Six things that determine the price of eyeglasses
We often times are asked what the differences are in glasses and why they matter. Frankly, to some, they don’t. To some, they are no more than a device to enhance their visual acuity. Just as, to some, a PB&J is a really good meal. Others embrace the opportunity to exhibit their taste and sense of style and many enjoy the fit and feel of a premium product and the vision provided by an exceptional lens. What follows are a few of the reasons some eyewear costs more than others.
Materials
The foundation of all eyewear is the frame. Most commonly they are produced from three types of material. Metals, acetates and combinations.
Metals today can range from a material called Monel (50% copper, 50% nickel) various steels, the new class-leader, titanium and up into ultra-premium precious metals, commonly Sterling Silver and Gold.
Monel has been around for a very long time. It’s a rudimentary alloy that is inexpensive and somewhat durable. It is also relatively corrosion-free. However, nickel is toxic to humans so these frames have to be either painted or clear coated to avoid skin irritation. Fortunately, Monel is mostly confined to the lower end these days.
Stainless steel has been used for a number of years with some degree of success. However, stainless gets its corrosion resistance from nickel, so you have the problems as before. These frames are not often seen.
Titanium is today’s gold standard. Titanium is biologically inert, not hypo allergenic. Titanium also has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal. It is also exceptionally fatigue resistant. Where a Monel frame may withstand a few bends and bent-backs, titanium will go back again and again. Titanium is also alloyed with other metals to achieve different characteristics. The most common are aluminum and vanadium. These alloys each have differing performance characteristics. Commonly used is titanium 6AL/4V, which is broadly used in aerospace applications. Other alloys include Beta titanium which utilized chromium, molybdenum and iron and typically yields a metal with spring-like properties that can bend over and over and return to shape without deformation.
Silver and gold are premium metals that are used more for appearance and feel than durability. Although the typical silver alloys are fairly strong and corrosion-resistant while gold does not corrode or oxidize under virtually all conditions. What these metals provides are a unique feel and balance. The best pieces in silver are fabricated from Argentium, which is a silver alloy. It greatly increases both corrosion resistance and strength. It retains its designation of a Sterling silver, which is .925 purity.
Every once in a while, you’ll run across an aluminum frame. Lighter than steel alloys and Monel, but lacking the feel of titanium. Think “beer-budget titanium”.
Lastly you have some niche frames. Wood had a moment a few years back and can still be had. Carbon fiber is another. Light, strong and, like wood, rigid. It fits or it doesn’t. There’s no adjustability.
Our last material is horn. Yes, real animal horn. Most often Asian water buffalo. This is fabricated by collecting a large number of the horns and slicing them, looking for enough size and thickness as well as visual and structural quality to construct into eyeglass frames. The horn pieces are then processed, most often by steam heating and pressing into flat plates. At times, varying colors of horn are laminated in perpendicular slices that have been shaved very thin. The plates are then processed in the same way that acetates are fashioned. They are cut to pattern and in almost all cases finished by hand. Horn is a unique material. It shapes somewhat like an acetate, but has the weight of a titanium frame. It has a unique feel- it’s warm and comfortable and for lack of a better description, an “organic” feel. The best feature of a horn frame is the random visual color patterns of the horn. These can range from subtle to highly contrasting lines, the horn material’s equivalent of wood grain. And just as with exotic woods, they can have some very dramatic but sophisticated looks. As one might imagine, horn is commonly going to be several multiples of the cost of just about any other material. Combining horn and precious metals is the pinnacle of opulence.
Hinges
Except for a scant few exceptions, all frames have hinges mounted between the front plate and the temples. And while often overlooked, the hinge is often the most important piece of a frame. It’s impossible, regardless of frame material, to construct a solid, comfortable frame without a sturdy and precision-made hinge. The one buzzword you’ll hear regarding hinges is “barrel”. This is a count of the interlocking elements between one side and another. If you look at a door in your home or office, most likely each hinge will be a five-barrel hinge. Two protrusions bent into a circle on one side, three on the other, with the hinge pin holding them in alignment. Your better frames are going to have either a three or five-barrel hinge. Obviously, the structure of the frame is going to dictate the hinge to a certain degree. A delicate hinge with a thin temple will most likely have a three-barrel hinge. There just isn’t room for more. Your big, chunky sunglasses with thick acetates will typically have a five barrel and sometimes a seven barrel. The larger the hinge and the more precisely they are made, the sturdier and more rigid the frame will feel.
