# Optical Forums > General Optics and Eyecare Discussion Forum >  Titanium frame vs. flexon frame

## marybeads88

I'm trying to make a decision for my daughter's first frame. Flexon frame or Titanium frame?  pro & con for each kind.

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## mshimp

go with the flexon.

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## chip anderson

Very few places can weld or repair either one.  The flexon is much harder to adjust.  Both are lightweight but remember that most of the weight in pair of spectacles is in the lenses.  Neither corrodes.  Both can and will break, especially as  they get older.  

Flexon origionally was guaranted for the "life of the wearer" but didn't take the mfg long to come back with a two year warranty and claim they never had a lifetime warranty.

I really have a hard time understanding the public's and the mfg.'s facination with the stuff except for certian circumstances where the patient works in a mental hospital, or has very small children who love to rip them off thier face and fling them.

Chip

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## mshimp

most regular titanium frames do not hold a solder joint very well. Also it has been my experience that most lens do not "seat" nicely into the rim of the titanium frame. On the other hand flexon frames are not totally titanium. Usually the rim of the frame is made of monel or stainless steel. Those metals hold good solder joints and "seat" the lens well. Hope this helps.

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## GOS_Queen

*Flexon:* 

Pros: Very flexible frame - can take a lot of abuse. Fairly lightweight. 

Cons: 

Not unbreakable. Not able to be soldered. If the frame gets really "tweeked" it can be difficult/impossible to get it back into the original shape (I'm thinking the bridge area). These frames can be very tempting for a child (and some adults :p )to show off the twisting ability. If you go with this type of frame, I would recommend that you DON'T show the child how the frame twists. 

I can't recall having seen a flex frame with spring hinges ?? (note: a spring hinge will take a lot of stress off the frames when the frame is taken on and off, especially if the person takes off the frame with one hand - without the spring hinge, it can be common to see the temples start to flare out from the normal position. This can be fixed with an adjustment, however). 

This frame material may not be appropriate if your daughter's prescription is rather high - sometimes the eyewire (the material that holds the lens) needs to be molded to fit the curve of the lens - this material doesn't allow that. 

*Titanium:*

Pros: 

Very lightweight frame. This frame material is considered anti corrosive and hypo-allergenic so if the child has any skin reactions to metal, it won't happen when wearing this frame. Titanium, for the most part, has a high tensile strength. Not all frames are available with a spring hinge but many are (see notes above about spring hinge benefits). 

Cons: 

In my experience, the welds sometimes do not hold and can separate or break. Titanium is not easily soldered and few people have the capability/machinery to do it at all. 

HTH

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