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Thread: What's your favorite PAL and why

  1. #1
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    Idea What's your favorite PAL and why

    With so many PAL's available to the marketplace now I wonder how opticians make decisions on which lenses to fit. Do most of you create sort of your own menu of PAL's to choose from- say one short corridor, one individual, one conventional, etc and then dispense from this list? With the lens companies marketing their products as heavily as they do it makes it confusing for the practitioner.

    Just thinking to myself about this tonight (I really should be working but am enjoying this forum!). Good job all!
    ;)

  2. #2
    Master OptiBoarder optigrrl's Avatar
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    I only hire highly qualified, (meaning smarter than me) licensed opticians. I have accounts with several labs so we can obtain any product on the market. I try very hard to just understand PAL technology and what they are available with/in - like lens materials and coatings. We constantly trial new product and work hard to get our hands on all available technical data that we can.

    Then, I let opticians be opticians and recommend what products they think will be the best fit for that patient's rx/lifestyle/frame choice and budget.

    My favourite progressive is the one that the patient can see out of without complaint and maybe even improved their lives in the tiniest way.

  3. #3
    Master OptiBoarder Jedi's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jenean Carlton View Post
    With so many PAL's available to the marketplace now I wonder how opticians make decisions on which lenses to fit. Do most of you create sort of your own menu of PAL's to choose from- say one short corridor, one individual, one conventional, etc and then dispense from this list? With the lens companies marketing their products as heavily as they do it makes it confusing for the practitioner.

    Just thinking to myself about this tonight (I really should be working but am enjoying this forum!). Good job all!
    Good relationships with your reps as well as discounts and higher margins can definately sway your decision making process. Each company have their different tiers and quite often the lenses are very similar, and sometimes it's the little extras (not lens related) that can make the difference between a Physio and a W.
    "It's not impossible. I used to bull's-eye womp rats in my T-16 back home."


  4. #4
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    I deal almost exclusively with Essilor, so I am not saying that overall Essilor PAL's are better, I am just saying that our lab is the best I have dealt with and it is an Essilor lab, so we use Essilor products (plus I have not found an AR to match Alize). So in saying that, this is what I use.

    Varilux Ipseo - Do not use this a lot, due to its price, but in my opinion when this lens is used properly it is the best lens in the business. The reactions I have had with this lens has been incredible. The only thing is this lens draws nuts. You tend to get some of the craziest people in your office with this lens. If you know that the person is not sane enough to go on the vision print system, then use something else.

    Physio 360 - Not the best freeform lens on the market, but a very good one. The Wave Front technology has gotten some "wow's" with people talking about how clear their distance is. Also with part of the design on the back surface it really helps this lens. I use if I doubt someones ability to use the VPS with the Ipseo and or as a less expensive alternative.

    Ovation - Great lens overall. Good distance, intermediate, and reading. Decent fitting height.

    Ellipse - Gotten a few wow's from this lens. Great short corridor lens. In many cases people have seemed to prefer this lens over many lenses out there. Only problem is its escalating price and that it does not have transitions in CR-39.

    Super-Noline - Great basic, inexpensive lens. Will not fit under 20mm though.


    Other than I have been using the Essilor EPS Short and RX Short for inexpensive jobs. I think both are X-Cel lenses, but Essilor uses them and will Alize them too.

  5. #5
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    Aren't short corridors dead now?... I mean, small frames are soooo last year!

    I wanna get me new plastic aviator ones that are HUGE (alas my prescription isn't so accommodating :(

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by SkiBunny View Post
    Aren't short corridors dead now?... I mean, small frames are soooo last year!

    I wanna get me new plastic aviator ones that are HUGE (alas my prescription isn't so accommodating :(

    Who told you this?

    Small frames are still extremely popular and will be for the next few years. I argue that some manufacturers put out some larger frames to balance things out, but that is all.

  7. #7
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    i look at what the hollywood starlets and hot young babes at the beach are wearing.
    alas i am neither

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by SkiBunny View Post
    i look at what the hollywood starlets and hot young babes at the beach are wearing.
    alas i am neither

    Some are wearing large sunglasses, but you cannot compare sunglass trends to optical trends. Even so, many of the really big sunglasses are just a faze.

