hour" places told me that there was no
way they could make 1.66 index lenses to my prescription on-site, and that it'd
be a special order that'd take 2-5 weeks to arrive, and cost $300-$400 typically
for the pair.

39dollarglasses.com had my glasses in my hands less than a week after I placed
the order, the fastest and cheapest I've been able to get glasses due to my
prescription. So I'm pretty happy and would order from them again.

I just wish the price of the high index / prescription lenses would come down in
the overall marketplace to be comparable to the prices most people pay for
glasses. Also their frame selections were on the narrow side for me with most
being 129mm to 135mm wide, and really, 139mm fits fine, but anything less would
not work well for me personally. My old glasses were spacious with something
like 150mm width but 139 fits fine, and similarly I walk into a local lens crafters
or similar store and most of their frames are too narrow for me. Oh well.
I'm happy.

 

[smage]

Ordered a pair from Zenni (bendable titanium, silver, anti-reflective but otherwise standard lenses) and received them a little less than a month ago. They seem fine, if a little on the flimsy-seeming side. I was expecting something a little different from something called "bendable", but overall they seem like pretty decent glasses and the price was more than acceptable ($40 shipped). Now, if they break without cause before the end of the year, then I'll be less enthusiastic (previous pair is still going strong after almost 7 years of abuse; only reasons for the change were new lenses with slightly different prescription and updated style...7 years is a long time to wait on that last score; too long, I'm told).

 

[mortong]

I ordered a pair from Zenni Optical. Yeah, they're not the best pair I've ever had. Really, to all the people ripping them, I have one questions: Why? They cost $20. Good glasses cost $150 or more. They work for what they are: a decent backup for emergencies/nights after I take out my contacts.

So they're not the best glasses ever, so what? At $20, they're almost disposable.

 

[EagleEye]

Originally posted by: morting
I ordered a pair from Zenni Optical. Yeah, they're not the best pair I've ever had. Really, to all the people ripping them, I have one questions: Why? They cost $20. Good glasses cost $150 or more. They work for what they are: a decent backup for emergencies/nights after I take out my contacts.

So they're not the best glasses ever, so what? At $20, they're almost disposable.

I just order 2 pair from Optical4Less (free shipping when you order 2), and I love them. I lost my glasses a few months ago (I wear contacts), but these are great for when my eyes are strained late at night or for the weekend when I'm lazy. They are great quality and I would highly recommend them!

 

[morkus64]

PSA: Zenni, along with others ask you if you want an anti-reflective coating and if you want a tint, so keep the following in mind:

Many optical retailers will lighten or darken the tint for you... often they'll even do it for free, but if you have the anti-reflective coating it becomes a lot harder. They have to strip the AR coating, and if an unexperienced technician tries it, they can mess it up.

I'm not sure, but i believe they'll also do an AR coating for you, so i'd recommend getting plain lenses online, and getting coatings done in store where you can have much more control.