Loupe Recommendations

[silverdollarbill]

Hello everyone,

I had some helpful magnet recommendations and thought I would ask about loupes. I recently lost a very cheap one I had and need to replace it. (I plan on using this to look at jewelry marks)

Typically, I try to avoid buying cheap, poorly made, disposable items. However, for a loupe that I will be throwing in my pocket for garage sales, maybe that is the way to go.

A couple questions:
- what magnification do you recommend? (I would assume 10x is enough. I am not sure what the magnification of my last loupe was)
- light or no light? LED seems most common. What is UV needed for?
- any recommendation on a loupe? (Both a cheap one to throw in your pocket and maybe a nicer one for home use)

I was looking at these.
Cheap ones:
Cheap - 1
Cheap - 2

Nicer Ones:
Nice - 1
Nice - 2

thank you,
bill

 

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[tomsright]

I have the BelOMO works great for me. I had seen many recommendations for this one on different sites .

 

[willis7]

I picked up a cheap one from hobby lobby, it got a led light and is 7x I believe, it works great, I would recommend getting one with a light it been very handy at estate sales and thrift stores that are poorly lit

 

[NJ Marty]

This is all you will need. I like the eye loupe as it keeps my hands free. This puppy is great.
Bausch Lomb Watchmakers Eye Loupe 81 41 70 10x | eBay

 

[mugsisme]

This one came in a little bag. I keep it in the house, even though it is the smaller of the two I have. It was more expensive, which is why it stays home.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RAQC2I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This one is cheap. I have one in my pocketbook, and one in the car in case I accidentally leave the loupe behind. It's pretty cheap, and wAmazon.com: Carson TriView 5x/10x/15x Folding Loupe with Built-In Case (TV-15): Sports & Outdoors

You should know that when my friend who is a jeweler by trade was in town, he was very impressed with the Bausch & Lomb loupe.

 

[batcap]

I have the BelOMO, and a bunch of others, including the Bausch & Lomb Sight Saver, the variety pack you can get from Harbour Freight, and various little magnifiers I pick up at yard and estate sales (the Micronta lighted pocket microscope from Radio Shack).
My vote is for the BelOMO. It's built like a tank, it's a true triplet- most of the lookalikes are single lens. You can stick your rare-earth magnet to it's steel body, and it has a screw to adjust the tension so it doesn't swing open by accident . I've dropped mine on cement floors and left it out in the rain and it still works like new. It's as good as the B & L Hastings but costs only 1/2 as much. If you ever get a chance to compare a Hastings or a BelOMO to a cheap loupe you will find that you can see more detail in lower light with a quality triplet. 10X is enough. Here's a link to a rockhound that agrees: How to choose a loupe or magnifier... and where to buy

 

[diggummup]

I use an Eschenbach led 5x magnifier for most everything while out picking. I do have several other loupes and mags but this is my go to. If I need extra magnification, I like using the cheap Waltex that I have. Works for me. I even take photos with it.

https://www.bonanza.com/items/like/...-12-X-High-Power-Complex-Magnifier-New-In-Box

 

[Rodbuster209]

I use a 10x no name loupe, it works great ! Also remember to use it discreetly at yard-garage -family run estate sales as it might draw unwanted attention from the seller and make them look closer at what they are selling. Goodluck!

 

[JohnnyFlake]

I have used a multitude of eye loupes over the years and I can tell you, with certainty, that the one you have listed as "Nice-2" is as good as you can get. BTW it has a 21mm size which is slightly bigger than many others, which are usually only 18mm. A light source is imperative for proper viewing! Also, 10 power is enough to check out any kind of gem stone, although, I have a 12 power which I really love.

 

[billjustbill]

I've found that using a Loupe at a sale sends a lot of negative vibes to the seller. It also sends signals to other buyers at the sale that "something is up", kind'a like when one chicken finds a bug and all the others come running over to get their share or take it away from the original finder..... By it's design, the one I use doesn't project "He's looking for gold. or He must be a dealer."


I will generally use my magnifying glass if, before hand, I ask how much they are selling the jewelry pieces for, or if the jewelry is stapled shut in plastic baggies and pre-priced. Having that focused bright light helps when the jewelry seller has used more than one of those cheap, thin sandwich baggies and the two or thee bags cloud up because of the number of layers or if the morning dew has gotten in between the multiple layers....

The lighted magnifying glass is called "Ultra Optix" and it's stamped "7X". The power of a 5x isn't enough and the folding magnifying glasses or loupes with 10X or 16X have such a short focal point it's hard to look though and be quick at the same time. The bright L.E.D. that is built-in uses 3, triple-A (AAA) batteries. I've been using the same batteries for over a year.

There are many times each season that just having this pocket size bright L.E.D. makes decision making a lot quicker. There have been a few estate sales where the house has no electricity. One powerless estate sale put all the jewelry on a table in one room and then put the table in a NO WINDOW corner of that interior room! Just the number of people trying to get to the bagged jewelry cut down the amount of room light to the point it made the corner almost dark. The bright light worked so well that one dealer kept following my light and grabbing the baggie I would stop on.... The single L.E.D. is great for lighting up the back of bookshelves, sales held out in the garage where the only overhead light is from the garage door opener, in back corners of lower kitchen and corner cabinets, and top shelves of bedroom closets at estate sales. It has made the difference between finding something others can't see or letting go of something that isn't stamped with any precious metals stampings and quickly going to another baggie. The 7X is strong enough to see if there is any stamping on the thin fine wire of pierced earrings. If I can see "something" is stamped there, I'll always buy them. Hardly any of the "gold bugs or quick-grab dealers" around here use a loupe, not to mention a magnifying glass. If they only knew how much they leave behind!!!

