Who knows about jewelers loupes

[Oakview2]

I would like one to examine mineralized quartz in the field, but quite understand all the magnifications ect. Anybody use one and what type is the best for exaiming specimens... Thanks in advance.....

 

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[Astrobouncer]

I use a vantage 10x loupe in most of my videos for magnifying the fines so the camera can see them. It would be nice to have one with a little more magnification though.

 

[TerryC]

I have a few. A 10x, 20x, and 30x. The one I like best is the 10x. It has a uv light and normal light built in. The 10x size is the size most recommended. Higher power is not neccessarily better. The 10x gives the best detail/power trade-off. I bought my 10x at Miner's creek in Wickenberg, AZ. TTC

 

[TerryC]

What are you two fools doing up at this time?? I ran out of sleeping pills. They come in tomorrow. Can't sleep at night. PTSD. TTC

 

[TerryC]

(just kidding about being fools) TTC

 

[Oakview2]

Terry

I got up a little early this morning to make sure my teenage son got up. He is job shadowing a neighbor and they are leaving for Los Angeles this am to appraise and do some repair estimates on some exotic cars. Fool might be a understatement this am, as I was up till 1 am doing some work last night. Feel like I was rode hard and put away wet...

I was thinking about something like this, http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-10x-21m...er-Jeweler-Eye-Jewelry-Loupe-Loop-Light-/1907. I have a USB microscope back at the house, so I don't think I need anything too fancy...

 

[63bkpkr]

Magnifying Loupes are a like a lot of other things, how much do you expect it to do and how do you want to use it? In addition to the magnification there is clarity. Clarity of the object to be looked at all the way across the lens from edge to edge is what I refer to. Some Magnifiers will be clear in the center and not clear toward the edges. For me it is all about the clarity. Some loupes get physically smaller as the magnification goes up and are difficult to work with and the lens itself is smaller. A 10X is a good starting point. I use a 10X Hastings Triplet made by Bausch & Lomb, this is a corrected lens making the view clear and clean across the entire lens. This unit's lens is under a half inch in diameter and still takes getting used to to use, it needs to be close to the eye as well as close to the sample. My 20X is about 1/4" in diameter and tricky to use. Then again both are small and easy to carry. I think you will need to go look at some to get a better idea of what works best for you and take some of your rock samples with you as they are what you want to look at in the first place. Lighted units help as they provide more uniform illumination and eliminate shadows but they might be a bit bulky for carrying into the field. Try to find a Rock Shop near you and see what they carry. This might mean a trip into the big city.
Good Luck in your search...63bkpkr

 

[TerryC]

I have a mineral scope that is pretty expensive. I posted a pic of it for 63 about..... 2 months ago. Limited lifetime warranty.... except the built in ccd camera.Camera is just one year. Guess which portion of the scope doesn't work? Yup, the camera. At $1400 + dollars, difficult to justify buying another, just for the camera. TTC

 

[Hoser John]

63 post is good as gold ,I also utilize my hands free watchmakers loupe at 5 X 12 power from Swift mfg. #568. Hands free allows you to hold a pan,hang onto a hillside,rotate specimens,write down findings or thoughts before forgotten or scratch your...... with no interference. John