I'm not getting any older, but my eyes aren't getting the message.
Last time I visited my dentist he was using one of these. Anybody have experience, thoughts, etc. They all tend to look the same but the costs vary significantly.
Thanks
USA New Dental Surgical Binocular 3.5X-R Loupes Optical Glasses Medical Blue D | eBay
Last time I visited my dentist he was using one of these. Anybody have experience, thoughts, etc. They all tend to look the same but the costs vary significantly.
Thanks
USA New Dental Surgical Binocular 3.5X-R Loupes Optical Glasses Medical Blue D | eBay
I use dirt cheap LED Lamp Headset Magnifying Glass Head Light Jeweler Magnifier Loupe Headband | eBay for SMD work. Multiple magnification gets handy, the lupes are glass. The max magnification is OK, but for soldering SMD 402 size a microscope was necessary.
I would recommend the same type, but with different nose taps, mine are too stiff and hurt a bit. These look better 2LED Head Light Headband Magnifier Headset Magnifying Glass Loupe with_5xLens RF 728360607409 | eBay
I would recommend the same type, but with different nose taps, mine are too stiff and hurt a bit. These look better 2LED Head Light Headband Magnifier Headset Magnifying Glass Loupe with_5xLens RF 728360607409 | eBay
> look the same but the costs vary
The ruggedness may vary. This matters more to the dentist who whips it off 50 times a day every day than to a weekend DIY-er.
Each eye is two simple lenses in a tube. Modern plastics molding can make good lenses for much less than a buck apiece, the tube is a small heavy Dixie Cup, the head-frame/eye-shield is $6 retail and probably a buck/each in crates. The $33 price from US seller is certainly reasonable. Of course there is always someone ready to make a look-alike at a lower price. I don't know how bad it can be. Honest user comments may help.
I don't see a w-i-d-e variation in price, except with-light or with-case costs more.
The ruggedness may vary. This matters more to the dentist who whips it off 50 times a day every day than to a weekend DIY-er.
Each eye is two simple lenses in a tube. Modern plastics molding can make good lenses for much less than a buck apiece, the tube is a small heavy Dixie Cup, the head-frame/eye-shield is $6 retail and probably a buck/each in crates. The $33 price from US seller is certainly reasonable. Of course there is always someone ready to make a look-alike at a lower price. I don't know how bad it can be. Honest user comments may help.
I don't see a w-i-d-e variation in price, except with-light or with-case costs more.
Thanks for the advice. I perceived a price range because I didn't understand the ordering process. Lower prices were for cases, lights, batteries, etc.
I use a plain old school eye loupe (single lens) at 4x magnification, have done so since I was about 40, and I'm now 69. I do a lot of surface mount prototyping, and this is just what I need. The only downside is that with a single lens loupe, the working distance is only an inch and a half or so.
The ones the OP linked to are designed for a longer working distance, hence the dual lens approach. I need to get one of these to try!
The ones the OP linked to are designed for a longer working distance, hence the dual lens approach. I need to get one of these to try!
Thanks for the heads up and links.
I've got a couple with the fold down lens.
One is good, the other not so good.
On one, I can no longer adjust the eye piece
that folds down so it sags 🙁
I thought the upgrade with the other,
it has the battery pack and two LEDs
in the head band. It's cheap worked
for a little while then got intermittent.
The other problem with battery's in headband = weight.
Weight will give you a head ache after awhile.
Nobody likes crappy intermittent LEDS, switches,
hinges that fail etc.
Some of the crapola magnifiers that rotate over
the fold down eyepieces are worthless. Some have the
plastic so bad it is distorted when you look through it.
With the higher magnification, it's not so good.
Maybe the $32.00 dental cones magnifiers are not so bad.
Then there was the $9.00 with all the different magnification
cones that come along with it. Wow all that for only $9.00.
And it even looks like they solved the problem with the things
falling off when you got to work on something and look down...
now they have a behind the head elastic band to retain them on
your head...NOT on the soldering iron.
