Sunglasses NOT owned by Luxottica

[BrightFuturesSG]

I was going to say that those look really cheap in materials, appearance, and construction, but then I went to the site and saw that they really are cheap. They probably fill a niche for some buyers.

As a consumer, how informed are you about the construction of a product you've never owned personally?

Do you know the difference between polycarbonate and acetate? Do you know the density of the Polycarbonate we use?

Did you know our impact resistance tests show superiority to that of both Oakley's Frogskins (Acrylic) and Ray Ban's Wayfarers (Acetate or Polycarbonate)?

I highly suggest you own a product first, before consulting on it's quality... We've engineered our product to surpass the current marketplace's status quo and offer it at a more than reasonable price...

Thank you for you input though.

 

[Tsujigiri]

As a consumer, how informed are you about the construction of a product you've never owned personally?

Do you know the difference between polycarbonate and acetate? Do you know the density of the Polycarbonate we use?

Did you know our impact resistance tests show superiority to that of both Oakley's Frogskins (Acrylic) and Ray Ban's Wayfarers (Acetate or Polycarbonate)?

I highly suggest you own a product first, before consulting on it's quality... We've engineered our product to surpass the current marketplace's status quo and offer it at a more than reasonable price...

Thank you for you input though.

Actually I do know a bit about these materials. You seem to be mixing up frames and lenses, which are you referring to? Also, a few things you wrote are wrong or badly worded. Oakley uses a polycarbonate based material for its lenses, not acrylic, which the ANSI Z87.1 impact tests they use are designed to test. There are a few mil-spec tests that push lenses even further, which some Wiley-X glasses and Revision protective eyewear are designed to withstand. Ray-Ban mostly uses glass lenses, so no surprise that they aren't very impact resistant. Also, the Ray-Bans Wayfarers frames aren't made of real acetate. They used to be acetate, but now they use a material that has similar properties but can be injection-molded, so as to save costs.

In your pictures you mention that you have frames made of polycarbonate and lenses made of acrylic, which seems like an unusual choice. Do you mean the other way around? If your priority is impact resistance, polycarbonate would be a smarter choice for the lens since it has a higher fracture toughness.

In any case, I'll explain the quality I was referring to. To me, a quality pair of sunglasses should have wire core acetate frames, which allows for some adjustability and has a better quality feel to it than common plastics. I'm not so concerned with the impact resistance since I have specialized safety glasses for that. If the frames do have rivets, I'd want them to be real rivets, not fake ones that are heat-sunk into the frame. It is clear just from the pictures and the specs listed that your sunglasses are not the most high quality on the market. But like I said, that's acceptable given the lower price point. I'm not saying that your product is a terrible value, but you have to be realistic; it's just not comparable to the much more expensive frames out there.

 

[BrightFuturesSG]

Actually I do know a bit about these materials. You seem to be mixing up frames and lenses, which are you referring to? Also, a few things you wrote are wrong or badly worded. Oakley uses a polycarbonate based material for its lenses, not acrylic, which the ANSI Z87.1 impact tests they use are designed to test. There are a few mil-spec tests that push lenses even further, which some Wiley-X glasses and Revision protective eyewear are designed to withstand. Ray-Ban mostly uses glass lenses, so no surprise that they aren't very impact resistant. Also, the Ray-Bans Wayfarers frames aren't made of real acetate. They used to be acetate, but now they use a material that has similar properties but can be injection-molded, so as to save costs.

In your pictures you mention that you have frames made of polycarbonate and lenses made of acrylic, which seems like an unusual choice. Do you mean the other way around? If your priority is impact resistance, polycarbonate would be a smarter choice for the lens since it has a higher fracture toughness.

In any case, I'll explain the quality I was referring to. To me, a quality pair of sunglasses should have wire core acetate frames, which allows for some adjustability and has a better quality feel to it than common plastics. I'm not so concerned with the impact resistance since I have specialized safety glasses for that. If the frames do have rivets, I'd want them to be real rivets, not fake ones that are heat-sunk into the frame. It is clear just from the pictures and the specs listed that your sunglasses are not the most high quality on the market. But like I said, that's acceptable given the lower price point. I'm not saying that your product is a terrible value, but you have to be realistic; it's just not comparable to the much more expensive frames out there.

