{"title":"Magnifiers and lighting","description":"\u003cp\u003eSmall work you cannot see is small work you cannot do. Loupes, a headband magnifier, a bench lamp, and a USB microscope for the jobs the naked eye loses.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"jewellers-loupe-triplet-21mm","title":"Jeweller's loupe, triplet, 21 mm","description":"\u003cp\u003eYou drilled the hole. Is the edge clean, or did the bit tear out on the way through? At arm's length every hole looks fine. That is what this is for.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eTriplet, and why that word matters\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA cheap magnifier is one piece of glass. Look through it and the edges of the picture bend, and every hard edge picks up a coloured fringe — red on one side, blue on the other. On a stone or a hallmark that fringe is exactly the detail you were trying to see.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA triplet is three lenses cemented into one stack, arranged so those two faults cancel. The picture stays flat to the rim and the colours stay where they belong. It is the reason a jeweller's loupe costs more than a plastic magnifier, and the only reason.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe lens is 21 mm. Chrome-plated body, folds into its own shell, comes in a hard case.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhich magnification, and please read this part\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore is not better. Magnification costs you working distance and field of view, and both go fast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e10x\u003c\/strong\u003e is the one most bench work actually uses. You hold it a couple of centimetres off the work, you can see a whole watch dial or the full length of a drilled hole at once, and your hand can shake a little without the picture running away. If you buy one loupe, buy this one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e20x\u003c\/strong\u003e is the middle. Good for solder joints, jewel settings and checking a thread.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e30x\u003c\/strong\u003e sits almost on the surface and shows you a field about the size of a grain of rice. It is for hallmarks, inclusions in a stone and the tip of a 0.4 mm drill bit. It is not a general-purpose loupe and it will frustrate you as one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat it is not\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is no light in it. You hold it to the eye and bring the work to it, and you need a lamp.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is not a microscope. For hours of soldering under magnification you want a stereo microscope on a stand, not something held in the eye socket.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eDelivery\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFree and tracked, to the United States and to Australia alike. \u003cstrong\u003eOne to two weeks.\u003c\/strong\u003e We hold no stock and we have no warehouse of our own: the order is picked and posted by the supplier after you place it, which is why we give a range and not a date.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e30-day returns from the day it arrives. Return postage is yours, the price of the item comes back in full.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ARVONELLE","offers":[{"title":"10x","offer_id":46228055818431,"sku":null,"price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"20x","offer_id":46228056113343,"sku":null,"price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"30x","offer_id":46228056146111,"sku":null,"price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0760\/5826\/3743\/files\/S79e97e09928442e3bd56bc011323496av.png_960x960q75.webp?v=1789697834"},{"product_id":"helping-hands-magnifier-led","title":"Helping Hands with Magnifier and LED","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe same idea as our plain helping hands, with the two things you reach for next already attached: a lens and a light. If you are working on anything with a 0402 resistor on it, you were going to need both anyway.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat is on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFlexible arms with crocodile clips, a weighted base, and a magnifier head carrying \u003cstrong\u003e3.5x over the main lens and 12x in a small inset\u003c\/strong\u003e. The LED ring runs off batteries in the head, so there is no mains lead tangling with the arms.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe part that matters\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 12x inset is the one people underestimate. At 3.5x you can see a joint. At 12x you can see whether it wetted or just sat there as a ball, which is the difference between a board that works and one you come back to on Sunday.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhere it stops\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe lens is acrylic, not glass. It is light, which is why the arm holds position, and it scratches if you wipe grit across it - a soft cloth, not a paper towel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA magnifier is not a microscope. For inspecting a chip marking you want a loupe or a scope, and we sell the loupe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBatteries are not included, and we would rather tell you now than have you open the box on a Sunday evening.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhich one to buy\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you already have good bench lighting and reading glasses that work, take the plain version and save ten dollars. If you are squinting, take this one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDelivery\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFree and tracked, to the United States and to Australia alike. \u003cstrong\u003eOne to two weeks.\u003c\/strong\u003e We hold no stock and we have no warehouse of our own: the order is picked and posted by the supplier after you place it, which is why we give a range and not a date.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e30-day returns from the day it arrives. Return postage is yours, the price of the item comes back in full.