The Best/Worst Eyeglasses Companies (Eyebuydirect/Zenni Optical/Clearly Contacts/Firmoo/Bonlook)

[@soundmanpt]

I'm a retired optician. I retired a couple years ago so I could spend more money and time playing golf. To be honest I was a much better optician than golfer. My job included doing pre-exams and assisting people with selecting the perfect frame for their glasses and then fitting those glasses once their prescription was added. It was always my goal to make every young woman look even more attractive wearing glasses than she did before getting glasses. It was always exciting when to see the ones putting their glasses on for the very first time and seeing their reaction. It was like they were seeing the world clearly for the first time. Do you remember when you got your first glasses and put them on for the first time? What was your reaction looking at the things for the first time through your glasses? Your first topic of discussion is about the value of having blue light blocking added to your glasses. Does it work or not. Your optometrist has the same opinion as a number of other optometrist that it's a gimmick and really doesn't work. I can only say that I think the blue light rays being omitted form screens is in fact a very real thing. The question is how much if any damage is it doing to our eyes? Here is my thoughts on the subject. I think having the blue light blocking coating does reduce eyestrain and eye fatigue to the eyes I don't think it has any value in preventing anyone from needing vision correction due to screens. Millions claim that wearing glasses with the blue light coating has been a big help to them with eyestrain and soreness of their eyes. I would say that before anyone orders a pair of cheap Amazon blue light blocking glasses they should first have their eyes checked to see if the problem could be a need for prescription glasses or a need for an increase or change in their prescription before ordering any blue light blocking glasses. For anyone that wears prescription glasses anyway I would suggest getting the blue light blocking coated added even though it may add $30.00 to the cost of their glasses because having the coating won't do any harm to their eyes and it could actually be helpful as well with eyestrain. Needless to say since you have had the blue light blocking coating on several pairs of your glasses and it didn't seem to help at all then i totally agree that their is no point in bothering with getting it in any new glasses. Since retiring I have ordered well over 100 pairs of glasses for my own family members as well as many many friends as well. I have mostly been ordering from Zenni and so far my luck has been very good with them. That said you're right that their return policy isn't the best because they will only refund 50% of the cost and you do have to return the glasses. I recall a situation where I was ordering a pair of glasses for a friend and the doctor's office gave her her copy of her prescription hand written rather than a print out. I don't recall which number it was but I was sure it was a certain number. When the glasses came in and i was doing a quick fitting on my friends new glass she said that the one lenses was off quiet a bit and she wasn't able to see very well through that lens. She didn't know anything about prescriptions so I asked her if it was okay for me to call her doctor's office to confirm her prescription. When I did the young lady i was talking with told me when she pulled the patient's file and looked at the way the doctor wrote the number she would have gotten it wrong just like I did but the chart showed it to a different number than what we thought it was. The good news is that the glasses she had ordered that were wrong was only a $12.95 pair with the $5.00 AR coating so a total of just $18.00. It was going to cost me over $5.00 to return them. So I decided it wasn't worth bother with and I just ordered her new pair in the correct prescription. Also you only have a few days to return them which can be a problem as well when there not for you but someone else. But it's hard to ignore the fact that they have a rather nice selection of glasses for $6.95 and hundreds more for under $13.00. So I have seen and heard people claim that the Zenni glasses are made in a cheaper way which I really haven't found that to be true at all. Remember that plastic is plastic and metal is metal. Most people are ready for new glasses after about a year of wearing them anyway even if they don't need their prescription changed I think this is especially true for women wanting new glasses. Why not get new glasses when you can buy a pair for less than what a Big Mac Combo Meal would cost at McDonald's? Sites like Glasses USA and Clearly Contacts have very nice glasses and they are in fact less expensive than buying your glasses at a local optical shop. But as you say they are in the hundred plus dollar range. That's fine if you're prescription doesn't change and you really like your glasses and don't want to part with them. But if your prescription changes suddenly those glasses are pretty much useless to you anymore because even a very small increase is enough that once your eyes get used to a stronger prescription those glasses now seem too weak for your eyes. One thing I found with Eye Buy Direct was that they often seem to buy overstock frame from various companies so only a very limited supply. would be available.. I had put together a nice sample case of glasses to show people various glasses to make it easier for them to select their glasses. I have a bout 75 - 80 pairs in my sample case currently. I started doing that using Eye Buy Direct but it seemed that within a several weeks the glasses were no longer being stocked. So the samples were useless to me when that happened which seemed to be happening more and more often. I don't have that problem with Zenni. which is nice plus their shipping isn't free but they only charge a one time per order shipping cost of $5.00 and an order can be one pair or 10 pairs of glasses. Eye Buy Direct was charging me a $5.00 for each pair even though they were being ordered at the same time and even came in the same package. I haven't ordered from Firmoo or Bonlook so I will take your word for them. Doing this type of review is really nice because it gives people some idea about each of the various sites and what to expect. I really like the glasses you're currently wearing in your video. Which site did they come from? Glasses are really such a good look on you. You're really good at slitting time between wearing contacts and glasses, but I think you look so good wearing glasses that I think you should wear glasses much more often than contacts.

