Loupe brands

[bearfacedkiller]

The recent sharpening catch all thread expressed the importance of having a loupe as most sharpening discussions do. This got me thinking again about buying a better loupe. I have a cheap CE Harris 16x loupe that I purchased from a chain store called Hobby Lobby that is near my house. It works very well for my uses and I am very satisfied with the results that I get when sharpening and buying that loupe was a total game changer for me. However, I have done a bit of research on loupes and really want to buy a Belomo loupe due to the great reviews they receive and the apparent quality of them. I know the difference between high quality optics and low quality optics from my experience with binoculars and rifle scopes and the difference between a $40 Bushnell scope and a quality Leupold or Burris is night and day.

What brand of loupes do you guys use?

Do you think there is any added benefit to my sharpening ability by going to a higher quality loupe?

Should I just buy the Belomo for the build quality and better optics because I prefer quality?

[kbuzbee]

What brand of loupes do you guys use?

B&L. I've had great experience with their optics and this loupe is no different. It's a great tool and I use it evey time I sharpen.

Do you think there is any added benefit to my sharpening ability by going to a higher quality loupe?

Definitely. A couple years ago I bought a "cheep" loupe. It had a built in LED which I thought was a great idea. I have to "work" to get the light just so for my B&L. But the optics quality is far below the B&L so I find I never use it.

Should I just buy the Belomo for the build quality and better optics because I prefer quality?

No experience with the Belomo but it sounds like a good one from your research. I say give it a go.

Good luck,

Ken

[gdwtvb]

I bought a Belomo 10X years ago...at that time they were a screaming great deal. The price has risen over the years.

I'm happy with mine but mostly only use it when I am sharpening a knife for the first time. (Seeing where the bevels are off, etc.) once I get a knife blade "fixed" I maintain on the sharpmaker, no loupe required. (I have gone above shaving sharp in the past but found that chasing the particular rainbow isn't an intelligent use of my time.) To me when a knife doesn't shave anymore it's dull. Five minutes on the sharpmaker and it's sharp again and ready for at least another couple weeks work.

OK back to the loupe. Great piece of kit. I have seen some other recommendations on forums for things like a USB microscope, If I was only wanting to use mine for sharpening I might look at something like that.

Grizz

[Evil D]

Belomo make excellent loupes, as do Bausch and Lomb. I also have a 60x Chinese loupe I got off Amazon that is adjustable via a slide that works sort of like a tiny microscope, but the slide works better just for adjusting the focus. It has an LED which works surprisingly well and with the 60x it really gives you a good look at the edge. The only drawback is the higher up you get in magnification, the smaller your scope of view gets, so you don't see as much of the edge at one time. I find that more often than not I'm ok with my 10x unless I'm having problems sharpening a steel or something and I really want to investigate. I really only get the loupes out anymore if I'm having problems.

[phillipsted]

I've purchased a couple of Belomo loupes over the years. They are a solid piece of kit - the optics are good quality with a minimum of distortion and a good flat field of view. I was originally dissatisfied with the size of the lens - the aperture of the ocular (its diameter) is a bit smaller than other loupes. Don't be fooled - larger lenses tend to have a more curved focal field, which means that the quality of the optics falls off rapidly at the edges of the lens. The Belomo are remarkably flat across their diameter, providing a usable image across almost the entire loupe. Great stuff for the money.

TedP

[mikeh99]

What magnification have you folks found best? I was thinking 10X but that is just a guess.

[xinam]

What magnification have you folks found best? I was thinking 10X but that is just a guess.

Sal said in the sharpening catch all thread that 10x is what he used the most. Also stated he carries 12x,20x and sometimes a 50x.

I would assume 10x to be good for most times. Others, you may want a better look at things. I have never owned one and always relied on good lighting and feel. That said I'm currently shopping some of the above mentioned brands as I believe it is a key tool and might save me some time. I recently sharpened my s110 manix2 and wished I had one on hand to help me even out the factory bevels.

[quickster47]

I have used a USB microscope for a couple of years and it truly serves me well when sharpening knives. The really nice thing about the USB microscope is that you can save the pictures in a file and go back and compare them later.

Carl

[timlara]

Another vote for Bausch and Lomb. I've had one of their 10x for years and it works great. It's my go-to "invisible" splinter finder.

[Pinetreebbs]

Another Belomo user, 10x, I also have a 20x, it has a very shallow depth of field that makes it tough for edge viewing.

