Through October 28th, Coastal.com (aka Coastal Contacts) is offering a free pair of glasses with coupon code BENFREE (new customers only). Excludes some frames; shipping and handling is around $5 to $16. Includes the frame and standard 1.5 index lenses. Now receive an additional 10% off any lens upgrade and coatings with same code.
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I just ordered a pair with just the upgrade to 1.57 lenses - order came to $28.70 due to the $18.75 upgrade in lenses and shipping. I am most curious about the frame quality,
By contrast, Zenni Optical offers the same 1.57 lenses at no charge, has UV protection, includes a scratch resistant coating and only charges $4.95 shipping.
Clearly the polycarbonate lenses and lens coatings are a money maker for Coastal that may kill the deal.
Last pair I received from the same deal were high quality, though one of the screw-on silicone nose pads was broken. They offered that I could either ship the pair back or send them the bill from a local shop to replace the pad, but it wasn't worth the time as I found 25 pairs on eBay for $2.
Ultimately I need to replace a pair of glasses I've had for years that have titanium frames (have held up very well) and varilux progressive lenses. My prescription has changed a bit, and the old lenses are in horrible condition as the scratch resistant/anti-reflective coating has worn out and they are a scratched mess. I paid $700 for those glasses (including eye exam and polarized magnetic clip-ons) but can't pay that now - money is too tight.
So I am trying here and there to check quality as what I want will still be close to $200 on line from, say 39dollarglasses (who seems to have higher grade products).
Meanwhile I am living with a pair of single vision glasses I just received from Zenni.... $15 delivered. Not the most impressive looking, but the lenses are excellent. I have single vision sunglasses coming from Zenni too
So I am trying here and there to check quality as what I want will still be close to $200 on line from, say 39dollarglasses (who seems to have higher grade products).
Meanwhile I am living with a pair of single vision glasses I just received from Zenni.... $15 delivered. Not the most impressive looking, but the lenses are excellent. I have single vision sunglasses coming from Zenni too
There are a couple things you can do. One, get some plastic polish (assuming they are plastic lenses) and get out as many scratches as possible from the old pair, then you have a beater pair of glasses for use where you might scratch them up.
When ordering glasses online, order one pair with the expensive lenses and one pair of single vision or zero RX so you have a spare frame you can swap the lenses to if one frame gets damaged.
I wouldn't really want to categorize which products are higher grade though, rather which company has the specific frames you want. The Ti frames on 39dollarglasses look optimized more for light weight than durability, the same as on Coastal.
You have to be careful when ordering no-line bifocals (aka progressive addition lenses) on line. An accurate monocular PD and appropiate seg. height is essential for you to get your money's worth. Varilux is a good brand, but many less expensive brands are quite competitive as long as they're paired with an appropriate frame and measured perfectly.
The plastic polish suggestion is a waste of time and money.
I don't think 39dollarglasses stuff is of any better quality than coastal. They're just better marketers. You, for example, are going to pay $200.00 for 39dollarglasses, Those guys are good.
Lots of good deals online for single vision glasses. For progressives, its much riskier proposition. But who knows, you could hit it right. I think they have some satisfaction guaranteed policy, or something.
Thanks for the input, I really appreciate it.
There is a big difference between the single vision 1.57 lenses I received from Zenni and the varilux lenses I have been wearing. With the varilux, vision through them is like wearing contacts (which I used to wear for decades) - no "sweet spot" and absolute minimal optical distortion. However the varilux lenses are, for lack of a better term, not as clear.
I do have a new prescription with a correct PD, and have become used to the slight optical distortion of the cheap Zenni lenses... I've had MUCH worse from costly local optometrists.
I'd like to know what makes the varilux product special, as indeed there are other up-market makers of lenses that surely offer the same properties.
The plastic polish suggestion is a waste of time and money.
It wasn't for me. The idea here is not that it completely restores the glasses to a state where you'd want to wear them every day, only to have a pair to wear when you're doing something that might scratch them, sparing the new pair from scratches.