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ARVONELLE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47512650678463,"sku":null,"price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0760\/5826\/3743\/files\/S382f667bf91246e6a1f6b335f9da73a1t.webp?v=1789871426"},{"product_id":"headband-magnifier-led","title":"Headband Magnifier — four lenses, twin LEDs","description":"\u003cp\u003eA visor you wear rather than a lens you hold, so both hands stay on the work. Four interchangeable lenses and two lights in the headband.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat you get\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLenses at \u003cstrong\u003e2.0x, 2.5x, 3.5x and 5x\u003c\/strong\u003e, swapped by sliding one out and the next in. Two LEDs above the bridge, angled down the line of sight. The visor flips up when you want to look at the room instead of the part.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhich power to use\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigher is not better. Magnification costs you working distance: at 2.0x your hands sit where they normally sit, at 5x your nose is close to the work and a soldering iron becomes awkward. Most bench work happens at 2.5x. The 5x is for inspecting, not for doing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhere it stops\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAcrylic lenses, not ground glass. Light, which is why the headband stays comfortable for an hour, and scratchable, which is why you put it back in the box instead of on the bench.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you wear glasses, this goes over them, but the combination is heavier than it sounds and the focal distance shifts. Try it before a long session.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBatteries are not included. It runs on two AAA cells, and in Australia and Europe that matters less than a plug would - there is no mains lead on this one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eDelivery\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFree and tracked, to the United States and to Australia alike. \u003cstrong\u003eOne to two weeks.\u003c\/strong\u003e We hold no stock and we have no warehouse of our own: the order is picked and posted by the supplier after you place it, which is why we give a range and not a date.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e30-day returns from the day it arrives. Return postage is yours, the price of the item comes back in full.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ARVONELLE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47512659886271,"sku":null,"price":39.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0760\/5826\/3743\/files\/S696b8a7be41a4c869f300df76d15b318t.webp?v=1789871740"},{"product_id":"usb-digital-microscope-1080p","title":"USB digital microscope, 1080p with LED ring","description":"\u003cp\u003eA loupe puts the work an inch from your eye and both of your hands are now busy holding things still. A microscope on a stand puts the image on a screen and gives you your hands back. That is the whole argument for one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1080p sensor, USB. It shows up as a camera on Windows, macOS and Android, so any app that can open a webcam can open this. No driver disc, no proprietary software you have to trust.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEight LEDs ring the lens, on a dial so you can take the light down. That dial matters more than it sounds. At full brightness a solder joint or a polished steel face throws the light straight back and the image blows out white. Turning the ring down until the highlight just stops blooming is how you actually see a crack in a pad.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat you can see with it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSolder bridges and cold joints on through-hole and larger surface-mount work. The engraving on a movement bridge. Whether the edge you just filed is square or slightly rolled. Whether the bit you are about to throw away is chipped or just dirty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhere it stops\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe magnification figure on this kind of instrument comes from the sensor and the screen you view it on, not from the optics alone. A bigger monitor gives a bigger number. Read it as a range, not a specification: this is a working magnification for bench inspection, not a laboratory instrument, and it will not resolve a die surface.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDepth of field is shallow. At high magnification only a thin slice of the object is in focus at once, and anything with real height will need refocusing as you move. This is normal for the type and not a fault.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe stand holds the camera steady over the work. It is not a micrometer stage - you position it by hand and by eye, and fine work means moving the piece rather than the camera.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eiPhone is not supported. The connection is USB, and Apple's camera stack does not open a generic USB video device.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDelivery\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFree and tracked, to the United States and to Australia alike. \u003cstrong\u003eOne to two weeks.\u003c\/strong\u003e We hold no stock and we have no warehouse of our own: the order is picked and posted by the supplier after you place it, which is why we give a range and not a date.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e30-day returns from the day it arrives. Return postage is yours, the price of the item comes back in full.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mikrabench","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47512669716671,"sku":null,"price":59.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0760\/5826\/3743\/files\/Sa45f45df87d54d8a880918eb7fb69dcd8.webp?v=1789872133"},{"product_id":"bench-magnifier-lamp","title":"Bench magnifier lamp, USB powered","description":"\u003cp\u003eA loupe and a desk lamp are two things to hold and one hand left over. This is a lens with the light built around it, clamped to the bench, staying where you put it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e72 LEDs in a ring around the lens, three colour temperatures, metal clamp, USB powered.