Speaking for myself I put my 40x B&L stereo scope on the shelf a long time ago. I use a 30x eye loupe to check edges. When honing I always give them a looksee before I start to see if there is any micro chipping or other anomalies. I usually don't check them again until I am done. I never go by scratch patterns, only by the feel of the edge during the progression of the honing. As I've said many times, the lower the power of the magnification, the better my honing.