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> Companies can definitely reduce the price but the price is a status quo in those products. This is why I always advise glasses-wearing friends and families t

> Companies can definitely reduce the price but the price is a status quo in those products. This is why I always advise glasses-wearing friends and families to buy glasses whenever they come visit Japan; prices are MUCH lower than in the US without the Luxottica tax.

lrem 7y ago
I've never worn glasses... But it does seem that in Europe you can get them in the range of €2-€5000. And they all basically have to work, otherwise the seller could get in trouble. Can you tell me why is the range so wide? And are you saying the top end is of equivalent quality, but cheaper in Japan?
- Swizec 7y ago
  In my experience in wearing glasses my whole life it comes down to "you get what you pay for". Not in the functional department since they all use the same lenses, but in the fashion department. I've worn 30euro glasses. They work and bring no joy. I've had 300 euro glasses. They work just the same and you think "Damn I'm hot" every time you take a selfie. This effect is even more pronounced with sunglasses. I get them with prescription so similar price mechanics apply. My biggest gripe with cheap glasses so far has been the cheap feeling plastic and weight of them. I don't know what it is since I'm no expert, but a lot of cheap glasses just feel cheap when you hold them. They're still functional and won't break randomly, but they feel flimsy and cheap and that's not something I want in a product that I use for literally 18 hours every day. A good pair of glasses, when you think about it, ends up costing like 30 cents per day of use. Lifetime of 2 to 3 years, daily use ... yeah I'll pay good money for a product that feels good even if I'm "getting scammed" edit: Wow people here really hate the idea that an item that goes on your face and forms a major part of your most identifying features could be about more than just the cheapest solution to a mechanical problem
  - benj111 7y ago
    Would you say theres an actual qualitative difference between frames, or is this purely psychological? Your comment seems to be pointing at both, which may be the reason for the down votes.
    - ctordtor 7y ago
      I'd suggest any such benefit is largely psychological to the user. You can find nearly any style/color you want and branding is difficult to ascertain from any appreciable distance. I tend to buy memory metal half frame glasses and I can't tell the difference between the "knockoff" zenni and my $600 foolish pair I bought at a mall.
  - C1sc0cat 7y ago
    Id agree my expensive oakly's with prescription lenses do subjectively feel better in terms of vision. I normaly pay around £400 for a pair of glasses but they do last five to ten years.
  - jaclaz 7y ago
    >Lifetime of 2 to 3 years, daily use ... It seems to me like a short expected lifespan, following is anecdata. The glasses I am wearing (the frame) are/is 36 or 37 years old. Every several years I had new lenses fitted to them, mostly because my eyesight slightly changed, right now they sport a brand new set of lenses because I broke one lens and since I use the photochromatic kind I couldn't have only the broken one replaced (the colour and capability to darken changes a bit over the years), but I don't think I replaced the lenses more than 4 times in these almost 40 years. Then I have another four pairs, one spare in the car glove compartment, one spare always in my suitcase, one for the motorbyke (sun lenses + short stems to fit under the helmet) and one as spare-spare. And I believe that (besides changing some lenses as well) none of these latter frames are more recent than 15 or possibly 20 years.
- sdrothrock 7y ago
  > Can you tell me why is the range so wide? And are you saying the top end is of equivalent quality, but cheaper in Japan? I'm not a specialist, but the cheaper frames here tend to be plastic. The more expensive frames are almost invariably metal, and then the special flexible plastic and titanium frames go for around 10,000+ JPY. Normal lenses are cheap ("free" with frames), but if you go for fancy ones (bifocals, transitions, blue light filters, ultralights, etc.), the price goes up. I've almost invariably bought the 4000-5000 JPY frames and they always look nice and function well. In the US, however, Luxottica tends to control the frame production/pricing, so frame prices are really out of control. That's why other options like generic frames straight from China are much cheaper.
