 Today I want to answer the question, is paying more for eyewear actually worth it? We're gonna do some shopping and there's going to be a blind test. Straight plastic. Let's head to the city and find out. What's up everyone? If there's a few items I feel I have a lot of experience with, it would definitely be headwear, cargo pants and jewelry. So today we're gonna be talking about jewelry for the face and comparing frames at different price points to see if paying more is actually better. I think I'm gonna make this a series, let me know what you guys want me to compare next down in the comments below. Of course we gotta establish some ground rules so thrifting off the table. We want something everybody can get on the market right now just so it's a fair comparison but if you find some dope frames at the thrift by all means do your thing. And then I'm gonna stick to a budget in several tiers. I don't really know what those budgets are right now but they will be right here. So yeah we're gonna be doing some in-person shopping and some online shopping as well just so we can see if there's any differences. Got it? Let's go. Okay so we're heading to H&M right now, broke boy heaven. Because H&M is a trendy store we're gonna look for something a little bit on the trendier side and we'll see what they got. All right y'all we just picked up our budget frames for 13 bucks can you believe that? Set to the next store. All right for our luxury tier we are here in Brookfield Place because they have a lot of luxury brands from Louis Vuitton, Bottega Vignetta, Gucci and all that. And we're gonna see what $400 gets you. So we decided to hit up Gucci definitely one of the most popular luxury brands and the customer service and the vibe is unique. They treat you like a king. So I ended up deciding on these glasses and at 450 bucks that's a little wild. But take a look at the packaging. You get a nice bag, fancy box, a velvet hard case and a carrying pouch. I can guarantee you the glasses don't actually cost that much. It's the salary of the employees, the cost of the packaging and of course the brand name and recognition. Keep this in mind when you shop at luxury stores of course they did have some unique stuff but then the price shoots up even more. All right y'all that's a wrap with our shopping. We got our luxury goods, we got our budget goods. Let's head home, do some online shopping and we could do some comparisons. All right we made it back home and fortunately we don't have to do too much online shopping because I already own some of these items. So we're gonna roll with the brand Crap Eyewear. I know that's a pretty funny name and the Japanese eyewear brand Matsuda. And then of course the classic Ray Bands. So let's head to their site so you can see what kind of products that they have and some of the features that these glasses have as well. So let's start with the cheapest online brand that is Crap Eyewear and here's what I picked up. These are the Jazz Safari with the tinted yellow gradient frames. If you can get eyewear that's tinted it's really going to step up your outfits versus clear glasses, clear glasses are great as well. I just feel like tints just adds another touch, you know what I'm saying? What I like about these glasses specifically is their stainless steel frame. As you can see right here, got a stainless steel frame. They also do prescriptions as well, which is really nice. And a lot of these glasses when you move away from fast fashion offer UV protection. So this is UVA, UVB protection. Sun damage as a whole is not good for your skin so UVA and UVB protection is always a plus. And as you can see stainless steel frames, tinted lenses all for 89 bucks. And it actually comes in this leather case right here. No microfiber cloth or anything like that, which is kind of weird. Pretty high quality glasses for the price. Now let's talk about Ray-Bans. So these ones I already got in the past, I got them for 180 bucks. Looks like because of inflation, it's 213 bucks. And Ray-Bans is Ray-Bans. Most people associate it with higher quality but it's owned by one of these big companies called Luxotica. They own a ton of other brands like Prada, Oakleys as well. So a lot of the quality while decent is definitely a little overpriced in my opinion. So what's great about these glasses is of course they do come with UVA and UVB protection as well. And this one specifically comes polarizing. If you don't know what polarized lenses are, they just minimize reflection. We got polar filters for our camera lenses. It's the same thing with eyewear. So polarized lenses is always a nice premium touch. You don't really need it though. And what's cool about these ones is they have a gold frame with some slight olive lenses. Definitely a pair of summer frames for sure. Now let's check out Matsuda. You just look at the sight. Matsuda is beautiful. So as you can see, they have a variety of lenses. We got all these uniquely designed lenses. We got these ones with the under frame that's really, really dope as well. Yeah, like just check out this pair of frames right here. These are the T2 Terminator 2 glasses. If you guys haven't seen that movie, it's the dope movie. This detail right here on the side. Seracano wears these in the movie. They have this metal bar right here. That's just a really nice touch. And they got a variety of colors as well. But if you look at that freaking price right there, $15.25 for these glasses. That's crazy. So let me just show you what I got which is a little bit cheaper but still pretty expensive. So I went with the rimless reimagined versions. I thought rimless frames would look really cool. And I got these ones in blue specifically. And what's so cool about these ones is they're made out of titanium making them super lightweight cold to the touch when you put it on your face. The nose tips are actually metal as well instead of silicone. And all of Matsuda's glasses are handcrafted. And this one specifically is hand engraved as well. The details on these are immaculate. It's something you can't beat. If we just head to their craft version, they spend a lot of time crafting these frames. And there's a