Loupe by Bausch & Lomb, 10x Watchmaker Loupe, Sight Savers, Black

Some of the negative comments about this product have nothing whatsoever to do with the manufacturing quality or the design of the product. Rather, they seem to come from a misunderstanding of how it’s designed to be used. Hopefully, my comments will help you understand what you’re buying before you place an order.1. What does 10X mean? It means that the object being viewed is magnified ten (10) times. This eye loupe is best used when you want to see really close detail on things like jewelry, watches, insects, stamps, or finding a splinter in your finger.2. Field of View: When viewing a dime with this loupe, you can’t quite see 100% of the entire dime in sharp focus all at once. In other words, only sections of the dime will be in focus at any one time. If you want to be able to see the entire dime in focus all at once, you should look for an eye loupe with a lower magnification power (example, 7X). But of course, with lower magnification you won’t be able to see as much detail.3. Outer edge distortion: When viewing something with this eye loupe, it’s normal for the outer edges of the lens to appear distorted or out of focus. This is not a defect. Only the center area will appear sharp when held at the correct distance.4. What does a 1” focusing distance mean? It means that when the object being viewed is in focus, the distance from the lens to the object is approximately one (1) inch.Think about that for a moment. To use this loupe properly, you’ll need to hold it only one (1) inch away from what you’re trying to see. At such a close viewing distance, it’s normal that your hand or your head may create a shadow that blocks your light. If so, you may need to change the direction of the light or stand in a different position.5. How do I use this product? This product is an eye loupe, not a magnifying glass. It wasn’t designed to be used while holding it several inches from your face. To use it, use one hand to hold the open end of the eye loupe against the bone of your eye socket. Now position yourself or the object to be viewed approximately one (1) inch from the lens. Finally, move yourself (or the object being viewed) slightly forward or backward until the center area of the lens is in sharp focus.Some people are able to successfully hold an eye loupe in place without using their hands. In such instances, the eye loupe is positioned between the cheekbone and the brow bone (like when using and old-fashioned monocle). The natural tension of your skin will hold the eye loupe in place.However, many people (including myself), are unable to do this, or can only do so for a few seconds before the eye loupe falls to the floor. Note: Be careful. If the loupe drops onto a hard surface, the lens may break or pop out.Another method of holding an eye loupe in position is to use a headband. These items use frequently by watchmakers, and work by using a spring wire that fits around your head to keep the eye loupe in position. Sorry, but I don’t use a headband with my loupe, so I can’t recommend a specific model.PROS:1. Excellent image quality. I’ve used Bausch & Lomb eye loupes for many years and have never been disappointed.2. The lens is made of glass, not plastic. A glass lens offers a clear image that is much more scratch-resistant than plastic.3. Made in the USA. Does it matter? You bet it does! When you purchase something made in America, you’re supporting the US economy and providing jobs for American workers.4. It comes with a draw-string velvet pouch for storage.5. It’s a good value. When you consider the quality of this product and that it’s American made, the pricing is quite reasonable. Sure, you can always buy something cheaper. But before doing so, ask yourself: Were any American jobs created to manufacture the product? Am I getting a cheap plastic lens, or a glass lens?CONS:1. I really can’t think of any.FINAL THOUGHTS:Rather than just being a useful tool, don’t underestimate the entertainment value of this product for you and your kids. You may not think of an eye loupe as a source of entertainment, but seeing ordinary things in close-up detail is truly fascinating. There are many intricate details in flowers, butterfly wings, paper currency, rocks, coins, stamps, insects, and many other objects that can only be seen under magnification.

Used for card hobbyist. Solid choice. Coming from a grandson of a jeweler.

This is an inexpensive, but useful tool for up close, intricate work - like on a watch! Work items must be held within an inch of the lens to bring the item into focus and the lateral field of vision is very small, but that's to be expected with this type of lens. I gave it only 4 stars because the loupe body is made of plastic that does not feel real substantial. I believe it could be broken easily if dropped on a hard surface or accidentally abused. But for the money this is a very nice loupe.

Good

This is the magnifier I use the the second most at my bench for coin evaluations. With coins and other metal objects, but coins especially, 5x is just right, if you see something untoward, you can go higher, and this 10x does the trick; but working all day at at 10x or 20x will make one eyeball fall out, which you can conveniently catch in this cup shaped instrument and take to the ER. The lens gives very good overall definition, with only the B&L, Eschenback, and maybe the Zeiss loupes being noticeably better. This instrument is designed to be held up to your glasses or at that distance at least and works very well at that distance and does not scratch the glasses in my use. This is not one of the "eye loupes" the old time watchmakers used to hold in their eye socket. These are smaller and I can't make one stay in that way. I have a few of these, but use the 5x mostly and the 10x next.

This loupe (10X) is a total piece of garbage. First, you can only get a clear view through the very center of the eyepiece. The rest is severely distorted. Second, the depth of field (the range that you can move the loupe while the object stays in focus) is very narrow. This makes it very difficult to examine anything because you have to constantly worry about keeping the object in focus. I bought the loupe for examining the fine detail on surface mounted components on printed circuit boards. I wanted to look through the loupe from a distance above the board and have it magnify the circuit detail. It is totally useless for that. It is even practically useless when you hold it to your eye (intended use) and examine objects, due to the very narrow depth of field. The Bausch & Lomb 5X loupe works great. It does not have the same issues mentioned above. I ended up throwing my Bausch & Lomb 10X loupe in the garbage where it belongs.

First, I'll make sure some terms are clear.Focal length is the distance from the lens to the point where the image is clear.Depth of field is how thick of an area is clear at that focal length.Field of vision is how wide of an area you can view.On this loupe, the focal length is very close, about 4 or 5 cm (2 inches). The depth of field is very shallow, and the field of vision is small. The lens is not clear and sharp all the way across, you will only get a good image in the very center of the lens.And since I did not see any other reviews explicitly state it, the bigger end is what goes to your eye.The lens side should be close to the object you are viewing.I find that it can be very hard to get enough light when trying to inspect a larger item, like something that is bigger than the diameter of the lens. It takes a lot of moving the item to properly see it and inspect it with enough light. So you have to be very patient to use this.I personally bought this to inspect very small features of objects I've machined. Things like fit and finish of parts, how well threads were formed for very tiny holes (like M1.2 or M1.6 screw threads), whether a chamfer at a hole is sufficient, etc. This is a very tough tool to use for that because it is so hard to get a clear image of the feature I want to inspect.I have switched to a Mitutoyo 10x loupe that works much better. The clear body allows a much brighter view.

This has a glass lens. It's well built.

Cumple perfectamente su función, solamente que después de cierto tiempo comienzo a marearme por la cantidad de aumento. No sé si me pasaría igual con la de 5x. Se logra ver muy claro y el detalle es impecable, lo único es el mareo pero creo que ya es tema personal. Por eso considero que si le vas a sacar provecho a las 10x es una excelente compra.

Poor quality. Full of aberrations. Not happy. Not with for the price paid.

Received this a few weeks ago an ideal acquisition to my growing watch collection. Great value for money and well made and presented. Very pleased with it.

Difficult to focus through this