my name is taken

(Welcome, folks from IanHin.es. I’m flattered he linked to my site. If you like Ian’s stuff, you might enjoy my web journal about technology, design and strategy at punchingIN.com. Less about glasses there, though. Just a warning.)

I cannot believe that I am posting an unboxing of my new glasses.

UPS dropped these off this afternoon, moments before I had to run to a meeting. I tweeted my disappointment, and that caused such an avalanche of responses,¹ I feel obligated to share the details.

These frames are from Warby Parker and are the Japhy model in Sandalwood Matte. I usually look pretty nerdtastic in horn-rimmed glasses, but I think these ones look pretty good on me. Either that or I’m embracing my inner dork. Probably that, actually.

Anyway, Warby Parker has earned a reputation of offering hipster-cool frames at reasonable prices ($95), donating a pair of glasses for every pair they sell and doing it all online. The web thing is still a bit of a novelty to some, but I haven’t bought glasses at retail in about five years. I’ve saved a pile of money shopping at places like Zenni Optical, since some of my glasses have been as cheap as $11. Yes, eleven.

But “cheap” is definitely the right word here. I’ve never had a pair arrive from Zenni that didn’t need some sort of adjustment, and anytime I’ve been adventurous, I’ve found the quality of frames to be miserable. Exhibit A: last week, while drying a brand new pair of rimless glasses from them, this happened.

Of course, being online, there’s also no way to try the glasses on before you buy them. And while Zenni takes returns, it’s just enough of a hassle for me to have adopted a different strategy: I spend no more than $25 per pair and try to avoid anything other than the most minimal of rimless frames. Cheap has its price, I guess.

Warbys has cracked the code on this problem, though, with their Home Try-on kit. You pick any 5 frames and they ship them to your door. Try them on and send them back when you’re done. The whole thing is completely free, including shipping, even if you don’t buy a thing. It’s brilliant, almost Zappos-like in its simplicity.

Last month, I decided “what the hell” and put together a Home Try-on kit of my own. “No risk,” I figured, and I was honestly curious to see how the whole thing worked.

Quite well, as it turns out, and I was frankly blown away by the quality. I modeled them for Debra, rejected the ones that made me look like a deranged postal worker² and ended up placing an order the next day. It’s almost like that was Warby Parker’s plan all along.

That was about 3 weeks ago. Tonight I’m enjoying the thrill of wearing a brand new pair of glasses and not having anyone in the family notice at all. They just look at me kind of cock-eyed, trying to figure out “what’s so different?” Sort of like a dog when you make that funny noise with your mouth.

Funky frames and a confused household? That’s a lot of value for 95 dollars.