Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Help with Ordering Rudy Project Horus

Copy of online chat with a customer:

shannen: Hi, May I help you?
Visitor: Yes, I have a question about prescription Rudy Project Horus glasses.
shannen: ok
Visitor: I'm interested in them, PD = 62, prescription is -4/-3.75. I'm trying to figure out how much it would cost for a photochomic pair of lenses (and if those exist in my prescription) + another color prescription lenses.
Visitor: A little confused by the web page and pricing here: http://asightforspo247.corecommerce.com/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=14
shannen: Ok do you just need lenses or do you need the frames themselves with 2 pair of prescription lenses?
Visitor: Sorry, good point. Frames + prescription photochromic lenses (if those exist in my prescription) + normal prescription lenses.
shannen: Ok, so the frames you would pick your color. For instance, Silver/MultiLaser Blue for $175.
Visitor: With you so far.
shannen: Then you would scroll down to find the Direct In Free Form Prescription section and select ImpactX Photo Clear lenses
shannen: $270.
Visitor: Ok.
Visitor: Still with you.
shannen: The second pair of lenses gets tricky. The way the Horus works is it has a gasket that surrounds the prescription lens and that part pops in and out. So you would need to buy another gasket. The way to do this is buy a replacement lens part for $65 so for instance, under add replacement lenses, you'd select Silver/Laser Blue for $65.
shannen: You would then pick the other color prescription lens you would want under the Add direct in prescription lenses section.
Visitor: Yes, this is where I get confused. So you buy a non-prescription lens and a prescription lens to get the prescription lens?
shannen: Yes, they will toss out the non-prescription lens that is in the frame part and replace it with the prescription lenses.
Visitor: Does it matter what color non-prescription lens you order? I'm guessing the answer is no to that one. Aha - since they toss that lens, I was right.
shannen: No, only the frame part so that you make sure it matches the frame you are getting. The lens in there is of no matter.
Visitor: So it'd be $210 for another set of prescription lenses. $145 for the prescription bit + $65 for the non prescription bit.
shannen: Yes.
Visitor: And to confirm, if you're only getting one set of prescription lenses, you don't need to also get non-prescription lenses. The frame comes with one "gasket," right?
shannen: Correct.
Visitor: So frame + photochromic lenses = $445. Add another pair of prescription lenses and you add $210 more for a total of $655. If that's correct you've removed my confusion.
Visitor: (So is that correct?)
shannen: That is correct.
Visitor: Excellent. Thank you.
shannen: Is it ok to use your comments on our site to help customers in the future?
Visitor: Yes indeed. Go right ahead.
shannen: Thank you.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Question from Customer: Lacrosse Eyewear

Question from customer: Do most/any of your goggles meet the standards for lacrosse protective eyewear? I don’t see it as a pull down option on your home page. My daughter needs a prescription included.

Answer: Women’s lacrosse is tricky. They goggles have to be certified specifically for women’s lacrosse, not just meet the ASTM standard as goggles for other sports do. For men’s lacrosse, they only have to meet the ASTM standard. But women’s lacrosse goggles have to be independently certified specifically for lacrosse, not just for general sports use. The Hilco T-zone, Jam'n and Zoom are the only ones that we have that have been certified specifically for women’s lacrosse and can be fit with prescription. You can view them at http://ping.fm/Ik7Ai

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Save on Rec-Specs Maxx 20 and 21 In Bright Blue

We have an excess of the Rec-Specs Maxx 20 and 21 in Bright Blue. Save 15% now! Code 1WKSPECIAL. Good for one week only.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Google Checkout Promotion Coming Soon

Google Checkout promotion starts Nov. 24. Stay tuned for details.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Ski Goggle Promotion

Snow is falling. Get your ski goggles upgraded or new lenses for them before backorders start happening mid season. 10% off. Code Twitter 10 til 11/25. sporteyes.com

Monday, November 9, 2009

Sunglasses for Golfing: Question from customer

Question: I have prescription progressive lens which I think are giving me problems golfing. I did not notice so much until this last prescription I got recently. Can you recommend and provide a pair presciption-made, tinted, polarized, nonglare, no progressive or bifocals, and whatever else I need to better play golf?

