You are correct. I feared this result and that’s why I did go ahead and ordered the clip on to the pair I ordered. So at least I’ll have the added darkness I need in summer and winter with snows bright glare. Thank you for this video!!!
in my first order ever from Zenni i wanted to just "test the waters" and see how good they matched my prescription and how good or bad their quality of frames and lenses are etc. my first order was lost in shipping, so when i contacted Zenni they sent me a new pair exactly like the one i ordered on their behalf and used fast shipping this time. so i also got to experience their exceptionally good costumer support. so for my first order i got the Blokz Photochromic lenses because the transitions were just too much of an investment (nearly 100$ more in total for these glasses) for a test purchase. the frames are really good quality, the Blokz lenses actually are not really that great - they are pretty sharp i'd say that, but their anti-reflective coating is pretty bad compared to my Seiko glasses with Seiko lenses, their photochromic feature does not get that dark AT ALL really and the lenses Index themselves are still significantly thicker compared to my Seiko's (my Zenni have 1.67 index lenses, my Seiko are using 1.65 index lenses) however the presentation and quality of glasses case and tools and extras you are getting from Zenni (without even adding a cent to the order for a "better" case or for a repair toolbox) is fantastic and significantly better than the local shop i buy my eyeglasses from. but my biggest surprise was that when i contacted Zenni about the lost shipment they didn't even try to avoid an answer, they essentially just replied with that they are exceptionally sorry and provided me a tracking number for a brand new reshipment - that is AAA Service! additionally, when i contacted them again and told them that i am a little bit disappointed from the Blokz Photochromic lenses they actually gave me a 50$ compensation coupon to re-order glasses with Transitions lenses - that literally made me drop my jaw i mean what company goes this far to preserve clients? however back on the topic of this video - yes the Transitions lenses are not even comparable to the blokz photochromic ones, however i do think there is a place for the blokz photochromic lenses for some people who prefer lighter sunglasses tints (i know a bunch), and for the price nothing is really comparable to the blokz if you want a lightly tinted photochromic lens. but then again the anti-reflective coating is quite abysmal in comparison to even my cheapest locally bought eyeglasses - but i suspect that is some of the drawbacks of photochromic lenses in general rather than being a drawback of the zenni blokz lenses themselves? i got a new pair of eyeglasses from zenni with Transitions XTRActive Polarized, they are still on their way but honestly i can't wait to have clear glasses with polarization that also turn into sunglasses :D
@@terryberry38 i've had them for the past 2 weeks or so, my initial impression with them has been a little bit underwhelming but i'd say overall i am very satisfied with them. however there are some caveats with the Transition XTRActive Polarized lenses which unfortunately do no perform as promised by the marketing material, and they are as follows: 1. Transitioning time is long, VERY long. in fact i'd say that even on a nice warm sunny day with a temp of 32c it can take them over 5 minutes to completely finish their transformation from "clear" to dark. it also takes them around 6 minutes to turn completely clear again (and not less than 1:30 minute like the marketing material says). 2. they may be "Polarized" but in reality their Polarization filter is exceptionally weak even on a warm sunny day (their level of polarization is directly related to how dark they get), compared to run of the mill cheap polarized sunglasses that have a 90-100% polarization filter these will only polarize at around 15-20% - which is essentially not even noticeable when outdoors and therefore are completely ineffective for polarization. additionally, even when they are "polarized" if you position them sideways in front of an LCD display you can see that the polarization layer is very poor in uniformity. 3. when inside a car, or indoors they do transition into dark glasses, however in both of these conditions the tinting is very uneven and you will more often than not notice a couple of darker tinted areas in the shape of "heat streaks" on the surface of the lens. in general i'd say they that XTRActive Polarized are really good photochromic lenses, BUT not for their "intended" polarized use. their transition times are exceptionally longer even compared to Zenni's own Blokz Photochromics. in a comparison between the two the Transitions XTRActive's only get a little bit darker (maybe 5-10% darker) than the Zenni Photochromics. their clearest state is STILL significantly more tinted than Zenni's Blokz Photochromics (although you get used to it quickly and in first person it isn't really that noticeable until you take them off for a cleaning and then realize how tinted they are). the main difference between the XTRActive Polarized and Zenni's Blokz Photochromics when they are "clear" is that Zenni's anti-reflective coating is trash, especially compared to the Transition's lenses. so in conclusion i'd say that if you want photochromic lenses from Zenni and you don't really care much about them getting darker in a car (which they don't really get that dark anyways) there are two viable options for you: 1. if budget is a concern - opt for the Zenni Blokz Photochromics, they offer the best price per buck and transition exceptionally fast (less than 1 minute to darken and clear up). 2. if budget is not a concern - opt for Transitions GEN8, they have really good anti-reflective coatings, they transition as fast as Zenni's Blokz Photochromics and they do get a little bit darker than Zenni's lenses. but if money isn't any concern and you really want that 20-30% tinted look when driving then yeah i guess you can opt for the XTRActive Polarized lenses... *another small note - depending on the frames you may be choosing, you might encounter a situation where your transition XTRActive Polarized lenses will not darken up in the top portion of the lenses - which in case your frames cover the lenses in their top portion they might block the top of the lenses from absorbing the UV light and as a result the top of your lenses will stay clear near that edge while they rest of your lens will turn dark. this is something i've only noticed this weekend when it was 37c outside and the sun was more or less directly above (at around 12pm-1pm).
