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Glasses brands have grown exponentially in the last 20 years, and now Eyeglasses.com offers the world's largest selection of design glasses brands on planet Earth - almost 400 deisgner brand collections are represented on this website. Determining the quality of eyeglass brands is quite difficult, even for an industry professional. Designer glasses by the best eyeglasses brands are all made with good quality, which is why you should buy name brand glasses online, to get the same high quality as you would get from an eyeglass store, but with much more selection and more affordable prices. The most reliable determinant of eyewear brands quality is the feel of them in your hand. Do they rattle? Do they feel stiff and solid? When you exercise the hinges do they move smoothly and with the same friction throughout the bend? A better quality name brand eyeglasses frame has a higher level of machined perfection, so that the better quality parts fit together well. If you stick with name brand glasses frames - and avoid the hyped-up new internet cheap glasses frames brands - you will be much happier.
Almost every major fashion designer now has a line of designer eyewear, for example Tom Ford. There are also some high fashion brands that are eyewear-specialty companies, like Modo and Silhouette.
The world's leading glasses brands all make good quality eyewear. You will find these on offer at eyeglass stores at more than double the prices of Eyeglasses.com. This would include Luxottica (Ray Ban eyewear, Oakley eyewear, Versace eyewear, Polo eyewear, and many others), Safilo Group (Carrera eyewear, Kate Spade eyewear, Hugo Boss eyewear, and many others), Kering Group (Gucci eyewear), Marcolin Group (Tom Ford, Kenneth Cole, Guess eye wear and others), and Marchon Eyewear (Calvin Klein, Salvatore Ferragamo, DKNY and others). There are many other quality makers of eyewear, including Aspex eyewear, and Revolution eyewear, which are the leaders in clip on sunglasses.
Consider glass frame design model A: using German hinges and Italian Mazzucchelli zyl, which is considered the best, results in an excellent quality European glasses frame. Yet this same frame design model A could instead use Mazzucchelli zyl from China (same company, different factory), Chinese hinges, and be assembled in a Chinese factory. The Chinese frame would be very difficult to differentiate from the original, except that it would be designated Made in China. Now, let's say that this same frame model A used Mazzucchelli zyl from China, and Chinese hinges, but was assembled in Italy, it would be called Italian eyewear, Made in Italy. Most European eyewear nowadays (except for a few high end brands) that is made in Europe is made mostly of Chinese components. You can understand why determining glasses frame quality is so difficult.
Nowadays, about 90% of all eyeglasses are made in China. All of the major Italian glasses frame companies have moved the majority of their production to China. Many of the eyeglasses that are made in China are then shipped to Europe where a minimal amount of assembly or finishing work is done so that the glasses frames can receive the Made in Europe designation. There are some designers, like Lafont, and Silhouette and a few others that make their glasses frames completely in Europe. Brands like Armani, Gucci, and other big fashion houses are mostly made in China, and then finished in Europe. This is not to say that China eyewear is of inferior quality. China has been making eyewear products for many years and the quality is quite good.
Hinges are a small but very important component in the overall quality of your glasses frame. If the hinge is not mounted on the frame properly, it will disengage which leads to a very difficult (or impossible) repair job. Low quality hinges will wear out, the screw will pop out and get lost, and they will wear quickly leading to rattling or sloppy action. Good quality hinges have a smooth and consistent action that does not wear over time, with friction that is consistent throughout the entire range of motion.
"Eyewear" is a term that describes glasses, sunglasses, lenses and anything else that is used to cover the eyes either for protection, better vision, fashion, or a combination of all three. Eyewear is normally dispensed at a glasses store or a sports shop (in the case of sunglasses). Now you can buy the same designer glasses with the same high-quality prescription lenses at Eyeglasses.com, just like you can in eyeglasses stores. Nowadays, many people are buying prescription sunglasses and eyeglasses online, in order to save money and get a bigger selection.
Eyewear dates back to Roman times. According to Wikipedia, one of the earliest evidences of the use of prescription eyewear is found in the 1352 portrait painted by the Italian painter, Tommaso da Modena, of the Dominican Cardinal Hugh of Saint-Cher who was a renowned biblical scholar. Another example, this time an apostle wearing a type of reading glasses, is found in the central panel from an altarpiece painted by Conrad von Soest in 1403, Bad Wildungen, Germany. Surprisingly, the basic design of glasses has not changed in over 2000 years - a frame, sitting mostly on the ears and nose (there are exceptions), positions lenses in front of the eyes so the wearer can see better.
