Magnifying Lamp Advice

[swampdog12345]

Anyone have a suggestion regarding which bench top magnifier is best? I'm starting to have a hard time seeing small parts, and even soldering properly. Time to face facts, but I want the highest quality lens I can afford. I would prefer a lighted one, but that is a secondary concern. Thanks in advance.

[TsgtRet]

I am experiencing similar difficulties :( I've been eyeing this one (http://www.amazon.com/Ivation-Lighted-M ... +magnifier) because it has the "third hand" arms. The only change I would make would be adding a power supply in place of the batteries.

[BARC 1]

I have a magnifying lamp, but to be honest I got a set of +3.25 reading glasses from the drug store and I use them more then anything now. All the magnifying lamp is used for now is to provide extra light at the work bench. Just something you might want to consider.

Cheers

[waaytoomuchintothis]

My eyes have been slowly getting worse the closer I get to cataract surgery (that I can't afford). I have been through many magnifiers, lighted magnifiers, and jeweler's loupes. The best advice I can give you is to ignore bargains. Just don't bother. Either the magnifier isn't glass which sucks, or the magnifier is too heavy for the cheapo spring stand and they flop, just before you take a pair of channel locks to the screws and strip them. Go to amazon and look for high magnification, glass optics, on steel spring stands. If you can find them, get one with a metal base, especially a heavy platform base so you don't have to screw it down. Artist and architectural drafting suppliers are a good source, as well as engineering drafting suppliers. I have found that the magnifier is best used as a stand alone (so you can scoot it around), and adjustable stand lighting makes it better.

Mt father was an architect, so when he died, I had all these lights and magnifiers from his 84 year old drawing table to add to my own. This embarrassment of riches really educated me as to how crappy my lighting was. If you are using incandescent (best for painting, but you can always go outside to get the color correct), use 100 watt bulbs (hard to find- I bought a case of 100 watt Reveal bulbs when they announced that we weren't allowed to have them anymore). If you are using a lower wattage or some form of flourescent, get as close as you can to 1200 lumens. The 100w Reveals are 1260. At 75w Reveal you are down to 780 lumens, but that's still pretty good.

But, in conclusion I have to say that the high-powered visor type magnifier is still the best if you wear glasses, and maybe even if you don't. If you wear bifocals the visor is pretty much mandatory for small stuff, even positioning decals. Just don't fall for the "lighted" visors. Useless. And they are so heavy they won't stay on. Good luck!

[RichD]

I bought a lighted magnifier a couple of years ago and it was not satisfactory for a number of reasons. The thing has about 30 LEDs, but they are rather feeble. The magnifier is large and heavy, the arms and springs that support it are marginal and the whole works takes up a lot of space. There was no base, just a clamp. The clamp is useless with many tables, so I made a large base for it out of plywood so I would not have to use the clamp. Most of the time I use the thing as extra lighting when I am taking pictures of my cars.

[McLiams]

http://www.joann.com/ottlite-2-in-1-led ... s&start=18

This is the one used here. It can be either table mounted OR floor mounted; but the floor mount is too short for a typical workbench...the head is 43" above the floor with the goose neck bent at 90 degrees.

LED lights are quite bright. There is 1" insert in the large magnifier that is higher power. Head is 7-3/4" X 9-1/2" with a 4-1/2" dia lens. Stiff goose neck between the upright and the head. Quite heavy base.

Often, Jo Ann's has coupons for anywhere from 40% to 60% off of a single item.

Many other options in the Ottlite line, too.

Mc

[mattb]

I got as cheapie from Ebay a month ago. It takes a couple batteries and clamps to the work table with a flexible arm. It is easy to move out of the way and with the light I have directly above it, I have not used the lighting system in the magnifier. It was about $10 with free shipping, there are about 1,000 of them on Ebay.

[dreinecke]

I picked this one up a few months ago from Harbor Freight:

Very pleased and no the clamp isn't very strong. I drilled my desk as I use it to swing to the desk next to the one it is mounted on. Good light and I like the magnification.

[Abarth Mike]

I would advise against magnifying lights and instead recommend a separate desk lamp, which many already have, and a pair of "Geezer Goggles"



Most have two different magnifications and an optional third single eye piece for a little extra. The one shown even has an additional light.

Wearing these also leaves both hands free and does not limit the placement of the workpiece.

[HomeRacingWorld]

[waaytoomuchintothis]

That's a good example of the weighted platform lamp I was talking about, and above that is an example of the visor. But don't waste your money on the visor with an eyepiece. Get the visor that has two sets of lenses, one spring loaded inside the visor itself. The little eyepiece is plastic junk and will break just like the mirrors on a slot car. Usually the lighted ones are so heavy they won't stay on your head well. Like I say, I've been through this over and over as my eyes got worse. I eventually sold all my HO stuff because I just couldn't enjoy it anymore.

[swampdog12345]

Thanks guys. I've decided to go the "Geezer Goggle" route. Unfortunately, my wife saw that picture of Harry's work bench and is demanding I put up peg boards and hang up "all that loose junk." So, the purchase may have to wait a while.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Good! You win no matter what!

[Abarth Mike]

[walker]

When I was checked last time my eye doctor said the easiest and best magnifying I had by glasses.
My dioptres are the same on both eyes, 2.0, so I use 2.5, 3.0 or 3.5 for magnifying. Works excellently.

Roland