Online glasses ordering

[ld13]

The difference between 1.67 and 1.6 HRI is so small and is a waste of money depending on the script.

 

[bar1]

The difference between 1.67 and 1.6 HRI is so small and is a waste of money depending on the script.

Ok thanks, didn't know....it was the only option for me on smartglasses.

 

[bar1]

Cool. I am also considering my options at the moment.
eyebuydirect has some specials currently. They also have some good designer brands, although not as great as SmartBuy
Zenni has some nice styles at very reasonable prices.

Thats why i ended up getting 2 (still cheaper then 1 pair at specs savers).

1) Branded, transition, for every day use
2) Sunglasses with cool little engraving, and a protector for cycling

 

[Guest 290922]

I won't trust buying prescriptions online. Probably depends on how complex your prescription is. However, my Adidas A682 frame's wire broke and my normal Mellins branch couldn't help me. I went to Torga basically in an emergency and they replaced the "fishing line" for free.

I owe it to them to buy my next frame and lenses from them. Think about the last time you had to buy specs. They really don't make much a pair and it's not something you buy daily. Its basically the same predicament faced by motorcycle dealerships. They don't make much and the people who buy it want to be treated like kings.

You aren't just paying for the specs, you pay for peace of mind that if something goes wrong you have someone close you can rely on when you need them.

Please reconsider buying online make it your last resort.

Please some advice
I couldn't find a replacement frame for my Adidas A682. I don't like any of these in house brand specs. However have found a sunglasses shaped frame I really like.

Is there any reason not to go for a sunglasses shaped frame for your daily driver?

Any pros or cons I should be aware of?

 

[Guest 290922]

I am actually trying to change from Transitions XTRActive to Transitions Gen8, i think i made a mistake by getting the XTRActive ....lets see.

I've decided against transitions and will rather opt for a second pair of polarized in the same frame. I am scared of all the talk about fading and 3 year life span?

 

[AstroTurf]

The Optical industry is a huge money spinner, profit margins are insane

I was quoted over R4k for my latest pair and "free frames"
I got the cheapest pair they had as intern solution, fixed my old frame up and gave it to a person I know that makes lenses for a living, he charged me R300 for both the lenses and putting them back into my frame (anti scratch, anti glare, ARC and transitions).

 

[bar1]

I got a tracking number from Zenni, it's en route to my aramax address in new York.

 

[Kadz]

So I bit the bullet and ordered 2 branded pairs from eyebuydirect.com

I had the items in my cart for some time, waiting for a decent discount code.
Eventually they sent me one - 30% on Frames and 50% on the Lenses.
So was a decent deal.

Their premium lens options can be quite expensive for the transitions options, so I opted for the cheaper standard photo-chromatic with water repellent coatings and a 1.6 high index lens.
The difference between 1.6 and 1.67 index is negligible IMHO and not worth the extra cost of 30$.

The 1.74 was not an option, but would have been great, however I would guess that the pricing would have made it unattractive considering the price difference a 1.6 and 1.67

The lenses worked out to a minimum of 50% less compared to the premium Transitions options with a 1.6 index

Used Aramex Global Shopper as the forwarding agent.
Waiting to see how the experience is and the costs involved.

Will keep you updated.

There should not be any extra duty costs involved except for the standard delivery charges.
As per SARS - Import Duties PDF

 

[Lebseven]

Ordered from eyebuydirect, shipping via aramex global shopper. Still waiting only paid R269 for shipping so far I haven't received any customs invoices. I went with eyebuydirect cause apparently zenni enhancement coating don't last that long and are of poor quality. I took two cheap frames 1 with anti scratch and reflective coating and the other with anti scratch and reflecting coating plus polarized lenses. Total was $81 used my welcome discount and paid $61.

