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Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

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Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#201

Post by tartoran »

wyclif wrote: post #65
csomar wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are two markets: The cheap, and the "brand". You either buy a "cheap" one for $10 and get a lens for it; or you go for a "brand" name like RayBan (which is Luxottica). I started buying cheap 4 years ago, and surprisingly the frame is still doing well (brand frames usually last 2-3 years)

Since Luxottica bought out RayBan, the quality has plummeted. I have a pair of original Wayfarer II's that I got years before the buyout. The plastic is noticeably higher quality, the lenses are polarized and Bausch & Lomb. And they have five barrel hinges! Built like a tank and have survived many drops. Mine are still going strong and are 'buy it for life' quality. Still going strong after 38 years...I got them when…

That’s how they make their money, brand names affords them to charge a lot of money, they lower the quality and the manufacturing the cost and then pocket the rest.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#202

Post by dwighttk »

petilon wrote: post #19

Glasses are expensive because there is no competition. One company - Luxottica - owns pretty much everything. You go to LensCrafters and prices seem super expensive, so you go to Pearle Vision and that's expensive too, so you go to Target Optical and prices are still high and then you think maybe glasses are expensive, since you went to multiple stores and they all have similar prices. What you don't realize is that…

I mean

https://zennioptical.com

https://www.eyebuydirect.com/

I’ve gotten my last 8+ pairs at one of those two (may have been a third but can’t remember) the most I paid was for some sunglasses where I wanted a few upgrades $80… the rest averaged $12

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#204

Post by rcMgD2BwE72F »

whywhywhydude wrote: post #203

I wonder why the Euro bureaucrats are not doing anything about one of the biggest monopolies in the Europe. Guess they are just too busy figuring out another way to milk Google.

What are Google market shares in Web searches in Europe?

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#205

Post by tzs »

petilon wrote: post #19

Glasses are expensive because there is no competition. One company - Luxottica - owns pretty much everything. You go to LensCrafters and prices seem super expensive, so you go to Pearle Vision and that's expensive too, so you go to Target Optical and prices are still high and then you think maybe glasses are expensive, since you went to multiple stores and they all have similar prices. What you don't realize is that…

> Glasses are expensive because there is no competition. One company - Luxottica - owns pretty much everything.

When I first heard about their dominance I checked my frames, and the maybe 3 old ones I still had around. To my surprise none of them were Luxottica. My latest were Safilo. I don't remember what the other 3 were but I did look them up and they were not brands from Luxottica.

I'm pretty sure some of the places I bought some of those from did carry Luxottica too, so I'm not sure how I ended up with something else. I am pretty picky about frames (not the appearance...as long as I don't look like I'm having a go at Elton John cosplay the appearance probably won't bother me--it's the feel and size as seen from my side that matters) and usually end up going through around 90% of the frames at a glasses store before finding some I like.

I wonder now if it is just coincidence that I keep ending up with non-Luxottica frames or if there actually is some difference between their designs and the others that makes me just not like Luxottica even in a blind comparison?

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#206

Post by MichaelZuo »

vel0city wrote: post #57
MichaelZuo wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The high end luxury brands such as Silhouette offer very advanced lens coatings and materials that aren't found in any of the discount stores online or brick-and-mortar, so there's definitely a difference there. It's only their full priced partner shops that carry them. They also claim to use custom technology that allows their 10+ layers of coatings to stick together much better and not flake off. The mid range to e…

> How would anyone know if they in fact got a X layer coated lens (where X could be from 3 to 8) from a discount shop? How do you know you're getting it from the brick and mortar?

Presuming that they have multiple different lenses in stock you can compare them side by side visually?

You can wet them, shine a flashlight, put them under the sun for transition lenses, etc...

Not foolproof, but it would make it harder to substitute the lower end lenses, 3 coatings vs 2 coating would likely be noticeable.

8 coatings vs 7 coatings might not be.

So for the mid range and above it probably doesn't make sense to discount shop at all. Your entirely trusting the brand reputation or shop reputation on whether they will deliver.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#207

Post by walnutclosefarm »

Nition wrote: post #129
RajT88 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Indeed. I buy 5 pairs of glasses at a time (cheapest ones I can manage which look OK). 5 at a time is still cheaper than 1/3rd the price of low cost normal glasses. And each of those 5 pairs is half as durable. It is a similarly wild situation where eye exams at Walmart can be cheaper than at a regular eye doctor covered by my insurance.

I bought my lone pair of glasses in 2009 and I've replaced the lenses once since then. I wear them every day. Now I'm wondering what everyone else is doing.

Mine generally last a two years or so, before they are scratched and fogged to the point that my vision is affected. The big culprit is dust - often metal dust, but also hardwood dust - in the shop. Even if you religiously use a non-scratching, micro-fiber wipe (which is hard), just dragging the stuff across the lenses damages them. Another culprit is glue, particularly CA (super) glue but also other types. You may not think it would end up on your glasses, but if you're using much of it, eventually microdroplets end up on your lenses. This does immediate, permanent damage to polycarbonate lenses.

My desk glasses, optimized for computer screen distance and never actually leaving my office, on the other hand - easily last a decade with no discernable damage. Because - no significant dust, no organic vapors, no glue, and always wiped with a clean micro-fiber wipe.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#208

Post by walnutclosefarm »

jusssi wrote: post #122
chasil wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Glasses aren't that expensive. I buy them from https://zennioptical.com I don't think that I'd ever pay more than $100 for a frame again. The sunglasses that we buy in a drugstore can be had for paltry sums, why not prescription eyewear?

How does buying glasses online even work? I have never tried, so I'd expect it to be like buying shoes without trying them on (which I won't do either, based on in-store experience I'd be returning 9 pairs out of 10 for bad fit). I wear glasses for 95% of time, I want to not hate how they feel.

Yes. Like a charm. Biggest potential hitch is that your optometrist will give you your prescription (they are required by law), but won't include your ocular measurements, which you then have to make yourself at home in order to order the glasses. Get the inter-ocular distance wrong, in particular, and your glasses will not work correctly.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#209

Post by JustSomeNobody »

petilon wrote: post #19

Glasses are expensive because there is no competition. One company - Luxottica - owns pretty much everything. You go to LensCrafters and prices seem super expensive, so you go to Pearle Vision and that's expensive too, so you go to Target Optical and prices are still high and then you think maybe glasses are expensive, since you went to multiple stores and they all have similar prices. What you don't realize is that…

True. But. Even before Luxottica started buying up the industry, glasses were expensive. I worked in the industry in the early 90s (paid for college). We could buy CR-39 bifocal blanks for about $3.50. A frame in the Frames catalog (name brand) was about $10. Tint and UV were about $4 a bottle and would last a week, and that would tint/UV hundreds of lenses. I was making $7.50 and hour and it would take me half an hour to make them in the lab. We'd sell that pair for about $250.

Re: Why are glasses so expensive? The industry prefers to keep that blurry (2019)

#210

Post by JustSomeNobody »

wrycoder wrote: post #61
adzm wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to mention the pupillary distance is not commonly included on optical prescriptions which creates a significant hurdle, even though it can be measured yourself or usually given when asked.

My ophthalmologist claimed he didn’t have the equipment to add PD to his prescription. Bald-faced liar. BTW, the app is called PD Measure.

> My ophthalmologist claimed he didn’t have the equipment to add PD to his prescription.

It's called a PD Ruler and it's literally just a mm ruler. Bald-faced liar indeed.

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