‘Vision aid magnifying glasses’, any good?

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

Has anyone got personal experience of 'VISION AID MAGNIFYING GLASSES WITH 5 LENSES, LED LIGHT, HEADBAND', good or bad comments welcome. Even with reading glasses I'm struggling to see clearly enough.

Tony

[BazParticipant @baz89810]

I have experience of Lightcraft brand magnifier which has a headband, led light and comes with five lenses. I find my set invaluable and have recently purchased a set for my wife to help her see her cross stitch and also a set for my daughter who uses them for her jewellery making, i believe they are on offer at Axminster tools at the moment.

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

Thanks Baz I will give them a look!

Tony

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

I think from your description it's what I have, so, yes, I find them very useful. The light is handy under some circumstances, and I generally just stick with the middle strength lens. The headband can work a bit loose if you move your head around a lot, but not a major problem.

Hope this helps.

Rob

[Tony Pratt 1Participant @tonypratt1]

Thanks Rob, very helpful to hear personal experiences.

Tony

[Speedy Builder5Participant @speedybuilder5]

Yes, sort of all right but the LED lamp isn't very powerful and the switch on mine is very crude and I have wired a replacement slide switch in place of it. The lenses are plastic and so far after 6 years, are still clear and scratch free. Keep in the box when not in use and make a special place to store the box in. If you want them for watch repairs type of work, they aren't powerful enough.

Bob

[HOWARDTParticipant @howardt]

Yes, I have used one with the light for about five years and works for me when I need to get close up. Also have a Russian made on with single lens fitted, had about thirty years and still use in it in the office.

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

Note the working distances on the Axminster ones, all the others will be the same.

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

I bought a cheap Rolson set, and find them useful except for the need to get really close to the job.

If I used them more often, I'd go up-market. Although the lenses are reasonable the headband is an uncomfortable plastic band and the LED light isn't as good as it might be.

Wish my eyes were young again!

Dave

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

I found that I was struggling to see fine detail, especially when turning with the lathe, my first thought was increase the available light, I did this by purchasing an led head torch, I was amazed at how much easier it was to see detail work with the extra illumination. I would suggest that a head torch is sometimes more suitable for certain operations than a headband magnifier which might get in the way. It’s worth a try and I was surprised how much difference it makes, the torch I purchased is rechargeable from a usb source. Dave W

[Mick B1Participant @mickb1]

Posted by Grindstone Cowboy on 19/01/2022 14:56:44:

I think from your description it's what I have, so, yes, I find them very useful. The light is handy under some circumstances, and I generally just stick with the middle strength lens. The headband can work a bit loose if you move your head around a lot, but not a major problem.

Hope this helps.

Rob

Yes, I think mine are this type too. Only the most powerful lens (3.5) appears to me worth using, so the others are already stored somewhere obscure. I use the elastic headband – the spectacle arms are useless.

The thing's a long way short of perfect, but well worth the modest purchase price.

Edited By Mick B1 on 19/01/2022 17:42:55

[CirclipParticipant @circlip]

Don't buy them from the big river, the ones from the bay are exactly the same -but cheaper.

Regards Ian.

[IanTParticipant @iant]

I purchased an Optivisor (with loupe) a few years back – although I cannot recall exactly what it cost now. I wear it all the time in the workshop and find it essential now my eyesight is not what it was. I know I've spent much more on some tools that have probably only seen the light of day once or twice since.

Thinking about it, the Optivisor is almost certainly my most used tool.

Regards,

IanT

[JohnFParticipant @johnf59703]

I have used Optivisor for many years, originally I purchased from the USA, I was buying a fair amount of other goods at the time and the price was much better than here. now there is less difference so probably not worth the bother. However I find the number 5 [2.5x] lens to be the most useful, it has a focal length of 8 inches. I also have a No 8 lens [3.5x] but very early use it, same result for the loop.

The lenses are indeed very good quality but I have never compared them to other makes — beware the bargain offers for "Optivisor" on the internet auction sites !!!

John

[Grindstone CowboyParticipant @grindstonecowboy]

Posted by Mick B1 on 19/01/2022 17:42:13:

I use the elastic headband – the spectacle arms are useless.

The thing's a long way short of perfect, but well worth the modest purchase price.