Thanks for the comparison video! Only question I have here is since they aren’t from the same company, they could potentially not be the same color...? What I mean is, the zenni site says color of the lenses would be “grey”. The other company might be selling “black” lenses. Although similar looking via website pictures, I believe this is why they are different colors in this video. Grey would never get as dark as black but still offers the same amount of UV protection I believe. Left being grey and right being black lenses maybe? Just something I thought of while shopping for new glasses and watching your video! Thanks again for the visuals!
Zenni brand transition as in the blokz or the other option? They have literally 3 options of transitions and I've heard the expensive one is super legit
Thanks for the comparison they say there's only a 10% difference which didn't sound bad but it seems like a world of difference side by side. Def gonna pay the extra $15-20 for the transitions vs blockz
I mean are they sufficient when wearing them? it's over a $100 difference. Basically $30 vs $160, if it's enough shade then the Zenni are the obvious choice.
Do you find the Transitions get even darker in cold weather? I have Zenni photochromatic already and they get crazy dark in cold sunny weather and on hot sunny weather they look like your results. I would be interested in ones that are more consistent.
@@MHdollrevievs We are having a hard time deciding between the Gen 8 or the Xtractive at Zenni's....What made you chose the Gen 8 was it because it was cheaper....X is about 70 more.
@@EyesRed Get the Xtractive if you want to use them when driving as they darken while in your car, the Gen 8 does not. Also the Gen 8 is not near as dark as the Xtractive.
I'm suppose to wear transition lenses but I hate how long the dark ones take to clear up once I'm inside so I would try the zeni or I just wear shades outside
I bought the clip on Lens cut for my exact frame for $3.50 I believe. I can get a clearer lens indoors this way, even if the transition back to clear takes a few minutes.
Wish I had seen this before I ordered my zennis transitions - my daughter got her transitions glasses at the optometrist and they are SO much darker/better than Zenni. Sending them back, but can only get store credit with their return policy. quite frustrating.
Which one is fastest transitioning back? Like if I have to enter a building and immediately go to a business meeting and don’t want to look like I’m wearing sunglasses indoors. Right now I’m using the Zenni Blokz photochromatic, but I’ve thought of going Transitions. But because the Transitions get so much darker I’m worried they’ll take a bit longer to transition back. Also, are these the Zenni Blokz photochromatic or the normal Zenni photochromatic?
Thanks for this! Currently deciding on what to get but also the zenni brand does not come in black only Grey that’s why it’s not going black. So I i guess they check off for grey lol. I wish they had a black option. How clear do they stay. I would hate to be indoors with a tint 😂. Old school brand transitions never stayed clear indoors n would tint so easy.
I got the xtractive polarized from Zenni. They barely darken, they don’t darken at all in the car and they are useless outside in the sun. Also their certificate of auth. doesn’t have a code so fake is what I’m seeing.
