Decent Loupe For Aging Eyes?

[OakIris]

I have a lighted loupe from Goulet pens, which I think is a 15X loupe, and a couple of Triplet 10X loupes. The recommendation seems to be that 10X loupes are all you need, but I seem to have difficulties even with the 15X loupe and wondered if others with aging eyes could recommend a particular loupe – both the "ideal" magnification and the brand if possible. Perhaps all I need is to spend more money to get better optics.

Also, it would be useful sometimes to have a “hands-free” loupe in order to manipulate the pen with two hands while viewing it under the loupe, and for those times when ones hands are a bit unsteady from too much caffeine. Do those eyeglass loupes work or is there a better solution? A loupe with a stand? A microscope comes to mind, but I know I can’t afford a decent one.

My budget is $50-100. Any recommendations would be welcome.

Holly

[Jamerelbe]

I have a BelOmo 10X loupe and also a 7X. Both have higher magnification than my Goulet (look-alike) loupe, even though the latter is supposed to be 15X. Lots of the cheaper 10X loupes have poorer quality optics, and overestimate their magnification by a significant margin. I believe Richard Binder recommends BelOmo, and I've been very happy with mine - the one downside is that you need an external light source, whereas my cheapie loupes have LED lights built in.

 

I think it's possible to get good loupes that attach to the glasses or come with a stand - will be interested to hear if anyone's had a good experience with those!

[Bluey]

Holly, you can buy a cheap $5 or $6 one from China. That's what I got and it works just fine for nib work.

 

I'm sure most will exaggerate their magnification but get something that says 40x to guarantee about 15x and you should be fine.

Get one with an LED.

 

Something like this but with stronger magification may be fine for you

http://www.ebay.com/itm/20x-Magnifying-Eye-Magnifier-Glasses-Loupe-Lens-Jeweler-Watch-Repair-LED-Light-/251973697066?hash=item3aaacd7e2a:g:z7wAAOSwKrhVYREJ

Edited February 22, 2017 by Bluey

[bobje]

My Belomo 10x is good, and my $10 something or other >20x is not. Richard Binder specifically recommended one without a light.

[Bluey]

Richard Binder specifically recommended one without a light.

I can't find where he says this, and I don't see the reason why. Any ideas?

All I found was this where one of the recommended ones is a lighted one that "a lot of pen collectors swear by"

http://www.richardspens.com/xf/2007/09.htm

Edited February 22, 2017 by Bluey

[bobje]

One of his nib tuning workshops. Need to see the shapes and spaces of the tines, channel, tipping with light from behind them.

[FOUR X FOUR]

Hey Oak, I have some lenses by a company called OLLOCLIP. They attach to my IPhone 6s+. They do a great job magnifying the nib, or, whatever you want to see enlarged. I also have the Goulet loupe. It works well but like you, I need more magnifying power. The good thing about having the OLLOCLIP attached to my IPhone, is I don't have to hold it. I'd post a pic of it but it's in my truck. You can easily check out OLLOCLIPs on YouTube.

[OakIris]

Thank you all for your responses.

I am surprised by Richard Binder’s recommendation to use an unlighted loupe, but his explanation makes sense. It is odd that he makes no mention of this on his web page devoted to loupes.

@ FOUR X FOUR: if only I had an iPhone!

I certainly have a lamp or two that I can use to provide adequate lighting so I think I will start with a loupe with much better optics, such as the Belomo, and go from there. Still curious about the eyeglass magnifiers/loupes, but don’t think a $6 pair from China would do the trick.

 

Holly

[Bluey]

Still curious about the eyeglass magnifiers/loupes, but don’t think a $6 pair from China would do the trick.

 

You may be surprised, but I'll leave it up to you. More expensive doesn't mean better.

 

If you buy one with an LED, you don't have to have it switched on. The point is that it gives you a choice about whether you need it off or on.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I have a good 10X coated glass loupe. At max....a 12 X. There are times when I think I could use a 12X.....there are no times when I think I could use a real 15X loupe. The view would too narrow and tight.

The higher the magnification the smaller the view....and if tremors are huge then, I would expect.

 

The amount of times I need to use two hands and a loup----none. All I'm doing is straightening tines...I'm not grinding nibs.

I can smooth with looking one handed. Normally don't have to look, just feel.

 

Then again, I'm not into 'butter smooth'. Got three or four out of 80 pens, most are good and smooth, .....won't slide off of slick paper like Butter Smooth. Many who start out with the myth....all 'must' be butter smooth, come back to less than that with in a year or so. "How do I get rid of Butter Smooth" is a thread that comes up occasionally.

 

Got a few toothy pens too in one needs them too. Toothy is like writing with a pencil.

 

A wet ink can smooth up a pen, or or a dry one can make one a bit toothy, depending on the nib and the paper.

 

 

But I could see having two loupes one a Belomo 12 X, the other with a light.

In some times you get what you pay for....don't expect the Chinese loupes to be much.

 

Bad eyes....know the Big E on the eye chart....have not seen that since 14, with out glasses. I do see very well up close though.

Edited February 22, 2017 by Bo Bo Olson

[OakIris]

You may be surprised, but I'll leave it up to you. More expensive doesn't mean better.

 

If you buy one with an LED, you don't have to have it switched on. The point is that it gives you a choice about whether you need it off or on.

 

I understand your point, Bluey, but having tried "cheap and cheerful" loupes and not getting the best results from them I would like to try a loupe with excellent optics from a respected manufacturer to see if that is what I have been missing all this time. I have yet to experience a "real" 10X loupe, let alone a 15X, so perhaps all I really need is the 10X.

 

I enjoy reading your posts, BoBo, always find both wisdom and humor in them. I don't have hand tremors as a rule, just sometimes am not as steady as needed to examine nibs under a loupe - no big deal, just wanted to know if there WAS a recommended hands-free loupe/magnifier.