Edited By Mick B1 on 19/01/2022 17:42:55

Oh, must be a different type – mine doesn't have spectacle arms as an option. This is mine…

I did once get some which were like a spectacle frame with two loupes attached, but they were absolutely useless as you couldn't look at anything with both eyes open. They were very cheap though, so it's a case of you get what you pay for.

Rob

[george baker 1Participant @georgebaker1]

Hi

I have at least 5 different types/ brands and use them all the time.

The LED ones are better than the filiment lamps, those you can adjust the "flop down" tension are better than those you can not, a selection of lenses help if you need to work closely, or VERY closely. You can get a "sweat band" from welders suppliers which help if you wear the magnifier a lot.

George

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

I haven't used this brand but the type with two separate rectangular lenses fitted together were prescribed for some of the visually impaired children I used to teach. These enabled someone with very different strength eyes to have different powers for each eye.

I have used simple ready readers at +3.5 effectively for several years and this raises the question for me of do I go this quick and dirty, but relatively cheap to replace when they inevitably get scratched route, or a more expensive option that is kept in service well after its sell by date because of the cost of replacement. Only the individual can decide.

I have used an eyeframe with LED lights but find a more powerful light from above easier to use as the whole work area is illuminated and you are not looking in a small pool of light. We used these with the VI children to the exclusion of other lights with the exception of illuminated hand magnifiers, but of course these take up one hand in the workshop.

[Adam MaraParticipant @adammara]

Mine is a £20 set from Amazon, they have been a godsend for close up work, although I do very little now.

In March 2020 I woke up unable to focus my eyes, long story but had an 'Eye stroke' and was diagnosed with severe double vision. Rectified by stick on prism lenses on my glasses to start, then after 6 months got proper prism glasses. Had to hand in my driving licence, although I had already decided not to renew it when I was 82.

I do struggle now, 3 seperate pairs of glasses to cope with reading, long distance and pair of bifocals for using my laptop and watching telly. Needless to say, I never have the right pair on!

[bernard towersParticipant @bernardtowers37738]

I used to use Binomags for years I think they were ex WD and really good but had a set of optivisors bought me (lucky me) with two sets of lenses and they are fantastic. Beautifully clear and loads of room for your specs under them.

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

Posted by Adam Mara on 20/01/2022 11:08:16:

I do struggle now, 3 seperate pairs of glasses to cope with reading, long distance and pair of bifocals for using my laptop and watching telly. Needless to say, I never have the right pair on!

While my sight problem is less severe than yours I had a similar issue that started when I needed to wear glasses for distance vision as well as for close up.

As I was teaching ICT/Computing I found in an ideal world (ideal perhaps for ophthalmologists with overdrafts to pay off) I would have benefited from 4 pairs of glasses – distance, reading, computer (in between the two) and computer (further away) for looking at a student's screen from behind them!

Suffice it to say that since then I have used varifocals where I can normally find a bit of the lens that works for most things – The only issue is going down strange stairs where I need to look down and unfortunately that bit of the lens is set for a reading distance of 60cm or less. Going up the spiral staircase to the ramparts of Warwick Castle was easy – coming down took longer, a lot, lot longer!

PS: As I wrote this I realised that I might have expected to have issues with lathe work for a similar reason, but I often sit on a stool which means the right bit of the lens is usable without cricking my neck.

Edited By Nick Clarke 3 on 20/01/2022 13:11:30

[John AbsonParticipant @johnabson65530]

I bought a pair out of curiosity, safe in the knowledge of the £10 or so I saved that I wouldn't otherwise have spent . When I put them on my wife laughed at me which overcame any 'not another parcel' remarks.

Overall impression is that they are nicely put together and they seem to work well. The white plastic is attractive but perhaps more suited to an optician's clinic than a model engineer's workshop

Comments otherwise:

– LED light strength on the low side of OK

– if you are sitting at a bench the magnified field of vision is rather in the direct line of sight and (using the spectacle arms rather than the elasticated headband) I had to bend my head forward to lower it to suit my workplane (hope that makes sense).

For the reduced price I'd recommend them, even if not 100% perfect. For those of us with vision problems they could well be just the thing. I could see myself using them for detail painting and lining out.

/J

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

I have a set. Luckily not needed often, so far. They are useful when needed, but I only use them when really required because they are not that comfortable.

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