Zenni optical questions

[pontifex]

I want to get a pair of prescription sunglasses and I guess this is the cheapest place to do it.

I'm confused on what to select for prescription & lens type and how do I make them sunglasses? I see tint levels but I'm not sure that's what I want though as the only viable option seems to be Gray and that just doesn't sound right.

I might order a pair of regular glasses from them as well, for a backup pair.
I have my prescription so that part is taken care of, just not sure what to select as mentioned above.

 

[shortylickens]

Grey is fine for making them like normal sunglasses. Just get the darkest you can.
Lens type, go cheap and get basic glass.

They are so cheap I got 3 pairs of regular backups and two shaded backups.

I love them.

 

[nakedfrog]

80% grey is pretty decent, I have a pair of those. I actually like them better than my old sunglasses that were brown, and probably closer to 50%.

 

[preCRT]

Grey is fine for making them like normal sunglasses. Just get the darkest you can.
Lens type, go cheap and get basic glass.

They are so cheap I got 3 pairs of regular backups and two shaded backups.

I love them.

The glass isn't glass.



OP, if you aren't sure, get a pair of clear glasses with 'clip on' sunshades.

 

[pontifex]

is there a way to search for frames by measurements?

I have the measurements from my current glasses and they fit great.

 

[shortylickens]

The glass isn't glass.

Can I assume you havent actually been to the website?

 

[pontifex]

well fuck zenni optical

got my glasses today - first thing I notice is that they sent the WRONG FRAME. Then the frame is flimsy as hell. But these are sunglasses and won't get used a whole lot and the frame is ok, just not what i ordered. So i'm like I can live with this...until I put them on.

Either my eye doctor or Zenni (I'm gonna go with Zenni) fucked up the prescription because everything is blurry as hell. Guess this is what happens when you try to save some money...

At this point I can't recommend Zenni at all.

 

[dr150]

Well, Zenni optical does loads of business so it's obvious they sent you the wrong glasses. Fix the issue up with Customer Service.

Still, you get what you pay for. Caveat Emptor (buyer beware).

For my RX glasses, I went thru Serengeti, who uses Zeiss Labs(!!) for the wrap sunglasses. State of the art sunglasses with every bell and whistle cost me $320. It would have been $75 less without polarization. An amazing deal considering the quality, price, and technology used (Lenscrafters could never come close to duplicating this anywhere near the price or quality).

 

[ponyo]

Sorry to hear that. I got my last pair from Zenni the past week. Perfect fit. This is my 3rd pair from them and all have been perfect. I broke the first pair and lost the 2nd pair at a water park. The $20 Zenni glasses fit me better than my $200 glasses from Costco. I use Costco pair as backup. I don't see myself buying expensive stateside glasses ever again.

 

[shortylickens]

Sorry about that.
They've been good for me every time. 4 glasses and 3 shades and 1 goggles.
Dunno why you had issues.

coastalcontacts is supposed to be even better but they charge a little more. Good luck.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Not cheap but:

Costco Kirkla Italian frames + Polarized lenses = $130 - $140

My optometrist who does not sell frames, only does exams - said the online glasses places do an OK job but fuck up your prescription quite often.

 

[AndroidVageta]

Well, Zenni optical does loads of business so it's obvious they sent you the wrong glasses. Fix the issue up with Customer Service.

Still, you get what you pay for. Caveat Emptor (buyer beware).

For my RX glasses, I went thru Serengeti, who uses Zeiss Labs(!!) for the wrap sunglasses. State of the art sunglasses with every bell and whistle cost me $320. It would have been $75 less without polarization. An amazing deal considering the quality, price, and technology used (Lenscrafters could never come close to duplicating this anywhere near the price or quality).

Hell yeah, I use Serengeti too...non-prescription (I have contacts) but for the price, IMHO, they are the best sunglasses ever. For $100-$120 at Walmart (they sell them there) you can get the quality, comfort, and tech of some costing 10x as much...plus every pair I own is made in Italy, except my aviators...those are made in Japan.