Answer: You probably want a rimless or semi rimless frame (where there is no frame at the bottom). This is best for golfing so when you look down at the ball, you don’t catch the rim of the frame to interfere with your line of sight on the ball. We can do this in most of the Rudy Project styles (i.e. Rydon, Kerosene, Ketyum, etc.) at http://www.sporteyes.com/rudy.htm or the Switch at http://www.sporteyes.com/switch.htm. We can do it in single vision (distance only) so no bifocals or progressive. Single vision is the best for golfing as most of golfing is done in your distance vision. The only thing you need to read is a scorecard and we have press on bifocals which are stickers you can stick anywhere on any pair of glasses to give you that reading correction if you need it. Often people try to play in progressives and find that to get the ball in their distance vision, they have to hold their head at an unnatural position which will affect their swing.

Let’s discuss the polarized lens though for a moment. We can do a polarized lens in the styles above. However, I personally would advise against polarized lenses for golfing. While polarized do the best for glare, and you get a lot of glare off the water while golfing, they do such a great job of controlling glare that it is harder to read the greens. The glare is what helps you distinguish depth of the terrain (ie. Breaks). With the polarized lenses, it is much harder to read breaks in the green. Polarized lenses are pushed in the marketplace as being the best for all around use, and they are which is why they are about $100 more in prescription. However, they also have this side effect which may not be the best lens for a given sport.

The lens we get the best feedback on is the Peakvision lens designed specifically for golf. It is non-polarized and is darker at the top than the bottom. The most common complaint they got when researching and talking to professional golfers is that many professionals don’t like to wear sunglasses because it is too dark when they look down at the ball. The ball could be in shade, etc. Thus, Peakvision designed their lens to be lighter at the bottom so that the ball is not too dark but the darker lens at the top shades the sun above. These also can be done in prescription single vision. You can view them at http://www.sporteyes.com/peak.htm. However, these lenses are not as dark overall. So if your main problem is glare or light sensitivity, you would be better off with the polarized lenses in the styles first mentioned.

I hope this information helps! Let me know if you have any additional questions!

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

How to find out what ski goggle you have to order replacement lenses (4/7/2009)

We often get asked "My lenses are scratched. Can I order new lenses for my goggles". The answer is yes for most brands. Most of the brands of goggles we carry have interchangeable lenses so that you can buy a new lens when yours gets scratched or you can interchange them for various lighting conditions. But how do you know which goggle you have? Most brands don't have the style name written on the goggle like sunglass frames do. If you have a Smith goggle, the goggle does have the frame code printed inconspiciously on the frame. If you are holding the frame so you are looking at the front lens, on the lower right or left hand corner underneath the lens on the rubber frame part, there will be a letter/number code in raised lettering matching the frame material. For instance, it may say S2. If you email us with the code on the goggle, we can tell you what goggle frame you have. For Bolle, the name of the frame is usually written on the upper right hand corner of the lens. For instance, it will say X9 Vermillon. X9 is the frame name and Vermillon is the color of the lens. You can always email us if you aren't sure what goggle you have, and if you can send us a picture of the goggle, even if it is with a camera phone, we can usually tell just by looking at it what goggle you have.

