Okay, what is Crizal Alize and is anyone using it? Have you formed any opinions yet?
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Okay, what is Crizal Alize and is anyone using it? Have you formed any opinions yet?
Judy, Have been using it a while, part of a "test market"...It is Crizal with a sooper dooper hydrophobic coating; "Alize`" on it, to make it smude resistant...ve done several pairs and with great response...
Just got back from learning all about it. Even more smudge resistant than Crizal. Stays cleaner, resists oil--looks seriously impressive. The sample I have has virtually no residual color. It will go on everything regular Crizal goes on. Think it is offically released this week???
Officially released this past weekend in San Diego I think? Our rep came in today and brought in a sample. It looked like pretty impressive stuff. There are two things to be seen.
1) Will the super hydrophopic coating last?
2) When I recieve blanks, (we cut and edge in house) they said the lens will have a film on it that allows the leap pad to adhere to the lens while cutting. My only concern is if this will be affective and weather or not this will be uniform. The last thing I would want to do is send a lens back because it was slipping whil edging.
But if these things don't prove to be problems then it looks pretty impressive. Now how much is it?
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Having seen this product work its way through the test market, it is nice to finally be able to talk about it. Crizal Alize is going to be nationally available in January. Its been selling over a 1,000 pairs a day in its current test market (the Southeast US).
The coating aaron referred to is called the "Pad Control System." It should be very uniform- it is applied right in the AR chamber- and should make the lens very edger friendly. The PCS is a blue coating, so if you order Crizal Alize DON'T wipe it off until you've edged and drilled the lens. It does wipe off rather easily, so handle the lenses with care until you have them edged. If you do manage to remove the PMS before you've edged the lens, try spraying hair spray on the lens. Otherwise, you can return the ruined lens for a 50% credit.
As far as Crizal Alize's (that's "ah-leh-zay") performance goes, it really is impressive. Pour water on a non-AR lens, and it sort of sits on the lens. Pour water on a Crizal lens, and it beads up. Pour water on a Crizal Alize lens, and- well... nothing! The water just doesn't stick to the lens at all.
I look forward to getting your impressions as you use Crizal Alize. It is one of three really impressive new products we'll be launching this year (we're releasing quite a few things this year, but three of them are really innovative).
aaron, we have been getting uncut Alize` lenses for a few weeks now, and there is no problem edging them, they come with a protective film on the lens surface, and it is removed after the edging process. I heard yesterday that the Alize` is now available on any lens design that Crizal is available on...it is a really good improvement..
Pete,
Sounds like a great lens...
Is the same equipment used to apply the coating, or did they have to come up w/ new equipment ? Is it Crizal with extra elements added, and more steps in the manufacturing process?
What kind of price difference (% wise) will there be ?
Will it be available to all practioners (including chains) ?
Thanks
Johns
I really want to try this, unfortunately the 2 main labs I use don't process it yet.
Our information indicates that the wholesale price will be in the area of $10.00 above what you are paying for Crizal. Not a bad price for a superior product :0)
shutterbug
Is order turnaround time the same?
Turn-around time has been about 4 days, extra cost is about 25% more than Crizal. we package price Crizal lens products, so we have Alize` at $30 add on....Ray, sometimes we have to use a "specialty" lab for things that one lab or another doesn't do, or doesn't do well, or is more cost/time effective. Crizal started out that way 4-5 years ago. we had always been a high% AR practice, but Crizal eliminated all of the normal AR objections, so we now do 96% of our orders with Crizal, so are we using the lab that didn't provide Crizal, no. and that's unfortunate because they are a good lab, but our clientele loves Crizal. so do we get the Crizal for our clients, or do we not, so we can continue working with some good lab people.? difficult choice, but, my clients are the ones who pay my bills...I could choose to not tell them about great new technologies, like Crizal, Alize`, Transitions, Panamics, Nikon Online's, etc., but then am I not supposed to provide the very best optical products and services to them (Guild Code of Ethics)? so, I inform them of these products, and they "choose" them, then they're ever so pleased, and refer others here for them, and come back for more and now that's about all we sell, but isn't that good? I think so...
I agree with you completely Texas Ranger, however I have only been with this practice for a few months and choice of labs just isn't my call.
The labs that I use do process Crizal, but when I called a couple of days ago, their customer service people didn't know about Alize.
Is the same equipment used to apply the coating, or did they have to come up w/ new equipment ? Is it Crizal with extra elements added, and more steps in the manufacturing process?
What kind of price difference (% wise) will there be?
Will it be available to all practioners (including chains)?
