Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

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Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

Postby Andrew G » Wed May 27, 2009 12:55 pm

New cycling glasses are required and I can't afford another pair of Oakley's, the one's I like including the reacta-light(sp?) lenses I want would cost £280!!!

I know a few people in the club have optilabs specs and looking at the website and speaking to them they are currently looking favourites. They appear good vfm particulary with the 10% ACC discount.

I'm going to pop down there on Saturday to check out the Savanna and Sprint frames but before I go does anyone have either of these? Impressions of them? Regardless of the frame you have I'd be interested to know what your experience of your optilabs glasses are - fit, feel, comfort, quality, vfm, quality and standard of service from optilabs?

Thank you.
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Re: Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

Postby Hal » Wed May 27, 2009 1:31 pm

Yes

I have some, they are very good, I got plain glass lenses because its always grey and drizzling in england, but they do anti glare and reactive ones too.

Not sure what frames I have but the fit is very close to the face so nothing can get in your eyes. Can be a bit too close as they create a sort of micro climate around your eyes especially when climbing on a hot day with a tailwind, causing them to steam up a bit :shock: .

Highly recomended

H
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Re: Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

Postby Andrew G » Wed May 27, 2009 10:12 pm

Cheers Hal.

[quote="Hal"]I got plain glass lenses because its always grey and drizzling in england

That's why I go for reacta-light lenses. I find they work superbly if you need prescription glasses (so lens colour swapping isn't really an option) as they serve me from winter commuting through to the four sunny days of the year. Also means you don't end up in a dark cafe wearing sunglasses.
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Re: Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

Postby Bridget » Wed May 27, 2009 11:15 pm

Where did you get the prescription Oakley's from? Not that I have £280 but am interested as I need some cycling glasses too.
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Re: Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

Postby Phil N » Thu May 28, 2009 7:32 am

I have Optilabs cycling glasses, very pleased with them. I went for the reactolite lenses as I need an all year round option.

Their customer service is first class. I wasnt happy with the fit of the first pair I had so I went back after a couple of months and they replaced them for a different style with no problem.

They will also fit lenses to frames you purchase elsewhere, I originaly had a pair of Briko's with a prescription insert which they fitted lenes into, at a very reasonable cost.

Highly reccomended.

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Re: Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

Postby Alan M » Thu May 28, 2009 8:09 pm

[quote="Bridget"]Where did you get the prescription Oakley's from? Not that I have £280 but am interested as I need some cycling glasses too.


Fashion victim!

I have 2 pairs from optilabs, 1 with reactolite, both work well and are pretty durable.
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Re: Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

Postby Antloony » Thu May 28, 2009 8:27 pm

Just save yourselves a few quid by not wearing any glasses at all. Ok you maybe a bit of a nuisance on the road but if you happen to hit a car at least you can honestly say 'sorry mate, didn't see you' :D
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Re: Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

Postby Grahame » Thu May 28, 2009 9:11 pm

I have a pair of Optilabs glasses with reactolight lenses.

I think I've owned them for about 4 years now, and used them for everything from clubruns in winter to mountainbiking in the desert in the middle of summer, and never found them lacking.

They are great. When they wear out or break, I'll replace them with another pair from them.

Don't forget they do a 10% discount for Addiscombe members (negotiated by Ajay, I think)
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Re: Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

Postby Andrew G » Thu May 28, 2009 9:24 pm

Thanks for all the positive feedback, a trip to optilabs post SCCU 10 and Chez Tunnell is definitely called for then.
[quote="Bridget"]Where did you get the prescription Oakley's from? Not that I have £280 but am interested as I need some cycling glasses too.

Most Opticians have a good range of Oakley's, the ones in the City do anyway. I have quite a small face so have to have smaller frames and also for cycling wanted rubber grippers on the arms. The frames I liked were the Minute 2.0 (piccie below) and the frame without any lenses in is £90 I think. The price ramped right up with Reflextions lenses and due to my prescription as I have an astigmatism. Also with the curve of the lenses on wrap-arounds with some frames there is a limit to what prescription you can put in them before you get distortion at the edges and apparently mine is bang on the limit. depending on your prescription you may get a cheaper price.

Oakley Minute 2.0 (they come in a range of colours too if that's your bag.
[img]http://media.rei.com/media/h/1410944.jpg[/img]
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Re: Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

Postby Bridget » Thu May 28, 2009 11:25 pm

Ok, thanks. They were going to charge you more for the lenses because of your astigmatism? That's not very good, and really does seem like a big mark-up from the price of the frames only to price with lenses.

My prescription is around -6.0 so I don't think I'll be getting wrap-around frames any time soon. Those frames look fairly flat though.
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Re: Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

Postby mrP(Boonen)VT » Fri May 29, 2009 9:36 am

It is hard to get prescription glasses that are fashionable for cycling, but as I am as blind as a bat without them I had to get something.

I tried contact lenses, but every time I went out, I'd lose the damm things - apparently my eyes were quite "watery" and they would just slide out.

Then I heard about Optilabs (about 4 years ago) and got a pair made up with reactolite lenses and they have been great. Service was good too - got some tyres while I was there :lol:
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Re: Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

Postby Jon H » Fri May 29, 2009 11:34 am

If I wasn't such a scaredy-cat I'd get my eyes lazered better.

Meanwhile I'll carry on with contacts. That way I can use cheapo sunnies from Decathlon or wherever, and it doesn't matter too much if you lose them, sit on them, drop them, squash them in your kit bag etc.

I find contacts OK and very rarely have a problem. Having said that I did have one move when I was riding a 25 the other week, and did the last 5 miles with semi blurry vision. At the HQ afterwards I had a poke around but couldn't find the lens - it had worked it's way up under my eyelid somewhere. Luckily I had some spares so put another one in for the drive home. About 4 hours later I managed to fish two lenses out of the one eye. :shock:

I might get some of those Optilabs glasses for commuting though.
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Re: Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

Postby Andrew G » Fri May 29, 2009 12:35 pm

The ones I'm interested in look fine Marco.

Savannah
[img]http://www.optilabs.com/images_db/optlab22ea8b6ec1aa78beafbc3906fd13c697.jpg[/img]
or

Sprint
[img]http://www.optilabs.com/images_db/optlab12efeef37366d55daf6dcbda4c0d98a2.jpg[/img]
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Re: Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

Postby mrP(Boonen)VT » Fri May 29, 2009 12:37 pm

[quote="Jon Hemming"]I find contacts OK and very rarely have a problem. Having said that I did have one move when I was riding a 25 the other week, and did the last 5 miles with semi blurry vision. At the HQ afterwards I had a poke around but couldn't find the lens - it had worked it's way up under my eyelid somewhere. Luckily I had some spares so put another one in for the drive home. About 4 hours later I managed to fish two lenses out of the one eye. :shock:

I might get some of those Optilabs glasses for commuting though.


That happened to me once - suddenly realised I couldn't see where I was going - assumed I'd lost the thing AGAIN, and about 3 weeks later it dropped out :shock:
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Re: Optilabs - Do you have their glasses?

Postby Alan M » Fri May 29, 2009 2:30 pm

[quote="marco"]I got a pair of briko wrap arounds from GBs in the sale and then took them to Optilaps for lenses. They were ok, concerned about the wrap around and they were right - it was a little bit like looking through a goldfish bowl. their own frames are made with big prescriptions in mind but they looked a bit nerdy to me so that put me off getting them. if you are only concerned with performance and not style then Optilabs get a big thumbs up.


Are you suggesting that I look less than cool Marco? 8)
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