this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2023
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Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui / Wellington

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My current spectacles are getting a bit bent out of shape, so I'm looking to get some new ones.

My last few pairs have been through SpecSavers, but they've ended up wearing out in similar ways. Could easily relate to a pattern of mistreatment on my part, but I'm keen to try somewhere else anyway.

Where do you guys suggest around the city? Ideally still budget friendly (would like to stick around $400 if possible), but open to all suggestions.

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[–] Dave 5 points 1 year ago (10 children)

I've been told the right way to go about it is to get your eyes tested by an optometrist (say, if you're an AA member with a free check at Specsavers, if you're a Southern Cross member with a free check at OPSM, etc.). Then ask them to print out your subscription, and order your lenses and frames online.

There are places online that will ship glasses to you at a fraction of the cost. The most common one I've heard is https://www.zennioptical.com though there are others that ship to NZ.

This way you can get a bunch of them and it's still cheaper than Specsavers.

[–] Hades 3 points 1 year ago (6 children)

I'm a bit skeptical about buying frames without trying them on first. I find a lot of frames don't look as good as I'd hoped once I see them on my face (this could be my face's fault to be fair).

And virtual means of trying on glasses isn't the same, I reckon. Slight differences in how the software measures your face size could mean they end looking different on you in real life.

I suppose I could buy a bunch, and be statistically pretty likely to get something that looks good, but that seems like it'd be creating a lot of unnecessary waste.

So yeah, maybe I'm just not savvy enough for these modern times, but I'd prefer to do it all in store.

[–] Dave 3 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Can you look for frames that are similar to the ones you already have?

[–] Hades 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I feel like I'd still want to try them on first. They might be just different enough that they end up looking wrong?

I probably should have prefaced all of this by saying I am an absolute pedant.

[–] liv 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I too am an absolute pedant but with zenni optical you can see all the dimensions in mm (frame height, width, etc etc) and filter by them too.

So I measure glasses I already own, and then go for other glasses that are the exact same size and similar shape. It takes a lot of sorting through results but at the end of the day I can come out with glasses that cost $20 instead of $220.

[–] Dave 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Alternatively, pick ones you don't like and put up with them. I always spend an hour in the shop and never like whatever I end up with. I think that's because I don't wear them all the time, only while driving, so I don't get used to them.

[–] Hades 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I pretty much only take off my glasses to sleep and shower. In a sense, they're part of my face, so I'd rather get a pair I feel good about.

[–] Dave 1 points 1 year ago

Fair enough. I've typically only used specsavers and never really liked them, so can't really suggest anything.

Thinking about it though, it sounds like your frames are wearing out. Can you get new frames and use the existing lenses to save some money?

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