3/12/2013

Self Portrait and Warby Parker Review


I recently got a new pair of eyeglasses from Warby Parker.  The photo above is a self-portrait of me wearing my Warby Parker glasses.  I got Crosby frame in Revolver Black.  I came across Warby Parker while listening to NPR on my drive home from work.  I usually don't even listen to NPR, but that day I was bored with other options.  I am very satisfied with my experience with Warby Parker.  The quality of the glasses is pretty good.



I have bought glasses online before, but my experience has not been good before.  Of course I used cheap online glasses retailer, such as Zenni Optical, Goggles4U and Optical4Less.  In all three cases, the qualities are marginal to bad.  In addition, there is no way to try the frames first before purchasing.  This is where Warby Parker excels.  They have 'Free Shipping, Home Try-ons & Returns' program where I was able to order 5 different frames shipped to me with no commitment to purchase.  Beside that, there are other things that make me interested in giving Warby Parker a chance:
  • Price: Most of the frames cost only $95.  In my case though, I know it will cost me about $125 since I need to upgrade to 1.67 index glasses, which is an additional $30.  For that price, it also includes anti scratch and anti-reflective coatings.  The other company that I have seen a lot lately, coastal.com, they charge an additional $150 for 1.67 index lenses, which seems to be always on discount but it still cost $75.
  • Style and options:  Majority of Warby Parker frames are plastic (actually cellulose acetate), which fit my preference.  There are a few style that I would consider bolder options that I don't find in my other preferred option - Costco.  BTW, I love Costco option and if I wouldn't have found out about Warby Parker or if none of the frames would have worked out for me, I am pretty sure I would have gone with Costco option.
So, with those advantages, I decided to take advantage of the home try-ons and order five (5) frames.





I posted the comparison pictures to Warby Parker Facebook page and I received a lot of feedback from my FB friends along with some other inputs.  While most of the responses go with FITZ, there are several feedback that said I should go with Crosby.  Warby Parker staff also gave feedback and the staff thought that if I want to go bold, I should to with Crosby.  My wife and I were leaning on Crosby too, but the one I had on my first home try-on was Crosby in Burgundy Fade.

After my first home try-on, I decided to request another home try-on.  Yes, Warby Parker allow another home try-on.  I decided to get Crosby in both Burgundy Fade and Revolver Black, Roosevelt in Cedar Tortoise and Revolver Black Matte and Preston in Whiskey Tortoise.  I didn't take any pictures on the second round, but the final two was Crosby in Revolver Black and Roosevelt in Revolver Black Matte.  I really like the Revolver Black Matte finish, but I like the Crosby frame style better, so in the end I decided to go with Crosby in Revolver Black.

Overall I was really happy with my experience with Warby Parker and the product I received from them too.  Great product and service at absolutely great price!



No comments: