Discussion on optical4less

[kris w.]

The site is back up now, and they explain what happened in their blog:
http://optical4less.blogspot.com/

[sparky]

Sorry, this isn't a reply to the last post, forgive me.

I own and am a huge fan of Silhouette hingeless, and some of the
models I see on optical4less' website look remarkably similar to
Silhouette.

Can anyone confirm that some o' those I'm looking at on optical4less'
website are Silhouette brand? If they aren't, can someone turn me on
to a discount site that does offer Silhouette?
Thx. Sparky.

[sparky]

eh, last part of my post got cut off. Can someone turn me on to a
discount site that offers Silhouette? Thx in advance for yr help.

[Wiz]

I have to be honest with you. I don't like the optical4less website at
all. When browsing the frames, they give you the lense/bridge/temple
length, but you have to drill down to the next level to get the full
width of the frame. When I'm looking for frames, the first measurement
I check out is the width of the frame.

[Ninotchka]

A bit of a warning to all:

About two years ago I ordered a pair of rimless glasses from
optical4less. I chose shape #8 (from http://optical4less.com/pic/rimless_shape.jpg).
When they arrived, they had been made backwards -- the pointy part was
facing inwards, not outwards. It was more obvious a difference than it
looks in the picture.

I emailed their customer support and Albert said, and I quote, "It
looks perfect both ways". Yes, but it wasn't what I ordered. I wore
them anyway because I didn't have a choice, but I was not very happy
with their customer service or their quality control.

[Tom G.]

I recently purchased a pair of progressive bifocals in a rimless frame
with all the coatings for $99. They arrived in 16 days, the
prescription seems perfect. I'll definitely return.

[flyover]

I ordered glasses from "Optical4less" based upon your good reviews
with them even though several others on this site had experienced
problems.
I received them and immediately returned them. Looking at a straight
line through a lens results in a line curved from the lower left of a
lens to the lower right. I received a reply that they had received
them and they were cut to the prescription. In reading a line of text
I had to move my headnot just my eyes to maintain focus. It has been 3
weeks since I've received any replies from them (they have a trouble
report site) even though I have requested a status on them.
I notice you still have them listed as a recommend site. I definately
would not recommend them.

[Kevin]

Outlet: Optical4less
Ordered: 8-13-2007
Received: 9-4-2007
Price: $74 for mirrored sunglasses
$110 for bendable titanium with photochromic lenses
total - $184
Communication: I was emailed when order was placed, and when glasses
were mailed.
Quality: These glasses are as good as any I have ever bought.
Impressions: I cannot believe that so many people are reluctant to buy
glasses online.
Rating: 5

[richole]

Ten days from order I received 5 pairs of perfect glasses. Could not
be happier, I bought 5 pairs over 2 orders for less than the price of
one very ordinary pair from my local optician. They all feel and look
great, this a really good company to buy from. The service,
reliability, and the product is all first class. Fabulous value for
money!

[Infraredhead]

I ordered two pairs of rimless glasses from Optical4less. They
responded quickly to all of my questions. I am just really amazed
because this type of eye glasses are way out of my budget at
Eyemasters. Their shipping was a tad slow but I ordered around
Christmas time and they said that they were very busy. I ordered on
December 21st and my glasses arrived on January the 12th ( I live in
Texas). Overall I am really pleased. The workmanship is better than
I expected.

[AdamOnDemand]

WOW, I got my first pair of bought-online eyeglasses a couple weeks
ago from Optical4Less, and I'm blown away: the lenses are perfect, the
frames are very well made, the workmanship very professional, and the
glasses look great! From order to delivery to NYC was only 11 days,
and it was all quick, convenient, easy, and very inexpensive. I
wonder how to contact Albert about some new frame design ideas?

[Pau...@yahoo.com]

Well, one of the first things I noticed was that they will not put an
AR coating on tinted lenses. Since I like to get both for my computer
glasses, that rules them out for me. I guess I'll take my chances
with Zenni. They have the combination of frames and lens options that
I need, even if they cost a bit more.