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe light ring is the real feature\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA lamp beside you throws your own hand's shadow onto the work - exactly where you are looking. A ring around the lens lights from the same direction you are viewing, so there is no shadow in the middle of the thing you are doing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThree colour temperatures matter more on a bench than they sound. Cool white shows scratches and edges; warm shows solder wetting and oxide; the middle is easiest to work under for an hour. Switch, do not squint.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eUSB, not mains\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt runs on 5 V from a USB port - a phone charger, a laptop, a power bank. There is no mains transformer in the housing. That is a deliberate preference on our side: a low-voltage lamp on a bench where you are also holding metal is a simpler thing to be responsible for. It also means there is no plug question: it works the same in the United States, Australia or anywhere else you can find a USB socket.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhere it stops\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eListings in this category quote magnification figures that do not survive contact with an optics bench, so we are not repeating one. It is a bench magnifier - it makes small work comfortable to see and lets you keep both hands free. It is not a microscope. If you need real magnification, that is the USB microscope.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe seller does not publish the lens diameter and we have not measured one. If the exact lens size decides your purchase, ask us first.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe clamp needs an edge to grip. It will not stand on a table by itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDelivery\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFree and tracked, to the United States and to Australia alike. \u003cstrong\u003eOne to two weeks.\u003c\/strong\u003e We hold no stock and we have no warehouse of our own: the order is picked and posted by the supplier after you place it, which is why we give a range and not a date.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e30-day returns from the day it arrives. Return postage is yours, the price of the item comes back in full.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mikrabench","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47513175195839,"sku":null,"price":59.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0760\/5826\/3743\/files\/S8b7bdecd332340e6af39bff910b7cc7fz.webp?v=1789880336"},{"product_id":"watchmakers-eye-loupe","title":"Watchmaker's eye loupe","description":"\u003cp\u003eA handheld loupe costs you a hand. This one wedges into the eye socket and stays there, and that is the whole reason watchmakers use this shape and not a nicer-looking one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlack barrel with a threaded eyecup, supplied with the soft ring that grips the orbit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eHow you actually wear it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is held by the muscles around the eye, not by the brow. Raise the cheek and lower the brow slightly and the socket closes on the ring; relax and it drops out. Everyone drops it a few times on the first day and then never again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWear it on whichever eye you naturally close things with, and keep the other eye open. Closing the second eye for an hour is what gives people a headache, not the loupe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003ePick the number honestly\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMagnification and working distance trade against each other, always. The higher the number, the closer your face has to be and the smaller the patch you can see.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3X and 5X\u003c\/strong\u003e are for working - fitting a hand, seating a screw, cleaning a case. You have room for tweezers between the lens and the work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e10X\u003c\/strong\u003e is the general inspection figure. It is what most people reach for and what most jewellery grading is quoted at.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e15X and 20X\u003c\/strong\u003e are for looking, not for doing. At 20X you are roughly a centimetre from the part and the field is smaller than a match head. It shows you whether a pivot is bent; it will not let you work on it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhere it stops\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a single lens, not an achromatic triplet. That means colour fringing at the edge of the field and softening as you move off centre - visible at 10X and obvious at 20X. Our triplet loupe is the one to hold for colour-critical inspection; this is the one to wear for everything else.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe stated magnification on loupes in this class is the manufacturer's figure, not a measured one, and the convention across the whole category is generous. Read the numbers as a ladder that is ordered correctly rather than as calibrated optics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt does not correct for your prescription. If you work in glasses, you will be taking them off.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDelivery\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFree and tracked, to the United States and to Australia alike. \u003cstrong\u003eOne to two weeks.\u003c\/strong\u003e We hold no stock and we have no warehouse of our own: the order is picked and posted by the supplier after you place it, which is why we give a range and not a date.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e30-day returns from the day it arrives. Return postage is yours, the price of the item comes back in full.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mikrabench","offers":[{"title":"3X","offer_id":47513363284159,"sku":null,"price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"5X","offer_id":47513363316927,"sku":null,"price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"10X","offer_id":47513363349695,"sku":null,"price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"15X","offer_id":47513363382463,"sku":null,"price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"20X","offer_id":47513363415231,"sku":null,"price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0760\/5826\/3743\/files\/S2f17723055de427788ebe683723fab16i.webp?v=1789885845"}],"url":"https:\/\/arvonelle.com\/collections\/optics.oembed","provider":"ARVONELLE","version":"1.0","type":"link"}