Jeweler's Loupes & Magnifying devices?

[JD Spydo]

I've brought up this subject before but it's been a long time. I've used a "Jeweler's Loupe" for quite some time and I find them to be a great aid when sharpening knives and other edged tools. A lady friend of mine who works on jewelry and other types of heirlooms. She told me that she uses a loupe a lot of times doing her hobby/work. I own a Bausch & Lomb Two Stage loupe that is 8X by 17X. It has been a great optic tool for sharpening and identifying small print on old items.

Now my lady friend just recently got a really powerful magnifying glass that is equipped with a built in light to work by. it's not a toy and she says she paid over $100 for it. I forgot to ask her what brand it was but I'll ask her before the week is out. But it's got more magnification that any conventional magnifying glass I've ever owned. I do own a couple of really clear magnifying glasses and both of them are also made by Bausch & Lomb just like my jeweler's loupe is.

I would love to chat about loupes and any other magnifying tools that would be helpful with our knife hobby (obsession ).
Because these devices have sure helped me to improve my sharpening results over the years. I did a search on those big magnifiers with built in lights and you can go up to $800 on some of them. Also my Dentist has a double ( binocular) type loupe and it is made by Zeiss. Zeiss is a German Company that makes excellent optics and they are high dollar. But I would sure like to try one of their loupes.

[odomandr]

I did not find a lot of information on this and recently picked up an amazon special. I had been using a desktop magnifier and light and have seen the glasses style for sale at the hobby shops... super cheap both of them. I look forward to discussion on higher quality as the clarity in the cheapos is getting less and less tolerable with my years.

[soc_monki]

I got a 2 pack cheapo deal on Amazon, I think theyre 30x and 60x? Have an LED to light up what I'm looking at and a little storage case. Work great for $12! Really helps me figure out what's going on with my edges if I'm having trouble getting a knife sharp.

[JD Spydo]

I got a 2 pack cheapo deal on Amazon, I think theyre 30x and 60x? Have an LED to light up what I'm looking at and a little storage case. Work great for $12! Really helps me figure out what's going on with my edges if I'm having trouble getting a knife sharp.

It is almost incredible what you can buy cheap these days. And if it works for you that's fine. But I really want a high quality unit that will last me for years and that's why I'm leaning toward companies like Bausch & Lomb, Zeiss and Nikon.

However I'm not going to say "never" either. Because if this stuff is cost prohibitive I may have to go that route. A neighbor of mine showed me a jeweler's loupe that is made in India of all places>> and I must say it's not really bad at all. Now it doesn't compare to my Bausch & Lomb 8X by 17X. But in the long run you do get what you pay for most of the time.

[PStone]

I got a 2 pack cheapo deal on Amazon, I think theyre 30x and 60x? Have an LED to light up what I'm looking at and a little storage case. Work great for $12! Really helps me figure out what's going on with my edges if I'm having trouble getting a knife sharp.

It is almost incredible what you can buy cheap these days. And if it works for you that's fine. But I really want a high quality unit that will last me for years and that's why I'm leaning toward companies like Bausch & Lomb, Zeiss and Nikon.

However I'm not going to say "never" either. Because if this stuff is cost prohibitive I may have to go that route. A neighbor of mine showed me a jeweler's loupe that is made in India of all places>> and I must say it's not really bad at all. Now it doesn't compare to my Bausch & Lomb 8X by 17X. But in the long run you do get what you pay for most of the time.

I’ve had this one for about 30 years. 30x. Not sure it’s really a loupe though. But def does aid in the sharpening process.

My dad gave it to me as a kid. He used it for coins. Internal light takes two AA batteries and last a very long time. Easy manual focus. The bad news, everything is inverted. So moving along the edge can be tricky at first. Still a very useful tool along with my standard 10x. Best phone pic possible. Factory edge 4V

[JonLeBlanc]

That is nifty. And yeah, loupes are great for all sorts of stuff.

[PStone]

That is nifty. And yeah, loupes are great for all sorts of stuff.

Thanks! Even more nifty, it used to have a belt pouch!

[soc_monki]

I got a 2 pack cheapo deal on Amazon, I think theyre 30x and 60x? Have an LED to light up what I'm looking at and a little storage case. Work great for $12! Really helps me figure out what's going on with my edges if I'm having trouble getting a knife sharp.