[toddster63]

I ordered a pair of rimless, hingless Silhouette clones from
Opticals4less with single vision lenses with the special rush service
(the rush service was $50 extra, almost as much as the glasses). With
the rush service their WWW site says most people receive their glasses
within a week.

It took 11 days for me to receive the order, though the glasses were
very well made. 11 days seems like the amount of time many people have
posted about this company delivering orders, and no one has mentioned
rush service, so I can only surmise that their rush service is NOT all
that rushed and to avoid it, even if you are in a hurry. It just
doesn't seem worth the considerable extra money.

The glasses are very nice and well done, with great craftsmanship,
though Silhouette type quality they are not. For the money they are a
decent rimless and hingless style, though I did have to have to have
the nose guards considerably adjusted locally to make them fit me
right. They don't effortlessly hug your face like Silhouettes do, but
for the money they are very decent and nice glasses.

Customer service from Fiona at Opticals4less is very fast and helpful.
That is a big plus...!

This is my second online eyeglass purchase, and I really believe that
as long as you keep your expectations low(er) you will be fine. Not
quite "You get what you pay for", but almost. You can save money over
buying locally, but you may have to futz with the end product a
little, and it may not match the higher priced frames in terms of
comfort and ergonomics, but then that is what the big companies charge
you for.

[Greg]

I ordered their "overstock" price 065 frames for $15, marked
down from $29, on April 12, and the glasses arrived 10 days
later. Shipping was $8, bringing my total to $23. I got the
no-extra-charge 1.56 CR39 lenses.

The glasses seem just fine. I could find no problem with the
workmanship. I bought them for using the computer, and they
work okay for that. I compared the AR coating with glasses
I got from Costco, and it seems about the same.

I didn't get any email from O4L (I did check my spam filter),
but I didn't need it, since they show info about orders on
their web site.

I don't think I chose the frames very wisely -- they're not wide
enough for me. Next time I'll know better. Also, I think I will
make a better estimate of how to adjust my prescription for
computer glasses. My ADD value is 2.25, and I added on
1.25 diopters to the SPH value. That seems to clarify my
vision most in the range 15-23 inches, but I usually sit about 28
inches from my monitor. Next time I'll try adding only 0.75 or
1.00 diopters for computer glasses. And I'll use these
ones I just got for cooking -- they're just about right for
looking down at my chopping block.

By the way, I did not get any GlassyEyes coupon discount.
The O4L orderer says that's only for purchases of at least $24.

-greg

[foo...@gmail.com]

I'm extremely happy with my first order from Optical4Less, via
GlassyEyes. Ordering was relatively simple and my order was made up
and dispatched in under a week. I was supplied with an order track-and-
trace number that was valid on the postal service web sites in both
Hong Kong (the shipping source) and New Zealand (the shipping
destination).

The frames I ordered are without fault, are comfortable and my lenses
are spot on (in fact, my prescription has been filled better than the
last time I ordered from a bricks-and-mortar store).

Photo: http://christophermolloy.com/a/newglasses.jpg

Thanks Optical4Less!

[IMQ]

The glasses look good on you.

Which model is your frame?

You were lucky to get yours under a week. Mine first order from O4L
took 3 weeks. Kinda slow but acceptable since it came from Hong Kong
to USA.

[Holl]

I placed my first online order for glasses, yesterday. A week ago I
accompanied a good friend to a pricey store, where she spent a large
pile of money but ordered two very nice pairs of glasses. I was
tempted, as I've been in the market for Rx sunglasses - but I'm cheap
and the economy is sketchy.

I thank the pricey store for the opportunity to try on many different
frame styles, colors, and to gain a better understanding of what the
sizing numbers mean. I also thank my friend for paying the
saleslady's commission that afternoon, as I left the store without
spending a dime.

Then...I happened upton Optical4Less. Initially intrigued by their
prices; mostly I had fun with their comparison polling page. At first,
I wasn't sure that I'd make a purchase.

