Greetings. The latest saga in my modeling is that I needed to upgrade my bench with a magnifier of some sort. Generally, my readers with clip-on magnifiers are fine. Sometimes, I need a little more magnification. The clip-ons do have the option to change out lenses when needed. But-- it can be somewhat of a pain to switch back and forth. I am all about finding easier and more efficient methods.
I already have a lighted desktop magnifier that stands on the bench. It is similar to the gooseneck type, only this has pivoting arms. I hate it. It takes up valuable real estate, and most of the time the lens does not position where I would like. Usually, I have to stand in order to use it. That is not how I like to work with intricate things. I set out to find a better solution. To the internet I go.
I looked at floor mounted units, and other types similar to what I have now. None of them rang my bell. Then it struck me. All that I need is a small tabletop magnifier that will position between my line of sight, down to where my arms and hands rest while working. To my surprise there are plenty of magnifiers like that. But–I have found only one that will fit my bill.
What I have found is somewhat of a gamechanger for me. For maybe 80% of the time, this can replace using my clip-on system. All that I need is my readers. When I need serious magnification, I will use both. My clip-on system works very well, but they can get painful to wear for long periods of time. The added weight of the lenses makes the rig dig into the bridge of my nose.
Anyway–below is what it looks like. It has a large magnifier, and two LEDs for lighting when more light is needed. (I have not tried the LEDs yet.) More importantly, the arm that holds the lens has 3 pivot points. This allows me to position the magnifier exactly how I want it. I tried this thing and it works great for me. It allows me to work as I normally do, with arms and hands resting on the bench for stability. The large lens doesn’t make you feel like you are looking through a narrow field of view. It feels very natural, and very comfortable. The main lens is only 2x, but that is exactly what I need. The smaller 6x is not that useful. It distorts pretty badly.
I bought this from Amazon for $16.95. What a bargain.
I have tried Optiviser’s, and I find them uncomfortable with being strapped to your head. I also found myself knocking things over because of the restricted field of view. To each his own though. I know a lot of people use that system and they are happy with them.
That is also the kind I use. Love it. I move it around a lot during a build. Since I also build ships and larger scale models, I need the reach. And, for small stuff, I can get it down close to the bench.
Harbor Freight has some cheap optivisors usually on sale for $5-$6 and man they work. I bought one years ago and still use it and picked up another as a spare. As soon as I sit on my bench they go on and like glasses you have to get used to them but after you do then it’s all good.
I was doing some rigging on a small scale (1:450) ship yesterday, using monofilament nylon 5 mil (invisible) thread. My biggest problem was lack of depth of field. I was trying to grab the loose end of a thread with tweezers, and just couldn’t grab it because I couldn’t get the tweezer end at the same distance as the thread end. I could see both the end of the thread and the tweezer fine, but could not figure out the depth distance.
Now , mine hangs around my neck . Keeping the work area clear . I also bought a cracked one at a yard sale and converted it to use a whole page Fresnel lens . This one was also modified with a clip on lamp base so it isn’t to close but can be swung away after use .
I see you put some thought into your system. Very nice. During my search on this I had seen one sold as such where the user hangs it from their neck. Seemed like a smart idea for work where your hands are near to your chest.
Keeping the work area clear is what this was all about for me. I wanted something that I can easily remove from the bench. I have not had good luck with the swing arm type. I had two where their bases cracked. Or in other cases the clamping mechanisms loosen up and I’d always be tightening them. I finally tried one with a weighted base. It works ok except that it uses up bench space. And then there were some times I couldn’t get the correct angle I needed.
So far so good with this one. One negative. I put batteries in it to try the Led lights. It flunks the Bakster acceptability test. The light output is too weak. I kind of figured that would be the case. I didn’t expect much for the cost of this thing. It would have been a plus, but my overhead led lights give me all that I need.
