What are High Quality Safety Eyes?

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6060eyes uses the words "high quality safety eyes" quite often when describing our products.  It sounds nice, but what does it mean? After all, you'd expect most any seller to claim they have high quality products.  Unfortunately sometimes claims are made that aren't always true.

nolead.jpgThe U.S. as well as many other countries have adopted some tough standards relating to materials used in products designed for or accessible to small children.  In general the standards are designed to reduce potential choking risks for small children and  minimize exposure to materials such as lead, which can be especially harmful to early child development.  The world would be a better place if all manufacturers took a longer view of the marketplace and put unscrupulous.pngthese concerns at the forefront of their product offerings.  But the sad reality is there are some who don't and the reason is often quite simple--they add to the costs and reduce profits. These producers have no intention of staying in production very long. They just want to turn a quick profit, often at any cost.

It's an unintended consequence of laws designed to protect us all.  Safety laws often add to production costs because they limit available options. Reputable manufacturers comply and produce products meeting these standards but they also must raise prices to do so. Higher prices entice less scrupulous manufacturers into the market. They jump in, produce a few quick batches of a product by cutting corners and ignoring standards to keep their production costs low.  They sell their products quickly and then drop out of production before anybody catches on to the shoddiness of their work. The product may not look bad (although many do!) but it can be very dangerous. All safety eyes will experience a degree of breakage and failure due to wear and tear, but shoddily made eyes will also fail during normal operations such as fastening them to the project with washers or when children play with the toys they are fastened to.

6060eyes sells eyes produced by long established manufacturers who take pride in their work.  They meet all the US standards for both materials and child safety.  Our eyes are made of quality materials that will not degrade rapidly or become unstable in just a few years.  The centers will not be misshapen, off center or marred by casting bubbles. Casting seams, when present, will be minimal and are usually all but invisible on painted eyes. You won't have to trim off excess plastic that seeped between the seams during production and the shafts won't be weakened by casting voids or overly brittle plastic from poor mixing.

Our eyes rarely have casting bubbles, and since we tend to sell smaller quantities that we personally handle, we usually catch the scattered few that do have imperfections before they ship. The transparent portions are9mmOWLMIX5.jpg free of dust and small particles. The stock color eyes (painted at the factory) use paint that will not easily scratch off or quickly fade in sunlight. Our hand painted eyes are produced with lead free US-made paints that will also resist fading. Properly installed eyes using the washers shipped with them will best resist efforts by the most determined small children to pull them free after installation. They lock down tight and hold fast.

Some crafters accustomed to glass eyes may notice the casting tabs on the the rim of our eyes.  Unlike glass eyes, plastic safety eyes are cast in molds. Small channels that run to the rim of each eye leave marks that appear to be tiny chips.  They are not chips and cannot be avoided as they are an essential part of the casting process. They may be smoothed somewhat using a non-abrasive surface such as leather or rubber, Just be careful not to over-do it and scratch or mar the eye's surface.  This will only smooth any rough edges.  It will not make the tab mark vanish.  

Fortunately, the vast majority of applications for our eyes will not be affected by the casting tabs.  For most crocheted, sewn or knitted projects the rim will be encased by the fabric and hide the tab mark. We tend to paint our designs so that this tab appears at the bottom for those designs where it matters.  If you'd prefer your design painted so that this tab appears in a different orientation, let us know. We'll be happy to adjust our process for you. 

Cheaper eyes are on the market, but let the buyer beware! There's a reason they use those blurry, low resolution images in their product listings. Sometimes the images they use show products produced by their competitors! You really don't save any money getting twice the number of eyes for the same price if half of them crack trying to get the washers on or a bunch are not usable due to gas bubbles, casting voids in the stems, or excessively thick seams. Read the comments from buyers who got taken and you'll see what we mean.

You've worked hard on your crafts. Why not finish them with eyes that reflect the love and attention you've put into your creations? 6060 eyes are eyes you can trust.

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