As it turned out, my friends voted for the P108 which is currently at
$15, so with lenses, tint, and shipping - it's just under $28. I
figured "what the heck."

The checkout process made me a little nervous, as it wouldn't accept
my first card (it's a business account) but my personal card went
through just fine. Also, the checkout forced me to install a Chinese
character set.

I'll post again when the glasses arrive; also if any related issues
unfold.

I'm cautiously optimistic.

[jill...@gmail.com]

I ordered two glasses - one set of "silhouette" rimless hingeless, and
one discount bin gunmetal gray tinted sunglasses (Free shipping if you
order two). I ordered them the same day my husband ordered his from a
bricks and mortar shop. I received my glasses a day before he did,
and he had to send his back to replace a lense. Elapsed time between
order and delivery was between 2 to 3 weeks.

The glasses arrived in great shape, and I was able to track the
package's progress all the way from Hong Kong to New York and thence
to my house.

I've had my glasses for a month now. The frames are sturdy, the
rimless glasses already having been knocked off my face by my toddler.
I opted for one step up on the high index scale. Great choice. They
are so light, I frequently forget they are there. And I really loved
the tremendous choice of lense shapes offered in their rimless line.
I was able to duplicate a favorite pair of glasses with ease. The
sunglasses have been good as well. Sturdy, well constructed with
spring hinges. I adjusted the angle of the earpieces slightly with a
set of tape-wrapped pliers, and they fit great.

My out-of-pocket for the two frames was a third of what my hubby paid
for his single-vision glasses. I couldn't be happier.

[ppe...@yahoo.com]

After looking over O4L's website, I have two questions:

1) Do they do re-lensing? I'm having trouble finding frames I like on
their website, but their lenses seem higher-end than most places, and
fairly inexpensive.

2) It seems like all their lenses are apsheric, and their basic lens
is CR39, but higher index than the usual 1.5. What are people's
experiences with the lenses?

[filet...@gmail.com]

A bit of a word of warning with Optical4less. My order was messed up
a bit. If you order rimless and hingeless eyeglasses and you want
your own dimensions for the lens size, make sure to specify the custom
lens width and height in the COMMENTS/REMARKS section. I specified my
lens dimensions in the boxes where it asks you what size your
eyeglasses are and I thought this would be sufficient to specify the
dimensions I wanted. Kind of sucks since I spent the 60 bucks but I
guess I can't expect the world for what I paid. (The glasses I got
were noticably smaller than what I specified). In their defense, I
will say that the quality of the plastic and of the hinges was
extremely good. They also gave me a coupon for 15% off my next order,
but I felt like more could have been done. I have a big head and
smaller glasses just don't look right on me.

[Paul]

Did you tell them what went wrong?

How would they have figured out what size to use, since they didn't
use the dimensions you specified?

[sailrj]

O4L has great pricing and the initial quality seems OK, but after 3
months the scratch resistance was gone and their guarantee is only for
1 month and their customer service is not accomodating. Not
realistic. Will not use again!!!!!!

[G3mini]

Haven't been happier with a pair of glasses. I ordered them on June
9th and received them June 26th. I was hesitant at first because 1) I
couldn't try them on and 2) I didn't have my PD on hand. But I
discovered what I think to be a neat way to determine it. I held a
ruler up to the bridge of my nose and used my digital camera to snap a
photo. I took various angles of photos and all came up with the same
results.

Anyways, I had ordered a similar pair of half-rim glasses for Sears
with the ultra light 1.67 lenses (lightest they had available),
scratch resistance, etc... Cost $272.49 ($15 rush fee included).
After 4 weeks, and multiple trips to the store, I still had no idea
where my glasses were. So, I went back and canceled the order. I
happened upon Glasseyeyes.com and decided on a rimless set I found
from optical4less.com. I received the rims + lenses (1.67 index)+
magnetic clip-on (which is admittedly generic)+ cleaning cloth + hard
carrying case in 15 days for $73.80. The glasses look great and they
are so light I forget they are on. I definitely will return to them
for future glasses.

