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I’m an incredibly observant, detail oriented guy. I’m usually the first to notice a co-worker’s fresh trim from the hair salon or pick up on a friend’s brand new pair of kicks. And I distinctly remember when someone’s accessory choices are new and inspiring. This squarely applies to eyewear -- eyeglasses and sunglasses included. There are always one or two people in the office (remember that?) that have impeccable style -- up to and including their choice in eyewear. Bold designs and colorways that ooze cool and leave you thinking: There’s no way I could pull that off. And for the most part you can’t, because so many of the standard eyewear options available to consumers are pedestrian at best, unpleasant at worst.
That was, of course, until I stumbled across eyebob’s website, and boy was it a breath of fresh, design-inspired air.
First Impressions Are Everything
eyebobs, founded 20 years ago in Minnesota by Julie Allinson, has carved out a reputation for unmatched design in the eyewear space. Allinson saw a market with two extremes: cheap, drugstore pharmacy readers on one end, $400+ luxury prescription eyewear on the other. eyebobs launched to bridge the gap, and to do so with serious style.
Unlike many eyewear brands who choose their designs from a showroom/catalog, eyebobs’ design team creates all of their frame designs in-house. They literally sketch the shapes of each frame and their vendor brings them to life in 3D. The resulting product makes them extremely unique and basically one-of-a-kind.
Remember that observant guy attracted to the oozing style from earlier? I was smitten the second I started browsing eyebobs’ collection of frames. Bold colors, interesting lines, and overall serious wow factor as I perused the brand’s collection. It’s this type of unmatched design I’ve been searching for online since Warby Parker came onto the scene. Warby’s DTC glasses brand and price point are certainly crowd pleasing, but overall left me uninspired with its humdrum frames.
But with all that boldness -- and so much choice -- comes the obvious challenge. How do you choose a frame that’ll work for you? Enter eyebobs’ Style Quiz. A breezy 10 question quiz asks questions like your favorite frame shape, what your morning routine looks like, and if you’re looking for add-ons like reader magnification or blue-light protection. The output is a curated selection of the brand’s catalogue, which can be a fun jumping off point to selecting your frames.
Not Your Grandma’s Readers
There’s a saying that we all eventually become our parents -- complete with all their quirks and charm -- and I noticed myself needing to start amplifying the font size on my Google Docs when writing articles for The Quality Edit. I could no longer poke fun at my parents’ extra large font on their iPhones -- I too was in need of a little magnification help. And I’m not alone.
75% of American adults use some form of vision correction, with a majority of those folks needing readers to address presbyopia, a condition of farsightedness of the eyes that worsens with age. Readers offer ready-made lenses with magnification strengths ranging from +1 to +4, all available without a vision test or a prescription from an optometrist. eyebobs’ readers are NOT your grandmother’s version from CVS Pharmacy, bringing a fresh and bold design sensibility to a very stale category. But how do you know which magnification you require? Enter eyebobs’ strength test.
The brand welcomes you to this not-so-exciting milestone of life with fun and inclusive language: “Welcome to the club: the proud, passionate, people who love a little extra power in their frames! If this is your first time, we are here to help. Follow the step-by-step guide to get the perfect power in your Readers!”
After printing off the handy magnification chart at home, I was pleased to find step-by-step instructions to identify my strength needs. Readers are some of eyebobs’ best sellers, and you can also add in blue-light lenses during the checkout flow for the dual utility of decreasing digitized wavelengths that often result in poor sleep health. The brand also offers progressive lenses, single-vision prescriptions, and all day readers alongside polarized sunglasses to meet all your eye care needs.
Expensive Taste...That Won’t Break The Bank
The biggest surprise of all was the insane value eyebobs delivers to its customers. Most reader lenses start at just $89 -- a far cry from similarly sartorial designer frames in the $400-500 range. Add on $40 for blue-light protection and you’re out the door for $129 including a complimentary case of your own color choosing. Founder Julie Allinson really does seem to be delivering on her promise of bringing beautiful frames to customers at affordable prices.
The super durable hinge hardware and luxury acetate materials ensure these will take the wear-and-tear you expect from readers and blue-light glasses -- the constant on/off while we transition from screen time and Zoom meetings throughout the day. Fashion + function is a winning combination.
As you can tell by now -- I’m a big fan of this brand -- and look forward to picking up new frames regularly to spice things up at the office, be it virtual or in person. The handful of compliments I’ve already gotten on my TV Party frames in yellow are exactly the positive reinforcement I need to keep making bold choices that eyebobs are known for. As their Instagram post calls out -- “Not many people can pull off yellow frames. That’s because not nearly enough people try”. Amen. Try on your next pair of frames on eyebobs today -- what are you waiting for?
5 More Reasons To Love eyebobs
- Only the very best materials for each pair of high-quality glasses: eyebobs painstakingly selects the very best materials, like luxury, Italian-designed acetate, comfortable spring hinges, and best in-class CR-39 optical grade lenses that are scratch resistant.
- Customer Reviews: eyebobs offers a full 90 days to return any pair of glasses. Buying frames online is not an exact science; eyebobs encourages customers to try everything on at home and return them if they don’t work out. With thousands of 4-5 star reviews, I’m sure customer service is a big part of their customer satisfaction.
- Combine that with a full 1 year warranty on all manufacturing defects for a buyer’s remorse-less shopping experience.
- Paparazzi stand back: Celebs love the brand -- Katie Couric, Whoppi Goldberg, and John Slattery have all had their photo snapped wearing eyebobs frames.
- Your vision insurance plan may cover a portion of your purchase or your entire eyewear purchase. eyebobs does not bill insurance companies but they are happy to send you an itemized receipt that you can send to your provider for reimbursement.
