DerekMartin.ca

• 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: [caption id=”attachment_1042” align=”aligncenter” width=”540” caption=”#7324, #7024, #3833”][/caption] 1. a pair of #7324. I chose to have black rims instead of the default silver ones. These will be my regular indoor glasses. 2. a pair of #7024. I upgraded the lenses to polycarbonate high-impact resistance. These will be my biking/sports/driving/workshop glasses. 3. 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? 1. They don’t pay for or sell brand name frames or designs. 2. They design all of the glasses they sell 3. They manufacture all of the glasses they sell 4. They have no retail-space costs 5. There are no middleman to increase the cost. They sell direct to us. 6. 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!

Comments from my old blog:

Juan said: I think these glasses are manufactured overseas, which is why they’re cheap. at 2010-03-10 19:26:54

(Derek)[http://www.derekmartin.ca] said: Betcha $100 that Lenscrafters’ glasses are also manufactured overseas. Maybe even in a factory next door to Zenni’s factory (which is in China). Also, remember this: in a global economy, cheap no longer means low-quality. My $20.00 printer ink from Hong Kong is just as good as the $240.00 printer ink that Best Buy tried to sell me. Inexpensive might be a better descriptor. at 2010-03-10 19:50:59

VK said: I’ll wait for your second part before even considering this :) at 2010-03-10 21:32:11

cK said: Clearly Contacts also has great deals on their glasses. Last year I payed $25 for a pair of Calvin Klein and a pair of Armani glasses with lenses, shipping included. They have good deals on once in a while and brand name frames, so check them out sometime too. at 2010-03-12 16:20:49

(Sarah Coles)[http://contactlensesmall.com/] said: Thanks CK. That’s indeed a great deal to have. :) at 2011-06-07 09:10:23