My Zenni's get plenty dark, and stay too dark too long in the evening when the sun is going down (a big complaint when I'm in the woods at dusk). But I use polarized glasses as much as possible for driving and boating and outdoors. The Zenni photochromatics are my first ever p/c and they get dark, just lack polarization which I highly favor. For 4.95 I also have the polarized clip-ons for my p/c equipped frames and that works great for full sun. P/C simply does not for me. Zenni makes things affordable though. I have my sixth pair on order from them since 2018. Two pairs were bifocal--which I don't care for and hardly ever wear. The others are: regular, p/c, one polarized/mirrored sunglasses, and my second pair of sunglasses on order now-but I screwed up and got "Blokz" instead of polarization and will likely order a 7th pair as soon as the 6th pair gets here. I cannot wear the progressive lenses I got, they're not dead even across. There's some wonkiness in the progression and it causes distortions that bug the crap out of me. Zenni wasn't too keen to take them back so I just chalked it up as lesson learned. I will NOT buy progressives at Zenni again. Unlikely I'll ever buy progressives again. I'd rather have a line and KNOW where the optics shift than to have a wonky progression.
I know you wrote this several months ago, but I thought I’d respond anyway. I’m in my 40s now, but because of some nervous system issues I’ve been wearing bifocals since I was 16, at least in some form or another (i.e. contacts plus reading glasses, etc). The weird thing about progressives that nobody really tells you (and this is regardless of who makes them) is that you have a corridor going through the middle of the lens that you can see through. The top is distance, and the bottom is near. ANYTHING outside of the corridor is distorted, top or bottom. I just got my first pair of lined bifocals about a month ago, and honestly I think they’re better. Computer work is the only thing that makes progressives worthwhile at all, imo. As far as the sunglasses go, I’m kinda glad they don’t get really dark. From what I’ve seen with a few other reviews online, I kinda wish they went back to clear a bit quicker, too, but that’s probably just me being nitpicky.
@@JoystickVersusMachine Yes, lined is easier to manage in my limited bifocal adventures. The progressive bit--is just a convenience but nothing NEAR the sunglasses protection my eyes need. I have to use polarized for any real relief from sun and glare. Tried the "blockers" - total waste of money-too dark and no polarization, but the red mirror coating is nice. Astigmatism may be what heightens my sensitivity to glare/bright. But these days polarization and computer displays can be a problem. Also Zenni sells a bunch of colors of polarized clip-on shades for most of their frames, and they're cheap. It's not quite as good as a Rx sunglasses alone, but also I use the YELLOW ones for night driving now. Great bunch of options. Cheers
@@Urock7 yes but look at how proud they are of the price. I am paying $600 for a set of glasses. I have nice clip-on shades that fit my glasses Zenni sold me for $5, so I bought two, one set for each of my vehicles. Total price $140 and they work just fine.
My Xtractive from Zenni ($260) performed the same as my older, standard transition lenses ($80). Zenni sucks. I'm never doing business with them again.
You are correct. I feared this result and that’s why I did go ahead and ordered the clip on to the pair I ordered. So at least I’ll have the added darkness I need in summer and winter with snows bright glare. Thank you for this video!!!
Thanks for the comparison! However, for my prescription with the recommended index, the transition lenses cost $110 more than the Zenni.
I only had to add $20 for mine
in my first order ever from Zenni i wanted to just "test the waters" and see how good they matched my prescription and how good or bad their quality of frames and lenses are etc.
my first order was lost in shipping, so when i contacted Zenni they sent me a new pair exactly like the one i ordered on their behalf and used fast shipping this time. so i also got to experience their exceptionally good costumer support.
so for my first order i got the Blokz Photochromic lenses because the transitions were just too much of an investment (nearly 100$ more in total for these glasses) for a test purchase.
the frames are really good quality, the Blokz lenses actually are not really that great - they are pretty sharp i'd say that, but their anti-reflective coating is pretty bad compared to my Seiko glasses with Seiko lenses, their photochromic feature does not get that dark AT ALL really and the lenses Index themselves are still significantly thicker compared to my Seiko's (my Zenni have 1.67 index lenses, my Seiko are using 1.65 index lenses)
however the presentation and quality of glasses case and tools and extras you are getting from Zenni (without even adding a cent to the order for a "better" case or for a repair toolbox) is fantastic and significantly better than the local shop i buy my eyeglasses from.