I was referring to the frame construction only...

Our frames are Polycarbonate.

What matter's most to us in our company in particular is the resistance of the frame to breakage due to normal wear and excessive usage as well. We want our customer to be able to beat the shades up and not worry about them breaking.

Acetate breaks when bent (Ray Ban Wayfarer), Acrylic fogs when bent and will lose shape when bent (Oakley Frogskins). Our Polycarbonate construction will bend with a large range of motion, and retain shape, without breaking or fogging...

As for the lenses, yes, they are acrylic. We could offer PC lenses such as other brands, but the rigidity of our frame and quality of our 0.75mm Polarized Lenses, speak for themselves. We use Acrylic for our Wayfarer lenses to keep the cost of the product down on our core product. Our other frames (Aviator, Cruiser, Specatcle) all offer Polycarbonate Lenses, but they are all also a little higher in retail price...

I wouldn't pass judgement of a product, without seeing it in person, that is my main reason for replying to your post in the first place.

Thank you for your input.

 

[Tsujigiri]

I should be a little clearer about my intent. I was comparing your sunglasses to more expensive ones. If your sunglasses were in that price range, they would be lacking in materials and features compared to some of the better brands. There are quite a few brands that are lacking in the same way but cost three or four times what yours do. Since you are selling them for a lower price, the lower quality materials make sense. I really would not expect to see real acetate on a pair of sunglasses retailing for under $30. You're focusing on an unusual price niche, but I could see there being a market for it. I'd suggest that you lose the external branding and weird colors and go for more classic stuff. Maybe something like a lower priced alternative to Retrosuperfuture's concept. Good luck.

BTW, real acetate will not break when bent as you say. As I mentioned, Ray-Ban's Wayfarers don't use real acetate anymore, so their inferior material would be the cause of the breakages you've been hearing about. Real wire core acetate can be bent easily to suit the user, as seen below:

That's LGR's demonstration, but any good pair of frames made with real acetate can do this. I bend all of mine to suit me better.

 

[tuisquash]



Your suggestion of avoiding Luxottica and shopping at Walmart is completely oxymoronic why avoid one huge conglomerate and support another.

Also, there are tons of independent high end optical lines that don't utilize Chinese acetates contrary to your earlier posts, most of these lines use Italian Mazzuchelli acetates. I am including a short list to help you out Also none of these lines are affiliated with Safilo, Marchon or Marcolin the other optical powerhouses, they are all independent.

Mykita
Mykita Mylon
Dita
Thom Browne
Orgreen
Bevel
Barton Perriera
Lindberg
Anne et Valentine
Theo
Face a Face
Oliver Goldsmith
Claire Goldsmith
Caroline Abram
Undostrial
Lucas de Stael
Masunaga
Zero G
Salt
Robert Marc
Lunor
Gold & Wood
Chrome Hearts
Linda Farrow
Cutler & Gross
FreudenHaus
Drift
LA Eyeworks
Lafont
Italee
Ic Berlin
Maybach
Activist Eyewear
Alexander Daas
Andy Wolf
Rapp
Cartier
David Yurman
Entourage of 7
Eye DC
Etnia Barcelona
Feb 31st
Francis Klein
Hoffman
JF Rey
Morgenthal Frederics
Kilsgaard
Leisure Society
Sama
Matsuda
Massada
PQ
Res/Rei
Theirry Lasry
Harry Lary
Traction
Tom Davies
Volte Face
Vue DC
Gotti
Rigards

And there are way more out there. Look a little deeper and seek an independent optical shop

Tom ford

 

[Tsujigiri]

Tom ford

Made by Marcolin last I checked.

 

[sutro vision]

Hi. I see that someone had mentioned us here. Thanks.

We've got a small independent brand out of San Francisco. We started Sutro when we realized that no one was making glasses with the same quality as frames we loved growing up, like old Persol's and RayBan's with glass lenses (before Luxottica bought them), or early Varunet's.

