So, yes, I've been spending money on Specs. Apart from my generic specs that I bought on my insurance policy, I've purchased 3 pairs of specs this year, so far, and I got one pair for free. Remember this post? Well, yes, I got the Parkers at Lookmatic, , and I bought a pair of the Tippis for my wife. I also won a pair of the Uncleonards ( they have many contests, just scour the net) and now, I've got a pair of the Hoppers from Mezzmer.
Here's what I've learned- Lookmatic is definitely going for the Women's Sunglasses market. They getting designers involved, they are getting celebrities to wear them, and they're advertising them heavily.Still, they put out a lot of very high quality specs and while they are not the cheapest, I'd say they have some great deals because the quality level is very high. Mezzmer produces some very high quality specs as well, and they have excellent customer service. If there were no Lookmatic, I'd probably shop at Mezzmer an awful lot. Truthfully though, Lookmatic has insanely high levels of customer service- they'll even answer random questions I email them at 1130 at night- within a half hour! In comparison, Mezzmer takes between 12 and 24 hours. However, they will ship up to 5 pairs of glasses for you to try on for a dollar, and they pay shipping. Like I said- excellent, excellent customer service. Lookmatic practically become family members, and I actually know at least two of them on a first name basis- but Mezzmer still kicks most brick and mortars to the curb. I won't name the names of other places I've tried, but I'll just say that some of the more "hip" options have fairly lousy customer service, so I'd still give Mezzmer a very strong recommendation- and I don't want to give the impression that I think you should choose Lookmatic over Mezzmer, because they're just as good, I just like Lookmatic more.
There are other considerations, of course- I'd say the quality is top notch for both. The Lookmatics have a slightly higher quality frame, while I have to admit the Mezzmer lenses are higher quality than even the Lookmatics . Still both are very high quality- easily better than most brick-and-mortar options. If either one gets into the business of making progressive bifocals, I'll take the insurance hit, and never buy from a brick and mortar, again.
Then, there's style. I, personally, think they both put out some very stylish frames, but I'm a big fan of "retro" designs ( I think Men's fashion peaked in 1963) but with modern twists- and that's exactly what both of them specialize in doing. Very "Mad Men" styles- and if that's not your thing, you may not find them as stylish as I do. Still- I think that kind of style seems to be fairly universal, so I expect I'm not alone.
Finally, there are some ethics involved- while none of these keep up with certain companies' charitable giving, or ecologically sound business practices, both are more green than 90% of the other options out there- and Mezzmer has a 6% charitable giving policy- which is still nicer than going to Walmart, right?
Overall, I'd call my online spec purchases a success- and, if I have my way, I will continue to purchase a few more- and if you think me a gluttonous consumer, I'd like to point out- I cannot wear contact lenses, and if I'd just gone with the brick and mortar my insurance favors, I would have bought two pair- glasses and sunglasses, and would have spent roughly 1/5th more than what I've spent, in total. So, if I buy two more pair, at the prices I'm paying, I'd be at the same place as if I'd bought two higher end pairs at a brick and mortar- in other words, had I been able to buy all my glasses at these two places, I could buy at a rate of 3 to 1. So, I don't feel too bad about it at all.
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