[@admirkaralic7209]

Sir, that is a wall of Text. TL;DR would be appreciated.

[@marinagraceog]

I bought 2 pairs of glasses today from eyebuydirect for $31 with shipping. One is a normal pair and one is a pair of sunglasses. Can't wait to receive them.

[@itslikelykelly]

How are they? 😊

[@marinagraceog]

@@itslikelykelly I love them. Definitely a good deal. And they came in pretty quickly.

[@itslikelykelly]

@@marinagraceog I'm glad! I just ordered a new pair as well and they are fantastic

[@countrybelle7719]

I love my eyebuydirect glasses

[@itslikelykelly]

Update: Zenni apparently will now send you a shipping label and you will receive the same amount back and store credit. Thanks @Hot mess Michaela Time stamps: 0:25 Pricing 3:00 Customer service 4:19 Selection 5:00 Shipping 6:35 Returns 9:26 Quality 11:45 Try-on 12:59 Sales 13:20 Final thoughts

[@squishysilver]

Hiya, from a fellow Canuck! ☺️ There's a pair I love on EyeBuyDirect but it'll come to well over $300. A pair on Zenni that I also love will be $122. That's the cheapest I've come across so far. I'm weary about buying from them though, but at least they're not as bad as they were. Many thanks for the update.

[@darlinglittlethree5860]

Firmoo has changed their shipping prices since this video. Standard shipping I paid $5.96 or express shipping is $12 something. I figured with currents times/delays I was better off paying for standard shipping anyways right now.

[@gmccalip]

You have an honest optometrist. Blue light is hype to get you to spend more money.

[@MichaelSheaAudio]

I made an order from Clearly and I'm waiting for them to arrive. I have a large lens size so options can be pretty limited, and I was between Clearly and Eyebuydirect, but Clearly was way cheaper. Got 2 pairs for $41CAD! Hopefully they're decent. And yes, blue light filters are a scam because pretty much every device you use like your smartphone or computer will have colour profile options. You can lower the blue levels in your devices for free. Windows, for example, has the "night light" feature which turns the screen a yellow/ orange colour, which is what happens when you lower blue and green levels. I just leave that on. I worked in data entry for almost 6 years, so I was staring at computer screens for 8+ hours a day. Initially, I would get headaches and sore eyes, but after lowering the brightness and lowering blue levels, I rarely ever had problems again. And any ambient blue light isn't enough to cause any damage to you. Never get blue light coatings. For a full explanation on the subject, CBC Marketplace did a full investigative piece on it and the full video can be found on youtube! :)

[@mapotvin]

All lenses are plastic, but may be a different quality and different quality coating.

[@jenx2512]

I was in the industry for 15 years. The blue light blocking is total BS. If any Dr or optician tries to tell you that blue light causes macular degeneration or cancer, know they are full of it. I just ordered my first pair of glasses online through Firmoo, they took 2 days to process and are shipping now. Estimated to be here in a few days, which will be 8 days from when I ordered them. The shipping I paid was $5.95, and I took advantage of the $4.95 deal for my first pair of glasses, so $10.90 total. What a deal! Can't wait to see the quality of the glasses. I didn't get any lens upgrades and I have a low Rx, so I don't need a high index lens. I should have got the AR (anti-reflective) coating, maybe next time. Also, I've seen ppl comment the glasses seem cheap because the frames are "bendy". Know that frames come in different materials and the bendy plastic ones are made of TR material and are supposed to be like that. If you want a hard plastic material, look for ones made of Acetate. These can be adjusted by heating certain areas with a hair dryer before slightly bending them into the shape you want. Search youtube or google on how and where on the frame to do this. Check what material the frames you are interested in are made of, and google what it means if you aren't familiar with it. Also, hinges are different. Spring hinges might feel "cheap" to someone not used to them. I like a spring hinge on an acetate frame, but not on something like a TR frame, which is already bendy. Looking forward to growing my frame collection with these online companies!

[@mcgeo52]

Your optometrist was correct about blue light lenses. A lot of hype with minimal value. ALL lenses are made of plastic of one type or another. Ranking by price for the least expensive glasses: • Zenni starts at $6.95 including the least expensive lenses. • Eyebuydirect starts at $6.00 plus $6.95 for the least expensive lenses. • Firmoo starts at $19.00 including the least expensive lenses. • Clearly Contacts starts at $9.00 plus $15 for the least expensive lenses. Prices are US.

[@PicoFromTX]

I enjoyed this review I will say, after experiencing Zenni's prices, it's hard for me to pay over $50 for a pair of glasses online. It's hard for me to see the justification of other companies charging more. The quality isn't that much better for the premium pricing. I assume their overhead is the same. It gets to the point where the prices are the exact same online as I would pay in store (with my insurance). So the benefit is gone for me at that point.

