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Hoya Avantek Spectacles – A 6 Month Review
So of course in reviewing any items we never keep them, they are not ‘ours’ and are always returned or given away to you, our listeners. However, when I was asked by Hoya Optics to review their new ‘Avantek’ Line of spectacles, I couldn’t have taken a ‘stock’ pair and given them back afterwards. Therefore...full disclosure, I’ve have been given a pair of glasses made for me from my own prescription but these are purely for use in the studio and the vari-focal elements have been modified to focus purely on the distance from my monitors to the main camera. This particular lens type is called Hoya ID Workstyle V+
The Fitting
Hoya have been kind enough to come to the studio for fittings and have also invited us to their factory in Wrexham to watch the glasses being milled. And there is one of the first separations between these glasses and the standard lenses which are ground from optical plastic.
The Avantek lenses are special…very special. NASA use them exclusively for their scientist due to the zero deformation of the viewed image and The San Francisco 49ers Coaching staff use them…(probably because they make them look cool)
No seriously, the principle of the Advantix Rimless Mounting system is that the process places less stress on the lens material both in the manufacture and in the general wear of the spectacles and using the Cross Polarised Light that Hoya brought to the BTN Studios, the degree of stress on my existing paid of glasses was marked in comparison to the Avantek Pair which were entirely clear (see the images taken below)
The stress on these glasses is reduced in the production process through the use of milling of the lens material rather than grinding as with traditional lens production. The stress is further reduced by mounting the stems of the glasses on specially milled pylons which avoid the need to drill through the completed lenses which of course, again places stress on the finished lens.
There is no doubt that the lenses and stems feel high quality. The High Index lens material is clearly well made and finished and the mounts are carbon fibre and Beta Titanium. The entire set of spectacles are incredibly light-weight and wearing them for a whole day is extremely comfortable. On more than one occasion I have forgotten to swap them for my normal vision glasses and have worn them back home and several times in the morning after wearing them to check my phone, I’ve climbed into the shower wearing them as I completely forgot that I had them on my face, the vision feels that ‘natural’ They are really light.
What Hoya add to the process is most definitely an attention to detail and an active and pastoral care to the process of fitting and customising the glasses that holds great value.
My glasses were measured and fitted by Mark Culshaw from Hoya using an Apple iPad with a custom made prism system and tailored software which allowed the measurements to be taken from the reference marks on a jig which was attached to a set of the Avantek Fitting Frames. This gave accurate position of the glasses on my face, pupil position within the lens and the angle at which they naturally sat relative to my eye. (I’ve never had this measurement taken with previous pairs of glasses).This plane of vision for the glasses actually makes more difference that I had imagined and if you think about it, the amount of material you are looking through will change as your eyes sweep down to close vision as well as the line of sight subtended to the lens surface.
The advertising material states the this is ‘Hoya ID - The most natural & relaxed vision experienced in a varifocal’ and all hype aside, I have to say I agree. My old Vari-focals distorted the image of my iPhone when I looked at it to the point of making it look ‘curved’ in my hands. This lens design sets out to produce clear and importantly, natural vision, and this it certainly achieves this. The world I now sit in when doing The BTN Shows is crisp and clear and the specialist vari-focal lenses which were made specifically for the BTN shows feel like it was when my eyes actually worked properly.
This is the separation in the service…I got the time and questioning to allow the glasses to be specifically produced not just to fit my face and eyes but to fit my expectations, my working space and my workflow as well. Now, having received this I really see the benefit and the value in paying for this as an extra service and avoiding the ‘conveyor belt’ optical services
Are they pricey? Yes. No question, that these glasses are manufactured with a more than ‘Apple-like’ fell but having toured the production facility at Wrexham, I can tell you that the level of precision would put many engineering companies to shame and the processing to ensure that the lenses are as strong, light and versatile as they are is second to none.
The Verdict
Overall, if you are coming round to needing some glasses, its worth contacting Podcasts@Hoya.co.uk and asking them about Avantek.
Pros - The Custom Fitting. No matter what the cost its totally worth it.
The Weight and feel. Perfectly balanced and feather-light on your face
Cons - Price (possibly) Hoya don't pretend that this is a product for all budgets
The rimless frames including the specialised mounting process would cost at retail in the region of £220
The lenses would vary much more depending on type required. i have been advised in the region of between £120 to £500 depending on complexity
The Weight. I forget they are on my face at times. I’ve been in the shower with them on several times and knocked them off my face when I’ve wiped my eyes when I’ve forgotten I was wearing them but ultimately, you’d forgive this for the benefits it affords you when you’ve worn them all day.
Ewen
Author
Ewen Rankin