A photo So I finally received those glasses I ordered from Optical4Less a few weeks ago. Optical4Less is a discount glasses manufacturer based in China. You choose from a pretty wide variety of frames, enter your prescription and buy a brand new pair of glasses for around $50 depending on what kind of lens coating you choose. I love this idea and thought I’d give it a spin. I’m in dire need of a new pair of glasses. I’ve been wearing the same pair for almost ten years and haven’t been able to find a set of frames I actually like. My glasses arrived this morning complete with a hideous neon green case and a microfiber cloth. Here’s a quick review: Pros: Very cheap - they would have cost upwards of $300 had I bought them locally. The lenses are perfect, much clearer than the ones in my current frames. Cons: They don’t feel very well built. They creak when I open them (this may be to over-tightened screws) and feel as if they could break at any moment. They are lighter than they should be and made of cheap plastic. My Ray Ban sunglasses, which they are clearly imitating, are far more comfortable and solid. They don’t close properly. They make me look like a serial rapist (see photo). All in all, for $59 I’m not really disappointed. I have an ugly, cheap, pair of glasses that I can see clearly out of and will be fine for wearing at home - or in public with a paper bag over my head. Call me stupid, but I’m actually considering buying a few pairs. For $200 I could buy 4 pairs of glasses, and I think at least one of them would be nice enough to wear day to day. I still plan to invest in a pair of designer frames when the right ones come along, but in the meantime I’m going to buy a few more knock-offs from Optical4Less. I’ll keep you posted.

So I finally received those glasses I ordered from Optical4Less a few weeks ago. Optical4Less is a discount glasses manufacturer based in China. You choose from a pretty wide variety of frames, enter your prescription and buy a brand new pair of glasses for around $50 depending on what kind of lens coating you choose. I love this idea and thought I’d give it a spin. I’m in dire need of a new pair of glasses. I’ve been wearing the same pair for almost ten years and haven’t been able to find a set of frames I actually like.

My glasses arrived this morning complete with a hideous neon green case and a microfiber cloth. Here’s a quick review:

Pros:

  • Very cheap - they would have cost upwards of $300 had I bought them locally.
  • The lenses are perfect, much clearer than the ones in my current frames.

Cons:

  • They don’t feel very well built. They creak when I open them (this may be to over-tightened screws) and feel as if they could break at any moment.
  • They are lighter than they should be and made of cheap plastic. My Ray Ban sunglasses, which they are clearly imitating, are far more comfortable and solid.
  • They don’t close properly.
  • They make me look like a serial rapist (see photo).

All in all, for $59 I’m not really disappointed. I have an ugly, cheap, pair of glasses that I can see clearly out of and will be fine for wearing at home - or in public with a paper bag over my head. Call me stupid, but I’m actually considering buying a few pairs. For $200 I could buy 4 pairs of glasses, and I think at least one of them would be nice enough to wear day to day. I still plan to invest in a pair of designer frames when the right ones come along, but in the meantime I’m going to buy a few more knock-offs from Optical4Less. I’ll keep you posted.