Inside of this numbering format you’ll see a broad range of hinges. Most all use screws as their pivot points. The better hinges are often hinged for a tighter tolerance and some have polymer bushings for smoother action. You may find a very beefy three barrel and a smaller, more delicate five-barrel. Typically this is driven by the needs of the frame, but sometimes it is nothing more than designer preference.
Some premium frames are equipped with bolstered hinges. As a hinge opens, the end of the temple arm bears against the front plate to limit how far the temples will open. After time, the small surface of the tip will mushroom, causing the temples to spread apart, or “splay”. This results in a loose-fitting frame. Some designers will specify a temple face tip that is either integral to or alongside of the hinge. Riveting through the acetate, through the temple wire, through the metal bolster and into the hinge makes for a frame that will last a very long time and maintain its fit and feel. There is also the “military hinge” which often feature metal to metal contact on both surfaces. This is a feature found in the higher end- usually the craftsman-produced Japanese pieces. These often feature unique designs, engraving and contrasting metal colors. Elegant and sturdy are the hallmarks of these hinges.
Metal frames commonly have hinges of the same style welded to the temples and front plate. In some instances, you’ll find screwless hinges. Some manufacturers utilize a wire temple that the tip of the wire is wrapped around a hinge drum. Often these are non-adjustable. Some brands use a tension-loaded screwless hinge. These are very strong, adjustable and can be separated and re-attached without damage. By design, this presents a visually obvious design and this hinge is typically used in a frame with a matching aesthetic. It’s a more modern, tech-y look.
The dark, unseemly underbelly of eyeglass hinges.
There are no two words that will turn the stomach of an eyewear aficionado than these- spring hinge. These are a plague on the industry. But the industry is why they’re here to begin with. I’ll explain. First, why don’t you see spring hinges on high-quality frames? They’re not needed. They don’t need a shock absorber and that extra bit of “give” to prevent the frame from being turned into multiple pieces. Good hinges, good acetates and good design render that unnecessary. So why do so many frame lines have them? There are two reasons. One is necessity. There’s not enough inherent strength to withstand every day bumps without deterioration leading to failure. The second and more ironic is- the are designed to fail. If you extend a spring hinge, you’ll see a small piece of metal that runs from one side to the other. This is the piece the spring rides upon. This spiral wound spring is compressed every time the hinge is flexed. But what happens when you reach the limit? The frame now suffers that same stress as it would without the spring hinge. But the big problem is, the weakest link in the works is the link itself. When looking at it, the material is about the weight and diameter of a common paper clip. And without fail, this is where they break. Complicating this, the vast, vast majority of manufacturers bond or glue the spring box end to the temple. It cannot be replaced. Your only option to buy a new frame. But that frame is discontinued! So now you need new lenses. The old one’s won’t fit. And while this sounds very conspiratorial, we see a regular flow of individuals with broken springs on frames otherwise usable. And we rarely see failures of other types. Adding to this, there are certain niche frame brands that do utilize a spring hinge quite successfully. These are made of all titanium, quite substantial and in our experience bulletproof. It can be done.
Quality is a complicated thing.
There are broad ranges of quality to be found in very similarly appearing materials. Appearances can be deceiving.
Take acetates for instance. Acetate, or more correctly, cellulose acetate is an organic material. The originating base stock is cellulose, one of the most common organic materials on earth. The cellulose base stock can be from virtually any cellulose-bearing vegetation, however certain varieties have mor enhanced properties. If you are wearing a shirt right now, if it has buttons, those are almost certainly made of acetate. Your felt-tip marker? That “felt” is acetate. As is the pad on the inside of a Band-Aid. From a technical perspective, cellulose acetate is a fiber. But you’d never know. After conversion in a chemical process, the material is a clear solid. From there, it can be dyed into a solid, translucent or transparent color. Like taffy, the material can be processed in different colors and stretched, rolled and folded together to create varying patterns. Sometimes cured acetates are ground into chunks, blended with other colors and heat-pressed into pieces that mimic the classic tortoise shell appearance.