but my biggest surprise was that when i contacted Zenni about the lost shipment they didn't even try to avoid an answer, they essentially just replied with that they are exceptionally sorry and provided me a tracking number for a brand new reshipment - that is AAA Service!
additionally, when i contacted them again and told them that i am a little bit disappointed from the Blokz Photochromic lenses they actually gave me a 50$ compensation coupon to re-order glasses with Transitions lenses - that literally made me drop my jaw i mean what company goes this far to preserve clients?
however back on the topic of this video - yes the Transitions lenses are not even comparable to the blokz photochromic ones, however i do think there is a place for the blokz photochromic lenses for some people who prefer lighter sunglasses tints (i know a bunch), and for the price nothing is really comparable to the blokz if you want a lightly tinted photochromic lens.
but then again the anti-reflective coating is quite abysmal in comparison to even my cheapest locally bought eyeglasses - but i suspect that is some of the drawbacks of photochromic lenses in general rather than being a drawback of the zenni blokz lenses themselves?
i got a new pair of eyeglasses from zenni with Transitions XTRActive Polarized, they are still on their way but honestly i can't wait to have clear glasses with polarization that also turn into sunglasses :D
Have you gotten them yet and how are your xtractive lenses from zenni?
@@terryberry38 i've had them for the past 2 weeks or so,
my initial impression with them has been a little bit underwhelming but i'd say overall i am very satisfied with them.
however there are some caveats with the Transition XTRActive Polarized lenses which unfortunately do no perform as promised by the marketing material, and they are as follows:
1. Transitioning time is long, VERY long. in fact i'd say that even on a nice warm sunny day with a temp of 32c it can take them over 5 minutes to completely finish their transformation from "clear" to dark.
it also takes them around 6 minutes to turn completely clear again (and not less than 1:30 minute like the marketing material says).
2. they may be "Polarized" but in reality their Polarization filter is exceptionally weak even on a warm sunny day (their level of polarization is directly related to how dark they get), compared to run of the mill cheap polarized sunglasses that have a 90-100% polarization filter these will only polarize at around 15-20% - which is essentially not even noticeable when outdoors and therefore are completely ineffective for polarization.
additionally, even when they are "polarized" if you position them sideways in front of an LCD display you can see that the polarization layer is very poor in uniformity.
3. when inside a car, or indoors they do transition into dark glasses, however in both of these conditions the tinting is very uneven and you will more often than not notice a couple of darker tinted areas in the shape of "heat streaks" on the surface of the lens.
in general i'd say they that XTRActive Polarized are really good photochromic lenses, BUT not for their "intended" polarized use.
their transition times are exceptionally longer even compared to Zenni's own Blokz Photochromics.
in a comparison between the two the Transitions XTRActive's only get a little bit darker (maybe 5-10% darker) than the Zenni Photochromics.
their clearest state is STILL significantly more tinted than Zenni's Blokz Photochromics (although you get used to it quickly and in first person it isn't really that noticeable until you take them off for a cleaning and then realize how tinted they are).
the main difference between the XTRActive Polarized and Zenni's Blokz Photochromics when they are "clear" is that Zenni's anti-reflective coating is trash, especially compared to the Transition's lenses.
so in conclusion i'd say that if you want photochromic lenses from Zenni and you don't really care much about them getting darker in a car (which they don't really get that dark anyways) there are two viable options for you:
1. if budget is a concern - opt for the Zenni Blokz Photochromics, they offer the best price per buck and transition exceptionally fast (less than 1 minute to darken and clear up).
2. if budget is not a concern - opt for Transitions GEN8, they have really good anti-reflective coatings, they transition as fast as Zenni's Blokz Photochromics and they do get a little bit darker than Zenni's lenses.
but if money isn't any concern and you really want that 20-30% tinted look when driving then yeah i guess you can opt for the XTRActive Polarized lenses...
*another small note - depending on the frames you may be choosing, you might encounter a situation where your transition XTRActive Polarized lenses will not darken up in the top portion of the lenses - which in case your frames cover the lenses in their top portion they might block the top of the lenses from absorbing the UV light and as a result the top of your lenses will stay clear near that edge while they rest of your lens will turn dark. this is something i've only noticed this weekend when it was 37c outside and the sun was more or less directly above (at around 12pm-1pm).
