Thread: A Good Honing Tip - Using the Loupe

I guess this thread should be titled "magnification on the cheap".

So I'll be the contrary one and say to save your pennies and get a quality magnifier. Once you look through a quality magnifier you never want less. 10x is all you ever need with a good loupe or hand lens. You can see everything.

So having said that, I have a $10 job I use to check the stylus on the old turntable and it works fine.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

I guess this thread should be titled "magnification on the cheap".

So I'll be the contrary one and say to save your pennies and get a quality magnifier. Once you look through a quality magnifier you never want less. 10x is all you ever need with a good loupe or hand lens. You can see everything.

So having said that, I have a $10 job I use to check the stylus on the old turntable and it works fine.

So where do you find these quality magnifiers and what do they cost?

Funny this thread came up. I was going to start one last night but was too tired.
After spending some time honing with an experinced member here (see other thread), I saw the value in watching for that white line. So last night (with my new LIGHTED loupe), I set out to pay attention to only that variable, since the other tests were not giving me a good go/no-go on the bevel.
To my surprise, sure enough I could see a very tiny white line at the edge, almost indistinguishable at times. I stayed on the 1k until that was completely gone - and it turned out to be longer than what I would have thought. The other advantage is you can see exactly what areas are good and which others need more work, so you can concentrate on those.
Also, beyond bevel setting, you can see if your higher grits are meeting the edge. After a little time on the 5k, I noticed the very faint white line again. Realized I forgot to change out my tape from 1k - did that and whamo, I was getting the edge.
Sorry for the long whinded post, but I too believe this is a powerful tool in giving a very good indication of edge quality. I feel like I now have a good test to see if the razor is ready to move to the next hone.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

10x is all you ever need with a good loupe or hand lens. You can see everything.

I agree bigspender,.....my quality 10X Bausch & Lomb eye piece is way better than the three dollar 35X from the popcorn box.

Originally Posted by Ludvig

So where do you find these quality magnifiers and what do they cost?

Im too lazy to do it for you.
Google 10X Bausch & Lomb and see what you come up with.

Originally Posted by Raol

Im too lazy to do it for you.
Google 10X Bausch & Lomb and see what you come up with.

Thanks, found it. A definite jump in price, but maybe it's worth it. I just ordered a 40x with LED light for $3. Not quite the same as you recommended but it is a cheap starting point, I can always upgrade later on.