Best Sports Glasses Stores Online
If you're an active person who needs prescription glasses or you simply prefer not to have the sun in your eyes, then you need sports glasses — more durable eyewear with a more snug fit that won't jostle around when you're on the move. While most glasses retailers sell sports glasses, they're not all your best options when purchasing a pair. At the following eyeglasses retailers, you can find a variety of the best sports eyeglasses sold online.
Index#1ZenniOptical
Pros
- Very low base prices
- 1-month no-questions-asked return policy
- Good selection of cheap lenses
Cons
- Does not accept insurance
- No free shipping
Zenni Optical is a low-priced online glasses shop that prides itself on making prescription glasses available for everyone. For instance, you could get yourself a new pair of single-vision or reading glasses here for only $6.95, which is dirt cheap, especially when compared to most other glasses stores out there, even including the low-cost ones. While its selection of sports glasses isn't as cheap, Zenni Optical stills offers high-quality sports protective goggles for around $25 a pair, which can come with prescription lenses or tinted lenses for free.
Zenni Optical's selection of said sports goggles, while decent, won't blow anyone away. You'll usually have around a dozen or so pairs to choose from, so you'll most likely find a few that are to your liking, but this is no place for shopping around. The selection of lenses is another story, though. You can get standard lenses at no additional cost, but you can also get Impact resistant lenses for around $30, depending on the type of lens. If you like snowboarding, hiking, or any other activity that would benefit from glare-reducing glasses, then you can also get polarized lenses for only $33, which is comparatively cheap.
A small downside of Zenni Optical is that they tend to charge small fees for services most online eyewear stores don't charge for, such as $4.95 for standard two-to-three-weeks shipping, though that's to be expected with such low prices. Also, Zenni Optical does not accept vision insurance, but that shouldn't be an issue since their prices are already so cheap. It's still going to feel like a waste if you're a VSP member, but whether the costs are low because of your insurance, or the company's generally low prices, shouldn't matter, we believe.
Specifications
Accepted Healthcare insurance
Special frames
Returns Policy
Eyeglass Selection
#2EyeBuyDirect
Pros
- Very affordable prices
- Good selection of lenses
- Fantastic virtual try-on feature
- Free 1-year return policy for defective glasses
Cons
- Short trial period
If you're looking for a good amount of bang for your buck, then EyeBuyDirect should be on your list of eyewear sites to check out. Its sports frames cost around $32, and adding a standard tinted lens, single-vision lens, or both costs only around $5. With the site's promotions and deals, such as the occasional buy-1-get-1-free, you'll be able to spend much less on your brand new sports glasses than you would anywhere else.
The problem with EyeBuyDirect's sports frames is that there aren't enough of a variety of them. On most days, EyeBuyDirect will only have around half a dozen sports glasses to choose from, which is far from impressive. The ones they do have are high-quality and rather trendy, but there's a good chance that, due to their limited selection, you won't find a pair that's to your liking.
If you will, though, you'll find that EyeBuyDirect is a good place to take your business. They have good customer service, and even feature their own virtual fitting app, which works better than the usual static "take a picture and we'll place the glasses on your face" apps most online glasses stores have. At only 14 days, they may not have the longest trial period (within which you can return your purchase for any reason), but they make up for it with a generous 1-year return policy for defective glasses. This doesn't cover breaks or damage done to them by accident or negligence, though, and only applies to products with noticeable craftsmanship defects.
EyeBuyDirect is also among the only online glasses retailers that offer color-blind corrective lenses, which can improve the of color perception in colorblind people, and they do so for only $99. If you have color blindness and prefer a pair that will let you better appreciate the beauty of the outdoors, then this is definitely worth a try, since, if they don't work for you for whatever reason, you can simply return them.
Specifications
Accepted Healthcare insurance
Special frames
Returns Policy
Eyeglass Selection
#3GlassesUSA
Pros
- Wide selection of frames
- Many designer brands on offer
- Generous discounts and promotions
Cons
- Complementary expensive
- Short 14-day return period
GlassesUSA enjoyed quite the meteoric rise in recent years, in no small part due to its absolutely huge selection of frames, including sports frames. If you're picky about your frame or want something specific, you could most likely find it here, as this site has well over a hundred pairs of sports glasses on offer at any given moment. GlassesUSA even features sports frames from famous manufacturers of sports and safety frames such as Progear and Eyres, along with heritage designer brands such as Armani, Vogue, and Prada.
