of a ARC stock SV lens Made in China? Vision-Ease ARC lenses where are they made? Does VE have guarantees on their stock ARC lenses? How can you find out what there wholesale pr5ices are and can you buy direct?
Lens coating labs in USA are there differences in quality?
Do they have guarantees?
It does not matter where they are made. It only matters what machinery and process is used to make them. I have no problem quality wise with Chinese products.
Contact Vision-ease directly http://www.vision-ease.com/ They sell directly
I buy China products as well. The quality of some of their cr-39 are a little thin but usually the patient does not complain because of the lighter weight.
Would you mind telling me who your contact is in China for ARC stock lenses?
I am not your competition. I live and work in Guatemala. I am a displaced optical veteran.
I do use some OSA lite (Korea), but mostly deal with Crizal.
I do not know where the lenses are made, but I buy a lot of frames from China.
Send an e-mail through the Optiboard to "Doc in China".....he will fix you up.Originally Posted by 35oldguy
Thanks! I will try that.
What matters...........
Actually it does not matter what machinery is used, they are all basically the same.
There can be a variation of product that is used to achieve certain effects. The top layer is always SIO2 plus a hydrophobic of one kind or another.
I get most of mine from LBI http://lbieyewear.com/ , tell them Jacqui at C.D. Optical sent you. You might also check with Clex http://www.clex.co.kr/ , they make NICE merchandise.
How do you guys spell 'ophthalmic' over there?
Do you drop the first 'h'.
Rick
No, we include the first H
Interesting observation though
Selling lenses and spelling ophthalmic wrongly:angry: oh the shame.
A girl who works for me sent a load of order forms to a customer with the word 'optition' on them. I cringe every time we get a job from them.
Rick
Look on the VE packaging for manufacturing location.
There are a number of decent, low cost stock AR products coming out of SE Asia; Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia in particular. Of course there are a number of suppliers in Taiwan and mainland China as well. Be aware that quality varies even from product to product coming from a single supplier (more so than you'll see with the larger US and western European manufacturers) so if possible you may want to do some testing before exposing yourself too much.
Some coating labs guarantee their product, some don't. Most are acceptable quality some are outstanding.
My father is a bad speller. It really annoys me.
I love when the lab screws up last names on orders. It seems like it happens with every lab too.
Thanks for your endorsement Chris.
I would like to add my comments to this thread. Almost all the CR39 coming from Korea are made in China. Almost all the high index are being produced in Korea. There are a number of Korean companies that have opened coating facilities in mainland China. The quality of the coatings are very good from these companies.
Whether the lens company is Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, etc the bottom line is the quality of the QC (quality control). I have seen product from famous multinationals over the years with terrible coatings so brand name does not always guarantee quality. Brand name product is more expensive and this allows for a more generous exchange policy.
There are many Chinese manufacturers now and the vast majority are not making money. Many companies sell B or even C grade lenses. There is nothing wrong with that as long as the customer is aware of the quality they are buying. There is no free lunch though. If you are buying lenses for unbelievably low prices then there is little chance that the lenses are anywhere near A grade.
In my company I do not get involved with production issues. My time is spent tightening the QC in every step of the production process. Our machines are calibrated daily and we QC each QC person. If there is machine error the machine is pulled and serviced. If there is human error (almost always human error) and it is irresolvable then the person is replaced. Obviously no company starts the day saying we need this many B grade today. The goal is always 100% A grade. The quality of the QC determines the value of the product. There are a number of very reputable lens companies in China with excellent product and excellent QC. Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to find those companies.
My suggestion for those that are seeking to import for themselves;
1) find one or two companies and develop a relationship with them slowly.
2) Test some product and gradually expand the type of product you will work with if the service and quality meets your expectations.
3) Be patient. You will likely have road bumps but this is to be expected.
4) Remember that you are likely working with people that have a different culture than you do. Though someone may speak English their English words have different meaning than your English words. (My wife is mainland Chinese and I can attest to this painful truth :D )
5) If you have not already, register with the FDA so you can import these products. Make sure the company you are buying from is also registered with the FDA too.
6) All ophthalmic lenses must have a drop ball certificate from the manufacturer. If product is shipped to you without the proper documentation, properly written commercial invoices, shipping documents, etc...the product will be delayed in customs. You do not want any customs delays because of paper work. It is a pain to deal with and much easier to make sure the paper work is correct prior to shipping.
