ok im getting older ish what do you use for looking at very small parts

[voipio]

A set of cheap reading glasses from Tesco. +1.5 dioptres for general stuff and +3.5 for close up work. The +3.5 are good enough for soldering 0402 sized components.

Their advantages are they stay on your head (except when upside down) and you can look sagely over the rims at clients, family and the like.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

@pedrobedro beat me to it, I was going to suggest this https://www.maplin.co.uk/p/22w-fluorescent-magnifying-craft-lamp-a29ff as they might be 'on offer' soon?

 

[500e]

Am really cheap, these are 2 boards working on to day. note chip between loupes


That chip is a 4A fuse we work on smaller

 

[GW8IZR]

The illuminated magnifying lamps are all I use on the bench and I swap PGA stuff on a hot plate, no trouble with my preferred 0402 etc.. but I also use my readers which are +1.5 and I look through the magnifier with them. The extra magnification helps. Without doubt parallax is critical as is illumination, you cannot light the work area up enough and multiple light sources preferably with slightly different colour temperatures from different directions is useful, LED's are your friend achieving this.

Surgeons manage with those small binocular scopes but they must be much better than the cack ebay versions as frankly if as surgeon was trying to snip a vital tube with them they would struggle with the distorted 3d perception. I notice that surgeons tend to work at a fixed distance from the job and dont go moving back and forward to get a fix on the target so the specs they use 'must' be better.

I keep cheap readers all over the place , in the car, LR, sheds, living room, kitchen etc...... at some point I cant find any of them and have to do a reconnaissance mission and find them and return them all too their proper home.

I have one of those magnifiers above the bench vice as well as it only plugs into a tapered mount so can be lifted out of the way easily.

HTH

 

[500e]

At my age I need all the help I can get, have bench magnifier as well, the light color is something I will try Tried a set of genuine medical ones 3.5, 400mm could see why they were £1000 + depth of field was fantastic

 

[mrsbruce]

As has been said, biggest helper is good quality lighting. I use a lamp with a magnifying glass attached, but a pair of the highest magnification reading glasses, and an led lamp is used more often nowadays.

Reaching that more ‘mature’ age can be a bit of a bummer.

Just to add, a gentle yellow as your work surface colour is much better for your eyes.

 

[RonA]

2.5 x Headmagnifier
RonA

 

[Olderisbetter]

I use cheap specs and good light, My mate does electronics is getting on a bit and he has a 32" screen in his shed and a camera on a probe he can look over the stuff he is fixing and he also has an old camcorder on a stand he uses for looking at stamps on the screen....When i say he is getting on a bit i mean it as a compliment as in almost 80 and still fixing valve radios and modern bits

 

[slim_boy_fat]

That chip is a 4A fuse we work on smaller

You'd not need to sneeze, would you.....

My pal's son & his wife do soldering to NASA [?] standards for a Company in Aberdeen, they've been all over Europe, both on courses & doing work.

 

[roofman]

I've had one of these for a few years now, for the price it's fantastic.
You have the option of doubling up the lenses to increase the magnification though I prefer to use them singly.
If it broke I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

Wow just what i need...thanks for the link

EDIT...might have to reconsider my purchase looking at delivery dates
Delivery:
Dispatched within 1 day
Estimated between Mon. 26 Mar. and Wed. 9 May.

 

[ukracer]

I use these, Up to 4x> they don't drop off when bending over.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Front-Co...Reader-/282425231088?var=&hash=item41c1db06f0

Problem using these or similar is where to put your own glasses while you are using these..lol

 

[Olderisbetter]

I have one of these i use on the bench for fine work it has nice bright LED lights, £23 from Farnell CPC

http://cpc.farnell.com/pro-elec/pel00797/led-magnifier-lamp-5-60-leds/dp/LA05797

 

[Beanwood]

Was this thread prompted by my rather rough looking reading glasses that I wore to inspect the sander when we met on Tuesday ? (Good to meet you BTW )
I keep a pair in the car, another in my boiler suit, kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, work. Crikey - I must have LOADS of pairs, in various states of disrepair, but blow me - I often can't find a single pair!!

If you start to use them, I'd suggest not doing so all the time. My eyesight was pretty good until 7 years ago, when I started to use them for really small print. Now I wear them all day - and can't read a thing without them.

Mind you - with reading glasses worn under my shield, I can at least see the weld pool clearly

 

[ukracer]

Wow just what i need...thanks for the link

EDIT...might have to reconsider my purchase looking at delivery dates
Delivery:
Dispatched within 1 day
Estimated between Mon. 26 Mar. and Wed. 9 May.

THAT GETS MY GOAT...I BET THEY HAVE A UK ADDRESS AS WELL..

 

[angellonewolf]

Was this thread prompted by my rather rough looking reading glasses that I wore to inspect the sander when we met on Tuesday ? (Good to meet you BTW )
I keep a pair in the car, another in my boiler suit, kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom, work. Crikey - I must have LOADS of pairs, in various states of disrepair, but blow me - I often can't find a single pair!!

If you start to use them, I'd suggest not doing so all the time. My eyesight was pretty good until 7 years ago, when I started to use them for really small print. Now I wear them all day - and can't read a thing without them.

Mind you - with reading glasses worn under my shield, I can at least see the weld pool clearly

^^^^^^ no actualy nothing to do with you poping over i have been strugling with my eyes for about 2 years just come to a head as i had not done soldering for a while and noted at that time how hard it was to see what i was normaly would have beenable to see only what seams only a short while will go

and heard from meny people how after using glasses offen there eyes go down hill fast dont know if thats because they start using glasses or if your eyes go down hill fast when they start going