Unfortunately, though, these frames won't come with free lenses. This is usually not much of an issue, since you can find great frames on GlassesUSA for very affordable prices. Well, unless you're in the market for a decent pair of sports goggles, which, on GlassesUSA, will cost you around a hundred bucks before you even choose your lens. Sure, they're fashionable and well made, but that doesn't take away from the fact that some can't really afford to spend so much on one pair of sports glasses. Fortunately, GlassesUSA offers many discounts and promotions year round, including a 65% discount off your first purchase and buy-one-get-one-free deals on certain glasses. These can help you lower prices considerably, since discount codes for frames and lenses are so prevalent and considerable.
GlassesUSA also has quite a short return period for their glasses. While they let you return them for free for any reason without question, they only let you do so within two weeks from date of receipt, which leaves you with very little time to actually try them on.
Specifications
Accepted Healthcare insurance
Special frames
Returns Policy
Eyeglass Selection
#4Eyeconic
Pros
- Lots of top-tier designer brands
- Thorough quality assurance process
- Accept vision insurance from several insurers
Cons
- Only sports sunglasses on offer
- Comparatively expensive
With around 150 sports glasses on offer at any given moment, Eyeconic has one of the largest selections of sports frames in the business. It also doesn't hurt that they're made by some of the most well-known brands out there, like Nike, Bose and Nautica, and that they get their own section of the site where you'll find it easy to peruse through the site's fashionable selection. Eyeconic also has a fantastic virtual try on feature that lets you see in real time how the glasses fit you, instead of what most other eyewear sites have, which uses a static image of you.
But, since Eyeconic only has designer glasses for sale, their prices are quite high. You can expect to pay more than a hundred dollars for a simple pair of sports sunglasses, and that price can double if you want the lens to have a prescription. Fortunately, though, Eyeconic accepts insurance from VSP, MetLife, and Cigna Vision, offering a 20% discount to any customer who links their membership. If you have a different insurance provider, you'll be able to submit a claim to your provider for a potential reimbursement.
If you're looking for quality and can afford it, though, especially if you have vision insurance, then Eyeconic can be a phenomenal place for you to shop. Eyeconic's products go through a thorough inspection process for quality assurance, so you can be sure that what you'll get will be top notch and without any manufacturing issues. Also, Eyeconic has a 2-month no-questions-asked return policy, so you can get a full refund with absolutely no hassle if what you get still falls short of expectations. They also offer lens replacing for your glasses if their prescription glasses and your prescription changed within six months from shipping date.
The main downside of Eyeconic is that its selection of lenses is quite limited, as they don't sell non-tinted prescription sports glasses, so you'll only be able to purchase sports sunglasses here. So, if you wear prescription glasses and, say, play basketball indoors, then you'll need to look elsewhere.
Specifications
Accepted Healthcare insurance
Special frames
Returns Policy
Eyeglass Selection
ZenniOptical | EyeBuyDirect | GlassesUSA | Eyeconic | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cheapest Frames | $6.95 | $5 | $39 | $140 |
Min Shipping Time | 7 days | 7 days | 7 days | 14 days |
Max Shipping Time | 14 days | 14 days | 10 days | 16 days |
Accepted Healthcare insurance | ||||
Accepts Insurance | ||||
Accepts FSA | ||||
Accepts HSA | ||||
Countries | International | International | International | US |
Special frames | ||||
Children's Frames | ||||
Designer Frames | ||||
Sports Frames | ||||
Returns Policy | ||||
Days to Return | 30 days | 14 days | 14 days | 60 days |
Restocking Fee | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Shipping Fee | $4.95 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Getting The Right Sports Glasses For The Right Situation
You've probably experienced your glasses falling and breaking while jumping, running, getting hit by a stray ball or on any other such occasion, of which there are many. If your luck is even worse, you've experienced them breaking on your face, and had your eyes in close proximity of flying shards of glass. This is why you understand how important it is to get the right glasses for the right situation.
While not every online eyewear site offers sports glasses, let alone decent ones for a fair price, the above sites do, and each one boasts a few strengths that should cause you to gravitate towards them. Since most sites don't really have more than a dozen or so sports frames on offer at a time, we suggest that you peruse more than one of them and check their wares before deciding on a site you want to purchase from. For instance, while one site could have just the frame you had in mind, another could have something remarkably similar but sold for less, or the site itself may offer more generous return and shipping policies. Try to not settle on the parameters that are important to you, just like you don't settle on having the right type of glasses for the right type of activity.
Lastly, try to match the lens to your needs. Most sites on this list offer polarized and tinted lenses, both of which are great for sunny places, as well as non-tinted lenses, in case you tend to be active indoors. Also, try to get scratch resistant lenses and coatings, as they most likely will considerably prolong the life of your new pair of shades.