[Brendan]

My order was prompt and went off without a hitch.

I ordered on 8/26 (full rim frame, 1.67 lens, mild prescription). I
received it 9/4 -- that's 9 days later. The lenses and frame are
perfect. The whole order cost $65.

Be sure to check how big you want your lens height. Mine are smaller
than I thought they would be from the picture, but I didn't check the
lens height. Also, the case is a cheap plastic neon case with their
logo. So be sure to keep your old glass case!

[Phoebe K]

I just checked out optical 4 less. I have already ordered a pair of
glasses from 39 dollar and wanted to try optical 4 less. I found a
great pair of frames for about $20 on sale but when I tried to add
lenses I had problems. My Rx is od -7, -1.5 x164 os -9.25, -2.25,
x106. When I tried to enter the axis it kept telling me it couldn't
be right and when I finally got through that I found to my horror that
my $19 glasses had turned into $205 glasses. Yes I got the thinner
lenses and yes I got a tint but $186 for lenses is insane. I'm going
back to 39 dollar where my tinted sunglasses cost me about $56 for
everything.

[tport2232]

I just received my glasses from Optical4Less after only 12 days. The
prescription is
spot-on and there are no visible scratches, etc. on the frame or
lenses. The anti-glare coating on the new glasses is far superior to
my old pair, in fact, I'm not even sure if my old pair even has anti-
glare coating now that I have the new pair, I know I remember paying
for it at one of the "brick and mortar" shops - I think I need to go
get my $25 back from them. Anyway, the glasses are the exact size
and
look as was advertised on the website. I am VERY VERY pleased to get
such a nice pair of glasses at such a cheap price.

I will definitely buy from them again, and I would recommend them to
anyone.


BTW - The glasses were single vision middle-index lenses with full
rimmed frames. The prescrip is to correct an astigmatism.

[ElginStill]

Optical4Less is really awesome. I received my eyeglasses in just 10
business days. This was, in fact, my first time ever buying eyeglasses
and they made my first time experience pleasurable! O4L is highly
recommended for all your eyeglass needs!

May the force be with you,
Elgin.

[bluestream]

VERY pleased with my recent first purchase from O4L. I bought single-
vision glasses and my correction is in the -12 range, so obviously
thickness is a big issue for me. I selected the 1.8 mineral glass
lenses and was really surprised at how thin they ended up being (in
fact, when I first opened the package and saw the lenses I felt
certain they'd shipped me someone else's glasses by mistake!) These
super-thin lenses have proven to be extremely bright, sharp and clear;
and despite all the hype you get (at least from opticians here in
Canada) about plastic lenses being sooooo much lighter, I scarcely
notice the difference from my last pair of hi-index plastics (which,
BTW, were about twice as thick at the edges as these new ones despite
virtually identical frame dimensions.) The lenses appear to be well
fitted and finished and sit very securely in the frame. The service
was excellent, and I received the glasses faster than I expected (13
calendar days from order to delivery.)

About the only concern I have is that the alloy frames seem quite thin
and delicate. I guess time will tell, but I would be very fearful for
what would happen to this new frame if I were to make the mistake of
falling asleep on the sofa with my glasses on. Candidly, I think it
would be great if O4L would offer an expanded selection of frames,
including sturdier or more substantial ones at higher prices. I think
it would also be preferable if they priced frames and lenses
separately instead pricing as complete glasses and then making you
play those silly (and gimmicky) add/subtract pricing games with the
options and upgrades.

All-in-all, though, a very satisfying buy . . . With the 10%
glassyeyes discount I paid just US$99 including shipping. Even after
factoring the currency conversion, I'd have to have paid at least four
times that to get specs with a 1.8 mineral glass lens here in Canada.
And considering I'm basically a contact-lens wearer and generally only
use glasses just before going to bed and while stumbling around the
kitchen to start the morning coffee, it hardly made sense for me to
pay so much more. I expect to make further purchases from O4L.