Acetate processing is like wine making. Any grape can be smashed and fermented into something you could technically refer to as wine. But the better the grape, the more meticulous the process and the more knowledgeable and experienced the winemaker, the higher quality the end result. Starting with the base stock and chemical conversion, the better the material, the better the end result. Once the acetate is created, it is then processed into colors and textures.
Afterwards, just as wine is aged, acetates are cured. And while each producer’s techniques are not public knowledge, it’s a procedure that takes time and skill.
Arguably the best acetates are created from cotton. You can create a very good acetate from certain wood fibers. The acetates used in mass production frames are commonly created from the least expensive and most easily processed base stocks. It is sliced, cured quickly and sent off to production.
In the world of eyewear, there are two recognized sources for top quality acetates. Japan and Italy. Mazzuchelli is the largest and most recognized provider of acetates to the eyeglass industry. Nearing 200 years in business, Mazzuchelli is known for their massive array of colors and for being the production standard in handmade eyewear. Often times makers will take multiple Mazzuchelli acetates and either laminate them or fuse them. You’ll see two contrasting colors of a transparent acetate fused face to face, creating a single piece that grabs light and reflects I around, resulting in an attractive piece of eyewear that has a life and character to it. Sometimes you’ll have combinations such as a Tokyo Tortoise on top and a contrasting crystal on the bottom. These are subtle but still quite interesting. Pieces of acetates of different colors can be cut into shape and fused together. One of our favorite brands, Tom Davies, has a signature piece where red white and blue are cut and assembled as the British flag. They have made sunglasses of these as well as some very fun dealer display placards.
Japanese acetates are considered by most to be the super-premium of the industry. The companies of Daicel and Takiron both manufacture a cotton acetate that is usually found in the finest eyewear. These acetates have a very unique look and feel that is unmatched by any other. These acetates typically have a harder quality to them that results in a material that feels unlike a plastic and more glass-like. It polishes to a brilliant, layered shine that is easily recognized. Unfortunately, these are products limited in both availability and color range. It is very rare to find these acetates in the products of producers outside of Japan. As such, the color range is more geared to their home market’s style sensibilities. These tend to be more classic and conservative than those in Europe and the U.S. Fortunately, what the Japanese materials provide is neither better or worse than a material such as Mazzuchelli. They’re “just different”.
Now we have the rest of the world. One can purchase eyeglass frames at a wholesale level, priced at ten dollars or less. These, as with the other frames we have discussed are made from cellulose acetate. There is high confidence it will not be a Mazzuchelli or any other premium product. These products are quite easily spotted. They are dull, lifeless pieces of unimaginative plastic. These are virtually always Chinese or Lower Asian products, made quickly and cheaply. Many are branded with designer labels that are leased from the owners of those trademarks, but that’s a complete other story.
Made in….?
A portion of eyeglass cost comes from both where it was made and who made it.
We have been having the “Buy American!” discussion since the 1970’s. And while everyone will say they’re in favor of it, it doesn’t seem to happen much with consumer goods. You’d be hard pressed to find much in Walmart or on Amazon that is made outside of places with very low labor rates. Countries like China are typically the sources of low-tech items or items that can be made primarily with automation. Commodity products. And when the primary criteria is low cost, places like China are the go-to producers. And there is certainly a place in the world for these products. If you appreciate quality and craftsmanship, you’re most likely going to find this in Europe and Japan. Here you’ll find a cottage industry society of small er companies and an encouragement for the industrious and creative to venture out and create their own product. Some of our producers couldn’t make more product if they wanted to, due to a lack of skilled craftsmen that take years to develop. Maybe “couldn’t” is the wrong word. Won’t.
