...It's much heavier than expected and appears to be really good quality. At a little over 1.5" dia it has a large field of view too. The best part is how clear the optics are. It's so clear it makes all my other magnifying devices (with higher magnification) obsolete. This is what I'll be using going forward.
I picked one up as well. It's got a great wide field of view. ......
Really helps see edge imperfections that are hard to see with naked eye or even feel with a fingertip. You can see small bits of burr that I missed,,,,
Your pics finally really make me want one of these too... especially how well a burr can be seen is great!! I am still not good at detecting "small bits of burr" just by feel or look with the naked eye, and this thing makes it easy to improve here (detect the burr with the lupe, then "learn" how it feels on the finger or fingernail).
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
I have several different loupes and magnifiers. Most work ok. I recently bought one of those little microscopes and it's just too hard to use. My favorite has always been a B&L Coddington as I've mentioned several times, including a few pages back in this thread. That was until today....
I some here may know I'm also into competitive .22 LR rifle shooting. I've always used the standard NRA scoring gauge with a built in magnifier to plug close shots to see if they're in or out. Honestly it's worked fine for me. However some of the shooting disciplines have gone to using a special box to hold the target, a plain brass plug (no magnifier), and a separate magnifying device over it. Well I finally decided to order one and I'm sure glad I did.
It's much heavier than expected and appears to be really good quality. At a little over 1.5" dia it has a large field of view too. The best part is how clear the optics are. It's so clear it makes all my other magnifying devices (with higher magnification) obsolete. This is what I'll be using going forward.
So I was going back and forth on buying the B&L 10x to compare to the Belomo 10x I have. I have a B&L 7x that I like very much, but this new entrant has me wondering what I am going to do now??????
I have several different loupes and magnifiers. Most work ok. I recently bought one of those little microscopes and it's just too hard to use. My favorite has always been a B&L Coddington as I've mentioned several times, including a few pages back in this thread. That was until today....
I some here may know I'm also into competitive .22 LR rifle shooting. I've always used the standard NRA scoring gauge with a built in magnifier to plug close shots to see if they're in or out. Honestly it's worked fine for me. However some of the shooting disciplines have gone to using a special box to hold the target, a plain brass plug (no magnifier), and a separate magnifying device over it. Well I finally decided to order one and I'm sure glad I did.
It's much heavier than expected and appears to be really good quality. At a little over 1.5" dia it has a large field of view too. The best part is how clear the optics are. It's so clear it makes all my other magnifying devices (with higher magnification) obsolete. This is what I'll be using going forward.
So I was going back and forth on buying the B&L 10x to compare to the Belomo 10x I have. I have a B&L 7x that I like very much, but this new entrant has me wondering what I am going to do now??????
Haha! C'mon it's like knives....I don't think you can have too many. Like I said I bought the one I linked to score targets. I still haven't scored any targets with it but I sure have looked at some edges with it. I'm sure all these that are getting good reviews here are good quality. I really like my old B&L 10X with the light. The light's not very bright though. If they ever upgrade it to have a LED I'll buy one without hesitation. In the meantime this new one is what I'll be using
Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most!
It IS like knives. They all have their pluses and minuses. I've got 3 and I'm sure I'll pick up another at some point. The wide field of view scale loop that Patrick recommended would be a great place to start though.
-Matta.k.a. Lo_Que, loadedquestions135I ❤ The P'KAL
"The world of edges has a small doorway in, but opens into a cavern that is both wide and deep." -sal
I'm still new to knives, but have long practice in other fields (vintage watches, art evaluation), where loupe is essential and mistake can cost thousand$$. After trying many many options I can say, imo the best loupes are Zeiss 40D (10x) and Nikon Precision Loupe 10x. Not cheap but not as expensive as Schneider. Zeiss loupe is standard for jewellers and gemmologists, against which all other loupes are judged. Also popular among coins collectors.
Belomo is a great value loupe, but the image is not as sharp.
I got rid of all my Led loupes as they can harm your vision.
Recent favourites: Massad Ayoob CPM CRU-WEAR PE & SE, Yojimbo 2, Lil' Temperance 3.
....
I got rid of all my Led loupes as they can harm your vision.
How so?!
(Don´t doubt - , but ask you as obviously more of an expert on loupes than I am myself)
Top three going by pocket-time (update March 24):
- EDC: Endura thin red line ffg combo edge (VG10); Wayne Goddard PE (4V), Endela SE (VG10)
-Mountains/outdoors: Pac.Salt 1 SE (H1), Salt 2 SE (LC200N), and also Wayne Goddard PE (4V)
....
I got rid of all my Led loupes as they can harm your vision.
How so?!
(Don´t doubt - , but ask you as obviously more of an expert on loupes than I am myself)
I started noticing eye-strain and fatigue after using those loupes for some time. So I started research and found out that led light with such small distance not healthy for retina... I think it is relevant for the knifes maybe even more as metal surface also reflects light back quite a lot.
On jeweller's and coin collector's forums guys taking magnification seriously, so I learned and ended up with Zeiss and never looked back I also added Nikon as I just like the design. Both are great. Good day-light bulbs on the bench are enough for me to see everything.
10x magnification is more than enough for everything (diamond industry standard). From my experience stronger loupes doesn't show more, just reduce the focus distance. Lack of distortion and clarity is more important. 10x Zeiss shows me more details than 20x Grobet or B&L, honestly. Heard good things about Eschenbach Achromat loupe as well. Both Zeiss and Eschenbach make also 3+6=9 loupes which gives you more options.
Recent favourites: Massad Ayoob CPM CRU-WEAR PE & SE, Yojimbo 2, Lil' Temperance 3.
Appreciate the warning and I don't doubt that long-term use of loupes (especially poor quality ones) could cause eye strain. It doesn't concern me in the least bit because it's not like I'm using the thing all day long. I look through it for a few seconds here and there when I'm sharpening a knife or maybe for some other project. Sometimes I don't look through a loupe for weeks. I love nice things but spending $90 on a Zeiss loupe isn't going to happen.
I have a medical magnifying light on one end of my work bench that I use quite a bit because my aging eyes need some extra help sometimes. My brother's a full-service gunsmith and does a lot of wood checkering. He uses one of those magnifying thing you strap on your head. Probably not the best optics in that thing either but a lot of people use them. I know he wouldn't be able to do the work he does without one.
Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most!
But $90 for the Zeiss, ouch. Wish I could do a side by side comparison with my other loupes before I dropped that much $$
Absolutely, not cheap. Expensive actually, but I use it a lot and eyes are priceless, so it was no brainer.
I personally spent more on other cheaper loupes before I got there.
It is still reasonable for its class (Harald Schneider cost x3 as much).
Maybe some local shops carry them and you can visit and compare. Maybe difference won't be so obvious at the beginning.
I'm not associated with any brand Zeiss, Nikon or other. Just my personal journey.
Recent favourites: Massad Ayoob CPM CRU-WEAR PE & SE, Yojimbo 2, Lil' Temperance 3.
My brother's a full-service gunsmith and does a lot of wood checkering. He uses one of those magnifying thing you strap on your head. Probably not the best optics in that thing either but a lot of people use them. I know he wouldn't be able to do the work he does without one.
Yes, it is also nice as it gives you a free hands! I also use it (Optivisor) occasionally for small quick manual work where I just need to see things a bit bigger and not concerned about clarity or details so much.
Recent favourites: Massad Ayoob CPM CRU-WEAR PE & SE, Yojimbo 2, Lil' Temperance 3.
I also added Nikon as I just like the design. Both are great. Good day-light bulbs on the bench are enough for me to see everything.