 

[abaez]

I bought some cheap-o $30 glasses from zenni and they rock and everyone loves them.

Had to buy another pair because they were so awesome.

 

[AndroidVageta]

So with Zenni prescription lenses are counted for into the cost of the frames? My gf needs new glasses and for $8-$30 with prescription lenses included...thats a steal!

 

[pontifex]

Not cheap but:

Costco Kirkla Italian frames + Polarized lenses = $130 - $140

My optometrist who does not sell frames, only does exams - said the online glasses places do an OK job but fuck up your prescription quite often.

I just went to Costco and ordered a regular pair of prescription glasses with transitions and a pair of prescription sunglasses for $355. Not the cheapest solution (cheaper than places like Sears optical though) but at least I know these will be done correctly and the way I wanted them.

I got my last pair of regular prescription glasses from them as well and they are awesome.

 

[pontifex]

So with Zenni prescription lenses are counted for into the cost of the frames? My gf needs new glasses and for $8-$30 with prescription lenses included...thats a steal!

depends on what you order, but yes, if you order a very minimal set of glasses, lenses are included. you can add options or get other specialty things done to the lenses for extra cost.

 

[DrPizza]

Zenni's customer service is supposed to be excellent. I haven't heard of many errors, but when they do make an error, everyone who has gone through their customer service reported that they fixed the problem. I'm not sure why you opted to pay $355 for an equivalent pair of glasses before contacting their customer service.

As far as "you get what you pay for" - Monster Cables? Markup is huge. Only a fool would believe that "high quality" frames cost more than a couple bucks to manufacture. "Ohhhh, but the manufacturing process is soooo precise!" - take a look at some circuit boards that are dirt cheap and get back to me on that.

 

[L00PY]

The first time I ordered from Zenni, it was perfect. The second time, a couple of years later, one of the pairs of glasses had a misdrilled hole in the rimless lens. It took a little bit of e-mailing back and forth, and some weeks waiting, but they made good. Most recently I ordered another two pairs and they're perfect.

Needless to say, I've got no problem recommending Zenni to friends and family (with the caveat that it can take a while).

 

[pontifex]

Zenni's customer service is supposed to be excellent. I haven't heard of many errors, but when they do make an error, everyone who has gone through their customer service reported that they fixed the problem. I'm not sure why you opted to pay $355 for an equivalent pair of glasses before contacting their customer service.

As far as "you get what you pay for" - Monster Cables? Markup is huge. Only a fool would believe that "high quality" frames cost more than a couple bucks to manufacture. "Ohhhh, but the manufacturing process is soooo precise!" - take a look at some circuit boards that are dirt cheap and get back to me on that.

Nothing about the glasses I received was quality...

 

[DrPizza]

Nothing about the glasses I received was quality...

They weren't what you ordered. Maybe it was the $8 pair of glasses that someone else ordered? I don't know how you would know that the prescription wasn't perfect if it was intended for some other person's particular prescription.

 

[shortylickens]

So with Zenni prescription lenses are counted for into the cost of the frames? My gf needs new glasses and for $8-$30 with prescription lenses included...thats a steal!

Basic lenses are pretty much free when you buy frames. But most folks will want some additions. I like the various tints and they have a crapload of neat options.

 

[L00PY]

I should also mention I got the cheaper end of frames and my prescriptions weren't that extreme, ranging from -3 to -3.5 with little to no astigmatism over the years. If you're going for a large corrective factor, bifocals, or tons of options, you may be happier with a local shop that has a local lab and can make corrections relatively quickly.

If you do need a higher level of correction, there's a spreadsheet linked over at the FW cheap glasses thread that calculates the difference in thickness for the hi-index lenses. Lower prescriptions don't get much benefit (in terms of thickness) with hi-index lenses, for higher prescriptions you can run the numbers and see if the additional cost (be it Zenni or elsewhere) is worth it for you.