Magnifying Glass

[eddiememphis]

I have been looking at the desk mounted type with lights and hand held.

What power magnification do you guys use?

The hand held types go up to 30x. Desk mounts seem to max out at 5x. Is 5x enough for a good examination or is more better?

[Hummer]

Lamps with magnifiers can be awkward to use.

I use an Opti-visor with the 2.75x lens for a 6" focal distance. You can choose your own focal distance lens. Mine has a swing to the side AccurLoupe that provides additional 2.5x magnification for closer work. If I need more I have a simple 10x loupe. My optivisor also has a light that can be aimed at the work.

https://doneganoptical.com/product/optivisor/

I also use Ott-lites. I have a floor model lamp with 3x magnifier which is handy for some things. I really like the Ott-lite table lamp with the natural light bulb. It's stable, durable and I've used it for 20+ years. Mine doesn't have the magnifier but I would recommend this:

https://products.ottlite.com/p-42-magnifier-task-lamp.aspx