- ALittleLight 7y ago
  My current glasses say "handcrafted in Japan" on them, so I guess I qualify as a Japanese glasses owner. They cost 600 USD (bought in the US) a few years ago. I like the way they look, they are light weight, and extremely durable. They have been stepped on, sat on, bent by hand, and seen years of constant service and are still in perfect condition. I wear my glasses pretty much all the time except when I'm in bed. I even wear my glasses in the swimming pool unless I'm swimming laps. When I last looked for glasses I looked very hard to find something I liked the asthetics of, were wearable, and durable. The price is much less of an issue given that glasses are such a constant and important part of my life. It makes sense to spend to get good glasses to me. Compromising on some aspect of the glasses may save a few hundred dollars, but it would degrade the quality of my every waking moment.
- masklinn 7y ago
  > I've never worn glasses... But it does seem that in Europe you can get them in the range of €2-€5000. Glasses have two components: frame and lenses. Both can vary widely in prices. For frames there's components (from cheap hard plastic to metal e.g. shape-memory titanium alloys) and branding & style. For lenses there's material (basic polymer, impact resistant, high-index, …), complexity (e.g. bifocal) and further treatments (polarised, photochromic, anti-reflective coatings …), the actual prescription likely has a complexity impact as well. €5000 glasses I expect would mostly be down to branding and style (e.g. dior frames or whatever). Aside from branding and style, most of the price would come down to the lens'.
DrStalker 7y ago
I buy glasses online from Zenni optical, who make them in China. (there are other companies that do this, but Zenni is the one Iv'e used) They start at $6 for frames and prescription lenses, and they have multiple styles under $20 that match the shape and look I prefer in my glasses. It's really nice to have glasses cheap enough that I've got spare sets at home, at work and in the car; and not "my old set with the badly scratched up lenses" spares but "slightly different style frames" spares. It's hard to explain to someone that doesn't wear glasses just how much peace of mind you get from that.
- Qworg 7y ago
  An in-between is Warby Parker - I like being able to try on the glasses in store (or shipped to door). Roughly $100-$150.
  - aidenn0 7y ago
    In on the fence with my warby parker glasses. They seem to scratch far easier than my previous lenses. After 18 months I can't wear them in the dark anymore as they are so scratched that off axis light causes terrible glare. On the other hand, I can buy new glasses five times as often, and I usually will break or lose my glasses due to misfortune within 7 years, so it's still cheaper.
    - ctordtor 7y ago
      I tend to be ridiculously un-careful with my specs except with how I clean them, my current glasses are regular plastic with no coatings and they haven't scratched yet. I wash them under warm water with dish detergent and my fingers and them hit them with compressed air or a micro fiber cloth to dry. I wonder how you are cleaning yours as my current pair are over a year old and I can't find a single scratch.
      - mrob 7y ago
        Mine are also regular uncoated ADC plastic, and I wash them with warm water + dish detergent + microfiber cloth. I then rinse under a thin stream of running water, slow enough that it has laminar flow, and I angle the glasses so the water hits the lens close to parallel to the surface. The water sheets off the lens without splashing and leaves it visually flawless. I always rinse the microfiber cloth before use to remove any grit or abrasive dust, and I avoid touching the lenses with anything but the wet microfiber cloth.
billfruit 7y ago
Or in India from LensKart, you could get a solid pair in 10 or 20$.

