Thread: My Edge under 320 Magnification...Critique Please.

Originally Posted by mrsell63

Can you tell us about your usb microscope, brand name etc?

I picked it up off Amazon. It was $40 bucks. Not the greatest, but if you hold your breath just right it works ok. Took quite a bit of fumbling around to capture the pic of the edge...very hard to focus. I had to remove the plastic shroud so I could get the blade close enough to focus. The button that allows you to take pics is near impossible to use at that magnification. Throws the microscope out of focus when you try to snap the pic. I resorted to doing a print screen from the PC.

Here is a link to the one I picked up. Really not all that impressed but will make do.

AGPtek® USB 800X Digital Microscope endoscope 2MP 8 LED Compatible with Windows and Mac OS 10.5 or above For Micro-measure Work:Amazon:Industrial & Scientific

Don't be too concerned about a chippy looking edge unless it fails the shave test. Below is a Puma that looked pretty rough to my eye @200x after finishing but the shave was as smooth as silk. Go figure.

I shaved this morning. Shaved great! I'm still a beginner so my technique isn't perfect, but I'm impressed with how it came out. Only slight irritation from the alum block on the bottom of my chin...to be expected for now.

Here is a pic of a hair next to the edge. My wife really thinks I've lost my mind right now.

Your wife is right. You have lost your mind, as have the rest of us. However, this is an interesting and instructive thread, and I appreciate your starting it. I keep reading more about USB microscopes being used by honing enthusiasts and I see their value. However, in the final analysis, the final test is still how it shaves.

Originally Posted by Onegrecook

I picked it up off Amazon. Not the greatest, but if you hold your breath just right it works ok.

I'm looking for a microscope that will take close up pics similar to yours.
If you had to do it again which would you choose?
Thanks in advance,
Ralph

Originally Posted by TheLegalRazor

Your wife is right. You have lost your mind, as have the rest of us. However, this is an interesting and instructive thread, and I appreciate your starting it. I keep reading more about USB microscopes being used by honing enthusiasts and I see their value. However, in the final analysis, the final test is still how it shaves.

So true. I started honing on my naniwa 12k ss and had NO magnification. Shortly after, I received my 30x loupe and had my feelings hurt However, I had shaved with the razors before obsessing over the edge and had great shaves.

As a fellow SRP buddy pointed out to me, I'd look pretty ragged too under 30x magnification.

Still won't stop me from chasing the edge, though

Originally Posted by Raol

I'm looking for a microscope that will take close up pics similar to yours.
If you had to do it again which would you choose?
Thanks in advance,
Ralph

I've gotten used to it. I had to remove the plastic shroud that protects the lense, but other than that, I've learned to make it work. It gives me pretty good images. I'm not sorry I bought it, but it is a little tricky to learn to use.

I basically leave it on 400 magnification and move the razor up and down in small increments until it's focused. I fold a towell in half and use that to rest my hand/razor on while trying to get it focused. That helps steady the image so it isn't moving around too much. It works ok...I hesitate to tell you it's great because it isn't, but it allows me to see the edge and I feel it's improved my honing skill.

FWIW

If it is a Veho, on the upper left hand corner of your screen, the first icon is a camera. Click on that and it will take a picture. Make sure to save the photos. The cover is to protect the lens only.

Nice bevel and edge, Put some Chrome Oxide or Metal Polish 3 inch X’s on the inside of a piece of a cereal box, put on the edge of a table or bench and strop 15 -20 laps with a bit of pressure. Clean well and strop on leather.

You will have a very nice shaving edge that you can maintain for a long time.

This is a very interesting thread, and I think it demonstrates how high magnification can make a blade look worse than its practical functioning will be. I keep a 10X loupe around to look at my edges while I'm honing, have tried 20X and 30X loupes but find that the 10X tells me what I need to know. I have been totally surprised by how imperfect some of my edges have looked right after giving me a great shave. When I see the imperfections, I can't resist touching them up, but the shave after the touch-up is pretty much equivalent to the shave before it. I think this thread is very instructive, but I have to keep reminding myself that my shaving actually takes place at 1X, not 10X. I'm not saying that studying the edge under high magnification is not helpful, just making the point that an edge that looks pretty scary at 400X can shave like a dream.

I haven't pulled my microscope out for ages! Reading this thread gave me me the motivation

Originally Posted by Raol

I'm looking for a microscope that will take close up pics similar to yours.
If you had to do it again which would you choose?
Thanks in advance,
Ralph

Any of the generic black USB microscopes on ebay do a resonable job.

This is the 500x USB microscope for $24.50au (even less in US) USB 8 LED 2 MP 50 500X Digital Microscope



I couldn't find my holder so the focus is a little off. The brownish blotch on the upper edge and blade is oil\light reflecting off, not honing marks or chips or what ever else comes to mind. one piece of hair for reference. But really, if its feels nice, who cares what it looks like under massive magnification

I mainly use my scope to see what different hone marks look like, natural vs synthetic etc