[Tripp South]

I cannot speak highly enough for Optical4Less.com's level of customer
service. They really went above and beyond with my last order placed
on the first of June.

Due to an error on my part, my eyeglasses were shipped to the wrong
address. Arond the 06/18, I logged on to their website to check my
order and saw that the package had shipped a week or so before and was
in transit to the wrong house.

I quickly changed my address, but didn't have time to open a ticket on
the order to explain the mix up. When I went back to their site on
the 06/22 to do so I saw that they were being reshipped to the
corrected address.

They could have asked me to pay for the reship. I expected to pay for
it and would have gladly done so. The mistake was clearly mine.
Reshipping for ree was unexpected and appreciated that's for sure.

Considering that the entire order came up to less that $50, I'm sure
that doing that took a huge chunk out of their profit on the sale.
You don't find many companies like this anymore. I will certainly
order from them again.

[jennifer]

I received my glasses 9 days after the stated shipment date. I bought
sunglasses with a gradient tint. The glasses did not look exactly as
I expected - more Elton John and less designer. I tried them on and
immediately felt dizzy. I could look straight ahead and see clearly,
but any other direction made me feel unsteady and I got a headache
after wearing them around my house for 15 minutes, trying to get used
to them.

I opened a ticket at Optical4Less, explaining my problem. Each
response took a day or more. "Gail" asked me to verify my
prescription, then to upload it. I have a pair of glasses from
39dollarglasses with this exact prescription, and they are perfect.
Gail finally asked me to return the glasses to be examined, and told
me if the prescription was wrong, they would remake them. However, if
it was not, I would have to pay postage both ways and they would send
these glasses back to me.

I took the glasses to Pearle, and they verified that the strength
matched the prescription, but that the ocular center could be off,
making me dizzy.

The glasses cost $79 total. It is not worth it to me to ship them
back to Hong Kong and probably not have the problem fixed. Ideally, I
would like to have these exchanged for another pair, since perhaps the
large lenses contribute to the issue. Gail did not agree to this. As
it stands, I have a pair of glasses that I may never be able to wear
and I am an unsatisfied customer. I will not purchase from
Optical4Less again. Distance and shipping costs are a large concern
to me.

[Chalo]

jennifer wrote:
>
> I tried them on and
> immediately felt dizzy.  I could look straight ahead and see clearly,
> but any other direction made me feel unsteady and I got a headache
> after wearing them around my house for 15 minutes, trying to get used
> to them.

Seeing clearly through the middles of the lenses and getting poor
visual quality off the lens center is characteristic of a lens
material with high chromatic dispersion. Not all lens materials are
similar in this regard. If you specified polycarbonate lenses, know
that it is probably the worst commonly used lens material in terms of
its optical qualities.

The best lenses from an optical standpoint are CR-39 plastic and crown
glass. They are both fairly low-index materials, though (1.5 and 1.52
respectively), so they make thick glasses. In my experience, they
give the best vision of any lenses I have tried. That's too bad for
me, because I usually can't make peace with the thick ugly lenses they
provide in my strong prescription.

Lenses with a high base curve (bulged/bug-eyed) introduce some
geometrical distortions that can make switching between different
glasses a funhouse-type experience. This is easier to get used to
than poor optics, but in my opinion flatter lenses are generally
better for seeing. Folks with strong farsightedness may differ.

Chalo

[Ryan Booth]

A thumbs up for Optical4Less. I recently made a few posts for O4L and
here it is:http://groups.google.com/group/glassyeyes/browse_thread/
thread/c44f724ba11c4632/9b2d917486944371#9b2d917486944371

I can say that O4L provides great high quality glasses for extremely
low prices. Also, their delivery was fast, mine came in around 10
business days. I got 1 prescription glasses and 1 prescription
sunglasses, both were spot on with the prescription. I'd highly
recommend buying from O4L

Peace,
Ryan.