lrem 7y ago

I've never worn glasses... But it does seem that in Europe you can get them in the range of €2-€5000. And they all basically have to work, otherwise the seller could get in trouble. Can you tell me why is the range so wide? And are you saying the top end is of equivalent quality, but cheaper in Japan?

Swizec 7y ago
In my experience in wearing glasses my whole life it comes down to "you get what you pay for". Not in the functional department since they all use the same lenses, but in the fashion department. I've worn 30euro glasses. They work and bring no joy. I've had 300 euro glasses. They work just the same and you think "Damn I'm hot" every time you take a selfie. This effect is even more pronounced with sunglasses. I get them with prescription so similar price mechanics apply. My biggest gripe with cheap glasses so far has been the cheap feeling plastic and weight of them. I don't know what it is since I'm no expert, but a lot of cheap glasses just feel cheap when you hold them. They're still functional and won't break randomly, but they feel flimsy and cheap and that's not something I want in a product that I use for literally 18 hours every day. A good pair of glasses, when you think about it, ends up costing like 30 cents per day of use. Lifetime of 2 to 3 years, daily use ... yeah I'll pay good money for a product that feels good even if I'm "getting scammed" edit: Wow people here really hate the idea that an item that goes on your face and forms a major part of your most identifying features could be about more than just the cheapest solution to a mechanical problem
- benj111 7y ago
  Would you say theres an actual qualitative difference between frames, or is this purely psychological? Your comment seems to be pointing at both, which may be the reason for the down votes.
  - ctordtor 7y ago
    I'd suggest any such benefit is largely psychological to the user. You can find nearly any style/color you want and branding is difficult to ascertain from any appreciable distance. I tend to buy memory metal half frame glasses and I can't tell the difference between the "knockoff" zenni and my $600 foolish pair I bought at a mall.
- C1sc0cat 7y ago
  Id agree my expensive oakly's with prescription lenses do subjectively feel better in terms of vision. I normaly pay around £400 for a pair of glasses but they do last five to ten years.
- jaclaz 7y ago
  >Lifetime of 2 to 3 years, daily use ... It seems to me like a short expected lifespan, following is anecdata. The glasses I am wearing (the frame) are/is 36 or 37 years old. Every several years I had new lenses fitted to them, mostly because my eyesight slightly changed, right now they sport a brand new set of lenses because I broke one lens and since I use the photochromatic kind I couldn't have only the broken one replaced (the colour and capability to darken changes a bit over the years), but I don't think I replaced the lenses more than 4 times in these almost 40 years. Then I have another four pairs, one spare in the car glove compartment, one spare always in my suitcase, one for the motorbyke (sun lenses + short stems to fit under the helmet) and one as spare-spare. And I believe that (besides changing some lenses as well) none of these latter frames are more recent than 15 or possibly 20 years.
sdrothrock 7y ago
> Can you tell me why is the range so wide? And are you saying the top end is of equivalent quality, but cheaper in Japan? I'm not a specialist, but the cheaper frames here tend to be plastic. The more expensive frames are almost invariably metal, and then the special flexible plastic and titanium frames go for around 10,000+ JPY. Normal lenses are cheap ("free" with frames), but if you go for fancy ones (bifocals, transitions, blue light filters, ultralights, etc.), the price goes up. I've almost invariably bought the 4000-5000 JPY frames and they always look nice and function well. In the US, however, Luxottica tends to control the frame production/pricing, so frame prices are really out of control. That's why other options like generic frames straight from China are much cheaper.
ALittleLight 7y ago
My current glasses say "handcrafted in Japan" on them, so I guess I qualify as a Japanese glasses owner. They cost 600 USD (bought in the US) a few years ago. I like the way they look, they are light weight, and extremely durable. They have been stepped on, sat on, bent by hand, and seen years of constant service and are still in perfect condition. I wear my glasses pretty much all the time except when I'm in bed. I even wear my glasses in the swimming pool unless I'm swimming laps. When I last looked for glasses I looked very hard to find something I liked the asthetics of, were wearable, and durable. The price is much less of an issue given that glasses are such a constant and important part of my life. It makes sense to spend to get good glasses to me. Compromising on some aspect of the glasses may save a few hundred dollars, but it would degrade the quality of my every waking moment.
masklinn 7y ago
> I've never worn glasses... But it does seem that in Europe you can get them in the range of €2-€5000. Glasses have two components: frame and lenses. Both can vary widely in prices. For frames there's components (from cheap hard plastic to metal e.g. shape-memory titanium alloys) and branding & style. For lenses there's material (basic polymer, impact resistant, high-index, …), complexity (e.g. bifocal) and further treatments (polarised, photochromic, anti-reflective coatings …), the actual prescription likely has a complexity impact as well. €5000 glasses I expect would mostly be down to branding and style (e.g. dior frames or whatever). Aside from branding and style, most of the price would come down to the lens'.

DrStalker 7y ago

I buy glasses online from Zenni optical, who make them in China. (there are other companies that do this, but Zenni is the one Iv'e used) They start at $6 for frames and prescription lenses, and they have multiple styles under $20 that match the shape and look I prefer in my glasses. It's really nice to have glasses cheap enough that I've got spare sets at home, at work and in the car; and not "my old set with the badly scratched up lenses" spares but "slightly different style frames" spares. It's hard to explain to someone that doesn't wear glasses just how much peace of mind you get from that.

Qworg 7y ago
An in-between is Warby Parker - I like being able to try on the glasses in store (or shipped to door). Roughly $100-$150.
- aidenn0 7y ago
  In on the fence with my warby parker glasses. They seem to scratch far easier than my previous lenses. After 18 months I can't wear them in the dark anymore as they are so scratched that off axis light causes terrible glare. On the other hand, I can buy new glasses five times as often, and I usually will break or lose my glasses due to misfortune within 7 years, so it's still cheaper.
  - ctordtor 7y ago
    I tend to be ridiculously un-careful with my specs except with how I clean them, my current glasses are regular plastic with no coatings and they haven't scratched yet. I wash them under warm water with dish detergent and my fingers and them hit them with compressed air or a micro fiber cloth to dry. I wonder how you are cleaning yours as my current pair are over a year old and I can't find a single scratch.
    - mrob 7y ago
      Mine are also regular uncoated ADC plastic, and I wash them with warm water + dish detergent + microfiber cloth. I then rinse under a thin stream of running water, slow enough that it has laminar flow, and I angle the glasses so the water hits the lens close to parallel to the surface. The water sheets off the lens without splashing and leaves it visually flawless. I always rinse the microfiber cloth before use to remove any grit or abrasive dust, and I avoid touching the lenses with anything but the wet microfiber cloth.

billfruit 7y ago

Or in India from LensKart, you could get a solid pair in 10 or 20$.