Importing your own lenses (your own brand), eyewear, cases, cloths, etc is exciting and profitable if you do it right and work with the right company(s).
Doc
Doc,
How about frame manufacturers? It is my understanding that many frame vendors here in the US often purchase from the same few manufacturers. Oftentimes, our vendors discontinue successful styles, but the original manufacturer must still have the capabilities, specs, and machinery to continue making them. When importing directly, how much volume must you do to make it worth the effort/risk for the importer, and how much will the exporter need to make it worth their while? Obviously a manufacturer wouldn't allow an importer to order in piecemeal quantities, but do you necessarily have to order 10,000 frames an order?
Thanks
AA
Good question. You are correct about the outsourcing of frames by the large companies. The companies that do the actual manufacturing typically have a contract preventing them from making the same design for another company. These contract manufacturers are typically not willing to take the risk and lose a big account.
There are manufacturers that produce their own brands and you can buy their product in small quantities since they maintain an inventory. The price is more because it is branded but much less than the brands in the US. You can also find a manufacturer and choose from their sample styles and then place an order. Typically you will need to order 300-500 per style/size/color. When I was in the US I imported only from companies that had their own branded product.
Doc
Doc,
How about frame manufacturers? It is my understanding that many frame vendors here in the US often purchase from the same few manufacturers. Oftentimes, our vendors discontinue successful styles, but the original manufacturer must still have the capabilities, specs, and machinery to continue making them. When importing directly, how much volume must you do to make it worth the effort/risk for the importer, and how much will the exporter need to make it worth their while? Obviously a manufacturer wouldn't allow an importer to order in piecemeal quantities, but do you necessarily have to order 10,000 frames an order?
Thanks
AA
My experience is that if you want to order frames you need to have them send you samples. Then you can determine what color, size, flex temple that you want. Usually 300 pzs per style in two or three colors is what they expect.
If you have a contact person they order for you. This is not a good way to do business. You can buy in lesser quantities but you have no say in what you get.
Doc- I would like to do business with you. Is it possible for you to send me prices to my private e-mail.
I've just returned from MIDO in Milan, an incredibly large show, impossible to see everything in the 4 days. The Asian exhibitors have grown considerably over the last few years and most of them do want a minimum of 300 pieces per size and colour. Having said that, I have ordered and received 400 assorted pieces in 3 colours quite a few times, it's all a matter of negotiating.
I did find a couple of manufacturers who were prepared to supply 50 pieces per size and colour, but at an inflated price to the 300, even so, the price was still pretty good.
Hi Clive,
You are correct about the ability to sometimes buy smaller quantities. This can occur for the following reasons:
1) The manufacturer can add your order to an existing order so as to make a single run, or
2) The company you spoke with is not the manufacturer but an agent and they will add multiple small orders together to meet their factories requirement.
3) Either of the above maintain a small inventory (by their standards) or have an order that was cancelled after production from which they can supply you with.
Doc
5) If you have not already, register with the FDA so you can import these products. Make sure the company you are buying from is also registered with the FDA too.
6) All ophthalmic lenses must have a drop ball certificate from the manufacturer. If product is shipped to you without the proper documentation, properly written commercial invoices, shipping documents, etc...the product will be delayed in customs. You do not want any customs delays because of paper work. It is a pain to deal with and much easier to make sure the paper work is correct prior to shipping.
In this high competitive situation, MOQ of 300 / style is very common. 50 pcs or 60 pcs is workable for existing style or stock I think. For new design, 300-500 pcs is acceptable.
I agree with DOC that you can test the items made from factory you found. Maybe they are not quite big factory. You can test it with small volume. Even they may not have their own brand, but they may produce a good quality product. Many big factory started from a small workshop. :)
I had lunch today with an eyewear manufacturer in Shenzhen that specializes in children's eyewear. While there I also saw some of the most beautifully made samples of womens and mens eyewear.
The materials were titanium, flex/memory and plastics. The quality of the material was apparent and when I asked where the material came from he told me Italy for the plastic and Japan for the titanium and felx.
A number of years ago I used to buy eyewear from Japanese manufacturers from the Fukui Prefecture area which is known for their high quality eyewear. This product rivals what I bought from Japan. The point....products from China and Hong Kong can be made very well. It really depends on the owner's attitude on what they will accept for quality.
Doc
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