MisterGrey
Practically Family
- Messages
- 526
- Location
- Texas, USA
First let me say that while I understand if this is merged into the extant Vintage Eyewear thread, I understand. Let me also say that I believe this to be a very important topic that every optically challenged Lounger should read.
For even longer than I have been a member of the Fedora Lounge I have been aware of Shuron as the manufacturer of vintage eyewear. Heck, they invented half of the styles they sell, and are probably responsible for perfecting many others. For many years I've had an affinity for the brand-- a pair of Ronsirs that I got as part of a try-on program in 2008 first brought me to the Lounge, and my Regis rimless frames saw me through nearly three years of wear. Despite the fact that they were rimless, they were the toughest little frames I'd owned. On top of this, their customer service has always been excellent, bar none; their home try-on program revolutionary, simple, and helpful beyond all means.
When I went to work as an optician some time ago in an independent office, and saw the rimless glasses we were offering, I made it an ongoing project of mine to try and get Shuron Regis in stock as a tougher, more stable alternative to the flimsier "dress" frames then in store; failing that, I at least wanted to share Shuron's plastic frames with our customers, a tough, American made alternative to the more expensive, foreign-produced designer products dominating our stock. After all, foreign-produced products are a point of contention with several of our patients, who are largely blue-collar, multi-generational Americans who themselves work in production-based industries directly affected by the outsourcing of labor. On every front, everyone would be a winner: The office would make a higher profit with Shuron than any other line in store; patients would be receiving a quality product; American jobs would be supported.
An opportunity arose recently when two gentlemen in as many days asked about getting their hands on browline frames. I was the only one in the office to recognize a quick, easy source for the kind of frames these men wanted, and within a week I was on the phone with Shuron arranging to have a supply of Ronsirs and some Freeways sent to our office. Things were looking up.
Then, they came in.
There is no doubt that the Ronsir and the Revelation are fine looking frames, and they carry, for the most part, the same old-school aesthetic that put Shuron on the map half a century ago (I say "for the most part" because I was somewhat troubled by how translucent the tortoiseshell and lighter plastics really are-- you can read the markings through the front of the frame. But, I figured, who would see that unless someone inches from your face? And if they're that close, why would they care that they can read the size of the glasses through your frame)? When I decided to try on a pair for myself, however, I got a sinking feeling.
The bridge of the Ronsir is perhaps one of the flimsiest eyeglass bridges I have had the displeasure of having handled in my 13 years of glasses wearing, collecting, and selling. With virtually no effort, I was able to bend the bridge pretty much in half. I am a large man but not an exceptionally strong man. I can only do two pullups, and am able to bench only about ~85% of my own body weight. I am not Arnold. I am not Charles Atlas. This is not a case of exceptional strength damaging a sturdy product. The bridge was flimsy, thin, and malleable. The simple act of opening the temples of the frames caused the outer portion of the frame to "flex" as the bridge bent. Closer inspection revealed a "wide" gap between the plastic brows and the metal portion of the frame encircling the lenses-- only a few mm, but, on other browlines I have handled, the brows sit flush with the metal, with no room between; I could easily slip the corner of an index card into these.
Of all the Revelations and Ronsirs we received, each of them fits this criteria. I was ashamed to present the Shurons to these gentlemen, and made sure to point out-- and demonstrate-- the malleability of the bridges. Thankfully, there was no/minimal concern, with one gentleman only wanting to wear them for a desk job and the other satisfied that he could replace them within a year through warranty were they to break. Nevertheless, it was-- is-- a point of personal disappointment that I could have ever vouched for these frames.
Ladies and gentlemen of the lounge, the Shuron Ronsirs and Revelations are of no higher a quality than dollar store sunglasses frames. As someone who has long wanted to own a pair for himself, who had faith in the company, I am extremely disappointed. Other modern browline frames demonstrate nowhere near the flimsiness of Shurons. The Ray-Ban clubmaster is solid; so are POMY browlines, a now-discontinued knock-off produced by-- wait for it-- Wal-Mart. Yes, my dear ladies and fellows, a no-name, bargain-basement, knock-off frame is tougher, more solid, a more durable piece of eyewear than the product manufactured by the company that invented it. This is not just a disappointment; it is a disgrace.
I post this not only as a warning to the ladies and gentlemen of the Lounge who may be considerng or might consider purchasing a pair of Revelations or Ronsirs to compliment/complete their vintage look; I post it as a call to arms. Get your hands on a pair-- through the try on program, or through a vendor who carries them. See this tragedy for yourselves. Then, take action. This is not the quality of product that aided the men of a generation; this is a poor imitation. We deserve better; Shuron themselves deserve better.