Most Recent:
Under processing at operations facility
️2022-05-26 10:16:00
O.R Tambo International Airport, South Africa

Shipment Update
️2022-05-24 11:19:00
Sandton, South Africa
——————————————
Shipment charges paid
️2022-05-23 22:31:00
——————————————
Departed Operations facility – In Transit
️2022-05-23 16:02:00
New York, United States
——————————————
Record created.
️2022-05-19 10:39:00
New York, United States
——————————————
Received at Origin Facility
️2022-05-19 10:39:00
New York, United States

• Shipped​

  • May 16 , 2022, 08:59 pm
    Tracking number will be provided 24h after shipping.
• 
  
  

  Almost done​

  • May 10 , 2022, 02:32 am
    The final touches are being added to your order.
• 
  
  

  Replacement​

  • May 08 , 2022, 11:27 am
    If you have any questions, please call our Customer Service at 1-855-393-2891

• In progress​

  • May 06 , 2022, 05:45 pm
    We’re still working on your order — each pair is custom-made for your eyes only.
• 
  
  

  Order placed​

  • May 06 , 2022, 06:05 am
    Order received.

*2 days after placing my order I decided to change one frame, maybe that is why they took a bit longer to be shipped.

Received my glasses on the 1st of June, only paid customs vat and clearance. I'm very happy with the two pairs. Would do it again myb this time around not use aramex.

 

[Kadz]

Received my glasses on the 1st of June, only paid customs vat and clearance. I'm very happy with the two pairs. Would do it again myb this time around not use aramex.

What was the issue with aramex?

 

[Lebseven]

What was the issue with aramex?

If you dnt call and make follow up your parcel won't move.

 

[Kadz]

If you dnt call and make follow up your parcel won't move.

Thanks for the heads up

 

[bar1]

Update on my side:
smartbuyglasses - Shipped this morning (aramex)
zenni - Delivered to aramex new york yesterday afternoon

 

[Kadz]

Update on my side:
smartbuyglasses - Shipped this morning (aramex)
zenni - Delivered to aramex new york yesterday afternoon

Keep us updated on the experience with Aramex

 

[ld13]

I won't trust buying prescriptions online. Probably depends on how complex your prescription is. However, my Adidas A682 frame's wire broke and my normal Mellins branch couldn't help me.
(snip)
Please some advice
Is there any reason not to go for a sunglasses shaped frame for your daily driver?

Their ability to fix the nylon depends on a handful of factors e.g. having the correct tools or a lab on-site. While we did not have the tools on-site, we could, pre-covid, time the courier to have it back same-day from our external lab, and as a blanket rule never charged the client anything unless our lab 'charged' us. This all depended on how complex of a fix it was. For most of the normal Adidas frames (with no abnormal nylon fittings) with a stock standard prescription etc, this was a painless fix. Sometimes we were even able to fix it on the spot, if the nylon simply slipped/popped out. With non-balanced prescriptions or high astigmatism scripts, this was not always the case.

But then things gets complicated with your edge cases. So if we got a frame/lens, clearly worn and battered, or where the is a chip on the lens stemming from the nylon groove we had to start thinking 'if you touch it, you own it'. Most of the time neither us or the lab would want to touch the riskier jobs, as if it breaks the client would blame us, no matter what indemnity we made them sign. Sure we made the exception here and there, but it always risky.

Ignoring normal wear and tear, there is of course a higher risk tolerance if the frame and lens were 'ours', and were not sourced externally (or online), as we were semi-covered under some of the insurance policies if 'we' broke something during a repair or we were able to source replacement items reasonably quickly.

RE: Sunglasses as a daily driver
No massive issues here, unless the frame is not scriptable, has a high wrap angle or if you have high script/astigmatism paired with e.g. a small PD (distance between the eyes) - various combinations of this can cause issues with the one lens being much heavier than the other or the lab being forced to source a bigger diameter stock lens to accommodate your specific script, in the specific frame.

It is these, and things like lens abbe values (thinner lenses are NOT always better, optically) that 'online' will never be able to compete with. We adjust the script based on not just the specific design of lens being used, but also actual testing of the lenses in the practice.

