Loupe

If you want to inspect your edges, 10X will do but 20X is better.
 
Oh ok. Well I have BelOMO and Bausch & Lomb 10X loupes but use them for other things. Probably someone who uses one for sharpening could advise you on a better choice.
 
For general sharpening a 10x works. I found one at a 2nd hand store for $5. It was a little beat up but gave a clean, clear view. Whatever you get, start with good optics then decide on power. I bought a 15X that is only marginally better than my 10X due to poor optics.
 
You can frequently find good loupes in places that sell geology field supplies. I have a Bausch & Lomb 10x that is pretty good. I would not get one where you stack the various powers on top of each other. Go with fixed power.
 
Another B&L user here. The thing to look for in the optics is distortion around the edges of the image.


-X
 
Spend the money and get one with a large field of view that's flat (with the least image distortion around the edges) --- the lenses should be triplets.

I prefer comparators over loupes. Learned that in the field when I was studying for my BS in Geology. I still have and use my Edmund Optics pocket comparator with interchangeable reticles. Got it due to a recommendation of one of my professors. Glad I did as mine is over 30 years old now, and I've never wanted or needed another. They still make them. Professionals the world over still use them. Spend the money and buy only once.

Google "Edmund Optics"
 
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leghog said:
Spend the money and get one with a large field of view that's flat (with the least image distortion around the edges) --- the lenses should be triplets.

I prefer comparators over loupes. Learned that in the field when I was studying for my BS in Geology. I still have and use my Edmund Optics pocket comparator with interchangeable reticles. Got it due to a recommendation of one of my professors. Glad I did as mine is over 30 years old now, and I've never wanted or needed another. They still make them. Professionals the world over still use them. Spend the money and buy only once.

Google "Edmund Optics"
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Excellent advice. I bought an old Alidade a year or so ago..... really cool. It is sort of a blast from the past these days. My Brunton compass dates back to the 1950's and was a gift from my first boss.

Something like this would be pretty good. http://www.amazon.com/Bausch-Lomb-Hastings-Triplet-Magnifier/dp/B0007LRNG6/ref=pd_bxgy_hpc_text_z

Or go 10x.
 
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I agree with the field of view issue. The triplets are often pretty small and that makes them less comfortable to use (especially higher power ones). But I still use my B&L 10x after 30 years. I used something like you suggested for looking at pictures (ususally slides) and a light table or details from aerial photos back in the film days.
 
22-rimfire said:
I agree with the field of view issue. The triplets are often pretty small and that makes them less comfortable to use (especially higher power ones). But I still use my B&L 10x after 30 years. I used something like you suggested for looking at pictures (ususally slides) and a light table or details from aerial photos back in the film days.
Click to expand...
Triplets are available offering large fields of view too.

I've had one of these for 30+ years.

1600.jpg


Lets light in, offers a large flat field of view, and can handle reticles.

1876_1.jpg
 
I use the Belomo 10X...It used to be a screaming good deal, but it looks like they figured out how good theirs is and raised the price over the last several years. I'm a believer in paying for good optics, it is easy to see the difference between mine and a cheap one I had picked up sometime in college at the campus bookstore.

I'm not sure 10X is 100% ideal if all you want to use it for is sharpening, as I would consider 10X the minimum magnification for that, but I've been happy with mine for years. Use it mostly when first time sharpening new knives to see what the true bevel is, and then fix the knives so they are easy to sharpen and maintain on my sharpmaker. I keep it in my first aid kit, used for splinters and the like mostly.


Grizz
 
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