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Thread: a pseudo-survey: Zeiss or Hoya?

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    a pseudo-survey: Zeiss or Hoya?

    If you could deal with only either Zeiss/Sola or Hoya which would you choose? I appreciate your feedback. Please state why you think one is better than the other, which are the strenghts and weeknesses of both. Just doing some homework.

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    Quote Originally Posted by francisOD
    If you could deal with only either Zeiss/Sola or Hoya which would you choose? I appreciate your feedback. Please state why you think one is better than the other, which are the strenghts and weeknesses of both. Just doing some homework.
    I like Hoya. I really do. I find that they have nice products. Trivex is a nice material. Hoya's AR is much better than Teflon (though it is probably on level with Caret Advantage). They have the 1.7, which is a nice lens.

    However, when dealing with Hoya I feel that it is limited. It's stock lens program needs some work, and to get special products like polarization on a wide range, it is not there.

    Zeiss has a good lens with the GT, and an apparantly good lens with the Brevity for the short corridors. It is much more flexible, and now that the company offers AO and Sola products you can do so much more.

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    Blue Jumper Zeiss has made the best lenses...............

    Quote Originally Posted by francisOD
    Please state why you think one is better than the other, which are the strenghts and weeknesses of both. Just doing some homework.
    Zeiss has made the best lenses available forever..............they have been one of the most inventive optical companies ever. Thewy

    From Planetariums to microscopes they have made the most complicated lens systems ever developed. I would say they know what they are doing and doing it well.

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    Rising Star loncoa's Avatar
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    I too think Zeiss/Ao/Sola or whatever they're called now are the ones I would choose. To have the Zeiss Lantals and the Ao/Sola Vips, Percepta, Easy, et cetera would fill any bill I needed. How about the old AO Pro, Technica (haha I'm old) I even wish I still had SmartSeg available...some people still love that one! Not that Hoya is bad, but as someone else said...limited. Although I'm not especially fond of Teflon. I did like UTMC.

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    Big Smile Not that Hoya is bad................................

    Quote Originally Posted by loncoa
    Not that Hoya is bad, but as someone else said...limited.
    Hoya makes first class lenses and has some of the most modern labs around the world.
    They are also on a world wise expansion trip like Essilor and Zeiss

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    Master OptiBoarder Shwing's Avatar
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    Ohboy

    Ohboy. Not to get into it, but aren't the products we choose (especially in our professionally formative years) based on third hand knowledge?

    "Zeiss was the 'best' for ever- why?- 'cuz my boss (15 year optician) said so."

    The key (as Dr. McDonald has pointed out many times, as have I) is education. The key behind (formal) education is that one is educated. Thereby, one can decide for one's self what product is 'appropriate' as opposed to relying on what the boss told you; or told you to sell...

    Ohboy, I could go on and on...

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    I am very glad you restrained yourself...I was looking for some feedback and yours is not very helpful...:finger: As an OD, our focus is more on eye health and patient care. Although we have a good grasps of optics, in school it was not our main focus. That is why I ask the question to this board which from my dealings so far is more attended by opticians. I very much value opticians opinion in this field and appreciate the good feedback.

    To others who contributed, :) you have confirmed what my thoughts were. Both great companies that I believe independants should support...it just so happens that Zeiss, with its merger to Sola has a better array of products to offer. Coatings get a slight edge to Hoya.

    Is it true that in the US, Walmart sells Zeiss++. In Canada, Zeiss is reputed to be the independant's Lab...

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    Master OptiBoarder Darryl Meister's Avatar
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    You should choose Zeiss of course. ;)
    Darryl J. Meister, ABOM

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    Quote Originally Posted by francisOD
    I am very glad you restrained yourself...I was looking for some feedback and yours is not very helpful...:finger: As an OD, our focus is more on eye health and patient care. Although we have a good grasps of optics, in school it was not our main focus. That is why I ask the question to this board which from my dealings so far is more attended by opticians. I very much value opticians opinion in this field and appreciate the good feedback.

    To others who contributed, :) you have confirmed what my thoughts were. Both great companies that I believe independants should support...it just so happens that Zeiss, with its merger to Sola has a better array of products to offer. Coatings get a slight edge to Hoya.

    Is it true that in the US, Walmart sells Zeiss++. In Canada, Zeiss is reputed to be the independant's Lab...
    I think LC sells Zeiss

    But I do not see why the independent should support Zeiss over Essilor. They are both companies who are aquiring labs, they are both companies that are in chains, they are both companies that are huge. Hoya is the same way.

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    In Canada things are different than the US market...Essilor is the most dominant presence having bought every lab that they can. Zeiss in Canada is not in chains and it surprised me to hear they were in the US.

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    Master OptiBoarder OptiBoard Silver Supporter Jubilee's Avatar
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    In my tenure at LC, we used primarily Essilor products. The Natural and the Ovation being the two main lenses. They were discontinuing the Spectralite, and did not incourage the SolaMax at all (since the Featherwates+ brand was considered the Ovation.)

    Polarized was VisionEase products.

    It is Essilor with the AR lenses and most finished lenses (except the tegra)

    So Zeiss has very little in the way of lenses at LC. Essilor is by far and a way their largest Lens supplier.

    At one point in time they also stocked the Hoya transitions, and the Hoya PSR finished stock. Most have been discontinued though.

    Cassandra
    "Some believe in destiny, and some believe in fate. But I believe that happiness is something we create."-Something More by Sugarland

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