The Talk Anything About Everything Thread

[Rhiga]

...On a serious note, wow! I thought bifocal lens were cheaper than multifocal lenses which I understand cost around RM600. What does "progressive" do?

Bro, hope this help..

Traditionally, bifocal Lenses are eyeglasses designed for people who need both near and far vision. The upper part of the lens is used for far distance and the lower half of the lenses helps in reading or doing other close work

With advancement in material science, progressive lenses or sometimes called "no-line bifocal lenses," eliminate the visible lines of traditional bifocals and trifocals and hide the fact that you need reading glasses... (This is good for old man like me.. people won't notice I am actually an old man.. )

Progressive lenses are line-free multifocals that have a seamless progression of added magnifying power for intermediate and near vision. Progressive lenses provide a more natural correction of presbyopia than bifocal or trifocal prescription eyeglasses. With progressive lenses, you can look up to see clearly the far distance. You also can look ahead to view your computer in the intermediate distance and drop your gaze downward to read and do fine work comfortably in the near distance .

Images in the conventional bifocals and trifocals seem to "jump" as your eyes move past the sharply defined boundary between the far and near parts of the lens. With progressive lenses, the transition between lens powers within the lens is smooth and seamless, letting you change focus from distance to near and back again more comfortably, with no image jump.

[Rhiga]

Branded mah!..Hi-tech mah! very reputable brand names mah..Hoya, Carl Zeiss, Nikon, forever lousy foreign exchange rate lor!....lastly 100% gross profit from we unfortunate customers mah!...many many things getting vely expensive mah...your 1PM working towards everyone for high income lor!...the way I see it..higher the income..the more expensive things will be in future.

I have no problem to pay for the hi-tech material, no problem to pay for the advancement in lenses manufacturing and no problem to pay a premium for the brand..

What I hate is the 3 digits margin from the optical shop.. !!

As a rule of thumb, the gross margin for spectacles is around 100-200% !!


p/s : Hoya in Malaysia is not really branded, the plant is in Kepong. The imported branded len is Tokai from Japan, and Essilor from France..

[bslee]

Well, I guess qualified optometrist and shop rank as specialized services like any medical ENT clinic to customize whatever the customer can afford from couple of hundred to thousands to help one correct his/her eyesight.
I reckon if they don't charge high prices..eventually can tutup kedai due to obvious reasons...its so costly to operate a shop within Klang Valley nowadays.
I thought Hoya was a branded or hi-tech brand..since I do own a stack of vintage SLR camera lens filters..they look and pose typically excellent made Japanese optical accessories for photography. Bought them in the 80's..I guess the same make now can cost somewhere Rm70 each or more..just guessing.

[Rhiga]

...I thought Hoya was a branded or hi-tech brand...

Yes, Hoya is a high-tech Japanese brand for lenses..

Hoya operates a plant in Kepong to cater for corrective lenses in Malaysia

Thus make it less "branded" compare to previous imported Hoya lenses..

[bslee]

Under license lor!.. nevermind, if Hoya is still good and worth it within my affordability, I don't mind having them. Afterall, manufacture of any lens is a hitech science now.
Aren't all lens (or camera filters) objectively and technically "corrective lens? Moreover its main purpose is to correct focal shortcomings to original, used in a variety of instruments, camera or any focal aid suitable for man to use.

On another note, I'm going to acquire another "antique" chinese wood chest soon on the cheap, and it'll keep me occupied this month with another DIY refurbishment job, with anticipation it'll look like a few thousand bucks worth after I've finished with it.
I intend to place it in my bedroom, for any storage my wife deem fit to use.
My existing and inherited half century heirloom pure camphor wood chest still emit that wonderful camphor aroma whenever its opened even after 60 years...marvelous piece of furniture. My dad once told me that in his time there were lots of fakes or half past six products of these kind. They use substantially less amount of real camphor wood or line the internals with some camphor perfume to emit the aroma. That unique aroma will cease to exist after sometime..in other words..CONNED! Mine is still aromatic after decades proving its fully a genuine camphor wood product. The inside of the chest is always bare wood, void of any varnish or finish. Outside can be of any color or whatever wood finish one wishes.
I just love old wood furniture..but not the very rough crude rustic kind that looked like it was rotted in the sun or rain and faded colors for a decade...I know some people fancy these kind of very rough furniture.

