Thread: Some advice needed

Hi,
I've seen guys on here advocating using magnification to check the edge whilst honing, and I was hoping someone could point me in the right direction with regard to the correct/sensible magnification to go for and if possible a decent make and where I could buy it from?
i don't mind spending reasonable money on a good quality loupe that will get good results. I bought one on Amazon and the diameter of a 20x was tiny, so I would prefer to pay more and get a larger diameter lens that is sturdy and well made.
Your advice and help is greatly appreciated.

50x or 60x is standard for edge viewing. You can get them with built in lights for $10 or less on Amazon. You don't need anything super fancy.

Originally Posted by Moonshae

50x or 60x is standard for edge viewing. You can get them with built in lights for $10 or less on Amazon. You don't need anything super fancy.

I didn't know there was a standard for edge viewing. I have always used a Belomo 12x to great satisfaction.

If you use quality optics 10x is all you need.

Thank you most esteemed gentlemen, I'll look for a good 10x, can you recommend a make and model, if that's allowed on here?

Yes, Belomo.

Of all the magnification that I have bought,,, the 10x loop gets 90 % of the action.

I really like my Bausch&Lomb 10X triplet. It has a 1 inch eye relief. With 20x you have to get really close to the blade. Don't want to bump into it, or cut yourself...

I primarily use a stereomicroscope for observing progress during bevel setting. For that, magnification in the range of 20-30x is quite sufficient.

My secondary use is for checking for microchipping of the edge near or at the time of the finishing honing. For that I max out my magnification at 63x, but it does help that I have Zeiss optics that have excellent resolution. On that note, please understand that magnification and resolution do go hand in hand for microscopic observation.

I think you'll find this as personal a choice as that of anything else on this site. I have a good quality 30X loupe but it collects dust. I prefer a cheap hand held 200X. The nice thing about the 200x that I use is that it under $10. If you don't like it, no big investment. It works for me. The jewelers loupe never did.