There are also varying restrictions by country on product labeling. There’s no possible way that U.S. Customs could track the origin of the raw materials and the source of each component use in construction of each and every item imported. We must rely on the exporting countries regulations. Unfortunately, that’s often not very reliable. An example is Italy. For decades, Italy maintained an exceptionally high standard of production and craftsmanship, specifically in leather goods, fashion products and culinary items. The country had stringent made-in laws. A few years back, a producer filed suit regarding these restrictions. They lost, but chose to appeal. Eventually, Italy’s supreme court overturned the ruling and nullified the prior made-in laws. In their ruling, the standard established was that Made in Italy was identified as the spirit of the product and reflective of Italian design or origin. Today, in the instance of eyewear, frames can be shipped to Italy in pieces. Two screws installed or rivets into a hinge and now magically, made in China is now made in Italy.
Interestingly enough, China is now becoming expensive. As their economy has grown in their transition from an agrarian to an industrial society, labor costs there are on the rise. As such, some manufacturers have begun moving production to other locations. One in particular is the island of Mauritius, off the coast of Africa. The question then becomes “Can you get good product out of China?” It’s certainly possible. We just haven’t seen it yet.
The best for last - lenses
After all that, we still haven’t hit upon the only reason we’re here. Vision correction! Anything that will hold two lenses in front of your eyes will work just as well as the finest frame, but without lenses, it’s just a decoration.
The basics of eyeglasses have been around for centuries, dating back to “reading stones” and then transitioning into rudimentary lenses hand ground from crystals and later from glass. The late 19th century saw significant advancements in the science of optics, primarily from the world of microscopes. Ernst Abbe’s creation of the apochromatic lens revolutionized microscope optics and that translated very quickly to eyeglass lens technology. Abbe was responsible for a large number of discoveries in optical physics and essentially laid the foundation for the precision prescription optics we use today. These technologies were all discovered during his tenure as research director and partner at Carl Zeiss AG, considered to this day to be the premier manufacturer of optics of all types.
In modern lenses, you have materials and technologies. First is materials. As mentioned previously, the earliest lenses were crystal, but the most prolific for decades and decades was glass, evolving into crown and borosilicate glasses. These materials were valued for their clarity and optical fidelity. The downside of glass was the weigh and low refractive index. The higher the index, the more efficiently the material refracts light, which is the process of altering the viewed image relative to the uncorrected eye. In short, higher index equals less glass equals less weight. Shortly before World War 2, Columbia Chemical developed a polymer for the B-17 bomber called CR-39. This was found to possess exceptional optical qualities (for the time) and weighed a fraction of glass. As time went on, additional polymers, most notably polycarbonate, became available and brought with them certain desirable qualities. The most valuable of which was exceptional impact resistance. Safety glasses were now actually safe, thanks to the engineers at GE. However, CR-39 and polycarbonate did have some negative qualities. Those being lower optical fidelity and lower light transmissibility. Viewing these materials next to a glass lens shows a noticeable addition of color. This is the equivalent of a lightly tinted sunglass. It’s a small amount, but it does diminish the light passing through the lens. Today, the gold standard in lens material is Trivex. We previously mentioned CR-39 and Columbia Chemical and the military aircraft application in 1940. Fast forward a half century or so and Columbia Chemical is now PPG. And our military is now moving much faster and striking much harder. So they turned to PPG to develop a new material. An optical monomer called Trivex. This material was developed for our military as Optical Armor and the first application was the Apache attack helicopter windshield. As these pilots utilize helmet-mounted optics, there was a need for flawless clarity and optical fidelity. And because sometimes they also get shot at, there is a need for bulletproof strength. Today you’ll find Trivex in virtually every aircraft as well as places such as bank teller windows. And in a place where strength, weight and optical fidelity really matters- eyeglasses.
Now that you have the perfect material, you have to make a lens out of it. Lenses are a fairly complicated ordeal to design and create. A standard single-vision lens is simply two different curves, one on the front and one on the back. The differences in those curves causes light to refract and that provides the changes needed to focus your vision. But optical fidelity is only perfect in the very center. As you go outward, you start to experience spherical distortion and you end up with image smear resulting from how light is transmitted as the lens thickens. Technology overcomes those effects in a single vision lens by using a aspherical grind profile. Aspheric lenses were first found in the optics of cinema cameras, professional photographers and industrial imaging. Today the technology has migrated to prescription vision.