lot of heritage to it. They sculpt the acetate themselves. It's crazy. They put in a lot of work. But yeah, here's the case that Matsuda's come in. Comes with some extra hardware and cleaning cloth. And yes, the frames are titanium. Super light, durable, and the details on these are just beautiful. And of course, these also come with UVA and UVB protection, which is always appreciated. And if you guys appreciate handcrafted items, look no further than the sponsor of today's video, Lupin and your boy. So a few months back, we came out with the Ascend collection and it consists of three items, the Ascend ring, the Ascend cuff, and the Ascend necklace. These pieces are handcrafted in Korea and these were made to be symbolic. The whole entire collection was designed by me to encourage collaboration and teamwork, as well as facing all of your adversities. Everyone has faced some sort of adversity. You guys can read about mine on how I grew up in poverty on Lupin's site. And really I wanted to honor what my parents would always tell me growing up, which is the phrase done bow. So in Cantonese, basically means to advance, to improve, to move forward, because they always did as immigrants. So we put the character on the ring and the necklace and then we have Ascend engraved in the metal cuff. All of these pieces are handcrafted with 925 sterling silver. We did not skip out on quality, which just means it's going to last and it is for sure going to look good on you. Some of y'all have already sent pictures wearing these pieces. Appreciate y'all. Looking good. So if that message vibes with you or you appreciate handcrafted pieces, I would encourage you to pick some of these pieces up. All you gotta do is click that link in the description. You can use my discount code, fly with Johnny Ty for a discount. I just realized I am covered in fur and my mic's covered in fur. But if you want to show your support, click that link in the description, pick up some of these pieces. We had just sold out of the Ascend necklaces, but we did restock, so pick one up before it sells out again. Thank you guys for being a supporter of the channel. Let's get back to the video. So now that we have all of our eyewear, wouldn't it be fun if we did a little blind test to see if we could actually feel a difference between these pieces. So I've called up my friends. They don't really have an interest in fashion, nothing wrong with that. Let's see what they have to say about these glasses while blindfolded. Do you think they'll be able to tell? Let's see. What's up, Kyle? Welcome to the casting couch. Oh, shit, we're gonna tie you up. I like being tied up. Let me lay out the glasses for you. All right, y'all, from left to right, we've got the cheapest glasses to the most expensive ones. I'm gonna mix it up. We're gonna have Kyle react to it and see what he thinks about each piece. Mix them up. Pick up the glasses on your right. These. This is a pair of aviators. I even feel pretty good. Feels sturdy. Not bad at all, actually. Feels like a decent weight. They seem like fairly budget low, lower quality, I think. There's some interesting texture right here on the bottom, which feels like something that Glass Company would do and then charge you out the ass for. I feel like these are way more expensive than they need to be, but... I'll grab the one right next to it. This one? Just tell me how you feel about those. The screws are a lot tighter on this one, so it feels really secure. Feel a little flimsier. Yeah, definitely on the back part over here, they feel flimsier. You can actually just kind of feel it moving, giving way. Does that feel cheap to you? It does feel a little cheaper to me, comparatively. Yeah. I think this is for me. I'm probably gonna put my back pockets, sit on them, and just, that'll be game over. It does feel like metal, and I can tell that over here, it's a little bit thicker. So that is making me, that is pushing me towards saying that these are on the more premium side. I don't think it's that premium. It feels pretty budget. Something I would probably buy, honestly. Feels a little heavy, though. Grab the one right next to it. These ones. Okay. I feel like these can really easily snap, especially if I'm pulling apart this way right now. I feel like, especially on this left side, I can just kind of snap it off. I hear creaking already, though don't know how I feel about these. These are super light, but they don't feel particularly cheap. I feel like this one is going to be deceptively expensive. Yeah, it feels like this would complement my face, so I'm kind of interested in this. Oh, super thin frame. Feel pretty light. They feel pretty premium, honestly. Okay. Open them up. Ooh, pretty tough to open. Feels like I'll stay put. No creaks. Feels pretty decent. Maybe middle of the pack in terms of cost. This is nice. What I immediately feels like it's metal, but it feels like, I feel too poor for these glasses. Yeah, it feels substantial. They feel like well-built. These feel like super small. No, they feel pretty cool. Yeah, these feel a little bougier, I think. You got one more left. Okay. Oh, these are some chunky boys. These are straight plastic or maybe acetite. Might be the cheapest out of all of them. Okay, these are plastic. Definitely doesn't feel as premium as the last one, but I still have pretty decent build quality. Like I would wear these maybe like to the beach. I would definitely lose these. I think they feel pretty on the cheaper side. Okay. It's like just straight up plastic. Where would you rank that? Let me, I'll put them in order actually. So most expensive to the least expensive. This feels, I think, the most expensive. All right, Kyle, you can take your blindfold off. Oh, really? All right. You said this is the most expensive. Yeah. Which you said was the most premium. Yeah. These ones are 89 bucks. This one, I don't know if you can see the brand. Boom, I can. This one is 450 bucks. This is Gucci. That is Gucci. Man, it's crazy. This one, H&M, and that was only 13 bucks. And then we got 180 for Ray Bands. Oh, these felt pretty pretty. And this last one is from Matsuda, which are $675 frames. Holy sh... Based on now that you can see everything, tell me which one do you think is worth the price? Yeah, I think like this one's pretty nice. I don't really think this one was that worth it. But I like probably like these and these. Clearly the 660, there's a lot going on. There's details on it. There's detailing, sorry. There's like etchings on both the sides, on the nose piece and on the bridge as well. I mean, they clearly put a lot more work into this one versus say even comparatively to $450. Like there's no real detailing to this. I think comparatively it's like you're paying for the brand. Ray Bands has like a bit of work on the sides, but nothing as detailed as this. I can see why it's 660. 