[@itslikelykelly]

That's understandable :) I find Zenni to be very hit and miss. Whereas the other companies that cost a bit more seem to always have high quality frames. I've had a few from Zenni that broke. With that said I think Bonlook is extremely overpriced. But Eyebuydirect is reasonable for the quality you receive imo.

[@stephenthompson1562]

Is the first time looking at your video and I find it very helpful and well done! You mentioned you're from Canada it looks like your necklace is of pei which is where I live lol!

[@thematt5325]

So I ended up buying a pair of prescription glasses and sunglasses at EBD. Opted not to shell out for any blue light coating because I think it’s a money-making ploy, or if there is a benefit, it’s minimal. Didn’t even pay for polarization for the sunglasses because that would’ve jacked up the price significantly. Feeling unsure about buying glasses sight unseen, I actually tried canceling my eyeglasses order but the company offered me 15% off to continue the purchase. Total cost was $108. Not bad I guess. Hope they’re good or I’m sending them right back and visiting an actual eyeglasses place. Btw, I’ve been wearing my metal-frame Guess glasses since ‘14 on a prescription from ‘12 and my vision actually improved since then according to the optician.

[@Cullenkid24]

I Used Firmoo because they offered me the Round glasses I was looking for, but the quality is really horrible. with Zenni optical i have had a really good quality I think. the shades i got from them still look pretty new, but yes their try on feature is pretty horrible. i'll look into eye buy direct though !

[@otiebrown9999]

Best: Zennioptical. I get my Test Lenses from them. Then, I prescribed for my self. From 20/60, to 20/20. Refractive change. -0.75 diopters to +0.5 diopters. Yes, I got out of myopia.

[@hotmessmichaela6683]

Zenni now will send you a shipping label and you get same amount in store credit 🙂

[@itslikelykelly]

Thanks for letting me know! I added it to the pinned comment with your username 😊

[@hotmessmichaela6683]

@@itslikelykelly thanks I think it so awesome that they heard complains then change it 🙂 i getting glasses from them eather tommarow or the next day there ones I gegging from the store credit

[@Penpaper]

Good video. I have used clearly before and was considering trying eyebuydirect but was wary. But you seemed to like them

[@daniellap8939]

What glasses are those? I love them!

[@piespies10]

I ordered 2 eyeglasses from Firmoo and its so cute. I love them

[@Penpaper]

Also have you tried high index lens from any of them (lens thinning) and if so how were they at eyebuy

[@itslikelykelly]

I have only tried them at Bonlook and I didn't notice much of a difference in all honesty. That's why I always stick with the cheapest option now :)

[@priscillastilwell2972]

I love Zenni. Never sent anything back. They are $7. Why send anything back? And I've never had any issues at all. I have 18 pairs from them currently. And I can understand not getting the money back because they can't exactly re-sell them. I mean if they're defective, they should cover that. But if you just don't like them . . . I also disagree that you get what you pay for. I've paid for glasses at an optometrist and they aren't any better than Zenni at all> But most recently I've tried Payne Glasses, and those are FANTASTIC!

[@hotmessmichaela6683]

I oder wrong prescription and I had to send them back to get store credit but they gave me free shipping label 🙂

[@itslikelykelly]

They screwed up my prescription and they said I would have to pay shipping, and if they did mess up then they would send me a new pair but I would have to pay shipping again which was $9.95 usd. Each time. So that equals $30 total of shipping charges for a mistake they made. Not to mention I'm in Canada so I have to pay exchange rates and none of them have been $7 that I've ordered haha. Most $20-$45 USD. I understand why they don't offer a full refund however all the other companies do so that's why I can't agree with it. Anyways it sounds like they just changed their return policy so I guess they realized that they lost some customers due to it. The "get what you pay for" honestly depends on the company. Eyebuydirect is a bit more expensive but honestly the quality of their glasses is so much better in my opinion. Zenni is way to hit and miss for me. I've had glasses break from them or just be super flimsy but never had that with any of the other companies. However I think Bonlook is overpriced. I'm glad it works for you! It's just not for me :)

[@itslikelykelly]

Also I'll have to check out Payne glasses :)

[@priscillastilwell2972]

@@hotmessmichaela6683 I swear the customer service on these companies is all over the place. If you get the wrong people, it's like they have ZERO concern. If you get other people, they're great!

[@hotmessmichaela6683]

@@priscillastilwell2972 true I feel like that most companies I just got a package lost in the mail im so nervous to call customer service tommarow and it was cloth diapers 😅

[@allyyylo4234]

I got two pairs from firmoo in October. I’m already looking online for another company, I’m just a little apprehensive to order more from them. It’s like they are stretched out. The arms seem so fragile so everywhere I try to go is too scared to try to adjust them.

[@itslikelykelly]

I'm sorry! They definitely have some flimsy frames. I only get sunglasses from them and always get larger plastic frames. I got some metal frames for eyebuydirect recently and they are very sturdy. So sturdy, that I accidentally threw them in the laundry and they went through the washer, and they came out fine!

[@skybee001]

@@itslikelykelly 🤣omg I can't believe your glasses went through the wash and came out ok!🤣😁

[@michal5269]

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