Single vision lenses, even aspheric profiles, are mere child’s play compared to progressive lenses. As bifocals have become relics, progressive lenses are the go-to solution for the mid-40’s and up presbyopes. Progressive lenses are the quintessential technology product. The progressive has been around for decades. And as the years pass, the technology improves and as such, the wearer’s experience improves. To understand why, it’s important to understand the basics of the lens. A progressive lens is the equivalent of about ten lenses. The top 60% from just below the pupil to the top of the frame is the distance vision. This accommodates your infinite or relaxed vision. Slightly below that is the intermediate. That’s the ranges from about 20 feet to two feet. Then below that you have an ever-increasing focal length moving down the lens. Hence, the progressive in progressive lens. If we start just below the intermediate zone and you are a +2.5 add, assuming the intermediate portion was plus two quarters of diopter, there would be a two-diopter transition as you view downward. In order to accomplish this with one lens that is essentially ten or so different lenses and have it have a linear transition, it takes a whole bunch of very complicated physics. It’s not that hard to make a progressive lens. It’s exceptionally hard to make one that is usable and comfortable. As you might imagine, early progressive lenses were less than comfortable to wear. As time progressed, the technology and the product has evolved. Years back, the transition from single-vision to progressive was less than easy or pleasant. The progressive lens requires an adaptation. Essentially your brain being unfamiliar with the visual experience, the progressive sets off an alarm bell. After a period, your brain’s self-defense mechanism accepts the visual picture of the progressive and this is adaptation.
Many people make the comment “I tried progressives. I can’t wear them.”. When asked when it was that they tried them and where they got the glasses, it’s inevitably a decade ago and an eyewear discounter. As technology evolves, what is gained is a lens with a broader field of view, reduced peripheral distortion and solid central optical fidelity. A lens with little distortion and a crisp image is going to be much easier to adapt to that one that lacks those attributes.
We live in a world where people are driven by bargains. And that’s understandable. However, if you spend less and get less, is it really a bargain? Lenses are a great place for an optical provider to hide. They can tell you anything they like and unless you had a deep knowledge of the vision correction industry, you’d have no idea what you were actually getting. You’ll notice that everyone has a Good-Better-Best offering in progressives. But what does that mean? In reality, no one makes a Good-Better-Best. The make the best lens they can. And then they have the best lens they could make three years ago. And then they offer the best lens from seven years ago. So it all depends where you are on the spectrum. Someone may offer a Silver-Gold-Platinum lineup? But how old is the Platinum? What kind of design is it? Most likely if you are finding this lens at a discounter and the price seems less than elsewhere, it’s going to be a lens somewhat further down the chain of age and technology progression. It’s not the lens material and it’s not really the grinding and finishing process that dictates cost. It’s design. That’s the element that presents the costs to the lens company. All the lens manufacturers produce their top line lenses and then license the second and third tier designs to optical labs. The older the profile, the less the cost. Go back a bit and these grinds have little to no royalty cost. Not being told the manufacturer and grind profile is a sure-fire way to tell.
As goes the old adage;
“What’s the difference between the good one and the better one?”
“Twenty bucks”
This is why we use Zeiss lenses. This is why every lens is a Trivex material. We are firm believers of our customers knowing what they are getting and understanding the value of what they’re paying for. We believe in informed choices. And we believe people should have the best, sharpest and most comfortable vision possible. There’s no shortage of places where you can find the alternatives.
In the end…
This is a peek at what goes on inside of the vision care industry from an eyeglasses perspective. Now when you see some ad that says “Cut out the middleman”, you can decide for yourself if that’s what you really want. In our assessment, the industry sacrifices quality of materials and construction for brand name recognition. You can put Mercedes emblems on a Kia, but it doesn’t make it a Mercedes. We have people visit us and nine times out of ten, they quickly recognize both the quality differences and the wearer feel of the product. What surprised most people is that there is often no difference in price between a “designer” frame and an independent. And most are shocked to find out that more than 140 different brands of designer frames today are brands leased from their owner or that the name was purchased outright. We believe the best consumer is an informed consumer that is able to collect the facts and make a decision on what delivers the best value to them for the dollars spent. Seeing people back year after year, bringing family members and referring friends and co-workers leads us to believe that we are on to something. Stop in and see!