Tips for Ordering Zenni Glasses?

[Ethan A.]

Appreciate any tips for ordering Zenni glasses – see next post

[Ethan A.]

Looking to order glasses from Zenni for the first time. Any tips for ordering in addition to trying on frames locally, finding a frame that fits well, and then ordering a Zenni frame based on the frame width, pupillary distance, etc. of the local frame you found? I’d measure by my old pair of glasses but these were stolen from a table in front of me in an airport in the 30 seconds I turned to the left to answer a question from my wife (amazing someone would want my old pair).

Which Zenni glasses options (coatings, thinner lens material, etc.) would you advise getting? Sincerely appreciate any advice.

Are there any competing companies you’d recommend over Zenni?

[Ben H.]

I have different ethical standards than others, but I don’t think you should try on glasses at a local shop and then order something similar from Zenni.  If you use the services of a local shop, you should buy glasses from them.  Make an investment first with your local shop to figure out what you need in glasses.  With that said (after you figure out what your PD is and what size frames fit your face):

Don’t expect every pair of Zenni glasses to be a home run.  Buy several pair (which is still cheaper than buying from an optometrist).  If a pair fits substantially different than you were expecting based on the measurements, measure them yourself.  I ordered a pair I thought would fit my face only to have them look ridiculous.  I figured I must have screwed something up.  Next time I was looking to order glasses the same frames kept coming up as having the exact specs I was looking for.  I finally went and measured the old pair and found out they were substantially different than advertised.  Zenni admitted the advertising is wrong but felt it was too far after my order for them to need to make restitution.

With Zenni you need to take a holistic approach.  If 1 out of 5 glasses work great for you, you have broke even.  In general 4 out 5 glasses have worked out great for me so even with some issues they are still a great deal.  Prior to buying glasses from Zenni I used to also look at goggles4u.  Zenni seemed to have better selection and prices so I never ordered from the other guys.

[J R]

I don’t know about recommendations “over” Zenni but to include in your search I would google “online eyeglasses” or something like that and you’ll find several competitors. I recently got a pair from EyeBuyDirect, I did look at Zenni but preferred a style that the other had and Zenni didn’t. My personal preference is to get the absolute thinnest lenses possible and pretty much all the coatings they offer. I wear rimless so lens thickness matters a little more in that case than if you get full frames. I do not get “Transitions” lenses that self-tint, still too many reports of them not getting dark enough when dark is wanted and not getting totally clear when indoors, plus car windows are UV treated so Transitions supposedly won’t darken when you’re inside a car.

Definitely a good idea to go try on some frames and measure the lens height and width. The online sites have the ability for you to upload a photo of yourself and then overlay the frames you are looking at on your photo, but some of them do not size the frames in proper proportion to your face — I saw one style that looked good on me on the photo but then realized the lenses are only about 47mm wide, which in reality would be much smaller/narrower on me than the picture showed.

Something else to keep in mind is how symmetrical your face is (or isn’t) and what your needs may be for getting adjustments to the frame for a proper fit. The pair I got online is only intended as a backup pair and I got another pair, my primary ones, at a retail store because I need them professionally adjusted or they are noticeably crooked on me. You’ll get a good clue about that when you try on multiple frames in a store.

[Mark Fowler]

I agree that trying frames on in a shop and then purchasing on line is a bit off.  Also I believe all Zenni’s frames are there own so you can’t just send them a brand and model no.

I have purchased Zenni glasses. I measured up all my old frames and worked out what measurements suited me, then looked though Zenni’s range for pairs that came close to matching my measurements.  A quick google will show exactly how and what to measure. There are quite a few measurements you need to take.

Do take your time to work out your interpupilary distance. It is vital to get specs that work well.

[Jerry Adams]

I’ve heard Zenni are good

I might buy a pair from the expensive place, then buy a pair of sunglasses from Zenni.  and/or a second pair in case something happens to my original

you could try on cheap reading glasses from the drugstore, buy one you like, then measure it.

[Roger Caffin]

Both my wife and I now buy all our glasses from Zenni. The optical quality has been excellent. We won’t buy (from anyone) the half-frame design which relies on a plastic strap on the underside of the lens, but the titanium and metal frames have been good.

‘All our glasses’: sadly we both now need at least 2 pairs of glasses each. Sigh.

So – happy customers.

Cheers

[David Thomas]

I got tired of paying $250-300 for a pair of glasses at a local shop, in part because the staff could only say buzz-words like “tri-blend plastic” lens but not tell me what plastics were involved.

For the same price, I got simple single-vision distance in two styles, a computer-distance pair and two, progressive, all the coatings, one auto-tinting in two styles. 5 pair from Zenni for the price of one locally.

Suggestion: order single-vision in a frame you think you like. It’ll be about $17.95. Then, if you like the style, get progressive, tinting, bifocals, coatings, etc in the same frame. Those might be $80 or so. And you’ll have a back-up pair if you lose the fancy ones or need spare parts.

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