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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
Here's a few I use, starting with the big glass and going clockwise: Ultra-Optix #SV-3LP: This is great for scanning large lots of coins for particular dates. Peak 8X: Designed for viewing 35mm slides, it has the best optics and eye-relief of all (easy eye focus) Harris 10X: I bought this at a coin shop. The optics are the worst of this group. Hamilton-Bell 10X: Jeweler's loupe--very compact (folds to thumb size) and nice optics. Perfect for cherry-picking coin shows.  As a bit of recommendation, I would avoid loupe magnifications over 16X. I think it's overkill, and it will probably give you eyestrain when studying coins over time. Scopes are better for super-detailed study.  Edited by DVCollector
10/14/2009 3:49 pm
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Valued Member
United States
402 Posts |
Last year at the Baltimore show, two companies were passing out free magnifiers. Not cheap ones either. One company was CFC which is a lending company of sorts. I know the name because I use this magnifier all the time over my other six and its here in front of me now. They were laying on the tables and you could just pick one up but I think they go fast.
edgman/Tom R
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Valued Member
United States
99 Posts |
I just picked up an illuminated (BRIGHT LEDS!) 30X. It does the job and the light really brings out the details. Here's a link to it: http://www.amazon.com/SE-30X-Illumi..._grid_pt_0_0I also have a bausch & lomb loupe for the quality optics but the illuminated one is now my go to piece. Edited by snook
03/11/2010 3:52 pm
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Valued Member
United States
321 Posts |
I just got a Bausch and Lomb "3 in 1 5x, 7x, 9x" and own a 14x hastings triplet.
mlong219, the main differences you'll find in a loupe is the field of view, and quality of magnification.
field of view will decrease as magnification increases. You will find that as mag. increases, you will have to hold the coin closer to the lens. when you see something like "10x by 17mm" the 17mm refers to the diameter of the lens and field of view. get out a ruler and take note of how small that really is.
The quality will show in the type of lens, a triplet is one of the best, then there are doublets and singles. As you move down the line, you will see that the image blurs on the edges more and more
Eye strain is pretty inevitable at first but you will get used to it.
since its your first loupe, I REALLY dont think you should be getting a 20 or 30x. It's important to be able to view the entire coin wholly at once. However, I understand that its awesome to look at a coin at high powered magnification!
The 3 in 1 I have is nearly perfect because it was relatively cheap, there are 6 possible magnifications (including 20x as you can double up and triple up on the lenses), and the quality is decent. only drawback is that it does blur on the edges sometimes.
hope this helps!
matt
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Valued Member
United States
71 Posts |
The B & L "triple" loupe was my choice because of their optic reputation ... I like it and use it regularly
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Valued Member
United States
103 Posts |
Just from a jewelers perspective (i use my loupe a few hundred times a day at work) the "best loupe" is from Zeiss. They are around $100 each but well worth the price. If you don't want to spend that much, make sure you get a triplet loupe (makes it so the sides of the lens dont look fuzzy). Also you'll want to make sure you get a flat color thats not shiny. Some cheaper loupes actually reflect light from their exterior surface onto the lens which can be really annoying.
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Valued Member
United States
327 Posts |
Snook, I bought that loupe you mentioned there. That thing is a joke. Even my hastings triplet at 10x blows that thing away and the field of view was horrible. The only thing salvageable on that thing is the light....lol.
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Valued Member
United States
102 Posts |
I'm in the market for one too, looks like I'm gonna go for a Bausch & Lomb Hastings Triplet Magnifier 81-61-71 10X, $37.50 shipped.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1512 Posts |
I have a Harris 16X that I got at my LCS. I am not that excited about it. I think I may get the B&L triplet; I have heard good things about it. I think an illuminated magnifier may be good too. My eyes are starting to wear out and I am not even 35 yet!
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
Agreed, my loupe is a flat black color. I see those people on those pawn tv shows using gold plated loupes and just sigh. Must be a triplet, don't settle for anything cheaper than that. I agree that 10x power is all you really need.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9793 Posts |
I use a B&L 7x APO Triplet, by far and away the best lens for under $75.00 IMO. Zeiss would probably be a touch better, I don't think for general coin viewing or grading you would ever need more than a 10x power, for variety hunting, 15-30x can sure come in handy, I have a really old Panasonic pocket microscope that I think is 20x range and lighted, very nice for checking double dies and RPMs or RPDs.
"Buy the Book Before You Buy the Coin" - Aaron R. Feldman - "And read it" - Me 2013! ANA Life Member #3288 in good standing since 1981, ANS, Early American Coppers Member (EAC), Colonial Coin Collectors Club member (C4), Conder Token Collector Club member (CTCC), Civil War Token Society (CWTS) member, Liberty Seated Collectors Club (LSCC) & Numismatic Bibliomania Society member (NBS), USMex, Member in good standing, 2¢ variety collector. See my want page: http://goccf.com/t/140440 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1476 Posts |
I use B&L Hastings triplets as well. What also comes in handy is a 5 to 10 times 'Jeweler's loupe' for quick scans of the whole coin.
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New Member
United States
13 Posts |
The best coin magnifiers and loupes are from Eschenbach. Zeiss would be next on the list. They are not inexpensive, but they blow away the B&L ones. That said, this is not what a collector would purchase as a first loupe. A first loupe should be at least a triplet loupe. And they generally come inexpensive at a 10x. Having an inexpensive 5x as well is good to have to get a full overview of the coin. Just for your own edification, I dropped in a picture of the most popular one that dealers use which is a 3+6=9 achromatic loupe.  The 5x loupe is also well liked because of its wide field of vision.  Here is a link to the entire Eschenbach Loupe line on our website so you can see them all: http://www.safepub.com/sections/coi...ifier-loupesThere really is no comparison in quality - which is why Eschenbach is the preferred brand for graders and dealers. If you are in Baltimore, just stop by and take a look. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1118 Posts |
Get an otoscope from a drug store. Great for checking cent doubling.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4692 Posts |
Good question. All the posters have good suggestions. A while back I bought a B&L triplet, but I didn't really see a difference over the generic cheap loupe I had before.
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Replies: 23 / Views: 58,280 |
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Posted 02/15/2010 5:31 pm