Interestingly, polycarbonate (mid-index) lenses like the 1.57 Zenni's have a lot of chromatic aberration which is likely the "optical distortion" to which you refer. The cheapest plastic lenses (CR-39)) actually are optically superior to 1.57 and they don't scratch as easily. They are, sadly, thicker and not as impact resistant.
Lens edge thickness increases exponentially with Rx strength.
Thanks again for your input. When I look closely to my old varilux lenses, they are marked 5 I suspect that is the index of the lenses. the optometrist selected a frame where the lens itself was rather small... there is a distance of 15mm between the outer edge of each lens and the temple in the style we selected. They truly knew what they were doing. Mind you, my correction is -3.5 and -3.75.
Unfortunately here I am, in the dreaded "college educated white male over 50" baby boomer group, and unemployed - money is too tight for "good glasses", and I'll even work around the need for bifocals for now.
Oh, I tried to polish one of the varilux lenses with a fine plastic polish a while back. Ruined it completely. That is what forced me into a new eye exam and then my original order from Zenni.
(edit) I noticed that numbers with a decimal point have not posted correctly. The index of the varilux lenses appear to be 1 point 5. My correction is minus 3 point 50 and minus 3 point 75.
^ What happened, the polished lens ended up foggy? I've had that happen when using too coarse a polish but the fog went away when I went back over them with a finer polish. I should mention I polish by hand not using a high speed tool as that may heat the lens too much. Also if the lenses are coated then the entire surface needs polished until the coating is gone to look uniform. I take the lens out of the frame to do this so the frame surface color isn't polished away.
What happened to me was that they scratched even more (ouch!). I recall when they were new, they repelled water very well - I nearly always washed them in water using just a drop of detergent.
However as they aged, that water repelling aspect went away, and I found myself needing to gently wipe them dry. Over time, they developed fine scratches on the face side only. Minor as they were, those scratches caught overhead light and was really bothersome to wear.
I used a very gentle plastic polish, and a very soft cloth - and carefully rubbed one of the lenses. That killed it! I suspect that whatever the Varilux lenses are made of, they require a scratch resistant coating to protect the lens material itself. Apparently I've worn it off through years of use.
They were my first bifocals, and I liked them well enough to slowly go away from contacts - so they have served me well.
The "5" you see is either a "2" or is preceded by a "2." It indicates the power of the bifocal in the language of opticianry. You'll notice the opposite lens has the same number. If you look very closely, you'll see a symbol above the number which identifies the brand of lens. Note, your looking at the outside of the lens, that is the part not facing your eye while wearing them. Your myopia is a blessing in disguise as it allows you to see these details better than most people of your advanced age. (ha ha)
Ever consider lined bifocals? I know, I know your parents wore those. That's what they all say.
Here's what you do:
Go to Sprawlmart. I can't freaking stand that place, but bear with me.
Say "I want the $58.00 lined bifocals."
They'll say "You can upgrade to no-lines for a few dollars more."
You say "No, your progressives are crap"
They'll say " Based on your Rx we recommend No-Glare coating"
You say " No thank you, your AR coat is crap."
They'll say " We stongly recommend a thinner, lighter polycarb lens"
You say, "no just give me a small frame. That'll minimize the edge thickness."
They'll say "Would you like them to change color out side?
No, Just give me the $58.00 lined bifocals!!
They'll measure the seg height and PD. The glasses are returnable for 100% refund.
You'll have good vision and won't have to do anything weird like remove your glasses during a job interview to read something. Sprawl-Mart glasses are worth $58.00 but not a penny more. Their add-ons are terrible.
Hey Dave c: I think you are actually just removing the lens coating. They sell stuff for that. Most "scratches" are actually imperfections in the AR coating.
^ I've had both AR coating scratches, and deeper ones, though on one pair they didn't start out with an AR coating at all and were gouged by metal I was grinding when I was too lazy to grab for safety goggles.