Ski/Snowboarding Goggles (4/7/2009

As the weather starts getting cooler and the rain starts to fall, it is time to think about the winter sports season. Snow is already falling at the local mountain and ski goggles and helmets are the new hot item. We do offer prescription ski goggles. The most popular way to Rx a ski goggle is with a prescription adapter. This is a piece that carries your prescription and snaps inside the goggle. It is similar to wearing the goggles over your glasses without having the pressure the goggle puts on the ear pieces of your goggles (however, we do have ski goggles that are designed to fit over your eyeglasses that have special cut outs on the side to relieve this pressure). The advantage of the insert system is that you can change the lenses out of the goggles for the various light conditions you ski in without having to purchase and expensive prescription lens in every lens color or limiting yourself to one lens for all lighting conditions. For instance, if it is a clear, bright day (my personal favorite weather to ski in), you can use a ski goggle lens with a mirror to reflect the light and act like a sunglass while giving you the full coverage and wind protection a goggle offers. If you are skiing in a blizzard, a yellow lens will really brighten everything up for you increasing your visibility. On an overcast day with some snow, a rose, vermillon or orange lens will help brighten things up but not be too bright.
For goggles with the insert system, we recommend the Bolle ski goggles at http://www.sporteyes.com/bolleski.htm. We often get the question of whether the insert system will be more likely to fog. Fogging is an individual issue that is dependent on how much body heat one generates. As long as you are moving and getting air flow in the goggle, the goggle and insert should stay fog-free for most people.
We also have the Smith goggles with an insert. These have a built in fan to generate airflow and keep the insert defogged. Because of the fan technology, these are a more expensive option but is the best way to go if fogging is a concern. You can view these at http://www.sporteyes.com/smgturb.htm. Unfortunately, there are those people that generate too much body heat for the goggle to stay defogged. This person would also have a problem with a full goggle lens being made in prescription as well.
The problem we get into with a full goggle lens is two fold. First, there is very little technology out there for this. The problem with a goggle lens is that it is a sheild type design, and special technology is required to make a prescription in a sheild. The one we use for this is the Seavision Skivision (http://www.sporteyes.com/seaski.htm). You can see from looking at it that you get two cutouts in the shield lens for each prescription lens. This makes for a goggle that is not cosmetically appealing as you can see you have a prescription, but also, that prescription lens is now touching the outside air which makes it more likely to fog.
The other way to go is what we call a "snowboard" goggle. This is a goggle with two separate lenses, more like sunglasses but with full goggle foam and larger coverage area. An example of this is the Bugz Classicz at http://www.sporteyes.com/bugz.htm. Bugz uses a double lens to help to eliminate the fogging problems, but because these lenses will fit closer to the face, the risk of fogging again is greater than with the insert system.
All in all, the insert, though bulky and visible under lighter colored lenses is the most economical and best way to go for fogging. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to email or call us at 888-223-2669.

Football goggles with prescription (4/7/2009

This time of year, we get a lot of requests for goggles that will fit under a football helmet. The best ones we have are the Rec-Specs Helmet Specs 2 or 3. These are designed to work with most helmets. If your helmet does not have a bar that goes between the eyes, the Rec-Specs Maxx 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 are popular options because of their sleek styling. These work like a regular pair of glasses. You put your helmet on, then put these goggles on like a pair of glasses. They have ear pieces like a pair of glasses but are highly impact resistant. Another similar product would be the Hilco T-Zone or Jam'n. Again, these have ear pieces like glasses but are highly impact resistant. You can view the Rec-Specs at http://www.sporteyes.com/recspecs.htm and the Hilco at http://www.sporteyes.com/hilco.htm. If you have other questions, please email me!

Transitions lenses are not all the same (6/5/2009

When purchasing Transitions lenses, you may notice a wide range of prices. Why are some companies able to offer prescription Transitions for so much less than other companies? Generally, this is because they offer "old" lenses. Transitions continues to work on their technology and every few years or so come out with a "next generation" lens that has better technology. Usually this means that they change faster and get darker or go clearer. At A Sight For Sport Eyes, we always use the most current generation of Transitions when we dispense our eyewear. However, if you find somewhere that offers Transitions lenses as a much better price, ask them what generation lenses they are using. The most current generation of Transitions lenses is Transitions VI. So when price shopping, make sure you are comparing apples to apples. Don't compare our price with someone who is dispensing Transitions Next Generation or an even older generation of lenses. The reason the lenses are less expensive usually is because they are selling you outdated technology. This is often the case with mass distributors or big box stores.

Rec-Specs Sports Goggles--Can I do my prescription? (7/24/2009

We get asked on a regular basis if one's prescription can fit in a pair of Rec-Specs. We are often told that they tried to get them locally but were told that the prescription was too strong when the prescription is only about a 3.00 or 4.00 diopter. Our first question is "Did you go to ______? "(national chain that advertises glasses in about an hour--we won't mentiont their name). The answer is 100% of the time "yes". I don't know why they tell people this but this is not true. There are some frames where we don't recommend certain powers in, but by and large, the Rec-Specs are capable of handling a wide range of prescriptions, including high presriptions of 10.00 diopters or more. If you have concerns, you can call or email us and we can tell you which styles will work best for your prescription. My only guess as to why the national chain tells you the prescription is too high to work is because they don't have the equipment to properly process these. The lenses in some of the newer styles (ie. Rec-Specs Maxx, Morpheus and Slam series) do require a different bevelling process. This is only capable in higher end equipment which is why we do send these styles out to a big laboratory who has the proper equipment to cut the lenses for these Rec-Specs sports frames. Liberty Optical (the manufacturer of Rec-Specs) also has their own in house lab that is capable of making these in prescriptions in high powers. We use their lab on occassion but typically they don't have as fast of turnaround so we prefer a local laboratory that has the necessary equipment. Thus, we know for sure that this national chain is giving customers inaccurate information. Perhaps they are saying to customers that they themselves are not capable of making the higher prescriptions, but they should not be telling customers the Rec-Specs can't take a higher power. They most definately can and we can do it for you. Check us out at www.sporteyes.com.

