Cheap Eye Glasses Part 2
Ula and I were sitting on the couch and I said "I wish it was 1 week shipping instead of 2.5 weeks". Then Ula said "Who's pulling into our driveway?" I'm not even kidding. It was DHL shipping with my glasses. Jung called it synchronicity, and it's awesome.
Anyway, yes, they are here, and I love them.
They're all exactly what I wanted, except slightly nicer looking in person than on the site.
Don't just take my word for it, though. Watch my video so you can see them... then get your butt over to http://www.ZenniOptical.com and order some prescription tinted lenses for summertime 
Cheap Eye Glasses Part 1
I bought my current pair of glasses at the Toronto Eaton Centre's Lenscrafters store in 2003. They're light, stylish, and I've never seen anyone else wearing a similar pair. Of course, they did cost $420 Cdn. OUCH!
Fast forward to 2007... I came across a website called http://www.ZenniOptical.com, which promised to sell me cheap high-quality glasses. I didn't need new glasses at the time, so I forgot about it.
Recently, the rubber nosepiece broke off my glasses, leaving the metal bit exposed, and digging into my nost. I had an eye exam a few months ago, and got a new prescription, but never bothered buying the glasses, because these ones were working just fine... but not any more.
So today, I went onto http://www.ZenniOptical.com and found about 18 pairs that I liked! It took me a while, but I eventually narrowed it down to 3 pairs, which are all approximately the same size as my current pair, so I know they'll fit my head/face. The key measurements Zenni Optical displays for every pair of glasses on their site are:
- Lens width: 53mm (from the left to right side of one lens)
- Lens height: 25mm (from the top to bottom of one lens)
- Bridge: 15mm (from the middle of one nosepad to the other)
- Frame width: 130mm (from outside edge-to-edge of the frame's front)
- Temple length: 145mm (distance between the arms at your temples)
The actual measurements above are the ones I made on my own glasses using a ruler. It took 2 seconds to do. You can also search their site by "pupillary distance", which is the most important thing when buying glasses. It's the distance from the centre of one pupil to the other, and it is written on every prescription, sometimes abbreviated as PD. If it's not on your prescription, call your eye doctor. They have it on file, and they must give it to you. It is part of the prescription you paid for. This measurement is constant for your entire life, so once you know it, just write it down somewhere safe so you have it for next time. Mine is 65mm.
I tried to decide which one to buy, and then decided to just buy all 3 pairs, for 3 different purposes. Think I'm being EXTRAVAGANT? Just keep reading...
I ordered:
#7324, #7024, #3833
- a pair of #7324. I chose to have black rims instead of the default silver ones. These will be my regular indoor glasses.
- a pair of #7024. I upgraded the lenses to polycarbonate high-impact resistance. These will be my biking/sports/driving/workshop glasses.
- a pair of #3833. I upgraded the lenses so they turn from clear to dark grey outdoors. These will be my indoor/outdoor/travel glasses, great for at the cottage.
All 3 pairs have UV protection, and anti-reflective coating.
So, how much did they cost?
$34.90, $39.90, and $36.90.
My total was $126.65 for all 3 pair, including shipping.
All with UV protection & anti-glare, and with 2 of the 3 pair having upgraded lenses. That's just over one quarter of the cost of my current pair of glasses, for three pair!
If $34.90 is still too expensive, don't worry, Zenni offers glasses starting at $8/pair, including frames, lenses, and UV-protection. Frickin' crazy.
How can Zenni be so cheap?
- They don't pay for or sell brand name frames or designs.
- They design all of the glasses they sell
- They manufacture all of the glasses they sell
- They have no retail-space costs
- There are no middleman to increase the cost. They sell direct to us.
- They have no advertising budget, relying solely on word-of-mouth.
To me, the fact that they rely on their reputation to do their selling is the best guarantee that their glasses will be high quality. They need us to say good things about them, so they need to make us happy.
Mine should arrive within 2 weeks, at which point I'll post Part 2 of this review/experiment. I'm so excited!