Costco's AR? How bad is it?

**Happylady** · 01-15-2012, 07:50 PM

I am used to excellent AR like Crizal Avance and Crizal Alize. I have a friend who needs new glasses but my shop is too expensive for her. She is very short of money due to her husband being out of work and she is just working part time.

I know Costco uses the Ovation progressive. My friend's progressives right now are Ellipse. I think the Ovation will probably be OK.

She doesn't have AR now but I think she would really like it, if it's a good AR. Crap AR is just that. Is the AR from Costco decent or is it crap?

**anthonyf1509** · 01-15-2012, 08:55 PM

Originally Posted by Happylady:408666

I am used to excellent AR like Crizal Avance and Crizal Alize. I have a friend who needs new glasses but my shop is too expensive for her. She is very short of money due to her husband being out of work and she is just working part time.

I know Costco uses the Ovation progressive. My friend's progressives right now are Ellipse. I think the Ovation will probably be OK.

She doesn't have AR now but I think she would really like it, if it's a good AR. Crap AR is just that. Is the AR from Costco decent or is it crap?

Can I just ask why you cannot help a friend? I mean you can probably provide a superior product and service for the same price as costco and still not take a hit. You may not make alot of dollars on one job here but rather have that than sending her down the street cuz you're too expensive.

**Wes** · 01-15-2012, 09:07 PM

Perhaps not everyone is in a position to offer product at cost.

**obxeyeguy** · 01-15-2012, 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by Happylady

I am used to excellent AR like Crizal Avance and Crizal Alize. I have a friend who needs new glasses but my shop is too expensive for her. She is very short of money due to her husband being out of work and she is just working part time.

I know Costco uses the Ovation progressive. My friend's progressives right now are Ellipse. I think the Ovation will probably be OK.

She doesn't have AR now but I think she would really like it, if it's a good AR. Crap AR is just that. Is the AR from Costco decent or is it crap?

I am probably wrong here, but isn't the ovation an Essilor lens? If they get that great of a price on it from "E", there AR "crap" Kirkland coating may in fact be Avance or Alize as well. Just thinking out loud...

**anthonyf1509** · 01-15-2012, 09:34 PM

Originally Posted by Wes

Perhaps not everyone is in a position to offer product at cost.

Wasn't saying it had to be done at cost, but simply that it's hard to believe that you ONLY offer Alize or Avance, or whatever is too expensive. I'm willing to bet that with a 40% discount or 50% discount you'd still make money and you can simply offer whatever Costco is going to supply, then you aren't in any position to lose money. Just explain to your friend that you are going to provide the services necessary to make it work.

I tell friends and even extended family members, who know that our premo products are sometimes too expensive, that they're still better off getting the 'step down' from me and not going somewhere else. they're not going to be able to provide the care we are.

**pseudonym** · 01-15-2012, 10:10 PM

All warehouse AR is crap. The only people who should buy it is people who will take extremely good care of it. Clean daily under lukewarm water from faucet with a gentle dishwashing product. Shake to get most of the water off, then use the microfiber cloth to blot off the residual water. No exceptions wiping with a paper towel or shirt tail. Once that junk starts peeling, crazing, developing hairline cracks there is no stopping it.

The Ovation is without doubt the worst progressive I've ever wasted money on. I had a 1.75 ADD when I bought it from Target. After I finished my first year of optical school, I took the glasses to the lab and asked someone with experience to verify the PD and seg height. The glasses were made perfectly. The only problem was the clear reading zone was so small, I had to hunt for it every time I wanted to read something. Maybe if the seg height had been raised 1-2mm, it would have been better. As it was, it was never usable for anything but driving.

Your knowledge could help her a lot. If you don't have access to an edger, would you consider opening an account at some place like Cherry Optical (lab is in the US) and help her choose something good? You have to pay in advance but they edge and they do POF. You probably have some frames around that you could let her have for little or nothing and could verify the job after it comes back.

**Jubilee** · 01-15-2012, 10:17 PM

I think what most people are missing is that when you work for someone else, you don't get to choose the policy or discount options.

As far as the ovation is concerned. I have fit many successfully with it over the years. While it isn't the best design on the market, it is functional for a lot of people. The AR on my parents' lenses have lasted them, and held up much better than the coatings they have had from Sears, etc. While Costco does have a one size fits all approach, they use licensed staff, and stand behind their product. I would definitely recommend them over the internet or most discounters.

**braheem24** · 01-15-2012, 10:20 PM

Are we bashing to make ourselves feel better? Costco is very competitive, offers a decent product for a very good price.

**anthonyf1509** · 01-15-2012, 10:30 PM

I don't think there is anything wrong with costco either. If you are working for someone and don't have leeway then that's a different story.
I too would recommend costco before internet, and they're best least expensive chain.

**Chris Ryser** · 01-16-2012, 04:48 AM

Originally Posted by Happylady

She doesn't have AR now but I think she would really like it, if it's a good AR. Crap AR is just that. Is the AR from Costco decent or is it crap?

