I have 2 loupes. One is 10X with LED light, the light comes in handy in poor lighting situations but otherwise I try not to use the light (horrible unnatural light). My preferred magnifier is pocket size with 2 loupes (8X and 30X), use the 8X for looking at the overall coin and the 30X for tiny details, great for variety collectors such as myself. Hand held loupes are great as you hold the coin in one hand and can rotate it to see the details and then move the loupe with the other hand to maintain a sharp focus; visor mounted and desk top magnifiers don't let you do this (and don't fit into your pocket when you go to coin shops, garage sales etc).
When I can spare the cash (always buying nice coins so hard to put extra cash aside) I will get a 200X magnifier and hook it up to a computer so I can store and analyse the finer details.
When I can spare the cash (always buying nice coins so hard to put extra cash aside) I will get a 200X magnifier and hook it up to a computer so I can store and analyse the finer details.



















