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Coastal

coastal.com

Coupon Codes:

EGREVIEW10 – 10% off (New Customers)
EGREVIEW25 – 25% off Eyeglasses (New Customers)

Quick Notes:


Introduction:

Coastal (formerly "Coastal Contacts") is located in the US (WA). Pricing in USD. They sell single-vision and progressive glasses, the majority of which come in name brand designer frames. Methods of contact include a phone number, a toll free number, a fax number, e-mail, and a mailing address. They accept Visa, MasterCard, AmEx, Discover, PayPal, and "Bill Me Later". The BBB lists them with a B+ rating.

Note that in addition to the US version of the site (which can be used by anyone world-wide), they have Canadian, Australian, UK, and NZ specific sites as well, each offering glasses in their respective currencies and shipping from their respective countries. This review applies to the US version (it's the only that ships worldwide), but I've also included a small blurb about the Canadian version below, simply because it's become so popular.


Note for those in Canada (if you don't live in Canada, please ignore this italicized section and just scroll down to continue reading the US version):

Coastal also has a Canadian site called Clearly Contacts (http://www.clearlycontacts.ca) which has become popular rather quickly, and is catered towards Canadians. Prices are comparable, except they're in CDN dollars. In the past, as soon as you entered your address, the order was placed without confirmation. However, it looks like this may have changed.

If you live in Canada, whether you order from Coastal.com (US), or from ClearlyContacts.ca (CAN), your glasses will probably be shipped from the ClearlyContacts.ca location in Vancouver, BC. Therefore, order from whichever website you prefer (or whichever works out to be a better price), keeping in mind that the US version may offer some cheaper frames, but the Canadian version will charge you in CDN dollars.


Impressions:

Coastal was originally a contact lens retailer (and a fairly popular one at that) known as "Coatal Contacts" until they expanded into eyeglass offerings as well. One thing that really sets them apart from others is the ability to "Checkout without Payment". This applies to US orders only, but for those a little squeemish when it comes to submitting credit card information online, it may be a welcome option. If you choose this option, your glasses are shipped along with an invoice that must be paid within 15 days.

While Coastal used to carry a small selection of frames starting at $6.95, those offerings appear to have been dropped, and the offerings now begin at $38. The brand name selection on the other hand generally starts at around the $50 mark which technically qualifies those as being in the discount price range as well. There is considerably more selection as you step up to the $75 mark although that effectively takes them out of the "discount" position. That said, you typically get popular name-brand designer glasses such as Hugo Boss, Armani, Nike, and Calvin Klein offerings beginning at that range. Coastal Contacts seems to cater towards the individual who wants name-brand glasses for as close to the discount-price-range as possible.

It would be hard not to mention their ongoing "first pair free" promotion. I'm not clear as to how it was introduced in the US, but in Canada they started by offering free pairs in certain cities as time-limited offers. Eventually, it grew to the point where it's no longer time-limited - anyone can get a first pair for free. Note that not every frame qualifies for "first pair free" - however, they're quite clear as to which frames are excluded. The first pair free program that ran over a number of years ended at the end of July/2014.

The majority of their frames are name brand, and include free basic single-vision lenses with free AR.

Single-vision polycarbonate lenses (1.59 index) come free with the frame. They include free AR, anti-scratch, and UV coatings. Bifocals are available for about $48 extra (1.58 index), and Progressives for about $73 (1.59 polycarbonate). Photochromic and Polarized lens options are available as well.


Website and Ordering:

The Coastal site is clean and intuitive. Information is provided without being overwhelming, and everything is pretty straightforward.

When it comes time to order, the process has been very simplified to the point where if you've looked at other retailers, you might feel like it's being a little "dumbed-down". I'm still a little torn as to whether I like or dislike it – if nothing else, it's unique/different. You start by choosing Distance, Bifocal/Progressive, or Reading. The next option is for clear, photochromic, or "sunglasses" lenses (polarized). Finally, you're shown the lens indexes available.


Pricing and Value:

Frames begin at the $38 mark which is in the upper-region of the discount retailers, though $48 is where options really come about (and you can usually find a couple name-brand lenses at that price point too).

One very unpleasant note is the "Handling & Insurance" charge of a few bucks (I believe it's 7% of your subtotal). This is a practice I personally hate which originated in the contact lens area – these charges should be integrated into the cost of the product (or the cost of shipping) – not snuck in at the end. That said, it's not a lot, but because it's not easily quantifiable for the consumer, it's a practice that deserves to be attacked, and thus is why I chose to mention it.

On to more positive things, there's a heavy emphasis on polycarbonate lenses, and all coatings are provided for free.