The equipment used to produce Crizal Alize is the same as that used to produce Crizal. However, modifications are necessary before Crizal Alize can be produced. Overall, however, the philosophy behind the product is the same. To provide an anti-reflective surface with consistently high quality (i.e., good adhesion, AR efficiency, scratch resistance, etc.), you have to have an integrated process. Crizal and Crizal Alize both have a six step process that begins with bare substrate and builds up.
Crizal Alize is built upon the experience and knowledge gained from production of Crizal over the past six or seven years. Crizal Alize represents improvements to the Crizal process, including changes to some of the layers which comprise the AR and hydrophobic function of the lens.
I believe the price information that was already posted here is pretty much accurate.
Crizal Alize should be available through pretty much all of the sources you use for Crizal. Namely, through Varilux/Crizal distributor laboratories and through ELOA. Also, it should be available on the same range of materials
Ray, If your lab is supplying Crizal, they can get Alize`..I got an "Online" lens back the other day without the ordered Crizal, and when I called about redo-in' it, the "new" CS rep. told me that "Crizal can'r be done on the Online", at which point, I asked her to let me speak with someone knowledgeable...so, call the lab back and ask about the Alize` again, and if that person doesn't know about, ask them to find out about it and call you back, soon...
P.S. a major consumer marketing program, with Al Roker of the Today show, will kick off soon, and there will be folks coming in asking for Crizal Alize`, so it would benefit all of us to at least know about it. I mentioned its availability to 5 clients yesterday, who all have had Crizal, and 3 of the 5 added the Alize` to thier Crizal lenses, and were glad that it was now available, and the extra cost was not even an issue...
Ray, because it was just released some labs may have not received customer service training in it yet. I am hoping that because you are in our neck of the woods, it is not our lab that was uninformed. Could you email me and tell me what labs you are using because if it is us, I want to straighten that out. As I understand it any Varilux distributor can provide the product for you, they will send it to the coating facility that has the equipment-which for us is the facility we send all Crizal to anyway.Quote:
Ray Parent said:
The labs that I use do process Crizal, but when I called a couple of days ago, their customer service people didn't know about Alize.
Wasn't your lab Karen and after a few more calls I was able to get someone who knew what Alize was. Now I just need to get the pricing info.
Ray,
Ditto karen's comments... if the lab was an ELOA lab, please let me know. We're trying to increase the product-awareness of both our own and the Varilux distributor laboratories.
Thanks,
Pete
Just received a sample of the Alize in our lab this week and I was impressed. I found it difficult to get a fingerprint to stick to the lens. We priced it $10 higher than the Crizal product.
Cleaning is definately easier and I am interested to find out from the front line how patients respond.
igirl, I think that at "$10 more than Crizal", you will be losing money selling it, so you might want to reconsider???
I hadn't heard of this product previous to reading all of your statements:eek: But do to all the positive info I called our lab to make sure we can get Alize. To my surprise we can and they haven't processed one yet. We are gong to be the first ones :hammer: I think it sounds great!!! Let's see how it goes. :D
$13.30 gross, $10 net over our Crizal pricing. We'll still make money, but not as much as my boss would probably like. However, if we go any higher, I would think dispensers may have a hard time moving it.
I have to confirm that our lab is processing it and if they are we will be giving Alize a go this week. Do to all of the positive responses here, I'll have to call our lab rep and see if there is any POP available yet. I should update our OLA Lens Center to demonstrate the features vs a standard AR.Quote:
Cd'A Eyes said:
I hadn't heard of this product previous to reading all of your statements:eek: But do to all the positive info I called our lab to make sure we can get Alize. To my surprise we can and they haven't processed one yet. We are gong to be the first ones :hammer: I think it sounds great!!! Let's see how it goes. :D
Any of the lab folks know if POP is out yet?
POP will be available within days, if not tomorrow!
igirl, $10 net over Crizal cost, and charging $10 over Crizal retail, is not "still making money on it". It is a state of the art premium, and the patient do not object to the extra cost, and it is true that most "objections" are with the "dispensers". the is an axiom in business, "you do not make money trading dollars". you pay $10 for anything, and sell it was $10, you just gave it away, you got nothing for it for you or your employer, and what if you give seniors a 10% discount, then you actually would "lose" a $1...right?
For those of you who do your own edging, there is an instructional guide entitled "Crizal Alize Edging and Mounting Guidelines" (ask your Varilux Brand Consultant for a copy). The following image is a snippet from this guide and gives a visual representation of the Pad Control System (blue coating that helps the Leap Pad stick to the lens).