This review of Zenni Optical is part of my search for finding the
best place to buy cheap eyeglasses.
It doesn't take much searching around the web for cheap eyeglasses to come across Zenni Optical, with their super low price of $8 for a complete pair of glasses!
The tagline on their website is: "Global Price and Volume leader in Very Affordable yet high quality & stylish prescription eyeglasses". They have a very plain website, but it is fairly straightforward to navigate.
As for their prices:
Complete Single Vision Eyeglasses starting at $8.00
Complete Bi-Focal Eyeglasses Starting at $25.00
Complete Progressive Eyeglasses starting at $37.00
Anti Scratch coating Free
UV protection Free
Lens Edge polishing and Beveling Free
Upgrades
Premium Photochromic lenses (Clear indoors, darkens outdoors in sunlight ) for $39.00
Upgrade to 1.61 index lenses for $17.00
Upgrade to 1.67 index lenses for $37.00
Premium anti reflective coating $4.95
Sunglass color tint coating (7 available) $4.95
All of their Eyeglass Orders Including their $8.00 Eyeglasses Have:
High quality stylish frame
Thin and Light 1.57 index lens
Anti Scratch Coating
Full UV Protection
Lens edge polishing and beveling
Quality Hard Eyeglass case
Microfiber Lens Cleaning Cloth
Full Guarantee
Their Shipping and Handling Charge is $4.95 per order, no matter how many glasses in the order.
Here's a compilation of major review sites on the web when it comes to Zenni:
Resellerratings: 6.93/10 based on 35 reviews in the past 6 months. 6.73/10 based on 105 reviews since they started tracking Zenni. As with many online reviews sites, the results are very polarized when it comes to Zenni. As you probably know, people tend to leave reviews when they either really hate a place or really love it. In this case there is a lot of both but not much in between. The positive reviews focus on the good quality (decent frames but not what you would expect from your local store that charges $100 and up for the frames) and amazing prices. Even the positive reviews frequently say that the delivery takes a long time, but that you need to expect that. The negative reviews almost entirely focus on the long delivery time and the poor customer service with getting an answer. The website says most single vision glasses are shipped within 2 weeks of placing the order. From reading online reviews, it appears that over the past year, the delivery time has increased significantly where it is taking many people 4-6 weeks to get what seem to be standard orders. On Resellerratings, a few people reported delivery taking 2 months or more. It seems the additional frustration people had was that it was very difficult to get a straight answer from the Zenni staff. People frequently got an answering machine, and when they did get through they'd get a stock answer such as "You will receive your glasses in the next day or two" or most commonly sited was, "your order is stuck in customs and there is nothing we can do to expedite the delivery". So, based on all of these comments, it seems that if you are aware of the long delivery time and the poor customer service if you need more information on your order, you probably won't be disappointed with the actual product once it arrives.
Epinions: 3.5/5 based on 162 reviews. The reviews on epinions are much more detailed. Similar to resellerratings above, the reviews were very polarized. As the rating shows, the positives were more frequent than the negatives; however, the negatives were for more than just slow delivery times. More details were given saying that the quality of the frames was on the cheap side. They said the frames looked decent, but fell apart easily in some cases, especially if you try to make adjustments and aren't very careful. People reported hinges not holding up and screws not staying tight. The negative reviews here are far more concerning. The bottom line is that while most people are happy, many people are not. Based on these reviews, purchasing at Zenni is a gamble.
So, figuring the gamble was only going to be around $13 shipped I decided to ante up.
Navigating the website is straightforward. It is NOT a fancy website. You have the choices of many different frame options. I couldn't really figure out the differences between the different price categories, but I assume it is having more designer looks as they get pricier. I don't know if they are better quality as you pay more money. As I viewed this as a gamble, I decided to stay with the cheapest pair that looks decent. I found a pair in the $8 range that I liked. They have all different measurements to describe the glasses. The measurements are usually listed as something like 54-18-140. The 54 is the width in mm of each lens. The 18 is the width of the bridge section. The 140 is the length of the arms from the glasses to the temple at the end. Luckily on my current glasses which seem to fit fine, the measurements are shown on the inside of the left arm. I wasn't able to find a pair on Zenni that had the exact same measurements, but I am hoping that if the numbers are close the glasses should still fit with minor adjustments. I am a bit concerned about making adjustments based on people's reviews saying the glasses were fragile when making adjustments, but I've also read that local optometrists will make adjustments for a nominal fee. I'm expecting I'll make a trip over to Costco once I get the glasses to make any necessary adjustments.