It is almost incredible what you can buy cheap these days. And if it works for you that's fine. But I really want a high quality unit that will last me for years and that's why I'm leaning toward companies like Bausch & Lomb, Zeiss and Nikon.

However I'm not going to say "never" either. Because if this stuff is cost prohibitive I may have to go that route. A neighbor of mine showed me a jeweler's loupe that is made in India of all places>> and I must say it's not really bad at all. Now it doesn't compare to my Bausch & Lomb 8X by 17X. But in the long run you do get what you pay for most of the time.

No doubt a higher quality piece will be better, but I wanted to see if incorporating one into my routine would help or hinder me. It has helped! I really can see what the edge looks like and if I need to spend a little more time on the stones or not. I've gotten pretty good at feeling the edge though, checking for burrs and sharpness. And if the knife cleanly cuts a paper towel the length of the blade tells me a lot as well.

As long as mine last I probably won't upgrade for a while. But I will buy a better quality unit when that time comes!

[TomAiello]

I also use a cheap one off Amazon, and it works great for me.

[Sharp Guy]

I've had a Bausch & Lomb Illuminated Coddington 10X in my toolbox for many years. After reading one of these threads a year or so ago I bought a couple different loupes from Amazon that had more magnification and much brighter LED lights. I still pick up the B&L one before those others because it works so much better. I'm pretty sure it's because the optics are much better.



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009PPT52/re ... tFbT3PKEMW

[JD Spydo]

I got a 2 pack cheapo deal on Amazon, I think theyre 30x and 60x? Have an LED to light up what I'm looking at and a little storage case. Work great for $12! Really helps me figure out what's going on with my edges if I'm having trouble getting a knife sharp.

It is almost incredible what you can buy cheap these days. And if it works for you that's fine. But I really want a high quality unit that will last me for years and that's why I'm leaning toward companies like Bausch & Lomb, Zeiss and Nikon.

However I'm not going to say "never" either. Because if this stuff is cost prohibitive I may have to go that route. A neighbor of mine showed me a jeweler's loupe that is made in India of all places>> and I must say it's not really bad at all. Now it doesn't compare to my Bausch & Lomb 8X by 17X. But in the long run you do get what you pay for most of the time.

I’ve had this one for about 30 years. 30x. Not sure it’s really a loupe though. But def does aid in the sharpening process.

My dad gave it to me as a kid. He used it for coins. Internal light takes two AA batteries and last a very long time. Easy manual focus. The bad news, everything is inverted. So moving along the edge can be tricky at first. Still a very useful tool along with my standard 10x. Best phone pic possible. Factory edge 4V

That's an interesting looking optical tool for sure. But Panasonic is not what I consider a 3rd World cheapo. Anything I've ever owned with Panasonic's name on it has done well for me over the years. I'm going to check this optic tool out. The Japanese also make the Nikon optics which are great. A good friend of mine has a Nikon scope on his rifle and it's just as clear as one of my Leupold scopes.
As far as I know Bausch & Lomb still make quality magnifying tools. I was unaware that Panasonic was even in the optics market. I'll sure check it out.

[PStone]

That's an interesting looking optical tool for sure. But Panasonic is not what I consider a 3rd World cheapo. Anything I've ever owned with Panasonic's name on it has done well for me over the years. I'm going to check this optic tool out. The Japanese also make the Nikon optics which are great. A good friend of mine has a Nikon scope on his rifle and it's just as clear as one of my Leupold scopes.
As far as I know Bausch & Lomb still make quality magnifying tools. I was unaware that Panasonic was even in the optics market. I'll sure check it out.

I’ve seen them sell from $8 to $80. It’s a model FF-393. I’m guessing the optics glass were made by another company. Panasonic is more of an electronics company. I’ll try to do some research and see what I can find out about the glass. But these older versions can be had for about $10.

Edit:Panasonic does indeed manufacture the glass. I had no idea that company does so much.

[odomandr]

well my amazon special arrived today with no working LED lights kinda hard when you put the device on top of what you want to see and its all in shadows......... where is the quality loupe?

[JD Spydo]

That's an interesting looking optical tool for sure. But Panasonic is not what I consider a 3rd World cheapo. Anything I've ever owned with Panasonic's name on it has done well for me over the years. I'm going to check this optic tool out. The Japanese also make the Nikon optics which are great. A good friend of mine has a Nikon scope on his rifle and it's just as clear as one of my Leupold scopes.
As far as I know Bausch & Lomb still make quality magnifying tools. I was unaware that Panasonic was even in the optics market. I'll sure check it out.

