Suggestions for magnifying aids for close up modelling

[Covkid]

Hi all

I am a 61 year old decrepit who wears varifocal glasses.

I feel I need some kind of illuminated head-based magnifiers to do close up stuff in my hobby. As its is post Christmas I have an Amazon voucher to use, and having chatted to James Hilton recently, he used a non descript headset visor thingy from the far east.  Looked on the Amazon site and confusingly there appear to be dozens and dozens of products on there. 

 

My main requirements are LED lit, preferably rechargeable, and able to use in front of my own glasses. 

 

There have to be a number of people with this kind of requirement.  Can you please tell us what you use ?

 

Thanks 

Edited December 27, 2023 by Covkid
adding

[AY Mod]

After faffing around with multiple glasses and lights for years Mrs Y didn't think I looked daft enough so bought me a VR headset for nerds for Xmas.

 

Had a brief play and, for the money, it's pretty good.

 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Headband-Magnifier-eSynic-Rechargeable-Detachable/dp/B08W55R47Z/ref=asc_df_B08W55R47Z/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=534903727158&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7717297861424308421&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007034&hvtargid=pla-1429527247566&psc=1&mcid=0a5601a6ab013f5aade209fbbaead6af

[Paul H Vigor]

11 minutes ago, Covkid said:

Hi all

I am a 61 year old decrepit who wears varifocal glasses.

I feel I need some kind of illuminated head-based magnifiers to do close up stuff in my hobby. As its is post Christmas I have an Amazon voucher to use, and having chatted to James Hilton recently, he used a non descript headset visor thingy from the far east.  Looked on the Amazon site and confusingly there appear to be dozens and dozens of products on there. 

 

My main requirements are LED lit, preferably rechargeable, and able to use in front of my own glasses. 

 

There have to be a number of people with this kind of requirement.  Can you please tell us what you use ?

 

Thanks 

Gawd! It comes to us all in the end! That day I discovered I had to get my own reading glasses - in a mood-lit Indian restaurant near Neath, to my horror I found couldn't read the menu!

[Paul H Vigor]

4 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

After faffing around with multiple glasses and lights for years Mrs Y didn't think I looked daft enough so bought me a VR headset for nerds for Xmas.

 

Had a brief play and, for the money, it's pretty good.

 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Headband-Magnifier-eSynic-Rechargeable-Detachable/dp/B08W55R47Z/ref=asc_df_B08W55R47Z/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=534903727158&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7717297861424308421&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007034&hvtargid=pla-1429527247566&psc=1&mcid=0a5601a6ab013f5aade209fbbaead6af

Thought, for just a mo, you'd become one with The Borg!

[Phil Parker]

Hmmm.

 

[Not Jeremy]

It doesn't have any lighting, but I find my "Optivisor" a near essential part of modelling these days.

 

Must dig it out one of these days...

[Gilbert]

7 minutes ago, Not Jeremy said:

It doesn't have any lighting, but I find my "Optivisor" a near essential part of modelling these days.

 

Must dig it out one of these days...

If you can see well enough to find it of course......

Chris

[Covkid]

27 minutes ago, AY Mod said:

After faffing around with multiple glasses and lights for years Mrs Y didn't think I looked daft enough so bought me a VR headset for nerds for Xmas.

 

Had a brief play and, for the money, it's pretty good.

 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Headband-Magnifier-eSynic-Rechargeable-Detachable/dp/B08W55R47Z/ref=asc_df_B08W55R47Z/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=534903727158&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7717297861424308421&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007034&hvtargid=pla-1429527247566&psc=1&mcid=0a5601a6ab013f5aade209fbbaead6af

 

Many thanks indeed Andy

Product ordered !!!

 

Great stuff

[newbryford]

25 minutes ago, Paul H Vigor said:

Thought, for just a mo, you'd become one with The Borg!

 

Resistance is Futile - you will be assimilated moderated.

 

😄

[Paul H Vigor]

3 hours ago, Phil Parker said:

Hmmm.

 

Yep, that's the fellah!

[James Hilton]

Mine is just a Chinese Optivisor copy, I suspect they are all the same really, the copies anyway.

[Michael Hodgson]

8 hours ago, Covkid said:

Hi all

I am a 61 year old decrepit who wears varifocal glasses.

 

Now look here young man.  If I were to to use something that magnified my modelling, the imperfections of my painting and lack of straightness in my lining etc would be even more obvious!

[ardbealach]

Father Christmas has been busy!  Mrs Ardbealach presented me with an optivisor just like yours Andy.

 

A whole new world of modelling beckons! (Alisdair)

[CF MRC]

My students use variations on these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BoNew-Surgical-Binocular-Distance-Aluminum/dp/B07CCLW8QC
It is easy to modify a pair of prescription plastic frame glasses to take the loupe unit. 
 

I have used this type of magnifier for decades (albeit higher price versions) - they give you a greater working distance and depth of field, compared to single lens devices. 

Tim
 

 

[72degrees]

I'm lucky enough to have my late father's binocular visor thing that he used for fly tying. Pretty much the same as an optivisor. That and an strategically adjusted anglepoise lamp clone help a lot. An alternative strategy for out of position working on the dark nether regions of old Italian motorcycles is his old 'magnifly' set of very strong glasses and a climbers head torch. I used to borrow SWMBO's torch but as I now sometimes forget to return it she bought me not one but two (Gritin)  of my own for Xmas. One for the garage and one for the loft where the layout is.

[TheQ]

8 hours ago, CF MRC said:

My students use variations on these:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BoNew-Surgical-Binocular-Distance-Aluminum/dp/B07CCLW8QC
It is easy to modify a pair of prescription plastic frame glasses to take the loupe unit. 
 