For even longer than I have been a member of the Fedora Lounge I have been aware of Shuron as the manufacturer of vintage eyewear. Heck, they invented half of the styles they sell, and are probably responsible for perfecting many others. For many years I've had an affinity for the brand-- a pair of Ronsirs that I got as part of a try-on program in 2008 first brought me to the Lounge, and my Regis rimless frames saw me through nearly three years of wear. Despite the fact that they were rimless, they were the toughest little frames I'd owned. On top of this, their customer service has always been excellent, bar none; their home try-on program revolutionary, simple, and helpful beyond all means.
When I went to work as an optician some time ago in an independent office, and saw the rimless glasses we were offering, I made it an ongoing project of mine to try and get Shuron Regis in stock as a tougher, more stable alternative to the flimsier "dress" frames then in store; failing that, I at least wanted to share Shuron's plastic frames with our customers, a tough, American made alternative to the more expensive, foreign-produced designer products dominating our stock. After all, foreign-produced products are a point of contention with several of our patients, who are largely blue-collar, multi-generational Americans who themselves work in production-based industries directly affected by the outsourcing of labor. On every front, everyone would be a winner: The office would make a higher profit with Shuron than any other line in store; patients would be receiving a quality product; American jobs would be supported.
An opportunity arose recently when two gentlemen in as many days asked about getting their hands on browline frames. I was the only one in the office to recognize a quick, easy source for the kind of frames these men wanted, and within a week I was on the phone with Shuron arranging to have a supply of Ronsirs and some Freeways sent to our office. Things were looking up.
Then, they came in.
There is no doubt that the Ronsir and the Revelation are fine looking frames, and they carry, for the most part, the same old-school aesthetic that put Shuron on the map half a century ago (I say "for the most part" because I was somewhat troubled by how translucent the tortoiseshell and lighter plastics really are-- you can read the markings through the front of the frame. But, I figured, who would see that unless someone inches from your face? And if they're that close, why would they care that they can read the size of the glasses through your frame)? When I decided to try on a pair for myself, however, I got a sinking feeling.
The bridge of the Ronsir is perhaps one of the flimsiest eyeglass bridges I have had the displeasure of having handled in my 13 years of glasses wearing, collecting, and selling. With virtually no effort, I was able to bend the bridge pretty much in half. I am a large man but not an exceptionally strong man. I can only do two pullups, and am able to bench only about ~85% of my own body weight. I am not Arnold. I am not Charles Atlas. This is not a case of exceptional strength damaging a sturdy product. The bridge was flimsy, thin, and malleable. The simple act of opening the temples of the frames caused the outer portion of the frame to "flex" as the bridge bent. Closer inspection revealed a "wide" gap between the plastic brows and the metal portion of the frame encircling the lenses-- only a few mm, but, on other browlines I have handled, the brows sit flush with the metal, with no room between; I could easily slip the corner of an index card into these.
Of all the Revelations and Ronsirs we received, each of them fits this criteria. I was ashamed to present the Shurons to these gentlemen, and made sure to point out-- and demonstrate-- the malleability of the bridges. Thankfully, there was no/minimal concern, with one gentleman only wanting to wear them for a desk job and the other satisfied that he could replace them within a year through warranty were they to break. Nevertheless, it was-- is-- a point of personal disappointment that I could have ever vouched for these frames.
Ladies and gentlemen of the lounge, the Shuron Ronsirs and Revelations are of no higher a quality than dollar store sunglasses frames. As someone who has long wanted to own a pair for himself, who had faith in the company, I am extremely disappointed. Other modern browline frames demonstrate nowhere near the flimsiness of Shurons. The Ray-Ban clubmaster is solid; so are POMY browlines, a now-discontinued knock-off produced by-- wait for it-- Wal-Mart. Yes, my dear ladies and fellows, a no-name, bargain-basement, knock-off frame is tougher, more solid, a more durable piece of eyewear than the product manufactured by the company that invented it. This is not just a disappointment; it is a disgrace.
I post this not only as a warning to the ladies and gentlemen of the Lounge who may be considerng or might consider purchasing a pair of Revelations or Ronsirs to compliment/complete their vintage look; I post it as a call to arms. Get your hands on a pair-- through the try on program, or through a vendor who carries them. See this tragedy for yourselves. Then, take action. This is not the quality of product that aided the men of a generation; this is a poor imitation. We deserve better; Shuron themselves deserve better.
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