Thanks for the comparison video! Only question I have here is since they aren’t from the same company, they could potentially not be the same color...? What I mean is, the zenni site says color of the lenses would be “grey”. The other company might be selling “black” lenses. Although similar looking via website pictures, I believe this is why they are different colors in this video. Grey would never get as dark as black but still offers the same amount of UV protection I believe. Left being grey and right being black lenses maybe? Just something I thought of while shopping for new glasses and watching your video! Thanks again for the visuals!
you could spend less time by just googling it. Transitions call their color "Gray"
Zenni brand transition as in the blokz or the other option? They have literally 3 options of transitions and I've heard the expensive one is super legit
I think for the price the Zenni brand did really well but that’s my opinion.
i have been using zenni's photochromic for years im happy with it
Do a test to see which ones turn back to clear first. I bet the Zennis win.
Thanks for the comparison they say there's only a 10% difference which didn't sound bad but it seems like a world of difference side by side. Def gonna pay the extra $15-20 for the transitions vs blockz
I mean are they sufficient when wearing them? it's over a $100 difference. Basically $30 vs $160, if it's enough shade then the Zenni are the obvious choice.
Interesting and helpful experiment, thanks!
Are the transitions lenses gen 8 or xtractive?
Do you find the Transitions get even darker in cold weather? I have Zenni photochromatic already and they get crazy dark in cold sunny weather and on hot sunny weather they look like your results. I would be interested in ones that are more consistent.
The only saving grace for the Zenni is the Zenni len's block blue light, so if you do a lot of computer work they should help with eye strain.
Which blue wavelength filters has proven to only aid in falling to sleep faster not that it protects your eyes or keeps them from fatigue.
If anyone is curious, Zenni currently carries Transitions "Gen 7" lenses. Hopefully they move to Gen 8.
I have Gen 8 Transitions they get darker than the 7 and are faster fade back a nice improvement :)
@@MHdollrevievs We are having a hard time deciding between the Gen 8 or the Xtractive at Zenni's....What made you chose the Gen 8 was it because it was cheaper....X is about 70 more.
@@EyesRed Get the Xtractive if you want to use them when driving as they darken while in your car, the Gen 8 does not. Also the Gen 8 is not near as dark as the Xtractive.
I'm suppose to wear transition lenses but I hate how long the dark ones take to clear up once I'm inside so I would try the zeni or I just wear shades outside
I bought the clip on Lens cut for my exact frame for $3.50 I believe. I can get a clearer lens indoors this way, even if the transition back to clear takes a few minutes.
Were those Transitions Signature (Gen 8) or Transistions Extractive? It would really only be fair to compare to Transitions Signature.
I'm pretty sure the only transitions Zenni offers are the Signature VII
exactly what I was looking for. thank you for the video !
It's going good, thanks for asking! How are you??
Thank you for the comparison!
Wish I had seen this before I ordered my zennis transitions - my daughter got her transitions glasses at the optometrist and they are SO much darker/better than Zenni. Sending them back, but can only get store credit with their return policy. quite frustrating.
Thank you for the comparison sir
Great quick vid. Thanks.
It would be more fair to mention the difference in the prices than the temperature. I'm willing to pay 1/3 the price for 1/2 the utility.
Which one is fastest transitioning back? Like if I have to enter a building and immediately go to a business meeting and don’t want to look like I’m wearing sunglasses indoors. Right now I’m using the Zenni Blokz photochromatic, but I’ve thought of going Transitions. But because the Transitions get so much darker I’m worried they’ll take a bit longer to transition back.
Also, are these the Zenni Blokz photochromatic or the normal Zenni photochromatic?
This is the real question.
Thanks for this! Currently deciding on what to get but also the zenni brand does not come in black only Grey that’s why it’s not going black. So I i guess they check off for grey lol. I wish they had a black option. How clear do they stay. I would hate to be indoors with a tint 😂. Old school brand transitions never stayed clear indoors n would tint so easy.
Which Zenni polarized glasses did you test? The 1.5.0, 1.61, or the 1.67?
@@dickgrantberg The index is thickness, so I'm not sure how that is relevant.
Did you order both of these glasses from Zenni? Because when I go to order it I select photochromic lenses and it only offers BLOKZ or general use.
