Costco only sells ONE progressive?!?

**rolandclaur** · 09-08-2005, 09:40 AM

ahh I got ya.. Then my question is why won't my lab do just backside AR only? I completely understand now when you mean the lenses are dipped for the cure coat.

**AWTECH** · 09-08-2005, 11:42 AM

Why do you want to order backside AR? If it is for sunglasses that is what you should order and they should be able to supply.

If they will not supply backside AR. I would assume they use an automatic flip over system in their vacuum chamber and without a full run of (40-120 lenses, depending on chamber size), they do not want to slow down their production.

**coda** · 09-08-2005, 12:31 PM

It is possible that your manager was thinking about the hydrophobic. Some hydrophobic coatings are applied in the vacuum chamber and some are applied outside, generally by dip coating.

Incidentally in (almost) any dipcoating process both sides of a lens are coated. A lens isn't dipped face down, rather from the edge.

**rolandclaur** · 09-09-2005, 12:45 PM

Well backside AR for sunglasses .. that's it..

**deeseyes** · 05-25-2006, 10:43 PM

but comfort and benifits are

**William Walker** · 05-26-2006, 08:43 AM

deeseyes...just wanted to say hello to another Costco optician. I'm at #357(E. Jacksonville).

**Lee Prewitt** · 05-30-2006, 01:15 AM

Originally Posted by Steve Machol

Amd when I was in the business, I Coat was definitely one of the premier AR coating companies in the U.S. Great company and great product.

Hey Steve! We still are!

**Lee Prewitt** · 05-30-2006, 01:27 AM

Originally Posted by rolandclaur

Could the variations that I have been experiencing in terms of the AR quality I have seen at my store be a result of the lab work being done by the facility that we farm out our lenses to? Apparently our Costco lab sends out all AR jobs to a separate lab to apply the AR and when I asked my optical manager who has been working for the company for almost 20 years, she said that they don't do backside AR because the lens is AR dipped.

The promotional material for the Vivix I have read states that it is hydrophobic and resistant to smudging, fogging, etc. I have worked with Alize, Platinum coating from Zeiss, and the Teflon, and these coatings have definetely been better than what I have seen so far.. I definetely don't want have a close minded, ignorant opinion of a product without comparing it to what others thing. So I'm opened to being enlightened fellow optiboarders...

iCoat does the AR for Costco in our facility. Yes, your lab sends the lenses to us to apply the AR. Jim Schafer is correct in the process he described in that the hardcoat is dipped, then thermal cured, and AR stack is by vacuum chamber. As to no backside AR, that may well be a Costco policy. We certainly can do backside AR on any lens.

Do a fair comparison of your AR coatings. Vivix is in the same class as Crizal and Teflon and it compares very well. Alize and I am assuming Platinum from Zeiss ( I have not heard of this unless your are meaning Carat Advantage) are in the next class up. They are part of the super-oleophobic class of AR. Our Stainless is part of this class and it compares well too. PM me if you want further details.

**Chris Ryser** · 05-30-2006, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by rolandclaur

Yep from what I understand they only carry one progressive lens and that is the Ovation lens in different materials.... kinda sounds kooky huh?

I dont call that kooky........................I think that is pure good business sense. Costco have their own labs, and they have to stock only one type of lens in the progressive range.

That allows them to work out super discounts for large quantities.............sell for cheaper and maybe still make more money on them than the independents, that sell a hundred different variations of the same type lens just because they have been brainwashed to do so.