We use the finest glass lenses from Barberini in Italy, Japanese acetate and created our surgical stainless, 3Click

hinge as an answer to most problems...hinge failure. Pitch over... check out:

http://www.sutrovision.com

Tks
Sutro

 

[LabelKing]

I wonder who make's Cartier's frames?

 

[Lohikaarme]

Any knowledge on Chronicles of Never?

 

[Panama]

Something I did for glasses not specifically for sunglasses:

Luxottica (Ray-Ban/Oakley/Persol) - Italy
Brooks Brothers
Burberry ex Safilo
Bulgari
Chanel
Coach ex Marchon
Donna Karan ex Alain Mikli
DKNY
Dolce & Gabbana ex Marcolin
Emporio Armani
Giorgio Aramni
Paul Smith
Polo Ralph Lauren ex Safilo
Prada
Stella McCartney ex Safilo
Tiffany & Co
Tory Burch
Versace

Safilo - Italy
Alexander McQueen
Banana Republic (USA only)
BOSS/BOSS Orange/HUGO
Bottega Veneta
Dior
Dior Homme
Fendi ex Marchon
Fossil
Gucci
JLo by Jennifer Lopez (USA only)
Jimmy Choo
Juicy Couture
Kate Spade
Liz Claiborne (USA only)
Marc Jacobs
Marc by Marc Jacobs
Max Mara
Max&Co
Pierre Cardin
Saks Fifth Avenue (USA only)
Tommy Hilfiger ex Viva
Saint Laurent Paris (YSL)
Bobbi Brown

Marchon Eyewear USA inc Scandinavian Eyewear
Calvin Klein
Chloe ex L'Amy ex Marcolin
Emilio Pucci
G-Star Raw
Jill Sander ex Alain Mikli
Karl Lagerfeld
Lacoste ex Charmant Group
Michael Kors
Nautica
Nine West ex Safilo/Stylemark
Salvatore Ferragamo ex Luxottica
Valentino ex Safilo
Nike

Charmant Group Japan
Elle
Espirit
Puma
Trussardi ex Visibilia
Daks (Asia)
Lanvin (Japan)
Nina Ricci (Japan)

Marcolin Italy inc Creative Optics Inc USA
Diesel ex Safilo
Roberto Cavalli
Timberland
Tom Ford
Balenciaga ex Safilo
Mont Blanc
Tod's
Kenneth Cole (USA only) ex ClearVision
Ermenegildo Zegna ex De Rigo 2015
Miss Sixty
North Face
Ferrari
John Galliano

Orama to Marcolin
Henry Cotton’s

Viva International Group USA to Marcolin
Gant
Guess
Marciano
Skechers
Harley Davidson

Viva Moda/De Rigo
Etro
Escada
Fila
Furla
Givenchy
Ermenegildo Zegna


De Rigo (Police) Spain
Blumarine ex Visibilia
Chopard
Fila
Lanvin ex Japan
Orla Kiely
Escada
Furla
Loewe
Carolina Herrera
Ermenegildo Zegna to leave
Givenchy
TOUS
Etro
La Perla
Jean Paul Gaultier ex Japan

Silhouette International Schmied AG
Adidas

Altair Eyewear
Joseph Abboud
Tommy Bahama

Kenmark
Vera Wang
Penguin

L'Amy America
Sperry Top-Sider
Balmain
Carven
Ann Taylor
Ted Lapidus
Ninna Ricci ex Japan
Columbia
Cerrutti ex Allison
Sonia Rykiel ex Alain Mikli
Nicole Miller
Kenzo
Rochas

REM Eyewear - USA
Converse
John Varvatos
Tumi

Tura (USA/Canada) Eschenbach
Bogner
Geoffrey Beene
Brendel
Ted Baker (with Hartmarx)
Lulu Guinness

Eschenbach Eyewear - Germany
Marc O'Polo
Bogner
Brendel

Allison - Italy
Benetton ex Nigura Metzler
Iceberg
Moschino
Replay ex Marcolin
Sisley
Vivienne Westwood
Missoni
Bikkembergs
Cerruti ex Nigura Metzler
Dunhill
Gianfranco Ferrè
Les Copains
John Richmond
Byblos

