Overview
The Phoropter has been around nearly a century and since its inception it hasn’t changed very much. One thing that has changed- in fact that has substantially increased- is the price. With each change of patented and trademarked ownership the price has seemingly increased. And when outside brands wanted to get in on that action they sold trademark licensing to Topcon and Marco which somehow sent the price up again. And thus, now, at the moment I’m writing this review a sales quote for a new Reichert Phoropter rings in at nearly $4,400 USD. At some point you’d think competition would prevail and in would walk a competitor committed to market disruption– alas, presenting the Canton Phoropter. Like most Chinese produced goods, stigmas of poor quality and workmanship seem to come to mind, however the Canton Phoropter II doesn’t fit with that judgement. We could dive into facts of quality regarding how the Canton uses all-metal parts and uses CNC machinery for optimal operator feedback from precisely measured gears, but you’ve already heard all those things from other manufacturers we probably mentioned above. The best recommendation we could give of the Canton is to say it’s basically exactly like every other Ultramatic Phoropter you or I’ve ever used.