If you pick general use they will offer transitions lenses if you pick blokz is zenni photochromic
Both are photochromic. It is asking you if you want photochromic Blokz or photochromic general use (without Blokz). They are both photochromic.
@@o0oStillWeRiseo0o let me get this straight: Zenni uses the name brand Transitions® for their photochromic general use (without Blokz) lenses?
So what’s the name of the real transitions?
Transitions is the brand name, they are made by Essilor
Thanks already received my transition glasses
What frame is that on the left?
I would buy Zenni.
I got the xtractive polarized from Zenni. They barely darken, they don’t darken at all in the car and they are useless outside in the sun. Also their certificate of auth. doesn’t have a code so fake is what I’m seeing.
My Zenni's get plenty dark, and stay too dark too long in the evening when the sun is going down (a big complaint when I'm in the woods at dusk).
But I use polarized glasses as much as possible for driving and boating and outdoors. The Zenni photochromatics are my first ever p/c and they get dark, just lack polarization which I highly favor. For 4.95 I also have the polarized clip-ons for my p/c equipped frames and that works great for full sun. P/C simply does not for me.
Zenni makes things affordable though. I have my sixth pair on order from them since 2018. Two pairs were bifocal--which I don't care for and hardly ever wear. The others are: regular, p/c, one polarized/mirrored sunglasses, and my second pair of sunglasses on order now-but I screwed up and got "Blokz" instead of polarization and will likely order a 7th pair as soon as the 6th pair gets here.
I cannot wear the progressive lenses I got, they're not dead even across. There's some wonkiness in the progression and it causes distortions that bug the crap out of me. Zenni wasn't too keen to take them back so I just chalked it up as lesson learned. I will NOT buy progressives at Zenni again. Unlikely I'll ever buy progressives again. I'd rather have a line and KNOW where the optics shift than to have a wonky progression.
I know you wrote this several months ago, but I thought I’d respond anyway. I’m in my 40s now, but because of some nervous system issues I’ve been wearing bifocals since I was 16, at least in some form or another (i.e. contacts plus reading glasses, etc). The weird thing about progressives that nobody really tells you (and this is regardless of who makes them) is that you have a corridor going through the middle of the lens that you can see through. The top is distance, and the bottom is near. ANYTHING outside of the corridor is distorted, top or bottom. I just got my first pair of lined bifocals about a month ago, and honestly I think they’re better. Computer work is the only thing that makes progressives worthwhile at all, imo.
As far as the sunglasses go, I’m kinda glad they don’t get really dark. From what I’ve seen with a few other reviews online, I kinda wish they went back to clear a bit quicker, too, but that’s probably just me being nitpicky.
@@JoystickVersusMachine Yes, lined is easier to manage in my limited bifocal adventures. The progressive bit--is just a convenience but nothing NEAR the sunglasses protection my eyes need. I have to use polarized for any real relief from sun and glare. Tried the "blockers" - total waste of money-too dark and no polarization, but the red mirror coating is nice. Astigmatism may be what heightens my sensitivity to glare/bright. But these days polarization and computer displays can be a problem. Also Zenni sells a bunch of colors of polarized clip-on shades for most of their frames, and they're cheap. It's not quite as good as a Rx sunglasses alone, but also I use the YELLOW ones for night driving now. Great bunch of options. Cheers
I ordered the premium progressive lenses from and they are pretty much perfect.
Actually it's better if photo chromatics don't get too dark. Easier to see when you go back indoors
The Zenni is probably just an older model transitions.
There is zero comparison in price. Transitions for me are $400 and the Zenni brand is $130. Neither of them work in a vehicle.
No transactions lenses work in vehicles
The "Transitions XTRActive", "Transitions Drivewear" and "Transitions XTRActive Polarized" lenses work in a vehicle.
@@Urock7 yes but look at how proud they are of the price. I am paying $600 for a set of glasses. I have nice clip-on shades that fit my glasses Zenni sold me for $5, so I bought two, one set for each of my vehicles. Total price $140 and they work just fine.
Zenni now offers Transitions Gen8 and at a much better price than your local retail eye shop…currently starting at $89.
Does the gen 8 work in all temperatures,though, like the xtractive does? @joelf5565
My Xtractive from Zenni ($260) performed the same as my older, standard transition lenses ($80). Zenni sucks. I'm never doing business with them again.