I’ve seen them sell from $8 to $80. It’s a model FF-393. I’m guessing the optics glass were made by another company. Panasonic is more of an electronics company. I’ll try to do some research and see what I can find out about the glass. But these older versions can be had for about $10.

Edit:Panasonic does indeed manufacture the glass. I had no idea that company does so much.

Panasonic Corporation was borne out of an old but rather successful Japanese company known as "Matsushita Electronics". Even since their inception they've made a wide range of products but they are mainly an electronics company. But Panasonic goes further than that because they encompass a lot of other products.

They really broke into the USA market in the late 60s. I remember my very first cassette player ( 1969 at K-Mart) was a Panasonic and for a 1960s device it was really good quality for that time. I've owned a lot of stuff with their name on it over the years and I've never had one of their products that I wasn't satisfied with.

It makes me wonder if they might have got their optics from Nikon which is another successful Japanese company. Also there was the Minolta company out of Japan who made cameras and other optics over the years that they might have contracted with as well.

[JD Spydo]

Hey I know a lot of you guys have various corporate jobs and that's cool. I'm wondering if any of you might have used some of the professional Optic products put out by Zeiss, Nikon, Bausch & Lomb or any of the other top quality optics companies. Some of this stuff is so expensive that only big companies can afford it.

The reason I ask is because I once worked in a place that had a lot of optic type stuff made by Carl Zeiss ( Germany) and it was really nice stuff. I've noticed that a lot of people seem to settle for the cheaper stuff from Amazon and other online retailers. I've found over the years that the high quality stuff is even good for years if you take reasonably good care of it.

Also if there are any other high quality makers of Loupes and other magnifying devices I would love to know about them as well.

[JD Spydo]

Now when it comes down to "Magnifying Glasses" and as simple as they are I still find many uses for them. With that said I've never yet found a better made "Magnifying Glass" than the ones made by the "Bausch & Lomb" Company.

I've got two Bausch & Lomb magnifying glasses and I find myself using them quite a bit in the past 3 to 4 years. If any company makes a better quality Magnifying Glass I would sure like to know who it might be?

The two Jeweler's Loupes I have made by them are not bad either. I would rather have Zeiss or one of the other German made Loupes but the Bausch & Lomb is not too shabby at all. I'm kind of surprised that with so many avid knife fans we have on these forums that there are not more of you that use Jeweler's Loupe's. Because I've found I can get a lot more done if I can see what I'm doing better.

[VashHash]

I use a cheap microbrite plus 60-120X pocket microscope by Carson for most of my magnification needs. It's got a LED too so it makes it easy to see. I have a 10x loupe too. The microscope is pretty fun seeing as I can bring it wherever I go. Sometimes I can see pieces of diamond that broke off the stone while sharpening.

[Bloke]

Hey Joe, I use a Belomo Triplet 10x loupe. Made in Belarus. It has a steel frame and they claim to use Zeiss lenses.

For light I use one of your Photon Micro Lights. They come in different colour light beams and mines white. I remove the key ring so it’s not in the way and it sits dead flat on the Belomo. I just pinch loupe and light between thumb and forefinger as you’d normally hold a loupe.

For a magnifying glass I use another one of yours, made by/for Galco Gun Leather. I can’t remember for sure but I think is a 3x, maybe 5x. The lens is glass with a chromed steel rim and the sheath is leather. It’s a great little glass and beautifully made. I love it and bought half a dozen which I gifted to family. Beloved wife has cared her’s in her purse since I gave it to her.

They’re great things for reading ingredients labels on stuff in supermarkets and that and tackle shops too. 1/6 oz. in tiny print on a pack of jig heads under fluorescent lights looks exactly the same as 1/8 oz. to me. Ah, hahaha!

[ChrisinHove]

I just picked up an illuminated Peak 10x Lupe on eBay for less than 4 quid!

It might even work...

[standy99]

Mrs standy99 is a entomologist and has a draw full of loupes.

Buying from a entomology supply website is so much cheaper than the same item bought at a jewellery loupe website and the range at a entomology site is 5x more.

Like everything you get what you pay for.

ASCO loupes are one of the best I find