First pictures of Chinese optical laboratory.............................

**Chris Ryser** · 05-20-2011, 01:51 AM

I just fell on their new website and would like to hear some opinions fron OptiBoard members. There are dozen more pictures on that site and what is surprising, they work with European machines like Satis and American ones like Gerber Coburn. Not much Chinese Equipment to see. FreeForm and lots more......................
What do you say?

Standard: ISO9001, CE, FDA, .......................Productivity: 1000 Pairs/Day

Conant Optics supply the latest Digital Free Form lenses,
We effectively "optimized" your lenses, by be precisely generat it to a power of 0.01D.

http://conantoptics.en.made-in-china...n-Rx-Lens.html

http://conantoptics.en.made-in-china...ry-Tour-1.html

Click on pictures to enlarge.

**John@OWDC** · 05-20-2011, 05:55 AM

Chris,

About a year ago I was contacted by one of the big players in on-line optical. I asked him straight up, "So how do you do it?" "How do you sell a pair of eyeglasses for $18.00?"

He replied, "Because we source 100% from China."

China has not meant cheap or poorly constructed for many years now. China is quite capable of producing quality products to meet the standards of even the most discerning company.

I am not defending their human rights, labor or pollution laws, just stating the facts... Chinese factories have modern equipment and brilliant engineers just like factories in other parts of what we think of as the industrial sector.

I'm not a big fan of "The Sleeping Giant" theory but China certainly is a big fish in an ever shrinking pond.

**Speed** · 05-20-2011, 08:34 AM

Originally Posted by John@OWDC

Chris,

About a year ago I was contacted by one of the big players in on-line optical. I asked him straight up, "So how do you do it?" "How do you sell a pair of eyeglasses for $18.00?"

He replied, "Because we source 100% from China."

China has not meant cheap or poorly constructed for many years now. China is quite capable of producing quality products to meet the standards of even the most discerning company.

I am not defending their human rights, labor or pollution laws, just stating the facts... Chinese factories have modern equipment and brilliant engineers just like factories in other parts of what we think of as the industrial sector.

I'm not a big fan of "The Sleeping Giant" theory but China certainly is a big fish in an ever shrinking pond.

Sounds like they have some good equipment. The price will only go down after they have reversed the engineering and start manufacturing the equipment. No laws against that in China. I'd bet they get lots of funds to support that process. Heck, maybe they will be able to sell Chinese manufactured equipment back to the USA. That LOH and Coburn stuff is so expensive anyway.
Also I can tell you for sure that are many veterans wearing those by the box Chinese frames. (Can't give a price on OB) But yall know how much a box of those frames cost. They aint half bad. As good as most of what is on most frame bars, maybe all.

**Speed** · 05-20-2011, 08:38 AM

As for on line glasses, I plan to try a pair. I figure I will order just a frame to try on. If it fits, I will order the glasses. If it does not fit, toss them and try again 'till I find a good one. Still much cheaper than I would pay retail. The world is changing.

**optical24/7** · 05-20-2011, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by Speed

As for on line glasses, I plan to try a pair. I figure I will order just a frame to try on. If it fits, I will order the glasses. If it does not fit, toss them and try again 'till I find a good one. Still much cheaper than I would pay retail. The world is changing.

Thank you for your Patronage! :hammer:

**DragonLensmanWV** · 05-20-2011, 09:21 AM

Don't forget that conantoptics is an Optiboard member.

**Speed** · 05-20-2011, 09:31 AM

Originally Posted by optical24/7

Thank you for your Patronage! :hammer:

Please provide a link to your website.

**DragonLensmanWV** · 05-20-2011, 09:33 AM

Originally Posted by Speed

As for on line glasses, I plan to try a pair. I figure I will order just a frame to try on. If it fits, I will order the glasses. If it does not fit, toss them and try again 'till I find a good one. Still much cheaper than I would pay retail. The world is changing.

Of course if you went retail you would have a frame that fits well and looks good the first time.

**WFruit** · 05-20-2011, 09:37 AM

I was interested until I saw that it was Conant. Not that they aren't interesting, I just already knew all of that about them. They have, in fact, been doing this for a good number of years now, and although they aren't very big in the US, they are increasing their presence in lens sales, both wholesale and retail.

As for the equipment, well, if you want to make quality lenses, you use quality equipment. I think the issue is that we automatically assume anything out of China is low quality, and while there is plenty of that still, there are more companies delivering higher quality products while maintaining lower costs.

What I find really interesting, in looking closer at the pictures, is that it's NOT automated....

**Jacqui** · 05-20-2011, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by WFruit

What I find really interesting, in looking closer at the pictures, is that it's NOT automated....

With their labour costs, it doesn't need to be automated.

**optical24/7** · 05-20-2011, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by Speed

Please provide a link to your website.

eyeglassesfordummies.com

Sorry you couldn't tell I was being sarcastic.

So tell us what other eyecare related field you work in. I'm sure we all here could find what you do cheaper online. Surely you are like the rest of us here...Another useless cog in the wheel.

Excuss me now. I'm going to go onto a plumber's website and tell them how I'm gonna fix my pipes without their help or parts. Who needs an expert anyway?

**Speed** · 05-20-2011, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by optical24/7

eyeglassesfordummies.com

Sorry you couldn't tell I was being sarcastic.

So tell us what other eyecare related field you work in. I'm sure we all here could find what you do cheaper online. Surely you are like the rest of us here...Another useless cog in the wheel.

Excuss me now. I'm going to go onto a plumber's website and tell them how I'm gonna fix my pipes without their help or parts. Who needs an expert anyway?

I just can't see it as dumb for me to buy the same product from the same source for much, much less. I am not a plumber. Unlike the plumber, I have many many years in the optical bizz. I will be my expert on eyeglasses.

Originally Posted by DragonLensmanWV

Of course if you went retail you would have a frame that fits well and looks good the first time.

But still costing much, much more than the disposable method I have decribed.

**jefe** · 05-20-2011, 12:01 PM

I was reading an article in The Economist about the rising labor costs in China. Coupled with the shrinking value of the dollar, costs of shipping, and other costs associated with doing business with an overseas lab, the author of the article said to expect the increases in labor costs to negate the price advantage of doing business in China. The article said we should see more and more manufacturing shifting back from China to the US.

I spoke with representatives of this lab at VEE. I was underwhelmed by their lens prices. I would have to do a large quantity of business with them to make it possibly worth my while. Considering the ever-lower costs of digital lenses here in the US, I decided against doing business with them at this time.

**WFruit** · 05-20-2011, 12:27 PM

Originally Posted by Jacqui

With their labour costs, it doesn't need to be automated.

With that equipment, they actually need to train their people to run them, and more importantly, to recognize when something isn't working correctly. While automation wouldn't eleminate the need for trained people, it would make it more efficient. And the cost of trained labor is much higher.

We've dealt with Conant several times for various things, and they are some good people (at least their US people are, I haven't spoken with anyone from overseas).