Hand Held Magnifiers?

[Dr_GMJNParticipant @dr_gmjn]

All, can anyone recommend a small magnifier for inspecting things like part centres in a lathe chuck, the accuracy of a centre punched workpiece, or the condition of a tool tip? My near point is getting ever further away.

I've got an eye loupe, but I want something that I don't need to get my head right next to the part.

I've also got a Sandvik loupe with a scale mounted under it, so you can estimate measurements, but this only really works of flat surfaces, and the scale obstructs whatever you're trying to put under it.

For scale modelling, I've got a light-weight glasses type magnifier with long eye relief, but I don't want to be putting that kind of thing on just for a quick check of something.

I've also got a larger reading type magifying lass, which it a bit bulky, and not really enough magnification. I'd think 5x-10x would be OK.

Not after anything elaborate, just a decent quality small hand-held magnifier.

Cheers.

[Dr_GMJNParticipant @dr_gmjn]

[Frances IoMParticipant @francesiom58905]

I’d consider a USB microscope – small easily mounted on a flexible arm – most households have an old laptop that can serve.
Bit more expensive but useful elsewhere are the inspection camera with small detached monitor

[MikeKParticipant @mikek40713]

Not hand held, but I like my Donegan OptiVisor. Easy on and off and frees both hands.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

I use a folding 8x magnifier, to examine centres, tool tips / edges.

held close to the eye it means being close to the subject, and has very shallow depth of field, but shows the subject very clearly.

Ideally you will need to find a fairly old fashioned opticians, to get one from stock, but there is always the internet!

Howard

[Kiwi BlokeParticipant @kiwibloke62605]

I have a few small folding hand-held magnifiers, 8X and 10X. There seems to be considerable difference between them, in terms of depth of field and consequent ease of use. The best one was my father's. He bought it for his philatelic obsession, and would not have bought something cheap and nasty. He was very proud of it, and I remember him demonstrating to a quite young me its freedom from chromatic aberration, and what an 'achromatic doublet' was, and how such things worked. Unfortunately, its working distance is probably closer than you want.

My second-best wasn't cheap, but it shows colour fringes. Quality comes at a price…

I was impressed by the magnifiers my dentist wears, which allow working at a comfortable distance. Alas, they are unaffordable.

[Bill Davies 2Participant @billdavies2]

I find telescope/microscope eyepieces, used in reverse, very good for detailed closed-up work.

Bill

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

I use an older Eschenbach hand magnifier – 10x magnification and 35mm diameter. Illuminated and the newer versions like the picture below come with a stand. Cromwell sell them for about £45 + VAT and post and Amazon for about £70 presumably all in.

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

Even with quality magnifiers; at 10x you are more than likely to get colour fringing.

When teaching visually impaired children their use you always try to use the lowest magnification that was useful to give a wider field of view and longer viewing distance.

An illuminated magnifier or excellent lighting is as important as the strength of the lens, and a coated lens is important too, to reduce flare.

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 06/02/2022 10:05:32

[Mike HurleyParticipant @mikehurley60381]

What about the Steve Fletcher (The Repair Shop) approach of mutiple pairs of glasses? Variable magnifications & quite cheap if using 'readers' at £1 pair.

P.s. and keeps both your hands free!

 

Edit for p.s.

Edited By Mike Hurley on 06/02/2022 10:12:35

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

While I love watching Steve Fletcher at work with two or three pairs of glasses, why to I keep getting flashbacks to Professor Brainstawm in the Norman Hunter books?

[Mike HurleyParticipant @mikehurley60381]

Absolutely Nick! Allways makes me chuckle.

He does some fine work though

Mike

[Martin KyteParticipant @martinkyte99762]

Take a picture with your phone.

regards Martin

[Dr_GMJNParticipant @dr_gmjn]

Posted by Nick Clarke 3 on 06/02/2022 09:58:18:

I use an older Eschenbach hand magnifier – 10x magnification and 35mm diameter. Illuminated and the newer versions like the picture below come with a stand. Cromwell sell them for about £45 + VAT and post and Amazon for about £70 presumably all in.

Thanks Nick – spot-on. Bit more than I wanted to spend, but I'll try and find one.

[MikeKParticipant @mikek40713]

Amazon has a similar one that this thread has prompted me to get:

**LINK**

[Anonymous]

That looks like a right handy device for the shop, Mike. I checked it out on the Canadian (and UK) Amazon sites as well – which you can usually do with Amazon by editing the .com to .ca or .co.uk.

Granted our exchange rate is the pits right now but I was a bit appalled by the Canadian price.

[Anonymous]

I did find one of these at Amazon.ca for a better price here.

I must say that it was a decent product. The plastic parts fit well (without reveals) and it looks much better than the price would suggest.

I'm curious though: how is the magnification (" 10x " in this case) calculated for something like this? 'cause things sure ain't ten-times bigger. Two or three-times perhaps.

[Andrew TinsleyParticipant @andrewtinsley63637]

The Eschenbach magnifiers are available from ZORO at a better price than Cromwell.

Andrew.

[Bill PhinnParticipant @billphinn90025]

Posted by Peter Greene 🇨🇦 on 12/02/2022 17:17:34:

I'm curious though: how is the magnification (" 10x " in this case) calculated for something like this?

 

They think of an impressive sounding round number and calculate most people aren't going to know any better.

Yes, most economy magnifiers and loupes are definitely not the magnification they're claimed to be.

I use a Schweizer magnifier, and Eschenbach and Belomo loupes. I have the Belomos in 8X, 10X, 12X, 15X, and 20X magnifications, though I only really use the 8X to 12X ones most of the time.

Edited By Bill Phinn on 12/02/2022 20:56:30

[HuubParticipant @huub]

I use this 10X magnifier that has a scale to inspect tool tips and other small stuff.

Magnifier

[Paul LParticipant @paull58212]

You could have a look HERE

The loupestore.co.uk they seem to cater for every need / budget.

I have no affiliation, just a happy customer.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

I use a hobby store magnifying glass about 75 or 90mm diameter, with LED light in the handle, but the lens also has about a 15 to 20mm diameter inset stronger lens in the bottom quadrant. Best of both worlds. Main lens for general work, the inset lens for getting up close and personal.

Sometimes referred to as a handheld bifocal magnifying glass.

 

Edited By Hopper on 13/02/2022 12:41:49

[Anonymous]

Posted by Huub on 12/02/2022 22:55:29:

I use this 10X magnifier that has a scale to inspect tool tips and other small stuff.

Magnifier

Sorry Huub … couldn't understand and get past the cookie page.

It looks like what I would call a comparator – I have a similar one and it is very useful in the right circumstances.

[HuubParticipant @huub]

Just search on "magnifier scale led" at google, amazon, aliexpress, etc and you will find some examples

[Anonymous]

In fact Huub, I can just edit the " .nl" part of your link to .ca (or .co.uk or .com) and go straight to it.

[Author]

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