But hey, if you have a stock standard script, with a PD that is generic, and your eyes are fairly equidistant with your nose, go for it! Maybe visit the optom every 5/10 years after ~40 though for a proper health check? More regularly if you are diabetic. But find a proper one that does not simply stick you behind a machine. Find one that knows his prisms, does retinoscopy properly, meaning that the optom can build you a script with zero feedback from you by simply gauging the reaction of your eyes and seeing how they react as the script is changed.

 

[Guest 290922]

Their ability to fix the nylon depends on a handful of factors e.g. having the correct tools or a lab on-site. While we did not have the tools on-site, we could, pre-covid, time the courier to have it back same-day from our external lab, and as a blanket rule never charged the client anything unless our lab 'charged' us. This all depended on how complex of a fix it was. For most of the normal Adidas frames (with no abnormal nylon fittings) with a stock standard prescription etc, this was a painless fix. Sometimes we were even able to fix it on the spot, if the nylon simply slipped/popped out. With non-balanced prescriptions or high astigmatism scripts, this was not always the case.

But then things gets complicated with your edge cases. So if we got a frame/lens, clearly worn and battered, or where the is a chip on the lens stemming from the nylon groove we had to start thinking 'if you touch it, you own it'. Most of the time neither us or the lab would want to touch the riskier jobs, as if it breaks the client would blame us, no matter what indemnity we made them sign. Sure we made the exception here and there, but it always risky.

Ignoring normal wear and tear, there is of course a higher risk tolerance if the frame and lens were 'ours', and were not sourced externally (or online), as we were semi-covered under some of the insurance policies if 'we' broke something during a repair or we were able to source replacement items reasonably quickly.

RE: Sunglasses as a daily driver
No massive issues here, unless the frame is not scriptable, has a high wrap angle or if you have high script/astigmatism paired with e.g. a small PD (distance between the eyes) - various combinations of this can cause issues with the one lens being much heavier than the other or the lab being forced to source a bigger diameter stock lens to accommodate your specific script, in the specific frame.

It is these, and things like lens abbe values (thinner lenses are NOT always better, optically) that 'online' will never be able to compete with. We adjust the script based on not just the specific design of lens being used, but also actual testing of the lenses in the practice.

But hey, if you have a stock standard script, with a PD that is generic, and your eyes are fairly equidistant with your nose, go for it! Maybe visit the optom every 5/10 years after ~40 though for a proper health check? More regularly if you are diabetic. But find a proper one that does not simply stick you behind a machine. Find one that knows his prisms, does retinoscopy properly, meaning that the optom can build your a script with zero feedback from you by simply gauging the reaction of your eyes and seeing how they react as the script is changed.

Thanks for the detailed response. I am afraid my script could be incompatible I really hope it's within range but I remember even getting contact lenses in my script was challenging. My lenses are very thick on the rim.

The nylon has been repaired but the frame has broken. Not actual photo.

This is probably repairable but I am as blind as bat so can't go without it. So will have to get a new frame and lenses.

I am looking at the Torga Mission 7 frame. It looks awesome but does have limitations.



I wish I can get one of those Jedi optometrists you speak of, I have tendency to make the letters smaller in my quest to increase clarity. Feel previous optoms have allowed me to go to strong in my script.

 

[bar1]

well thats quick:

 

[killerbyte]

I am looking to order specs from Oakley with their new Prizm Gaming lenses (since I am in front of a screen 12-16 hours a day. The cost is crazy... with frames and single prescription lenses my bill will be R8k.

 

[bar1]

Latest update:
Specs savers took 15 day, not too bad.
Zenni, aramex global allocated the parcel and processing it from NY to SA
smartbuy: in SA

So far no notification of tax/vat payment.

 

[Lebseven]

Let us know what the total damages are? And if you get a customs bill

Shipping R239
Import charges R277
Cost of the glasses $80 l

Explain more on the poor quality from Zenni
From what I read on reddit people complained about the poor quality of coating (arc, Transition and polarized) more especially the transition that it didn't last long.