Colors In Optics USA
Azzaro
Elie Tahari

Rodenstock Germany
Dunhill ex Allison
Baldessarini
Porsche Design
Mercedes Benz ex Allison



Eyewear Designs – USA Walman
Bill Blass
Jill Stuart
Perry Ellis
Elizabeth Arden
Levi's


Nigura Metzler Germany ex Moulin Global Hong Kong
Cerrutti 1993-2003 2010-
Aston Martin
Reebok ex Stylemark
Benetton
Longines
Aigner

Aspex Eyewear
Greg Norman
BMW


Mondottica Hong Kong
Hackett London
Pepe Jeans
CB Sports
Christian Lacroix
Cacharel
Joules UK and Ire
Yohji Yamamoto
Ted Baker ex North America
Lulu Guinness ex North America

Inspecs UK
Radley
Austin Reed
Superdry
O'Neil
Animal
CAT

Alain Mikli France

Optec Japan
Paul Smith (Japan only)

Visibilia Germany ex Italy
Tom Tailor
Blumarine
Jeckerson
Laura Biagiotti
Mandarina Duck
Trussardi
Emanuel Ungaro

 

[eyewearnerd]

It really doesn't matter. Even private brands eventually sell to Luxottica and Luxottica always offers so much money that they can't refuse the offer. So just go with what you like and don't worry about big or small companies.

Eyewear Nerd

 

[kristina312]

Mau Jim. They are by far the best sunglasses you'll ever own. They have a patent on double polarization, not only on one side but a coating on the outside and inside. With that said, it protects your eyes a lot more, reduces the glare even more than any other polarized sunglass. Their warranty is great, and stand behind their words. Theres a 2 year warranty on the lenses, so if anything, and I literally mean anything, happens to them they will replace the lenses for free within those 2 years. After the 2 years you just have to pay 30 dollars per lens to get it replaced while a polarized Oakley lens is 90 dollars. As with the frame, they have a lifetime warranty on them. So basically if anything happens to the frames, you can get it replaced for free for a lifetime. Another awesome thing about Maui Jim is that they are NOT owned by Luxottica. Maui Jim is one of the few brands that aren't owned by Luxottica. I have yet to see a Maui Jim return!!
-Sunglass professional

 

[axisofoil]

Well, I'll be the dissenting opinion.

I love wearing my Maui Jim's. But the customer service, specifically in regards to warranty service, is awful.

I've NEVER been able to have them replace something under warranty.

I've had several pairs break while wearing them. (I bought one pair, liked it, bought two more, then the breakages started)

I had one lens shatter while it was in the case.

I had two pairs recently break at the location of the previous "repair".

Each time, they've charged me $60-120 to 'fix' the glasses.


I'm headed back to Luxottica. At least they don't pretend to have good customer service.

 

[eyeheartshades]

Even if you get a brand not owned by Luxottica, like a independent brand, but they always get bought out by Luxottica, because they are worth so much, they can offer any brand a offer they can't refuse. Brands like Maui Jim and Oliver Peoples were always saying they would never sell to Luxottica, but they got offered a offer they really couldn't refuse and they caved in.

Not sure why it matters that much anyway, Luxottica is the largest manufacturer of eyewear and usually it just ends up improving most brands.

 

[Tsujigiri]

Even if you get a brand not owned by Luxottica, like a independent brand, but they always get bought out by Luxottica, because they are worth so much, they can offer any brand a offer they can't refuse. Brands like Maui Jim and Oliver Peoples were always saying they would never sell to Luxottica, but they got offered a offer they really couldn't refuse and they caved in.

Not sure why it matters that much anyway, Luxottica is the largest manufacturer of eyewear and usually it just ends up improving most brands.

www.EyeHeartShades.com

Maui Jim is still independent, I believe. And Luxottica lowers the quality of every brand they buy, hence the thread. Do you have an example of them improving the quality, not the profitability of a brand?