13 bucks for this. There. I think you said those were middle of the ground. They are like, it's not as smooth. I should have probably picked that up on the first go. I think this one, I think I just do like, I think the shape I find is nice. Like it's a nice color. I can wear it all the time. So I like these as like a daily pair. Now that I look at these, these are crazy. And why'd you put them as the cheapest? Would you say? Was it because it was lightweight or what do you think? I think it was because it was really lightweight. You can't tell sometimes, like with these finer details. And like now that I'm actually looking at it, you can definitely tell these are handcrafted. Like the little finishes everywhere, the attention to detail is insane. Like there's engravings here. I think if I had my eyes, I would have definitely placed this as the most expensive off the bat. Okay, so interesting reactions. I had a feeling that they'd say Matsuda would be the least premium just because of how lightweight it is. But once they got to see what their own eyes, they knew exactly what was the most expensive and they could just tell because the little details, how well-designed it was. So I guess on average, weight does matter on how premium something is. I guess you could say kind of like the iPhone. You know, sometimes the lighter an iPhone is, the less premium it feels. Now the Gucci one is surprising and not surprising. Like yeah, it's mostly just acetate, which isn't a bad thing, but you're really just paying for the label at that point. But to be fair, Gucci does have a lot of premium glasses. They just go way up there in price. So here are my thoughts. Fast fashion, pretty matte. They're just trendy and who knows how long it's going to last. They are great for FitPix though. But I totally get it if you're on a budget. However, I would actually recommend these ones right here, which you guys have asked me about these all the time and they're just from Express. They're only 20 bucks more than those H&M ones. And there's a noticeable difference from the cheap materials to metal. And these frames are tinted as well because they are blue blockers. And definitely not the highest quality for sure, but it is a timeless design. You get that tint, which is definitely great for upgrading your style. And that's just budget here for you, mostly for FitPix, but you can find some decent ones as well. Now tier two consists of a lot of great brands. We've got a noticeable quality increase. You've got that UVA, UVB protection. Some offer prescription, which is a big deal as well. Now we utilize crap eyewear for this tier. But if you're looking for other brands, I would definitely recommend Jade Black. But when it comes to the Ray bands, man, this feels like when your friend visits a city and they just only eat at the tourist spots, like a little bit of that is fine. But from my experience, a lot of it is over-height. And there's just so much that you're missing out on. But for you, I actually like this brand called Clocks and Colors. And when I just paired these two frames together, they have the same exact shape, but the details on these are completely different. This one feels much heftier and it's in a similar price bracket as the Ray bands. And you can just chop this down to the power of marketing and branding. And now the most expensive tier. First off, Gucci. Listen, I have some other ones from H&M that I was gonna use as a backup. This one is fully acetate as well. And I'm telling you, I probably should have put this in the blind test. These feel exactly like the Gucci ones. The only difference being the hinges and then the branding as well. But a lot of acetate is just acetate. There are some better ones out there. So if you really want quality, you have to check out brands like Matsuda. There are a ton of other brands, of course, like Dita, Lucca de Stal. And then you have the true luxury brands like Cartier, McLaren. You'll find some super expensive glasses there. But I think that's a different income bracket. I'm definitely not there. So whenever it comes down to handcrafted pieces, always expect a higher price point because it's something that these smaller businesses can't scale up. Of course, you get the heritage and the brand association as well. These Matsuda ones are definitely unique and elegant. So now we have to go back and answer the question. Are $675 glasses worth it? No, I don't think so for the average person. Because if looking good is your intention, $675 bucks can take you very far in upgrading your wardrobe instead of just adding one piece to your wardrobe. And the average person could definitely use an improvement on their style as a whole rather than an improvement on their frames. Those are just my thoughts. But if you appreciate craftsmanship, heritage, and you got some disposable income, I think they're worth it. And if you go with the luxury brand, make sure it's a unique shape and a unique design. For most people, tier one and tier two are a great middle ground. And me personally, I like frames from all three tiers. And I just think it makes sense to own the Matsuda ones because I am a fashion content creator. So if you could, please, please, please share this video. So hopefully it pays for those glasses. If you guys enjoyed this video and series, make sure you give it a thumbs up. If you have any suggestions on what I should compare next, let me know in the comments down below. And until then, stay fly, deuces.