Buying spectacles on the internet

[CommanderJameson]

Who's bought their specs on the internet, then? Where from? Was it any good?

PHer opinion of actual purchases eagerly sought!

[TheCarpetCleaner]

Glassesdirect for the past 3 years.

Excellent service, if they have any problems they will call you.

I usually order rimless reactive glasses with all the options (thinner lens, hardness, scratchproof etc) and they normally arrive within 2 weeeks.

Total costr was aroind 130 last time, cheapest equivalent from high street were 300plus.

My backup really cheapo glasses were 18 delivered, and they arrived in 3 days.

[LayZ]

Glasses Direct are cheap compared to the high street, but still expensive compared to the Hong Kong importers, which I have got complete frames for less than £10 delivered before.

Try goggles4u and optical4less.

[TheCarpetCleaner]

LayZ said:

Glasses Direct are cheap compared to the high street, but still expensive compared to the Hong Kong importers, which I have got complete frames for less than £10 delivered before.

Try goggles4u and optical4less.

Wow, will do.

What was the delivery time like?

[LayZ]

Well its usually 2 weeks plus but they are so cheap I can overlook that. I've never paid import duty but I guess that could be an issue.

[Tyre Smoke]

www.speckyfoureyes.com

Job done and cool web domain name.

Edited by Tyre Smoke on Tuesday 9th March 10:07

[soad]

Some good suggestions here, cheers.

Never bought online myself but will do now as cost is so low!
Paid £300 plus in the past (High Street prices)...

[Oldandslow]

I got a pair from selectspecs.com. Very happy with the fit and finish, can see well with them too.

Frames were on sale for £9.99 including lenses (thin and light with scratch and UV coatings - free) and £4 for delivery. Took a week to get here from Hong Kong. The eye exam cost £15 from a high street chain so £29 for a decent pair of specs. They haven't been that cheap since I got them on the NHS.

[RadoVR6]

Oldandslow said:

I got a pair from selectspecs.com. Very happy with the fit and finish, can see well with them too.

Frames were on sale for £9.99 including lenses (thin and light with scratch and UV coatings - free) and £4 for delivery. Took a week to get here from Hong Kong. The eye exam cost £15 from a high street chain so £29 for a decent pair of specs. They haven't been that cheap since I got them on the NHS.

Another thumbs up for these!

[CommanderJameson]

Thanks, TCC: I'm about to pull the trigger (as soon as I get hold of my prescription details) on a pair of Tezza Conrans. With a spare pair.

£132. I think I paid that per lens on the high street a year or three ago.

[TheCarpetCleaner]

CommanderJameson said:

£132. I think I paid that per lens on the high street a year or three ago.

Sounds about right - my mum just paid £650 for some glasses that I found on GD for around £155...

[Simbu]

I looked at this a couple of years ago and when i made the mistake of mentioning it to my optician they refused to give me my PD measurement (Pupilliary Distance?). They said it wasn't part of the eye test and presumably don't like giving it out because of online sellers needing it.

Has anyone else had this problem? Are there any high street opticians that freely give out this measurement?

[DonnyMac]

Oldandslow said:

I got a pair from selectspecs.com. Very happy with the fit and finish, can see well with them too.

Owned by a PHer as well!

[Max Turbo]

Have used iwearglasses before. Quick turn around, good prices, very good to deal with.

Edited by Max Turbo on Tuesday 9th March 12:53

[sjg]

Simbu said:

I looked at this a couple of years ago and when i made the mistake of mentioning it to my optician they refused to give me my PD measurement (Pupilliary Distance?). They said it wasn't part of the eye test and presumably don't like giving it out because of online sellers needing it.

Has anyone else had this problem? Are there any high street opticians that freely give out this measurement?

Hold a tape measure just under your eyes and have someone take a photo. Measure from the centre of each pupil - the PD is the distance between.

I used glassesdirect for my last set - pick 4 frames and they'll post them to you to try at home (and you can actually spend some time wearing them, not just 10 secs in the optician), choose the ones you like most, order.

[Fleegle]

Make sure they send you the right ones though....

[AstonZagato]

How confident are people in measuring the centre points for the lenses (this is not part of your prescription IIRC)?

[the_smalls]

AstonZagato said:

How confident are people in measuring the centre points for the lenses (this is not part of your prescription IIRC)?

It's pretty easy. I'm not optometrist, but I'd bet that a mm here or there won't matter except for the more extreme prescriptions.

[onomatopoeia]

Just looked at glasses direct. Their lens options seem limited - I have dual layer Zeiss lenses made of glass in my glasses, but they don't seem to list them.

[Tyre Smoke]

onomatopoeia said:

Just looked at glasses direct. Their lens options seem limited - I have dual layer Zeiss lenses made of glass in my glasses, but they don't seem to list them.

Are you sure? Glass is very heavy and outdated. If you are sure, why? Much cheaper, lighter, better alternatives out there.