 

Holly

[Bo Bo Olson]

There are those one wears, I just don't know anything about them. I took one look at the $$$$ and decided mine would do.

Good for looking at jewelry hall marks too.

 

Thanks....just trying to save folks money.....point them towards German semi-flex pens of the '50-65 era.

[Vintagepens]

I've found that doubling the eyepower is far more helpful than increasing the glasspower. That is to say, using a binocular headset, rather than a handheld magnifier with one eye.

 

One of the best deals around is the American-made Optivisor, with interchangeable glass lens plates of various magnifications. Other accessories are available.

 

I use Optivisors at the bench and at pen shows, as do many other pen pros.

[OakIris]

I've found that doubling the eyepower is far more helpful than increasing the glasspower. That is to say, using a binocular headset, rather than a handheld magnifier with one eye.

 

One of the best deals around is the American-made Optivisor, with interchangeable glass lens plates of various magnifications. Other accessories are available.

 

I use Optivisors at the bench and at pen shows, as do many other pen pros.

 

Thank you for that information, David. I am interested in getting one of these, along with a Belomo loupe. There is a choice of 1.5X to 3.5X; what do you consider the best or should several different lens plate "sizes" be purchased for the Optivisor?

 

Holly

[Ted A]

I have 2 with LEDs. On one the brightness or the angle of the LED is such that more often than not the glare off the shiny nib is so intense that I can't actually see the nib. On the other the LED was good but is now after a couple of years not much brighter than no light at all. So mostly I have to be sure to have another, good light source.

[ac12]

For an unlighted loupe the Belomo 10x is good. But you need decent lighting to use it.

 

But if you are at pen shows or work where you don't have good lighting, then a loupe with a light is better than a good loupe without a light, but you can't see because of the lack of light. I use a cheap 10x triplet with LED light that I got on Amazon. It does the job.

If the Belomo 10x loupe had a light, I would buy it instead of the one that I bought.

 

As for magnification.

With my limited experience, if I need to use a loupe, the 10x works 99% of the time.

I have a 20x lighted loupe that I use less than 1% of the time.

When I am at home, and need to go beyond 10x, I prefer to use my stereo microscope where I can go up to 30x. But it is a hassle to setup. So used less than 1% of the time.

 

I also use the Goulet loupe when I don't have to magnify as much. Good for carrying around at a pen show. IMHO it is about 8-10x, not 15x. But Brian can only state what the manufacturer specs.

 

For the magnifying visor, I found about 1.75 to 2.5x is about right for me. Depending on what I am doing sometimes the lower power works better than the higher power. I use an inexpensive mag visor with a flip down lens, so I can go back and forth between 1.75 and 2.5. The optics is not as good as the glass lens in the OptiVisor, but works OK. On mine, the swing in small magnifier is not worth using, and I am removing it. Again, depending on the lighting where you work, the one with an LED light may be worth buying.

 

This is the one I just bought:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UCODIA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There is also another one with the LED on both sides, so you get a different shadow.

https://www.amazon.com/Stalwart-Magnifying-Visor-LED-Lights/dp/B004602QTI/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1487880131&sr=1-4&keywords=magnifying+visor

 

My old one is like the 2nd one. But had to be replaced cuz the lights (pre LED) broke.

 

re a stereo microscope. If you are patient and shop well on eBay, you can find one for less than $100, I did. But there are many things to look out for, that you need to study the subject first, and don't go in blind.

Edited February 23, 2017 by ac12

[OakIris]

I have ordered an Optivisor Visor with a 2.75X lens and a 1.75X lens. The Belomo 10X loupe is on my "to buy" list; I decided that I would like to try out the Optivisor first.

 

Holly

Edited February 24, 2017 by OakIris

[LizEF]

I have ordered an Optivisor Visor with a 2.75X lens and a 1.75X lens. The Belomo 10X loupe is on my "to buy" list; I decided that I would like to try out the Optivisor first.

 

Holly

 

Holly, please let us know how it goes - I'm also looking for better magnification, and I like the idea of something for both eyes at once.

[ac12]

Each has it's place; magnifying visor and loupe.

 

When I need to look at the tip of the nib, like when aligning the nib, I have to pull out the 10x loupe. The magnifying visor does not have enough magnification to do nib tip work.

 

General nib work, the magnifying visor works great, as I can use both hands on the nib.

When I am evaluating ink flow, I use the magnifying visor so that I can see the ink as I am writing. Generally I use 1.75x for that, but sometimes 2.5x. I used to use a magnifying glass, but that was clumbersome.

[OakIris]

 

Holly, please let us know how it goes - I'm also looking for better magnification, and I like the idea of something for both eyes at once.

I will let you know if it works for me. I have no idea if I am getting the lenses that will do the trick for me, I didn't get the 2.5X lens because it was about $20 more than the 2.75X. lol - I could have gotten a whole set of all the magnification lenses offered but couldn't justify spending over $200 for my occasional need to work on nibs.

 

Each has it's place; magnifying visor and loupe.

 

When I need to look at the tip of the nib, like when aligning the nib, I have to pull out the 10x loupe. The magnifying visor does not have enough magnification to do nib tip work.

 

General nib work, the magnifying visor works great, as I can use both hands on the nib.

When I am evaluating ink flow, I use the magnifying visor so that I can see the ink as I am writing. Generally I use 1.75x for that, but sometimes 2.5x. I used to use a magnifying glass, but that was clumbersome.

 

I do have the Goulet Loupe, along with a couple of cheapie Triplet 10X loupes, to supplement the visor, but still plan to get a Belomo loupe. I can certainly see that both tools are needed for our obsession....I mean hobby. Thank you so much for your advise and recommendations, ac12.

 

Holly