So, I selected frames that were $8. Then they ask you to enter in your prescription. I had recently had an
eye exam at Lenscrafters. The prices for glasses with anti-reflective lenses was outrageous and my insurance will only pay for new glasses every 2 years (I got new glasses last year). They do give you a handwritten paper with your prescription details, which I was able to use to place the order on Zenni's website. Unfortunately, they don't write down your pupil distance, which you need to place an order online. They give instructions on Zenni's website how to do it. I just used a piece of paper in front of the mirror and marked the centers of my pupils. I then measured the distance between the two lines I marked. It took a bit of fumbling around, but I think I got a pretty accurate number. The pupil distance does change slightly whether you are reading things close-by or looking far off into the horizon, so I'm guessing with single focal lenses there has to be a slight margin for error.
Zenni reports their lenses are a 1.57 high index polycarbonate composite. As I've described in other reviews, plastic lenses are the cheapest (and what I purchased last year and am satisfied) but polycarbonate is much more common as it is stronger, thinner, and lighter. The index for basic plastic (also called CR39) is 1.49. Polycarbonate lenses are typically 1.59 index. You can also purchase higher index lenses at a higher price if you have a strong prescription that would other require very thick lenses. Higher index lenses are thinner. With Zenni saying their lenses are a polycarbonate composite with an index 1.57 I'm curious what exactly their lens is. Most likely it is some combination of polycarbonate composite with plastic. Zenni does also offer 1.61 and 1.67 high index options, but only for single focal options and for more money. I fortunately have a very weak prescription so don't even need to consider the higher index options. All multi-focal options at Zenni are only offered with 1.57 index lenses.
You do also have options of adding tints and polychromatic lenses. As these are not sunglasses, I just got the standard lenses. I had considered the polychromatic lenses (get darker when in direct sunlight) based on reading people liked them, but I've also read that they don't darken much when behind glass as most glass filters out much of the UV light. As I'd mainly be wanting them as sunglasses while driving into the sun, this option won't work that well for me. I've seen some places now offer polychromatic lenses that do darken even behind glass (they adjust based on light, not just UV), but these newer lenses also always have a slight tint to them - in the yellowish hue if I remember correctly. I really don't want to be walking around all day wearing yellow tinted lenses - and Zenni didn't offer those anyway (I don't think).
You also have the option for their premium anti-reflective coating for a mere $4.95. As I mentioned in
my article on anti-reflective coatings, this is the one option the optometrist recommended at Lenscrafters. After doing a lot of reading, it does sound like an option that most people really like. The question is whether the $4.95 version from Zenni is really any good. I've read people's comments saying it does work, but it's not as good as the premium anti-reflective coatings offered elsewhere. I'm not sure what to expect for $4.95, but it is probably better than having no coating like my plastic lenses now. I have also read that with high index lenses, anti-reflective coatings become much more important as high index lenses reflect more light. Of course, I opted for the $4.95 coating.
The other interesting option is the $3.95 sunglass clips. They say they come in multiple sizes and they select the one that best fits the frames you order, but it won't be an exact fit. The majority of reviews I've read on these say to take a pass on the Zenni clip-ons. They say they don't fit right and some people say they also are way too dark - basically being a very dark piece of plastic that just clips on. I figured for the low price I could at least see what it is for myself. One person did say they fit his glasses perfectly - so maybe I'll get lucky and have picked frames that match one of the sizes of clips they offer. And maybe the clip on will be just what I want to use on the rare occasions when I'm driving into the sun.
The shipping on the glasses is the $4.95 flat rate advertised, no matter how many pairs of glasses you order. I only had the one pair in my order. I entered my credit card information (they take all credit cards as best I could tell) and completed my transaction for a whopping $21.85.
I did receive a confirmation email right away (some people reported not getting one). The email says most basic orders are shipped within 2 weeks, but if you add options such as bifocals, progressives, tints, or extra strong prescriptions, you should expect an additional 3-6 days. They say the glasses are made with 48 hours of the order being placed so if you made a mistake you need to contact them right away.
Other points of interest I came across - the glasses are made in a factory in Hong Kong and then for US orders are first sent to the California office, from which they are then mailed out. For international orders, they seem to come direct from the Hong Kong factory.
I'll be sure to post an update and review once I receive the glasses. If other people have comments and suggestions, I'll be glad to hear them.