[DougC-3]

I was having problems aiming the built-in light on a cheap loupe just recently and tried my wife's MagEyes, a lightweight headband that holds dual lenses in front of your eyes. Hers came with #2 and #4 lenses -- I really don't know if they mean magnification power or diopters, probably diopters, but I was very impressed with the #4 lenses. I used them in front of my glasses and with a small adjustable head lamp on my forehead and got a great view of the blade edge. The headlamp really made a difference. I was able to hold the blade probably 3 inches in front of the lenses for viewing and saw almost the whole edge very clearly at once. You can just flip them up when not in use. I'm about to order myself a set with #5 and #7 lenses for greater mag.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywor ... 6sms3q6n_b" target="_blank

[Stuart Ackerman]

I have a few, but a Carton 10X which I used since my photog days still is in my EDC...folds away and can be used to start fires as an additional use...

[Stuart Ackerman]

No affiliation to the site, but I found this just using Google...
http://www.ascscientific.com/lens.html" target="_blank

[JD Spydo]

I've had a Bausch & Lomb 10X x 17X loupe for almost 10 years now and it has served me well. When I ever get well healed and out of my current bind I'm climbing out of I do want to get a ZEISS loupe. A good friend of mine works in the technical area of the medical field and he told me that all of his optic equipment is made by Zeiss and he tells me it's the very best and I believe him.

But if any of you have any other suggestions I would love to check them out. With all things being equal the Bausch & Lomb loupe I've used for such a long time has worked well for me. But I'm always searching out better quality equipment.

I've always heard that "Watchmaker Supply Houses" carry good quality loupes too.

[Evil D]

I've had a Bausch & Lomb 10X x 17X loupe for almost 10 years now and it has served me well. When I ever get well healed and out of my current bind I'm climbing out of I do want to get a ZEISS loupe. A good friend of mine works in the technical area of the medical field and he told me that all of his optic equipment is made by Zeiss and he tells me it's the very best and I believe him.

But if any of you have any other suggestions I would love to check them out. With all things being equal the Bausch & Lomb loupe I've used for such a long time has worked well for me. But I'm always searching out better quality equipment.

I've always heard that "Watchmaker Supply Houses" carry good quality loupes too.

Zeiss make a lot of high end camera optics, so I have no doubt their loupes are top quality.

[bearfacedkiller]

Thanks for all of the responses. I have read good things about the bausch & lomb hastings loupes as well.

I am gonna pick up either a Belomo or B&L Hastings soon.

[bh49]

Another vote for Bausch and Lomb. I've had one of their 10x for years and it works great. It's my go-to "invisible" splinter finder.

+1
I use B&L for years. BTW, it looks like a good sale for them on amazon. Just $10 shipped with prime. I paid about double for mine.
http://www.amazon.com/Bausch-Lomb-Watch ... h+and+Lomb" target="_blank

[JD Spydo]

Another vote for Bausch and Lomb. I've had one of their 10x for years and it works great. It's my go-to "invisible" splinter finder.

+1
I use B&L for years. BTW, it looks like a good sale for them on amazon. Just $10 shipped with prime. I paid about double for mine.
http://www.amazon.com/Bausch-Lomb-Watch ... h+and+Lomb" target="_blank

Yeah I'm with you on that one Roman :) Even though I have my sights set on a ZEISS variable power loupe down the road I still feel blessed with the multi-variable power Bausch & Lomb loupe I've been using for years has truly been a nice optical tool for sure and I won't hesitate to recommend one to any of the Brethren here at Spyderville.

I'm surprised we haven't heard testimonies of more brands than those 3 that we've discussed. I also have a nice Bausch & Lomb magnifying glass and it has also been a huge blessing as well.

[phillipsted]

The 10x is almost all I use, although I have a 12x that is also nice. However, when you get much above that magnification, the depth of field becomes so shallow that it is difficult view the edge.

This is true for optical loupes - but the digital microscopes are also pretty cool, just a little less handy for a quick inspection...

TedP

[JD Spydo]

The 10x is almost all I use, although I have a 12x that is also nice. However, when you get much above that magnification, the depth of field becomes so shallow that it is difficult view the edge.

This is true for optical loupes - but the digital microscopes are also pretty cool, just a little less handy for a quick inspection.

Hey TED I'm curious and I know some of the other Brethren are too about what brand and model of loupes you are using?

Myself for years I've pretty much been using Bausch & Lomb and have had decent results with that manufacturer.

Like I said in an earlier post I'm wanting to get some ZEISS (German made) equipment to ramp up. I'm curious as to which brands most of you are using. I know many of these are generic as well. I got 2 different sharpening kits that came with loupes that were generic. the right optics can be a great tool to aid your work.