Where can I buy a desk magnifier for under $40?

[Majestyk]

Is there such a thing? One with magnification to work on a watch module. I've looked online for 8 hours straight and I've come up with NOTHING. I refuse to pay anything more. I can buy a hand held 90mm 10X magnifier for $5.00 shipped. Why does a desktop/gooseneck with 4X magnifier cost 5 times more?

[bruce wegmann]

I paid $70 for a Bausch & Lomb StereoZoom microscope that gives me 15-90X; good enough to do any kind of work on watch modules.
Best tool investment I have ever made. Cutting corners on essential tools is false economy.

[Majestyk]

Ha, well that's a unique deal that you got. I won't even bother looking that up because I know it will be in the hundreds. That being said, I can't solder and look under a microscope at the same time. I have to give you credit for doing that. I also can't figure out how people can solder with those video microscopes either, but I guess I'm not as gifted as others.

I just bought a Hakko soldering iron station and a hole slew of supplies, so when I see magnifiers costing more, it kind of irks me. I think I will build my own.

[Majestyk]

Ok... Some of them aren't as expensive as I thought. But I just can't see myself soldering and looking through a 'loupe' at the same time. It would certainly take a lot of practice.

[clockace]

The key word there is "practice". Working on watches without magnification by a loupe, microscope, or headband magnifier is inviting disaster or at the least failure. I have been doing it for over 50 yrs. By the way, some of the tools watchmakers use do cost money. Peter

[Kasper]

and as you know...the bigger the lens the smaller the magnification.

[Majestyk]

"Working on watches without magnification by a loupe, microscope, or headband magnifier inviting disaster or at the least failure. "

Who here wouldn't agree with that? That's why I started this thread. But I've never worked on watches using a scope. It's like starting over. I used to have a magnifier with a clamp. But the magnification sucked and I had to put another magnifier over it. Then one day I broke it. What I'd like to replace it with is a desktop magnifier (no clamp) but no one seems to make a decent one. (IE: Real glass lens with good magnification)

[SASM]

I do not use such devices at all, but why don´t you get one of these USD19.- chinese magnification cameras with USB and use your Laptop as a microscope?

[Majestyk]

Are you saying you don't use what's been mentioned here or you don't use magnification at all? You must have eyes like a hawk, if the later.

I've seen those USB cameras on YT. They have a motion delay (at least the one that I saw being reviewed) which would drive me nuts. The guy reviewing it claimed he could never solder using it. So he used it for inspection only. Incidentally... I don't own a laptop (can't stand them) but if I did, it would never go near my soldering iron. :) Plus the smell of solder permeates into plastic.

BTW, I find it odd that those cameras are cheaper than most desktop magnifiers.

Anyway, I ended up buying a (real) Optivisor...glass version. I'll probably hate it. And I'll probably need to use reading glasses in conjunction with it.

[clockace]

That's what I use for most general work. With a #3 or #5 lens. For really close up work I use a loupe 8-10 power. Can't solder with that tho. Peter

[Majestyk]

I got the #5 lens. You can get loops for these as well. I might try one but if I need a little extra magnification, I think I'll just add a cheap pair of reading glasses into the mix.

[Majestyk]

Man, this tutorial of a 1080P USB microscope is painful to watch. I'm sure once he cleaned everything up it would be 'ok'. Go to the 17 minute mark.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIWUFFlr2I4

(Warning, the guys voice is also painful)

[charger105]

Yes very painful !
He talks too much.

[fronzelneekburm]

Well, hawk eye here, so i usually don't use any magnification. For the few exceptions (One being the malicious "Omega La Magique") i usually use either a monocle style loupe (If it only takes a few minutes. these are kinda "painful" but offer awesome magnification) or what we call a "third hand" in german, that is kinda big loupe on a stand with a clamp to hold the module.

[Majestyk]

Even though it may not seem like it, you hawk-eye's are straining your eyes with no magnification. Help your eyes out now and they will be kind to you in the future.

[Majestyk]

Got the Optivisor today. It exceeds my expectations. I don't require any additional magnification (IE: Reading glasses). It's lighter and more comfortable than I thought it would be. The one I got is slightly older (Came in mostly a white box). The adjustable pivots at the side are aluminum, not plastic. The screws that hold the lens in are metal with nuts on the other end. I've read a few complaints that the screws holding the lenses can fall out over time. It not possible with this one.