The only difference between crap AR and your good AR is the intermediate coating that provides a good adherance from the plastic lens to the SIO2 (silicone dioxide = glass). At the time, over 10 years ago, big E found a product in Japan that just did this. From then on the Crizal Family become the big champion and found it's religious followers that were totally blinded and became strong supporters and believers into the only good quality job available on the market.

Do you really believe that everybody else in the AR coating business makes crap as you say, or that they are at least doubtful ? Many or most of them have found the right solutions to produce good products. A strong company like Costco is promoting top quality items, if you like the company or not.

I am aware that you have to provide good coatings for the prices you charge for them in the retail end, it just bugs me to hear that some ECP has been selling the same product for ten years and can still call everything else maybe passable good or crap.

**Barry Santini** · 01-16-2012, 05:27 AM

Originally Posted by braheem24

Are we bashing to make ourselves feel better? Costco is very competitive, offers a decent product for a very good price.

+1!

**Diane** · 01-16-2012, 07:18 AM

Thank you.

Diane

**Diane** · 01-16-2012, 07:19 AM

Originally Posted by braheem24

Are we bashing to make ourselves feel better? Costco is very competitive, offers a decent product for a very good price.

Thank you.

Diane

**anthonyf1509** · 01-16-2012, 07:54 AM

Crap AR.
This must have a soft brown color? Sometimes green? :)

**pseudonym** · 01-16-2012, 07:56 AM

Originally Posted by braheem24

Are we bashing to make ourselves feel better? Costco is very competitive, offers a decent product for a very good price.

Pretty hard to bash from below. As Chris says, Costco is #1 in customer satisfaction. I work in a competing warehouse.

AR in warehouse retail is what it is. Unless the buyer is willing to take immaculate care of it, the AR will cause more problems than it solves in the long run. Viewing the road through light scatter caused by crazed coating at night is both unsafe and unfun.

I don't know what Costco's lens choices are, but my warehouse has bad, better, and good. Ovation: bad.

**Happylady** · 01-16-2012, 08:07 PM

Originally Posted by Wes

Perhaps not everyone is in a position to offer product at cost.

I can get her a pair of glasses at full wholesale plus 20% but that's not cheap. Costco has poly transition progressives with AR for $160 a pair, that's less then my cost. I've used Ovation in the past and haven't had problems with it but haven't personally worn it. But their AR has me concerned. I hate bad AR.

**Chris Ryser** · 01-17-2012, 05:02 AM

Originally Posted by Happylady

I hate bad AR.

I hate bad food, ......................can even tell ahead when smelling it. I also hate bad stuff, specially when it is expensive, but then I look into it and want to find out why it is bad and can explain why it is so. who makes it and so forth...............

**braheem24** · 01-17-2012, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by Chris Ryser

I hate bad food

That's the french in you. Food and A/R is your specialty, Don't expect anymore compliments :D

**Lee Prewitt** · 01-17-2012, 11:58 AM

I can assure you that the AR at Costco is not crap! Costco now does it's own AR and they went to all the major producers and independants and did extensive evaluations. The independant company they chose has been doing AR for longer than most big vendors. Their AR is a dip coated process. In fact, I imagine that with all the technology deals that the independant has made, they likely are now the largest AR vendor in the country. Recommend with confidence.

**Chris Ryser** · 01-17-2012, 12:25 PM

Originally Posted by Lee Prewitt

Their AR is a dip coated process. In fact, I imagine that with all the technology deals that the independant has made, they likely are now the largest AR vendor in the country. Recommend with confidence.

Thank you Lee.......................I needed some help. I do not really care who does it or how it is done, i am just tired of hearing that only one product is good and everything else is crap. Even your statement tahat Costco is the largest vendor of AR is impressing and disprooves many of these posts.

**Lee Prewitt** · 01-17-2012, 12:33 PM

What I meant was the the independant company is probably the largest producer of AR. Costco sure does a lot too. I agree Chris, there are many good and great AR out there that are not from the Big E (Crizal is a great AR but it is not the only one).

**Wes** · 01-17-2012, 12:33 PM

There's a common misconception among many on this board that the Big Boxes ONLY sell crap, and that no one working there ever knows what they're doing.

**Fezz** · 01-17-2012, 12:55 PM

Originally Posted by Wes

There's a common misconception among many on this board that the Big Boxes ONLY sell crap, and that no one working there ever knows what they're doing.

+1!!

**kat** · 01-17-2012, 04:44 PM

+1 to the last 3. E is not the end all and be all of AR, they are just the best marketers of AR.

**Happylady** · 01-17-2012, 07:24 PM

Originally Posted by Lee Prewitt

I can assure you that the AR at Costco is not crap! Costco now does it's own AR and they went to all the major producers and independants and did extensive evaluations. The independant company they chose has been doing AR for longer than most big vendors. Their AR is a dip coated process. In fact, I imagine that with all the technology deals that the independant has made, they likely are now the largest AR vendor in the country. Recommend with confidence.

Thank you. Do you work there? I never said the AR at Costco was crap, I said I didn't know.