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posted August 19, 2008 6:43 AM PDT

Online Glasses roundup

So here's the rundown of the whole experience:

Eye Doctor

I went back to the place I bought my last pair of glasses from to get my vision checked again, and find out what my pupillary distance (PD) was. Found out that my vision only changed slightly in my right eye, and that my left eye was exactly the same. The second I asked for my PD, they asked if I was going to buy glasses online. I said I might. They told me that I would get what I paid for. Considering that the glasses that I paid $350 just two years ago were completely fucked (anti-reflective coating coming off both lenses, and finish coming off frame), and that they started to get fucked only a year after I got them, I was willing to take the risk. If a $40 or $50 pair of glasses only lasts me a year, I'm still way ahead. So I showed them my glasses, and told them that I got them there only two years ago. They didn't say shit after that.

Pair #1

Ordered from 39dollarglasses.com on July 19th. Total cost: $39.50. The glasses arrived on July 25th.

This website allows you to print out full-size pictures of the frames so you can cut them out and see what they look like. That was really helpful, actually. I had printed out a few and finally settled on a pair of black-rimmed plastic glasses. I have a wide head, and needed something with a front distance of 138mm or greater. The selection in that size is limited. But all in all, when they showed up, I was very impressed by the quality, considering the price. The prescription was dead on, although having the large black frame in my field of vision took some getting used to. And they're nowhere near as heavy as I thought they would be. Plastic glasses have come a long way.

Still, I've always been a wire-rim guy... so that's why I ordered:

Pair #2

Ordered from Goggles4u.com on July 19th. Total cost: $50.10. The glasses arrived on Monday.

This website has the largest selection of any of the online places. They also seem to offer more options for the lenses than anybody else, with three choices for index, and a ton of choices for lens materials and coatings. I opted for the thinnest index with the standard coating.

The glasses shipped on July 28th. I should have received them 8 days later at the most. I didn't get them until 21 days later. Last week I had contacted them, and they said "Please wait two more days." So I did. Two days later, no glasses... So I contact them again "Please wait two more days." Uh...

So, by Monday I was determined not to take the "Please wait" response again. If I didn't have the glasses when I got home, I was going to demand a refund. Lo and behold, they glasses are there when I get to the house. Upon first inspection, the frames aren't necessarily poor quality, but are constructed very strangely. The lenses are held into the frame with tabs, instead of being seated into the rims. Also, the lenses weren't cut very precise, and there's actually a gap between the frame and the lenses near the bridge.

So then I put them on. Ouch. They completely fucked the prescription in my left eye. Now remember, this was the eye that didn't change at all. This is how I knew that my first pair was correct, because both left lenses were the exact same. So take them off and take a closer look at the lenses, and notice that the left one has a HUGE warp in it. The store has a policy of offering refund or replacement in the event of messing up the prescription. so I contact them, and they want me to take the glasses to an eye doctor to have them check the prescription... something I might have to pay for. Fuck that, there's obviously a defect in the lens. So I just reversed the charge. Problem solved.

So at the end of the day, I have one pair of glasses that cost me $40 that I'm completely satisfied with. I did have to go through some bullshit with that other pair, but in the end it only cost me time. Would I do it again? Definitely... but I'll be going back to the first place this time.

last updated August 19, 2008 7:16 AM PDT