On both of mine I did put Moleskin on the forehead and this
made for more comfort...nothing quite like cheap china plastic
and sweat leaving red bands across the forehead for days.
After awhile one begins to ponder...does it say S U C K E R ?
Because other folks see you and keep looking at your
forehead. Really.
Nothing a little greasepaint won't cover.
OR
That nifty little make up sprayer I've seen used
to cover up age spots etc.
Funny how when you buy something now, you've got
to buy all this other stuff to fix it, cover it up, or make
it function like it should have to begin with.
This is a nice break from trying to get my QA40x running
by trying to find the proper .NET framework. Oops,
that's another thread. 🙂
Cheers,
I've got a couple with the fold down lens.
One is good, the other not so good.
On one, I can no longer adjust the eye piece
that folds down so it sags 🙁
I thought the upgrade with the other,
it has the battery pack and two LEDs
in the head band. It's cheap worked
for a little while then got intermittent.
The other problem with battery's in headband = weight.
Weight will give you a head ache after awhile.
Nobody likes crappy intermittent LEDS, switches,
hinges that fail etc.
Some of the crapola magnifiers that rotate over
the fold down eyepieces are worthless. Some have the
plastic so bad it is distorted when you look through it.
With the higher magnification, it's not so good.
Maybe the $32.00 dental cones magnifiers are not so bad.
Then there was the $9.00 with all the different magnification
cones that come along with it. Wow all that for only $9.00.
And it even looks like they solved the problem with the things
falling off when you got to work on something and look down...
now they have a behind the head elastic band to retain them on
your head...NOT on the soldering iron.
On both of mine I did put Moleskin on the forehead and this
made for more comfort...nothing quite like cheap china plastic
and sweat leaving red bands across the forehead for days.
After awhile one begins to ponder...does it say S U C K E R ?
Because other folks see you and keep looking at your
forehead. Really.
Nothing a little greasepaint won't cover.
OR
That nifty little make up sprayer I've seen used
to cover up age spots etc.
Funny how when you buy something now, you've got
to buy all this other stuff to fix it, cover it up, or make
it function like it should have to begin with.
This is a nice break from trying to get my QA40x running
by trying to find the proper .NET framework. Oops,
that's another thread. 🙂
Cheers,
The one's surgeons use are likely sterilizable in an autoclave, that requires special lenses that don't shatter I suspect!
I have a set of the premium ones (Heine) and they are pretty nice for not quite SMD work. However I don't think they are 50X better than the cheaper ones. The really cheap ones are probably not going to work long term. High magnification has issues as well- the field of view is small as is the depth of view so they can be challenging.
Getting a good light is also important. The cheap lights probably won't work that well with very uneven illumination. Color will also suffer. However I'm not ready to spend $700+ for a "headlight". The lights seem to be in 3 levels. $20 or less (seem to be toys). $40 which look the same and have the same rated light but may be better optics. and over $100. For $$$ you get a really good uniform light field with good color rendering. But too $$ for me. I'm going to try a $40 light to see how well it works for me.
For real high density a microscope is necessary. I would get a decent microscope before the loupe since you can do most everything with it.
Getting a good light is also important. The cheap lights probably won't work that well with very uneven illumination. Color will also suffer. However I'm not ready to spend $700+ for a "headlight". The lights seem to be in 3 levels. $20 or less (seem to be toys). $40 which look the same and have the same rated light but may be better optics. and over $100. For $$$ you get a really good uniform light field with good color rendering. But too $$ for me. I'm going to try a $40 light to see how well it works for me.
For real high density a microscope is necessary. I would get a decent microscope before the loupe since you can do most everything with it.
Here here. Totally agree. And if you get the stereo Mic with camera, etc
you can use your video screen or evern have a projector image from which to work. 🙂
IME work with magnification glasses is much more comfortable with than with a scope. For 95% of SMD work I use glasses, for tiny (0402 size) I have to use the scope. They may be toys, but for the price of a few bucks they do the job surprisingly well for me. But everyone's mileage varies which is good 🙂
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