Best online places to buy backup glasses?

Jay ValenciaContributor - June 2, 2020

Advice

I wear glasses and so does my wife. We’re not interested in getting laser surgery, so that means an extra pair of glasses are part of our preps at home. I think most people do that. But now I’m wondering if I should have an extra pair specifically for our BOB and maybe our EDC. My prescription hasn’t changed so my guess is I can just use that to order a few pairs online for us?

Where would you recommend?

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As a glasses wearer myself, I’d check out https://www.zennioptical.com/

They have the lowest price glasses and I’ve always found the quality to be perfectly fine. As long as you know what your prescription is, you can choose whatever frames, lenses, coatings, etc. They also usually ship each set of glasses with a case and microfiber cloth.

 

As a glasses wearer myself, I’d check out https://www.zennioptical.com/

They have the lowest price glasses and I’ve always found the quality to be perfectly fine. As long as you know what your prescription is, you can choose whatever frames, lenses, coatings, etc. They also usually ship each set of glasses with a case and microfiber cloth.

 

Agreed on zennioptical.com. Found them on Reddit a few years ago and haven’t looked back. They have a ton of different frames and they’re very cheap. I also like that they don’t have an excessive amount of lens coatings or addons. The last few times I went to a glasses store they push so hard to tack on more fees. Zenni doesn’t have too many.

 

Thank you for this! I’ve never heard of zennioptical, but I’ll check them out.

 

i have one backup pair but i think that’s a smart idea to get a few cheap pairs to tuck away. i used to wear contacts but it was too much of a nuisance and i like how glasses look on me anyway. i’ve seen ads for different sites but i’ll come back to see what people say. looks like zenni is the winner so far.

 

I also use Zenni optical. you *can* order a set of glasses with just the frames and lenses (no coating) and you’re good to go for under $10. I’ve tried a few of their different options though, and have strong preferences.
Anti-glare coating is a must for me, I tried glasses without and if I’m facing the sun while driving I have to take off my glasses to be able to see.
Blue-Blocking lenses aren’t as useful for me. For my job I stare at a computer screen for 8hrs a day and then go home and watch youtube or a movie, I consider myself pretty well adjusted. I know people that swear by blue-blockers, but they don’t do anything for me other than tint the whole world yellow.
I haven’t tried their sunglasses or transition-style lenses, so I don’t have a review on those.
Hope some of this information helps.I usually spend around $60 on Zenni but you can get cheaper from them if you are willing to live without extra options. I think I have bought about 4 different glasses from them and they never got the prescription wrong.
One last thing you have to watch out for is to MEASURE. I have never really had a lot of success getting glasses that fit me until I started experimenting with Zenni. The brick-and-mortar”optical stores” have always seemed more interested in making a sale than finding a good fit.

 

I don’t know if this will out me as a hipster, but you should take a look at Warby Parker. They’re a lot cheaper than people expect and the styles/colors are generally very modern. I’ve been to their physical stores and had a great experience, though that’s likely not possible right now. If you’re aiming to buy in bulk at the cheapest price possible, it may not be your first choice, though.

 

Try Eyebuydirect. I figure they’re about the same as Zenni to be honest. And you should consider buying a thicker frame than maybe you use normally. The tradeoff with cheap glasses is that they break sooner than the bigger brands. Not always the case but it’s a little common sense. So if you usually have thin wire frames maybe think about getting thicker ones. The backpu pair in my BOB are very thick on purpose.

 

I’m just weighing in to agree with the other posters that Zenni Optical is great. I bought five super cheap pairs and keep one in the BOB, one in each vehicle, and then use the others for every day. They’re so good I can’t imagine why I was paying my optician hundreds of dollars for glasses all these years that are basically indistinguishable from the Zennis.

 

I’m farsighted so I can’t even take out a splinter off my finger without my glasses (that’s how I found out). Now that I’ve been kitting out my car and put together a decent BOB I need extras to put in them! Actually, planning to leave a pair in my everyday bag, too. Will check out Zennioptical – you folks, rock!

 

I’ve been using America’s best for glasses for a few years now.  You can get two pairs of glasses, with a drs eye exam for 69.95.  You really can get out the door for that price, but I add bifocals and tinting which adds a little but not too much.  At this price I usually get new pairs each year.  I can’t say enough about how pleased I am with this company.  (and no, I don’t have stock or any other interest in them, lol).

 

Does it have to be online?  I buy my glasses and contacts from Costco, they’re top quality at a low price and they stand by their products (e.g., scratched a pair a few months after buying and they replaced them for free, lifetime free adjustments, etc.).  I buy a new pair every year on my FSA and have accumulated about a dozen pairs at this point for backups.  Fortunately however my prescription hasn’t changed in decades.