Which do you prefer plastic,acyrlic, silicone or glass eyes?

IMHO hard glass eyes are the best, especially Volks Zokeimura and AR eyes. Perhaps a very close second goes to urethane/resin eyes (like Enchanted Eyes and the Ethereal Angel Eye Candies). I'm not all that fond of acrylic because I don't like way they photograph. Soft glass eyes like Masterpiece may come in some really nice colors, but I hate the way they collect dust and I also dislike how they photograph.

 

They are very pretty. But they aren't glass. They're made of urethane type material like Enchanted Eyes.

 

I'm going to be the oddball here and say I prefer acrylic. ops:
I have had glass eyes before and disliked the solid color with lack of detail. I have acrylic eyes in both my boys right now and they have so much detail. My Woori's green eyes are flecked with color just like a real eye.
Ethereal Angels Eye candies were the closest thing to glass that I actually liked. They look and feel like glass although as it was mentioned, they're not. But they had the depth I love so much. It seems alot of people see the glass eyes as having alot of depth but I have never seen that with the glass ones I tried.
My favorite eyes for Woori are Artistique and my El has new Souldoll eyes that I adore. But with the Souldolls my adoration is probably more about the fact I finally got the right color than the fact they are acrylic.

 

I think Masterpiece eyes are my faves, for the range of color and the way they conform and fit snugly into eye sockets,.. and i actually like how they photograph ops: (at least the lighter/brighter colors)

I think my second faves are Acryllic/Polymer,. and i love the SoulDoll eyes, the colors are so vivid!

 

i have only seen two pairs of eyes in person. brown acrylic ($6 i believe) and blue glass eyes from angelregion (in the $20 range) the glass eyes do have so much more depth and realness to them.

i think the more unique acrylics get the most comments in pictures, but a nice glass eye will give you more satisfaction.

 

I hope this is the right place for this question.
I went the the masterpiece website and read their tutorial on how to install their eyes. They use what looks to me like a complicated method hooking string around the ears and pulling they eyes into the socket.
Has anyone done this or is it only for porcelain dolls? Can you just insert the eyes from the back?

 

Masterpiece!!!! Love them!!! I like how they fill they eye cavity up all the way without leaving gaps like glass eyes do! Just my 2 cents!

Judy :wink:

 

i love glass eyes but i mostly have acrylics and they aren't that bad. i have tons of schwarzaugen eyes and i just love them.

 

Right now I like acrylic for the price tag ^^ I can buy a couple dozen Artistique eyes for the price of one high end glass eye pair, so it's great for trying out different natural colors.

I also have two pairs of Souldoll acrylic and one on order. I got to compair the Souldoll Sharingan to the Masterpiece Sharingan, and personally I liked the Souldoll a lot more, very deep and rich.

Ah, and four pairs of SchwarzAugen eyes, which I also love, just wish they all came in 14,16,18,20 and not just 18,20, as 18 is rather big for my minis.

However, if I ever win the lottery, I have plans to try Soom and some of the other 'high end' eyes, especially Soom, as I plan to squishsquishsquish them just like in the picture. Eye AND toy in one!

 

Glass eyes have a little bit of...hrm...something special to them. They reflect light in a really nice way, in my opinion. I remember when my first pair of glass eyes arrived in the mail and I just sat by the window looking at them from different angles while going, "Ooh." ^_^

However, I do love Masterpiece and other soft eyes for their fit. And the combinations of colors avaliable are also a big plus. And elfmoon- you can just insert Masterpiece eyes from the back like other eyes. I'm not sure what the advantages are to putting the eyes in according to the tutorial...maybe to make sure the eyes fit in the socket well?

 

MysteryAya, what are those lovely mauve eyes your Hana wears? I've been admiring them for sometime ^^;

 

What's been your best experience with eyes? I typically see people going for the glass eyes -- anyone have a preferance for acrylic or silicone? What makes you prefer one type over the others?

 

For everyday eyes, I'd have to say I prefer glass; nice shine, liquid smooth color, and the right shade can look stunning, like Laurent's vibrant blue or Caelan's matte, darkest brown. I normally like solid glass eyes, not much for the lines that are too visible.

However, I also love acrylics for variety and fun looks! I have some Volks acrylics in metallic silver and red and green that give spooky, pretty looks, and they are perfect for not-too-expensive cat eyes. Also, a good way to find your doll's right eye color without blowing a small fortune.

I need to try soft glass and silicone soon. Haven't gotten around to it yet ^^;

 

I've found glass eyes just aren't worth the price. Eyes are such a small part of the doll that no one will really notice them if they're not a key feature of your photoshoot- IE, all head shots- or unusually colored -ie, red or yellow.-

I have many gorgeous acrylic eyes and I've had glass eyes, but in the end... who really knows the difference looking at my doll except me?

 

Glass eyes aren't *that* expensive. Mine are all under $25.

 

There's a lovely list of eye-related topics here.

For me - nothing but glass; the higher quality, the better. Personally, I've found glass eyes make all the difference in bringing a doll to life, whether in "the resin" or in photos.

 

Still, 20 dollars for glass eyes, or 6 for acrylic... as I said, I've seen both eye types in person, and I don't personally believe there's enough of a difference in how they look to justify paying the extra.

 

I prefer glass or urethane over silicons, and silicons over acrylics... but I'm kind-of picky about my guys' eyes. In particular, how they photograph and how resistant they are to damage. Glass wins in the durability catagory, and urethane photographs really well. Silicons are easy to fit into a doll's eyewells, eliminating the possibility of gaps.

Urethane eyes like Eye Candies and Enchanted Dolls are pricey... though some varieties of glass eyes can and do go higher... But they come in a lot more colors than glass.

In the end, picking the eyes that work best for you is mostly going to be a matter of balancing a lot of facotors... Price, color choice, ease of fit and placement, durability, color-fastness, brightness, photographic properties, "live" visual appearance, availability, and so on. What's "best" for one person might not be "best" for another...

 

I prefer glass, I just like the threads in Zouks better than anything I've seen with acrylics or silicone. The only doll of mine that will probably wear acrylics forever/a while is my Kohya who still has his default eyes in, I can't think of another eye that'd match his face up better really.

 

Oh, urethane eyes are great. I have a pair of eye candies for my girl and they're my favourite pair of eyes. I find them more 'realistic' looking (taken with a grain of salt - they ARE a mauvish red) than the threading in glass eyes.
I've seen acrylics, and they are a bit flat to my taste. Then again, there's different makes there too.
Silicone is also a good choice, but keep in mind that they tend to atttract dust.