what is so special about urethane eyes?

The allure of the urethane eyes lies a lot with photography, and if you're looking for the best eyes to photograph then you should definitelly go with urethanes. Many people will tell you that it's just a matter of preference, but the fact remains that they catch and reflect light the best giving them a very vivid appearance. Some companies offer extra amazing microcustomization of the eyes (Enchanted Doll comes to mind). There are also cheaper urethane eyes, such as Mako Eyes, but the difference between the most expensive brands is that the iris is printed instead of colored in, like in acrylic eyes (they still look wonderful, in my opinion). The downside to urethane is that it may yellow with time.

 

Urethane eyes capture light a whole lot better than acrylic or silicone eyes, but they can be more fragile. As Soenatte said, they can yellow with time, but they can also scratch easily if you are not careful when putting them into a doll. Their prices are high because of the time it takes to make each pair of urethane eyes, how fragile they are, and the fact many of them can be customized when you place an order (Enchanted Doll can change the pupil's color, how big the Iris is, etc. for you when you order a pair, for a price). They are a bit of an investment, but they are worth it in my opinion.

 

Urethane = urethane resin , the same stuff your doll is made off and as finicky to make eyes of as it is to make dolls of (just noticed you don't have a doll yet, but when you will have your girls in your hands and can see different kinds of eyes in person it'll be a lot clearer to you I think).

Contrary to with eyes of other materials you have to try multiple times to make an eye without bubbles (just like you have to make multiple casts before you get a flawless doll, the chemical reaction of the urethane resin when it cures causes air to be created in the form of bubbles that have to be vibrated out while the resin is still liquid or they get stuck) and to make a pair of eyes that looks perfectly even, so it costs more material, and since urethane/resin is already more expensive than other plastics or glass the eyes cost more.

Also most urethane eye makers usually make batches of eyes on a limited pre-order basis. Just like with dolls they wait for (a minimum number of) orders to come in before they start working on the eyes, and since it's a labour-intensive process to make them it takes long for the eyes to get done (a Gumdrops preorder tends to take 4 months or so, it's just like ordering a doll directly from a company), making them rarer. And as was said above, they tend to be much more beautiful compared to glass or acrylic eyes (though beauty will always depend on the tastes of the beholder), so they're more sought after, and coupled with a higher production cost and how hard they usually are to come by, the second-hand price is at least as much as the newprice.

There's some new companies now, like Vings and Mako-eyes, that seem to somehow have adapted the process to make eyes at a (slightly) lower cost. Look around for some closeups of Mystic eyes or Gumdrops or Dollflowers, or look at the Vings eyes currently on Ebay and compare them with your average glass eyes from Luts or something, you'll see the difference^^. And if the difference to you isn't worth the extra money (though really high-quality glass eyes like Silver or Hitomiya cost easily twice what you mentioned), that's quite alright too^^.

 

You're welcome^^.

 

Great information--thank you!

 

Thanks for the information!

 

Hey peeps! I've seen a lot of these urethane eyes being mentioned various times all over the BJD hobby, and I don't really know much about them, nor have I found info on them either. All I know is that they're more realistic looking, but that's it.

Here are some questions I'd really appreciate anyone answering:

1- What are they made out of? What makes them so different than other eyes?

2- Why are they so expensive?

3- Why are they usually bought by GO? (Group orders)

4- Why do they take so long to produce?

Thanks in advance for any kind of input!

 

Urethane eyes are made of resin and they are expensive because of the material cost, the time it takes to make a pair, but also because most well known urethane eye makers have good quality products.

These eyes are hand produced. I've seen a tutorial not too long ago - of course I can't find it now - but basically it takes layer, after layer, after layer, until finally the eye is complete and there is a nice dome lens on top so the eye catches light. These things are very small and it is important to make the eye as evenly shaped as possible. It requires quite a lot of skill to to make a good quality pair.

I don't know all the reasons of why they are mostly bought in GO, but the main reason for me is to save on shipping.