What do the A, B, ED, and DBL on the chart mean? (9/11/2009

These are the measurements on the frame. The A is the distance across the center of one lens. The B is the height top to bottom of the lens. The ED is the diagonal measurement of the lens. The DBL is the bridge size or the distance between the lenses. To give you a better idea of size, you can double the A measurement, and add the DBL to get an approximate distance across the frame that you can compare temple to temple on your face.

Cycling Glasses--Answer to customer question (9/18/2009

Hi, I'm trying to find Rx glasses for cycling, that have interchangeable lenses - like Rudy Project, but not that many $$. Can I send/email my Rx and you can tell me if anything will work for me?"

Thank you for your interest. The least expensive way to go is with a prescription adapter. This is a piece that snaps inside the glasses and carries the prescription. This allows you to change out the front lenses for different lighting conditions while only purchasing one pair of prescription lenses where the bulk of the cost is. The most economical option is the Bolle Vigillante or Parole which starts at $143.50 with prescription and one set of lenses. Additional lenses start at $20 or they have a 4 lens pack that starts at $177.50 complete with prescription. Bolle also has the Swiftkick style which is a little more expensive. Another example of these systems would the Hilco Alpina RXable sports collection. Rudy Project also uses an insert as well on most styles but cost wise, Rudy Project is more expensive all around. With insert and one lens, the Rudy Project start at $280 complete with Rx.


If you don't want to do the insert, then unfortunately, you run into special technology so the cost will jump up quite a bit. Rudy Project and Switch are currently the only ones that we deal with that have the technology to make the whole lens in prescription and interchangeable. These will start at $295 for the Switch with one lens in prescription and $355 for one lens with prescription on Rudy Project. However, with these, you have to buy a prescription lens in every color and each additional lens color will start at $220 for Switch and $180 for Rudy Project.


Smith does make sort of a "hybrid" where it is the full lens in prescription but they have a carrier that surrounds the lens so it is not truly rimless like the Rudy Project or Switch, but is not a true insert like the Bolle as there is not two separate parts. These start at $280 for frame and one pair of prescription lenses. However, like the Rudy Project and Switch, every additional lens color has to also be made in prescription so each additional lens color will start at $155.


You can view all of these styles on our website at http://www.sporteyes.com and use the drop down menus on the left to find the specific brands.

No lenses? --Question from Customer: (10/2/2009)

Customer: Quick question why are the glasses sold with out lenses do they have a basic lense??
Sporteyes: This is to save you money. Some people don't need prescription, they just need them for protection so they come with clear non-prescription lenses for protection. But ordering them with no lenses, you save the cost of those lenses that you would just be throwing away as you are getting prescription.

Sports goggles to wear over regular eyeglasses? Question from customer. (10/2/2009)

Visitor: ..Do you all have anything that could go over a pair of glasses like a goggle style or anything that clips onto your regular glasses?
shannen: No, the only product that we used to have like this was taken off the market because it was causing more injury than wearing nothing at all. It smashed the nose pieces of the frame into the wearers eye sockets causing damage.

Prescription Sports Goggles Replacing Lenses--Question from customer (10/2/2009)

Customer:  If his vision changes again as he gets older will i have to replace the whole thing goggle or just order the lenses? 
shannen: You can just replace the lenses. You don't need to order a new goggle every time.  You will have to send the frames to us, though,  as the lenses will have to be professionally installed. 

Monday, October 19, 2009

New Rudy Project Combo--free lens

Purchase a Rudy project Sunglass (select styles) and get a free pair of polarized lenses or a helmet!  Up to $140 value.  Call 888-223-2669 or use online chat at www.sporteyes.com for details. Limited time only and offer is not public yet.