  9. #9
    Manuf. Lens Surface Treatments
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    Redhot Jumper Good relationships with your reps as well as discounts

    Quote Originally Posted by Jedi View Post
    Good relationships with your reps as well as discounts and higher margins can definately sway your decision making process. Each company have their different tiers and quite often the lenses are very similar, and sometimes it's the little extras (not lens related) that can make the difference between a Physio and a W.
    Which brings it back to my same statement for the last few years..........and which the our corporative friends do not appreciate...................They are basically all the same !

  10. #10
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    Redhot Jumper i look at what....................

    Quote Originally Posted by SkiBunny View Post
    i look at what the hollywood starlets and hot young babes at the beach are wearing.
    why dont you check what the Ontario babes wear at the Toronto beach?

  11. #11
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    iKon

    Quote Originally Posted by For-Life View Post
    I deal almost exclusively with Essilor, so I am not saying that overall Essilor PAL's are better, I am just saying that our lab is the best I have dealt with and it is an Essilor lab, so we use Essilor products (plus I have not found an AR to match Alize). So in saying that, this is what I use.

    Varilux Ipseo - Do not use this a lot, due to its price, but in my opinion when this lens is used properly it is the best lens in the business. The reactions I have had with this lens has been incredible. The only thing is this lens draws nuts. You tend to get some of the craziest people in your office with this lens. If you know that the person is not sane enough to go on the vision print system, then use something else.

    Physio 360 - Not the best freeform lens on the market, but a very good one. The Wave Front technology has gotten some "wow's" with people talking about how clear their distance is. Also with part of the design on the back surface it really helps this lens. I use if I doubt someones ability to use the VPS with the Ipseo and or as a less expensive alternative.

    Ovation - Great lens overall. Good distance, intermediate, and reading. Decent fitting height.

    Ellipse - Gotten a few wow's from this lens. Great short corridor lens. In many cases people have seemed to prefer this lens over many lenses out there. Only problem is its escalating price and that it does not have transitions in CR-39.

    Super-Noline - Great basic, inexpensive lens. Will not fit under 20mm though.


    Other than I have been using the Essilor EPS Short and RX Short for inexpensive jobs. I think both are X-Cel lenses, but Essilor uses them and will Alize them too.
    Essilor's CRIZAL ALIZE is a pretty good MAR coat, but in my experience, iKon from Nikon just has the edge. I will use the best lens and material options for a given individual, but will never resort to only using one or two lens designs, or manufacturers since one size fits all does not work in Optics as I've seen happen to many dispensing opticians, and especially, Optometrists trying to do dispensing when they have very little knowledge of the hundreds of lens designs. I've never failed to supply what has been universally appreciated by the patient, and who is happy from day one- even if they are new to Progressive Lenses, as an example!

  12. #12
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    What about the iKon coating gives it the edge?

  13. #13
    Excalibur
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    favorite PAL

    Seiko Free Forms.:D
    Have dispensed several hundred pairs, with only one non-adapt and a LOT of folks who have significant improvements in zone sizes.

  14. #14
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    We use several. The bottom line though is going for better profitability. We use a lot of Zeiss and the Kodak lenses from Signet Armorlite. Alos use definity. Bottom line...lab relationship; in house stock; turn around time and good compatible AR's.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Excalibur View Post
    Seiko Free Forms.:D
    Have dispensed several hundred pairs, with only one non-adapt and a LOT of folks who have significant improvements in zone sizes.
    I'm with you on the Seiko Succeed Free-Forms....the best I've tried and I've tried quite a few. I find them better than Physio 360.

    Regards,
    Golfnorth

  16. #16
    Allen Weatherby
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    Best PAL is either the ICE-TECH or Seiko Succeed

    I agree with the comments about the Seiko Succeed. It is a very good design and we offer this and the ICE-TECH backside PAL designs.

    We have not had any non-adapts, (we have made a mistake and had to remake a few, but no non-adapts after correcting our own error). In Japan Seiko has a 99%+ adaptation rate, which speaks highly for the resulting lenses.

    I know the patient satisfaction is the key and I am very satisfied with the excellent patient results.

  17. #17
    The Hi-End PALs Specialist Bobie's Avatar
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    Ipseo vs Physio 360

    What's about Ipseo vs Physio 360?
    " Life is too short to limit your vision"


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    :cheers:

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