I found what I use in the "Stamp Collection" section of Hobby Lobby and sells for about $10. (If you go on line, most every weekend there is a coupon for "40% off any ONE item"; so you get one even cheaper... ;>) I don't leave home without it!

 

[2ndisbest]

I guess I am lucky, by age 9 I was pretty much blind, however anything super close to my eyes (6 inches or closer) never went out of focus. To this day I can ready tiny marking without the use of a loupe or magnifying glass. Saves me a lot of headache when looking at jewelry.

 

[silverdollarbill]

Thanks for all the replies and recommendations. Will report back with what I decide to go with and a review.

 

[tamrock]

I've lost a couple loops over the years, so the less expensive ones are what I buy. It seems they all do the job just fine. I do think I should get one with a light because at times I need to move to better light in some places when I inspect things. I do like the kind I can put on with my car keys. It seems many antique shops have very poor lighting and I have a pen with a LED light in it so I can just see in some of the show cases with a poor light source or none at all. I always wondered how they think anyone could see what they have for sale in those dark cases??. Good thing for me is, most of the shoppers will not notice any of the good stuff in those dark show cases, till I come along with my little pen light to spot whats in it. Anytime sellers get suspicious of me looking at things like jewelry with a loop they do get curious and start asking what I'm looking for or what do I see. I have 3 replies. I'm looking for particular makers mark that I collect, I think I see something, but not sure if it's a mark or not. I need to look close at it to see how its constructed... If it turns out to be a good score, I say it looks nice and I do kind of like it, so whats your best price?. Then they just become eager to sell it to me.

 

[diggummup]

I guess I am lucky, by age 9 I was pretty much blind, however anything super close to my eyes (6 inches or closer) never went out of focus. To this day I can ready tiny marking without the use of a loupe or magnifying glass. Saves me a lot of headache when looking at jewelry.

I can relate. I am blind in one eye. Have had glaucoma since I was a child. I can see okay, just not anything close up, kind of the opposite of you. So I have all kinds of loupes and magnifying glasses and reading glasses as well as my prescription glasses.

 

[Drmad7]

When I turned 40, my eyes started going downhill. At garage sales and things, I mention my bad eyesight and pull out reading glasses or a cheap loupe. Folks around mention their poor eyesight and the fact that I'm looking at jewlery is never noticed. Thanks for the thread, OP...I just received my Belomo yesterday from the recommendations here. Bought a gold test kit too. Now I need to find your thread about magnets...

 

[JohnnyFlake]

When I turned 40, my eyes started going downhill. At garage sales and things, I mention my bad eyesight and pull out reading glasses or a cheap loupe. Folks around mention their poor eyesight and the fact that I'm looking at jewlery is never noticed. Thanks for the thread, OP...I just received my Belomo yesterday from the recommendations here. Bought a gold test kit too. Now I need to find your thread about magnets...

I don't know of a thread about magnets. If you locate one please let us know!

One thing about magnets that I am pretty sure of, is that the strongest available, based on size, are Rare Earth Magnets, and they are very reasonable.

 

[silverdollarbill]

Here is the thread about magnets.

So I decided to splurge and bought a few things:

- Ultra Optix SV-2LP Pocket Lighted Magnifier
PROs: inexpensive, not as "professional" looking as loupe, can use without holding up to your eye, light
CONs: plastic lens is not the best

OVERALL: Not bad and keeping but not sure I would buy again

- Premium Lighted Jeweler's Loupe 10x21
- this one conceptually sounded great
PROs: Metal body, Light (Only the LED worked)
CONs: expensive, very poor image when compared to Belomo, UV light turned on once and then never worked again (seems like a common issue), switch seemed cheaply made

OVERALL: Would not recommend. Returning.

- BelOMO 10x Triplet Loupe Folding Magnifier
PROs: Amazing lens and image (much, much better than one above), sturdy and metal, held together with screw so you can tighten if it loosen up
CONs: expensive, might not want to be the loupe you carry with you all the time

OVERALL: Would highly recommend. Great quality.

Thanks again for the recommendations.

 

[silverdollarbill]

So here is my final post about loupes.

The bellOMO was so nice that I kind of felt bad carrying it around me with all the time. It was just a matter of time before I lost it, so I decided to buy a cheap one.

I bought this: SE - Loupe - Doublet, Chrome Plated, Round Body, 30x, 21mm, 2 Pk

The price was so cheap, I thought they would be junk. (It is a 2-pack).

Overall, I was really impressed:
- definitely not 30x but close to 10x
- metal body construction and I think a glass lens
- clear image (much, much better than this expensive one: Ultra Optix SV-2LP Pocket Lighted Magnifier)

Overall, a great deal. Really impressed.

 

[biggmike]

6 loupes for $11.58 shipped.... They work fine for me

Lot 6 Pcs New Magnifier 10x 21mm Jeweler Loupe Eye Glass Loop Magnifying ZX0011A | eBay.