Caveat emptor - eyeglasses edition - cheap isn’t always a bargain

The Coffee Shop
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I got 2 pairs of prescription glasses this year. The first, swanky titanium aviators from Roka. Super light. Excellent lenses. And titanium. I dig them. My wife - not so much. She vacillates between saying they make me look like a serial killer, pedo or needy engineer type (but not a sexy nerd).

So of course I got a second pair. But I used my vision insurance all ready. This pair would be all out of pocket.

I landed on a cool pair of chunky black Oakley Bat Flips - stupid name, cool glasses. She likes me in chunky black glasses. Cost at the optometrist was $400ish depending on lenses.

Via the Googles, I found a company selling the Oakleys with prescription lenses for the same price as the frame alone from the optician. Score!

I order them. $210 out of pocket.

First problem. They took 6 weeks to arrive.

Second problem. The lenses. The prescription is correct. But the lenses - meh. So cheap. Bad glare. Thick. Just low quality.

Lesson learned. I’m going to have a good set of lenses retrofitted.

This little optical experiment in frugality is going to end up costing the same in dollars and more in time.

Any others suffer similar fates from being cheap on the front end but paying the price on the back end?

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I’ve worn glasses full time since I was 8. Cheaping out on glasses - rookie mistake.

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Very much so. I got sucked in by the algo which placed this company’s ad at the top of the search.

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Ohhh good to know. I’m turning 41 next week and shits going downhill. Dry eyes and I need a prescription. It’s not a strong one but I figured why not listen to the docs and grab a pair.

My friend has Roka’s and likes them (the prescription ones). I’ve been trying to figure out where to go. I think we get good coverage with my wife’s insurance: now when she tells me a certain pair is unnecessary I can show her your post.

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Rokas are great. I have 2 current pair (the aforementioned unloved-by-my-wife aviators) and prescription sunglasses; my previous 3-4 pairs of glasses have all been Rokas. Solid customer service; good prices compared to local optician. I got the Oakleys from an online company called EZContacts. I would not recommend; the Oakleys are solid, the lenses are cheap.

Roka Bartons were my go-to glasses for a few years. I have one pair I use as backups (old prescription).

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Zenni.

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I have had the opposite experience.

I used my health fund annual allowance on contacts. I lost my glasses which I wear for a few hours at night after taking my contacts out.

I ordered the cheapest frames with the cheapest lens, online and they arrived within a week.

I haven’t noticed any difference between the expensive glasses I had and the new cheap pair.

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Loosely related.

Vision insurance coverage isn’t much. But every enrollment period I realize I never use it. So is it a bargain after paying all these years?

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My experience is the opposite. I’ve worn glasses for 50 years. Bifocals with progressive lenses. I order online from Payne Glasses. Both clear and sunglasses. High quality. Easier experience.

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As a LEO you should have access to Oakley Standard Issue. Prices are typically 40-50% off what you’d pay at a retail place.

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I use mine to the Max every year. But I wear contacts so it pays for that. I’ve had the same pair of glasses for years, and I only wear them between the bathroom and bed.

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I forgot about Standard Issue.

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Every two years… go to optometrist and get eye exam and script. Go to Oakley SI and buy new glasses and sunglasses for half price.

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First, the disclaimers; I’m not an optometrist, I don’t work for EZContacts, and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn last night…

Having said that, after last year’s optician’s appointment, where $300 frames went up to about $600 with lenses, I decided to see what else was out there. I’ve been very impressed with EZContacts. I’ve ordered about 4-5 pairs from them, mostly Oakleys.

The frames are typically discounted from $200+ to ~$130. You need to have your prescription, including PD. You also need to make sure that you choose the same lens material (i.e., the same level of high index lens) when comparing what your optician sold you. They have a wide range of lens treatments, but I’ve never been happy with the anti-reflection or transition coatings, so I just avoid them all. I honestly can’t tell the difference between the frames and lenses that I order from the full service optician and those from EZContacts.

The frames, lenses, and delivery are typically around $230, and they show up in about a week with no rush delivery.

I have also used Zenni for reading glasses, and they’re good enough. However, even though EZContacts would be double what I would pay for Zennis, I think that the actual price difference vs the named-brand frames means that I won’t be ordering from Zenni again.

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My experience was somewhat less satisfying.but the price was less than half from my eye doctor’s office.

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only been buying glasses for sixty years, but have never had decent glasses from the cheap providers. I think this is because I have astigmatism and strong prescriptions, the cheap places don’t fit the glasses as such so the PD, BVD, and vertical alignment of the lenses are never quite right.
The only accurately made prescription glasses I’ve ever had are from my optician directly, fitted by them, and cost $800-1000 per pair these days.
The frames and lenses from online are as good quality as my optician’s, but the fitting and prescription are never right.

So for daily running etc I have a cheap pair of sunglasses which are mostly OK, for racing I have a pair of Rudy Project with inserts to hold my prescription lenses, filled by the optician. Since I don’t wear these much, they will probably see me out..

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That’s a good point. I also have an astigmatism and a +4.

The new Oakleys are mostly fine and my wife likes how they look, but I don’t like the “feel” of the lenses or glare.

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Pair from Costco with transition lenses were just over $100 before insurance and they work great for me. Costco doesn’t do sports glasses, so I looked into a pair of Tifosi prescription glasses as from what I heard they were the lowest cost brand name. The total price with bells and whistles (anti-fog transition) was around $300. I would go with that, but I couldn’t find a pair that would fit my wide head and narrow beady eyes. As in my PD was too small for the frame that fits my head.

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