"Zyl" is a short name for the material cellulose acetate, which is made of wood flakes, cottonseed fibers, stabilizers and plasticizers. Zyl is the most common plastic frame material because it can assume a large array of colors, textures, styles, and patterns. Temples and frame fronts can be cut from blocks of zyl extruded as a sheet of block acetate. Or, granular zyl can be liquefied and then injection molded. Block-cut zyl is stronger and more stable, while injection molded zyl is less stable and less expensive. With daily use in warm temperatures, zyl can shift and lose its form. Some manufacturers choose to add metal cores in the temples to strengthen and stabilize the frame.
Monel is composed of about two-thirds nickel and one-third copper. This highly ductile alloy can be hammered into a variety of different shapes without losing strength. It resists stress well and is often used to stabilize frame bridges and endpieces. Monel colors well, is corrosion resistant, and durable. If you have an allergy to some metals, it is usually the nickel in the metal that causes allergic reactions.
Titanium is extremely lightweight and will not rust, making it a very popular and relatively new material for eyewear frames. Titanium's strength allows it to be made thin, but it is hard to solder or weld and is expensive. Titanium is a more expensive metal composite used in eye glasses frames known for its beneficial qualities of strength, lightness, and flexibility. However, titanium is very difficult to color so titanium frames usually come in very restricted color options. Eyeglass frames that are 100% titanium are also a hypo-allergenic--they don't contain any nickel which causes allergic reactions in some people.
Stainless steel is comprised mostly of iron, with a mixture of nickel, manganese, and chromium. Stainless steel is highly lustrous, and makes a good thin and sturdy eye glasses frames with strong corrosion resistance. Although it is hard to make eye glasses frames with stainless steel due to soldering and welding difficulties, stainless steel temples are especially springy.
Nylon is virtually unbreakable, so it is often the perfect choice for sports and safety applications. Nylon is lightweight and flexible, but can only accept opaque colors. Nylon is a soft material, so it scratches easily, and is used in many low-cost, low-quality eyeglass frame and sunglasses applications.
Sometimes called "Alpaca" or "German Silver", nickel silver is rigid compared to other more malleable metals. Nickel silvers contain more than 50% copper, 25% nickel, and the rest zinc (no silver at all). Copper adds pliability, zinc adds strength, and nickel gives it its namesake color, a whitish appearance, because when the nickel content exceeds 12% the copper color no longer shows through. Although the metal is lustrous, its brittleness makes it a poor choice for slender frame fronts and nose pads. Thus, it is better designed for use in hinges, endpieces, bridges and ornamental trims, as well as an inner core for temples.
Flexon is a trade name for one company's flexible eyeglasses frames material. Flexible eyeglass frames are available in many compositions, but the goal is always the same. This kind of material is used in eyeglass frames in order to reduce breakage. It is normally found in the shaft of the temple and in the bridge, and it allows these areas to endure tremendous twisting without breakage or permanent distortion of the frames shape.
If you know your prescription, it is easy, and fast to order eyeglasses online. You can also save hundreds of dollars compared to optical chains and eye doctor shops.
If you do not have a prescription, you can still order an eyeglasses frame from an online store like Eyeglasses.com and save hundreds of dollars on top quality brands. Then, take the frame to a local store for lens installation. Or send the frame back to us for lens installation.
The easy way to get the right size glasses, is to measure the size of your current eyeglasses. Or, you can read all the numbers printed on the inside of your frame, which includes your frame's size, in millimeters. Read the tiny lettering on the inside of your glasses. Sometimes the lettering has worn off, or it is too small for you to see even with a magnifying glass. You can use this as a guide, frames are measured in millimeters so you can wear different sizes. 2) Order 2 or 3 Pairs in different sizes to determine your perfect fit. 3) Try a few pairs locally and note the size on the inside of the frames. The easiest and fastest way to find the right size glasses for you is to use your current glasses as a benchmark. Once you know the size of your current glasses, you have a frame of reference for a new pair of glasses. Temple size is really not important except in very special cases.
There are several ways you could do this. You can fill out the online form, send it by fax, upload an image to our website, email it to us, or even call our customer service department and read it to us. You can e-mail a photo from your device, upload a copy to your account, or you may fax it to us: 888-896-3866. If you are unable, you can read it to us by phone and we can enter it for you!
In our Lens Selector tool, we provide all the necessary information to help you choose the perfect lenses for your needs. However, if you are still confused, please call our customer service department, and our licensed opticians can discuss the best options for your needs.
If you are ordering a frame with lenses, it takes on average 3-5 business days of processing before we ship. The processing time depends on the lenses and lens features you order. Single vision is faster, progressives are slower, and glass lenses can take up to four weeks.
You can order up to three frames and send them back for a full refund within 30 days.
All frames are designed to be adjusted to your face. If your frames don't fit, you could try visiting a local optical store to ask for an adjustment. We guarantee your satisfaction. If you still don't like your glasses, you can return them for a full refund.