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Children's glasses - good quality strong frames?

1 reply

Shirtyllama · 25/01/2021 13:31

So... children's glasses look fantastic these days, there are loads of great frame shapes and colours, such an improvement from the 80s and 90s!

My 9 y o got his first glasses last week, loves his choice of frames, but they have snapped after 4 days! The arm sheared off near but not at the hinge. He was trying to be careful with them and was a bit shocked! They're back with the opticians who will sort us out I hope, but when I was looking at the break in the plastic, I noticed that the frames were really badly made, like cheap sunglasses (where you get what you pay for). Plastic arms with no wire core inside to make them strong, hinges were plastic not metal. I have £10 sunglasses which are stronger and have lasted for years!

These were £79 at our lovely local opticians, are made by Lacoste (well, I know it's a branding thing and they're probably not made by Lacoste themselves), and are similarly priced online and in other shops.

Are there any kids' glasses which are made to high adult standards, and can take a bit of wear and tear? I would understand just about if they'd been £25, maybe...but I've wear Cubitts frames which are acetate, really strong and lovely, with tough hinges and no bending and cost £125, which is not that much more than £79. I've worn glasses for years and I know quality varies, but these kids' ones were worse than anything I've worn. And the NHS glasses I had as a kid were hideous but fairly indestructible.

Since DS needs glasses everyday I'd pay a bit more to have ones that won't break when he's just trying to put them on...are Lacoste particularly bad, or is this normal? Any really good brands your kids have worn, with frames that last, particularly if you also wear adult glasses and know what you're looking for? Help! Can't find any useful information online about quality of frames and I can't visit loads of opticians in lockdown

OP posts:
greensnail · 25/01/2021 13:39

My DD has been wearing glasses since she was 5 (now 12). Have never had any issues with the quality of frames, used to use Specsavers and now an independent optician. They've all lasted well, have occasionally needed repairs due to accidents on a scooter etc, but quality seems the same as the adult glasses on our household.

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