Lens offerings (in addition to the cost of the frames):

Single Vision Bifocal Progressive
1.58 index  +$95 (sale $47.50)
1.59 index (polycarbonate)  free  +$145 (sale $72.50)
1.61 index  +$25 (sale $12.50)
1.67 index  +$60 (sale $30)  +$175 (sale $87.50)
Transitions VI 1.59 index (polycarbonate) grey  +$95 (sale $47.50)
Photochromic 1.58 index grey  +$145 (sale $72.50)
Photochromic 1.61 index grey  +$125 (sale $62.50)
Polarized 1.59 index (polycarbonate) grey or brown  +$75 (sale $37.50)  +$175 (sale $87.50) (free form digital)
AR, anti-scratch, UV coatings  free/free/free  free/free/free  free/free/free
Handling fee  + 7%  + 7%  + 7%

Shipping is $7.95 in the US, $9.95 to Canada, and $24.95 internationally.

The price charts are created by hand – if you notice any errors, please contact me.

Coastal is quite competitive in the upper discount range when you consider the name-brand offerings, the free coatings, and polycarbonate lenses. They're not the greatest fit for those seeking under-$20 glasses, regular tints, or high indexes. On the opposite end of the spectrum, they certainly don't have as many name-brand frames as the major retailers there.

However, they don't skimp on the indexes (1.58 is the minimum) or coatings and have become well-known in a rather short period of time. And if you're looking for some name brand frames on a budget, they're certainly worth a close look.




Coastal Review (my purchase)

coastal.com

Personal Experiences

Oct 23, 2009 - I looked through the "under $10" section of the Coastal website and found some frames for $9.95, including free standard lenses, an AR coating, and the standard anti-scratch and UV coatings. There was a "handling" charge of $0.69, and shipping to Canada was $9.95, bringing the grand total to $20.59.

Oct 23, 2009 - I received an email stating that the glasses had shipped, which included a tracking number.

Oct 26, 2009 - The glasses arrived. They had been shipped from the Coastal sister location here in Canada known as "Clearly Contacts". You'll notice 3 days is pretty quick compared to some of the other purchase reviews – part of this can be attributed to the glasses being shipped the same day (I ordered early morning and got the message that they'd shipped late afternoon), but most of the time is due to the fact that these were shipped from within Canada. In any case, ordering on Friday and getting them on Monday was a pleasant surprise.


Packaging

The glasses clamshell case was loose inside the box. However, the case itself was very durable, and I'd be surprised if one managed to get damaged during shipping. Included inside the box was a coupon card, business card holder (although no business card inside), micro-fibre cloth, and a mini keychain screwdriver, along with the clamshell case containing the glasses. Opening the clamshell case revealed a cloth carry case with the glasses themselves inside. It may be worth noting that the micro-fibre cloth didn't clean very well – it left smudges, so if you plan to use it to wipe your glasses, you may need to clean the cloth itself first.


Pictures

(click on any of the thumbnails to see a larger version)
Coastal Contacts review - packaging   Coastal Contacts review - glasses overview


First Impressions & Quality

The frames were extremely solid with a quality feel to them, and had hinged arms. Lenses seemed to be perfectly cut within the frame, and the anti-reflective coating was visible.

The AR coating reflected light as a green color, and the only obvious dirt was a tiny smudge in the center (along with a much larger fingerprint I accidently added with my finger when taking the glasses out of the carry case). Both washed off easily with a little soap and some cool water.

I ran the lenses through the "hot water test", and they passed without issue.

Putting the glasses on, they didn't need any adjustment – they fit very well.

Really, for under $10 (just over $20 shipped), it looks to be a really solid pair. The frames seem durable, lenses seem precisely cut, the AR coating passed the hot water test, and there's really nothing I was able to find to nit-pick about.
Coastal Contacts review - glasses 1 - close-up   Coastal Contacts review - glasses 2   Coastal Contacts review - glasses 3 - on microfiber cloth   Coastal Contacts review - glasses 4


Final Thoughts

I have to say, I was really pleased with the purchase. The frames seemed so sturdy, and the lenses so well-cut, that I really expected the AR coating to fail the "hot water test" (I figured I'd used up my $10 worth of pleasantries). Yet it passed. I'd be impressed if they were $30 or $40, so you can imagine how thrilled I was that they were only $10.


Would I buy from Coastal again? Definitely. Fast shipping, quality frames, quality lenses, quality coatings, and a low price... it's really tough to go wrong.


Would I recommend Coastal to others? Yes. Again, the same reasons as above. They've also got a selection of fashion/designer frames at a pretty low price, so they should fit a few price-ranges.


I would note that Canadians may want to check out both the ClearlyContacts (Canadian) and the Coastal (US) sites. I checked afterwards, and the frames I ordered from Coastal for $9.95 are $38 on the Clearly Contacts site. Since you can order from either, it may be worth checking to see who has the frames you're looking for at a lower price.




Coastal Video Review