I have used this type of magnifier for decades (albeit higher price versions) - they give you a greater working distance and depth of field, compared to single lens devices. 

Tim
 

 

I have a somewhat cheaper version of the same thing ,

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Illuminated-Magnifying-Headband-Magnifier-Interchangeable/dp/B07HCKCNZ8/ref=asc_df_B07HCKCNZ8/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309918324659&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8782180975338867418&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006964&hvtargid=pla-572415599506&psc=1&mcid=1a522518d34c39cc9a339c9aa10b6bd8

 

The trouble is the higher the zoom the closer you need it held to your face.

What I could do with is some thing that zoomed but you still worked at 18 inches or so range..

 

I'm seriously considering..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Microscope-Continuous-Portable-Multi-Angle-Soldering/dp/B09N7P862Q/ref=sr_1_24?crid=39VIF6X6HN9HF&keywords=Viewing+camera+microscope&qid=1703781997&sprefix=viewing+camera+microscope+%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-24

[CF MRC]

That is not the same set up as those are just single lenses rather than pairs in a telescope body. That arrangement gives you working range. 
 

Tim

[jasp]

Interestingly, the magnifier highlighted by TheQ gets better reviews on Amazon than the other one.

As a former professional user of magnification for work, with magnification greater than around 4 you will find the working distance too close. My own preference is 2.5 but good lighting is essential whatever magnification you use.

Many of the cheaper magnifiers do not have great optical quality, my own preference, apart from expensive, progessional precision magnifiers, is a Lactona Loupe (available from some dental suppliers) lighter and less clumsy than Optivisor and a similar price.

Jim P

Edited December 28, 2023 by jasp
omission

[Izzy]

I've had one of these for a good few years now. Very versatile to use on my workbench. Plenty of room to work underneath it and saves having to wear something over my varifocals. The 1.75X is just about right I find while the two lighting levels is handy. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daylight-Company-Lamp-Metal-White/dp/B01LX3PEMI

 

Bob

[Johnson044]

9 hours ago, Izzy said:

I've had one of these for a good few years now. Very versatile to use on my workbench. Plenty of room to work underneath it and saves having to wear something over my varifocals. The 1.75X is just about right I find while the two lighting levels is handy. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daylight-Company-Lamp-Metal-White/dp/B01LX3PEMI

 

Bob

Same here but one issue is the device misting up- most of the work I do tends to be in a cold shed. I really need something better now as I have at last had diagnosis confirmed of Age Related Macular Degeneration (don't try it at home- it's not much fun). Basically a small permanent area of radiating irregularly shaped rings of colour (think of a tiny Palethorpes Sausages logo) or, depending on tiredness levels, a flash of light directly over whatever it is I'm focusing on. I'm 60 btw. 

 

I think, personally, it's the last 20+ years of Autocad- certainly, I think, an aggravation, if not the root cause.

 

I shall get myself a long-promised Optivisor and maybe experiment with the Borg device.

[Izzy]

2 hours ago, Johnson044 said:

Same here but one issue is the device misting up- most of the work I do tends to be in a cold shed.

 

I'm lucky in that my workbench is in a spare room, an old metal portable computer station on casters. What I find particularly useful is with my little lathe.

 

 

As I indulge in small work for 2mm it's very helpful for seeing quite small items without needing to get close. Here's a couple of shots showing the difference. The second is from a few feet away from the chuck. The closer you get to the magnifying lens the larger of course. The adjustable distance is huge, both where the lens is placed and how close you get to it. But I hope it gives and idea of what's possible. Wearing ordinary glasses with some level of magnification adds to the possibilities available. 

 

Bob

[Little Jeeem]

On 27/12/2023 at 13:38, Covkid said:

 

Many thanks indeed Andy

Product ordered !!!

 

Great stuff

I notice that the top critical review on Amazon states "Not really suitable for wearers of 'Varifocal' or 'Bifocal' glasses. Things work a lot better if you wear 'standard' glasses" but doesn't say why that is.

 

I'm in desperate need of something like this, and am also a varifocal wearer, so wonder if, when you receive them and have had a go, you could let me know how you find them?

 

Many thanks.

[Scott B]

27 minutes ago, Little Jeeem said:

I notice that the top critical review on Amazon states "Not really suitable for wearers of 'Varifocal' or 'Bifocal' glasses. Things work a lot better if you wear 'standard' glasses" but doesn't say why that is.

 

I'm in desperate need of something like this, and am also a varifocal wearer, so wonder if, when you receive them and have had a go, you could let me know how you find them?

 

Many thanks.

 

 

I have the product modelled by Andy but manufactured by a different company and before it was manufactured as rechargeable, but otherwise exactly the same.

I am a varifocal wearer and have no issues whatsoever.

HTH

Scott

[GWR57xx]

I'm also having the same problem of growing old and diminishing eyesight.

Up till now I've managed with a little 3" (75mm) round magnifier on a stand, but recently that isn't enough any more (even for O gauge).

I've just hit "buy now" on these from the big river company:

 

 

According to the specs (!) they purport to be about one third of the weight of the Borg ones.

Currently with 40% off they are cheaper than the usually cheap Chinese resellers of identical kit.

At the price I thought they were worth a try, having never had anything like this before.

They should be delivered this weekend so I'll report back...

 

[Siberian Snooper]

I used to use an optovisor, but some years ago I read somewhere about asking the optician for a pair of prescription X3 glasses a  BOGOF. I find them a boon, once I got used to them and if things get really tiny, I use the optovisor as well.