[Rhiga]

Camphor wood is rare, I like the natural aroma too.

Wood is always a good material inside a house, and if mix well with fabric and leather, it will look warm and elegant.

Show us a picture after your DIY..

[Charbroiled]

Bro, hope this help..

Traditionally, bifocal Lenses.....(edited)

Yes it did help me to understand more about this "progressive" thing and how it works. Thanks, bradder!

[bslee]

I took delivery of the chest yesterday. I gathered its a few decades old from the seller. Vintage perhaps but not really antique. I think many people simply overuse the word "antique" on just about anything that seem old, even 2 decades old qualify antique status, which is not entirely right. Intend to start the DIY restoration very soon. Going to hop over to my favorite hardware shop for a tin of paint stripper and sandpapers later today.

[Charbroiled]

Wood is always a good material inside a house, and if mix well with fabric and leather, it will look warm and elegant.

Yes, I agree. I love that woody feel and look.

Show us a picture after your DIY..

Please do that. I'd like to see how the end result looks like.

[bslee]

Picture of the chest in present state.
There's numerous nicks, dents and other surface finish damages. The entire tedious and meticulous process of total stripdown and spray finish (color pigment stain required if determined to be needed) with premium clear polyurethane lacquer to last indefinitely. Since I'm no Chinese art expert, can anyone tell me any info or significance to the carvings? For decades I never knew the significance of my other chest which was revealed to be "8 immortals crossing the sea", so I'm told.
This one is 3 figures on a bridge as in picture below.

[Rhiga]

I am not good in Chinese carvings..

Imo, the costume of the three people "look like" ancient Chinese costume.. but the building at the background don’t look Chinese architecture to me. The trees are also “rare” as far as tradional Chinese scenery is concerned..

I have a feeling it was not carved in China..

p/s the carving of your previous chest is very much "Chinese"..

[bslee]

Thanks for your opinion.
Factually, the carving on my other chest is also quite puzzling with some architectural designs not conforming to chinese origin or design, yet I know for sure it was Made in Hong Kong in the 50's and my parents hauled it back to Malaya.
Obviously I lack any knowledge behind these strange carving design on wood chests. Very strange piece of art. I further checked it out and its of camphor wood in the internals but the aroma is rather faint and not as good as my other one.
I believe this one is of cheaper build and quality...even then could be worth a few hundred when new. When I'm free I'm going to research more of this if available on the internet. I'm still vague, very blur.

BTW, I think I just recalled from some research, it could be with some elements of ancient Burmese art or scenery. I won't know lor!...

[Charbroiled]

My grandfather had one of those too. It is not with me now,probably with one of my siblings. Do you think it will be worth a lot of money say in another 25 years? It should be an antique by then, if not now already.

[bslee]

What I've gathered is exotic wood chest OR furniture of old will command high value or price in some decades to come. There's a huge market for Chinese antiques, people willing to pay thousands for furniture or fittings ripped, stolen, cannibalized from very old homes or mansions in China..now very scarce aledy..if got will cost your arm, leg, pants, bras, panties... There's a lot of fakes in that market..tons of it, only a very very keen eye will spot and sift them out.

I don't live in a big house, so I've to limit myself to very few bulky furniture to use, keep and cherish. Only so much I'll own..

I've now dismantled and soak the brass hinge assembly in asam jawa solution. This will remove the decades of tarnish. When done, I'll polish them, then spray metal lacquer to preserve the shine. My usual method.

[Charbroiled]

I've now dismantled and soak the brass hinge assembly in asam jawa solution. This will remove the decades of tarnish. When done, I'll polish them, then spray metal lacquer to preserve the shine. My usual method.

You do have the patience. Salute you lah. I wouldn't have bothered.