Goggles4u
"Discount Glasses Online"
http://www.goggles4u.com

The following is a purchase review based on my own experience. This experience does not necessarily reflect the experience that others may have when buying glasses from the above retailer. Keep in mind that each purchase review/experience pertains to ONE order. If my experience went well, it is no guarantee that yours will go well. If mine went poorly, there's no guarantee that yours will go poorly. Purchases may be placed under varying addresses under various names in an effort to keep orders "anonymous" so that orders do not receive "special treatment" above and beyond what a normal customer would receive. Finally, while every effort is made to keep each review unbiased, note that it is subject to my own opinion.

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Order Placed - Oct 23, 2009
Glasses were ordered. Frames were $9.99 (most frames from Goggles4u are the same price), standard 1.56 lenses were $20. The glasses came with free anti-scratch, UV and AR (anti-reflective) coatings. Worldwide shipping was free, bringing the total price to $29.99.

Order Shipped - Nov 2, 2009
Goggles4u does not send an email telling you when the order has shipped. However, you can find the shipping status on the CCNow website (CCNow is the payment processor for Goggles4u).

Order Received - Nov 6, 2009 (14 days)
The glasses arrived, and the cloth envelope stated that they'd shipped from Pakistan. 2 weeks is certainly a reasonable time-frame for glasses going from Pakistan to Canada.

Packaging
Inside the cloth "envelope" was a styrofoam box, containing the glasses case. Within the case, the glasses were further protected with cotton, and the lenses wrapped in a microfiber cloth. A lot of thought has obviously been taken to ensure that the glasses are not damaged during shipping.


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Pretty simple - Well-packaged, and Goggles4u also includes a free pair of extra nosepads.


First impressions & Quality
The frames were stiff. I'd have no concerns about them breaking on their own, although adjusting them had a bit of a "brittle" feeling to them (I wouldn't try bending anything other than the nosepads, as it requires a lot of force with these frames). They did need slight adjusting.

The lenses were well-cut to the extent that they fit well into the frames (no gaps/spaces). However, they were horizontally offset slightly from each other - one lens stuck out near the center, while the other lens stuck out a little near the arm at the side. Now, lenses won't always fit within the width of the frame (and the excess has to stick out somewhere). However, this is the first time I've encountered lenses not being symmetrical in this fashion (generally, lenses tend to be relatively flush with the outwards-facing part of the frame with excess being on the inside where it won't be seen by others). Note that this is primarily a cosmetic issue (the prescription and vision seemed to be fine), but it's certainly something to note.

The other lens issues revolved around the left lens. Upon close inspection of the lens, there was a marking that resembles a stone-chip (although it wasn't a chip, it just looked like one under the right lighting conditions) with a small "squiggle". It appeared to be embedded under the coating. In certain light conditions, this caused a blur. There were also a couple scuff lines in the lower part of the left lens - again only visible in certain light conditions, but they had absolutely no negative effect on the vision.

The AR coating had a greenish/purplish color to it. I ran the glasses through the hot water test, and they passed (no cracking).

All around, while I was pleased with the lengths they went to during packaging, and the AR coating itself, it really didn't seem that a lot of time and care was given to the lenses themselves, which was a bit of a disappointment.


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Final Thoughts
I really wasn't thrilled with the craftsmanship of the lenses. I could rant for paragraphs on this, but suffice it to say, I really hope Goggles4u spends time improving this area. I can understand the issues with the left lens being missed in a quick inspection since they were only visible in certain light conditions. The "fit and finish" aspect of things was very obvious though and there really isn't any excuse for it being as poor as it was. On a positive note, the AR coating passed the hot water test, and the glasses were very well packaged. Those positives tend to become dwarfed pretty quickly though by the negative issues with the lenses.

Would I buy from Goggles4u again?
Maybe. I wouldn't for an everyday pair (based on this purchase anyway), but they'd be fine for a back-up pair.

Would I recommend Goggles4u to others?
Maybe. Goggles4u is BBB accredited, and has been known for their willingness to send replacements when there's an issue. That said, the recommendation would depend largely on what the intended use is. If it's for a backup pair, sure. I also know quite a few people who own quite a few glasses and rotate them with their wardrobe. Goggles4u's huge frame selection lends nicely to this. However, for someone looking for an everyday pair, I'd really tend to suggest looking elsewhere.

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