Great results from Zenni and Coastal Contacts, avoid Lensway

[foureyedblonde]

I've been really grateful to read other experiences here, so I thought
I'd share my own with three companies: Coastal Contacts, Zenni, and
bringing up the rear - Lensway.

Let me say that I hate glasses. Hate, hate, hate. I've worn contacts
since I was fourteen, which is....a long time ago. Hah. But a recent
eye infection made me realize how old my glasses are, and how heavy.
I decided to try online since I'm self-employed, and my insurance
covers nothing when it comes to fancy pants eye gear. Lenscrafters
quoted me $450 for progressives that were literally the ugliest frames
in her-story. Uh, uh. There must be a better way!

First at bat: Zenni Opticals. I decided to go rock bottom, just to
try them out. My progressives prescription is only +1.25, so it isn't
absolutely essential to have progressives [I have reading glasses from
Target, after all], so I ordered single vision 1.57 lenses with 9.95
frames and anti-glare coating - a grand total of $19.57. [My
prescription is a little strong and warranted the super light lenses
at -4 and -5.25 with a slight astigmatism, but I didn't want to spend
too much since Zenni doesn't do full refunds]. I mean for less than
$20? I wouldn't care if they were scotch-taped. As it turns out,
they were pretty great for three times that amount. They came within
the promised two weeks, perhaps a day or two sooner. The frames are
very light, and , the lenses were fine at 1.57. The full rims hid any
'jutting' - I don't think the super light is really necessary at all.
Zenni also has the best 'try on' mirror of all of them. My only
quibble is that they were a little smaller than I had imagined, but my
husband loves them on me - and the lenses were perfect. Had I got
them at Lenscrafters for $400, I don't think I'd see much
difference.

Next: I 'liked' Coastal Contacts on Facebook and got in on their
'free glasses' promotion. After Zenni they seemed almost overpriced,
but I ordered the lowest end with them too - and paid $22.32,
requesting only the antiglare and not the scratch-resistant and UV
that Zenni adds for free. Unfortunately, a crazed woman who looked at
too many frames took over my computer and managed to order GIANT
PURPLE CLOWN GLASSES. Seriously, I don't know who would look good in
these - a big headed guy with a passion for purple? Anyway, the good
news is that these were the crispest lens I had ever looked through.
At only 1.50, they were even better than the Zenni! I hated to send
them back, but if my husband saw me in the clown glasses, he'd be
teasing me till our golden anniversary. ;) The exchange process is
pretty easy - you send them back in the box they come in. I told them
the smaller frame I wanted, they took my credit card number, and my
new ones are on order. Unfortunately, they take a looooong time to re-
credit your account once they receive the old glasses. This is
complete BS, once they have the glasses it should NOT take weeks. But
other than that, they were very nice and patient. The downside to
Coastal Contacts is that their Virtual Mirror is terrible and only
features a

Finally: Lensway. The caboose of the online glasses industry. I
really needed to get progressives, and I fell in love with a pair of
Joseph Marc frames that they offered for $30 less than Coastal
Contacts. From what I can tell, the companies are separate but equal
- everything looks the same, but the pricing is different. Since they
have a good return policy [although once again it takes a ridiculous
amount of time to credit your account], I paid $111 [with various
discounts] for them. Once again, they arrived fairly quickly, but
these - were not good. While the Zenni frames fit perfectly, these
were not just in need of adjustment - they seemed sort of twisted.
Worse, the right lens was a little loose in the frame. Even worse,
the lens had a stamp near the nose piece and what appeared to be tiny
drips of coatings. I did LOVE the frames in person, and the
prescription seemed okay, but the workmanship was a little shoddy.
Not impressed. Returned.

So there you have it. I went back on the Coastal Contacts site, and
found the frames that I loved from Lensway and re-ordered the "free"
glasses with the awesome frames. While I really liked the vision
quality of Coastal Contacts, I think I would go with Zenni for
prescription sunglasses [my next buy]. It's hard to beat their prices
and selection, and being able to virtually try them on is really a big
plus. I "might" buy from Coastal Contacts agan if there was a sale,
but we'll see how my new glasses look when I get them. I did consider
that perhaps the optical quality is enhanced by the fact that there
were no coatings except anti-glare? Maybe this diffuses the lens a
bit? I have no idea, but they were CRYSTAL clear.

[Chuck Knight]

You said that the Coastal Contacts lens was the clearest, and was 1.50 index?  That's CR-39, which is considered the BEST choice for optics.  But, being low index, the resultant lenses tend to be thicker.

It could be a difference between the optical qualities of the 1.50 and the 1.57 polycarbonate that you bought from Zenni.

One thing about Zenni's mid index lens material, is that it's been almost universally regarded, on the list, as the best clarity for a 1.57 material.  We're not certain precisely what polymer it is, but it's very good.

Congratulations on your good results, and for getting in on the free glasses!  I missed the deal.  The local school colors are purple and white, so I could probably pull off purple...but clown glasses?

We want PICTURES!

     -- Chuck Knight

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