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 Replies: 20 / Views: 9,252 |
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Rest in Peace
United States
4078 Posts |
Quote:
a Hastings triplet is the way to go  made by Bausch & Lomb |
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
1454 Posts |
John1, I took your excellent advice on the Hastings and purchased that. I was going to buy a Bausch & Lomb, bpoc1, but then I noticed the BelOMO 10x Triplet Loupe. When I checked it out on Amazon, I saw that it had better overall reviews than the B&L, plus it was more affordable at $28 shipped. Now my only concern is that 10x will be too powerful and I'll have to turn around and buy a 5 or 7x, instead. Hopefully, it doesn't require much of a steady hand, since I couldn't find that trait when I checked in my genes. |
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Bedrock of the Community
Australia
21788 Posts |
Get a 10x loupe. That's what the TPG's use. Higher magnifications are OK, but they are increasingly difficult to use with higher magnifications, due to a very narrow depth of field. Some people are short sighted, and that's why they need corrective glasses at close range. 2x correction is typical, so in theory, if you take off your glasses, and use a 2x loupe, your eyes are no better off for looking at detail in sharp focus. For such people, higher power loupes, typically 2x more than for a person who does not need glasses, are an advantage, but bear in mind the difficulties of higher power loupes. |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
My Two Cents: get a corrected triplet loupe. I got a Peer 10x, and it's great for everything even gemstones. Will set you back $50-60 depending where you are. Look into some Chinese or otherwise cheaper sites online. To me, though, and this is just me, if you can't see the detail without a loupe then it's quite a small variation within tolerance. To mods: should this discussion take place in the Main Coin Forum? |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1554 Posts |
Naked eye for grading, a 5X to double check when doing so and a Harris 16X triplet for attributing VAM's and LC and etc. varieties. Edited by 1893S
01/17/2014 4:19 pm
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Moderator
 United States
56855 Posts |
traevin, Is the triplet you bought a Hastings or something else? 1893S, I tried a 16x and the view was all distorted around the edge and the center view was a bit blurry. John1  |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
10045 Posts |
Quote:
Higher magnifications are OK, but they are increasingly difficult to use with higher magnifications, due to a very narrow depth of field. Well put--and if you look at a lot of coins, get the best quality loupe you can. Quality optics are easier on the eyes and let you work more. I spend a lot of time looking for small details on coins such as overdates and doubled dies. I have jeweler's loupes, but I like my Peak 8X the best of all. It has a much better depth of field than diamond loupes--I use flipped over.  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1554 Posts |
John1- you must of had a bogus 16X no distortion or blurring on mine. It works great, just takes time to learn how to use properly. I use mine almost daily..Check what's hanging around most dealers necks at coin shows, usually a Hastings 10X or 16X, they aren't hanging there for looks.
Edited by 1893S
01/17/2014 5:06 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1454 Posts |
John, This is the one I got. It's my first loupe so I hope it's OK. The stats are below. Lib, You were actually the guy I most wanted to hear from. I jumped the gun and made an impulse buy instead of waiting for your opinion. I'll look into the Peer as soon as I finish this reply. Loupe Magnifier - 10x Triplet Folding Loupe Magnifier - High Quality Imported BelOMO Lens (10x21mm with 17mm viewing area)by BelOMO 10x Magnification Power Large 0.65'' (17mm) Viewing Area Large 21mm(0.85'') Achromatic Triplet Lens Gathers Light for a Bright, Clear and Color Correct View Optical Quality Glass Lenses, each BelOMO loupe is certified just like a camera lens. Great for rocks, minerals, jewelery, coins, stamps, part inspection  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
3692 Posts |
Glad to be of free service, lol. As long as what you see through the lens doesn't look distorted or rounded you're good. The best way to check for this is to get some grid paper and if the grid rounds up towards you it's a cheap lens. Baush & Lomb is just as good as any other good optics company. Look into who makes good high-end binoculars and it will translate into loupes if they make them.
When I'm working on something I use 4x (something called an Optivisor), or if I want to show a detail to a client (or anybody) I'll use a 3x lens (a larger lens to allow someone to look at an object without straining their eyes with a 10x, because most people will ask you how to use a loupe). 10x is for checking the final product, looking for imperfections, checking stampings, and checking for things that catch your eye at first glance.
Just avoid cheap optics. Dollar stores nay-nay.
Edited by Libertad
01/18/2014 7:18 pm
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
The binoculars comment just made me think of something. Has anyone tried using a rifle scope as one (not attached to a rifle of course lol)? Most are big enough you could have the entire coin under it and with the recessed lens it shouldnt be touching anything.
I might have to experiment a little with this.
As for the op question a lot will depend on your eyes. 5-10 is what the graders use for grading but theyll go up to 20 to check authenticity according to their grading videos. They say most actually stay in the 5-7 range but if your eyes arent great that obviously may not help a whole lot.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1454 Posts |
BB,
I actually have a NightForce 2.5-10x42mm riflescope that I was thinking about using as a pseudo-loupe before buying the one above that I ultimately settled on. I think the magnification range would be perfect for the application I have in mind, although the size of the scope might be a hindrance. I think I'll pull it out of storage- I haven't been to the range in years, I'm sad to say- and see how it compares to the one I bought. Let me know if you try the experiment, as well.
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Bedrock of the Community
13014 Posts |
I have a scope that should be showing up soon for one of my rifles. Cant remember the exact details of it off hand, but when it comes Ill have to try it out and see. Ill definitely let you know how it goes if you havent posted an update already. Morgans and Ikes might be a problem getting into the end of the lens but everything else should fit I believe, it might actually be better letting light hit it now that I think about it.
Like you I've been neglecting the range too which I really need to stop doing. Imagine the looks wed get at a coin show pulling out a scope to check out a coin lol.
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New Member
United States
23 Posts |
I have used the Doublet 10x loupes for many years with good results. My wife bought me a Harris 16x last week and I really like it. The shallow depth of field takes some getting used to, but resolution is fantastic.
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Valued Member
United States
269 Posts |
A 10x loupe is the most common because its the magnification used by gem graders.
So when you buy that 20ct diamond and its graded vvf, its been graded with a industry standard 10x magnification
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Replies: 20 / Views: 9,252 |
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First Page
Posted 01/14/2014 5:23 pm
