My best new sharpening aid

I use a 10x lighted jewelers loupe(amazon and cheap). But yours looks like it works fine. I have a triplet 18x a pal.of.mine gave me. Jewelers quality but it doesn't have the light built in. So I use the cheap one.
 
Magnification is a wonderful sharpening aid, isn't it? I've played with a number of different things. The cheap lighted 10x loupes are great. I've got a serious, optically superior, loupe, but I rarely bother with it. But what I mostly use, leaving my microscope to the side, is my Optivisor. Put it on your head, flip it down (yes it works with glasses) when you want a closer look; rotate in the (optional) 2.5x magnifier when you want a really closer look. It's just so darned handy. I should use my loupes more, but there's something to be said for convenience.

The thing I would argue against most of all is lighted head-worn magnifiers. I tried a few, but everything got better when I realized that I could use an Optivisor and task lighting instead.
 
I love my lighted magna-visor! I think it is a Carson but don't remember exactly. It came with 4 or 5 different lenses in a case - I use the 3.0X mostly. It also uses 3 AAA batteries. Here's an edited photo of me wearing it several years ago. I still use it nearly every day.

Edit: I mistakenly said the lens I use mostly was a 30X but I missed the dot. It is a 3.0X lens.

** I found the box: It's an Aven Inc. Carson Pro CP-60 Magnivisor Deluxe.

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I have a portable microscope which includes lighting, and i posted about a mod on CPF. Basically i use that product for knife edges only. Between the two —magnification vs. lighting— imho lighting is the more important/essential tool.

Without light AND without light shining from the perfect angle/direction, magnification can't make you see stuff. After yrs of experience, sensitivity, and general laziness haha, i don't use magnification anymore but only lighting (sun rays or power LED flashlight/headlamp), bare eyes, and thumb. It is interesting that a thumb can feel not only macro burr but also micro burr!

I would try your Carson MiniBrite (3xAAA) too for knives, wondering how well it can detect micro burr.
 
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kreisler said:
After yrs of experience, sensitivity, and general laziness haha, i don't use magnification anymore but only lighting (sun rays or power LED flashlight/headlamp), thumb.
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That's pretty much where I am. But I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel. I'm a "good enough" sort of guy.

(The kind that gives the truly finicky and exacting sharpeners a bad name. o_O 🤣 )
 
000Robert said:
I love my lighted magna-visor! I think it is a Carson but don't remember exactly. It came with 4 or 5 different lenses in a case - I use the 30X mostly. It also uses 3 AAA batteries. Here's an edited photo of me wearing it several years ago. I still use it nearly every day.

** I found the box: It's an Aven Inc. Carson Pro CP-60 Magnivisor Deluxe.

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This is all very well, and I'm open to discovering that some lighted head magnifier can be a good thing, as I certainly did not try them all. But how did you get to 30X? Everything I can find on that visor says that the max magnification is 3x.
 
UncleBoots said:
This is all very well, and I'm open to discovering that some lighted head magnifier can be a good thing, as I certainly did not try them all. But how did you get to 30X? Everything I can find on that visor says that the max magnification is 3x.
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You're right - My bad! I just looked quickly at the lens on my Magnivisor and missed the dot between the 30. It is 3.0X. I'll correct my post. Thanks.
 
It looks like Boattale has the Carson MiniBrite 3x from walyworld at $8.92.

I also use a lighted magnifying glass to sharpen. Even though I don't spend a lot of time sharpening, I got tired of squinting thru a jewels loupe and went with something bigger. I went with a big, round glass with several leds around the rim as opposed to one or two leds in the handle. I think mine is 10x and was about $10. Mine looks similar to the generic pic below. Great tool to have.

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Yep, when I am freehand sharpening my most important tools outside of my benchstones are a sharpie marker and a magnifying glass. They go a long way in helping me get a good edge.
 
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