Microscope Options

[Darrell]

I would like to step up my razor maintenance, and the best thing I could do is buy some sort of scope. This would insure knowing exactly what is happening when a strop is used correctly or incorrectly, or a few passes on diamond paste has what exact affect?

Yes I am fairly new still to all of this hence my reasoning, still not 100% sure I am doing everything correctly. I am assuming this would take all the guess work out of every aspect of keeping my razor in tip top shape.

So is it possible to get a microscope for $75 or less? nothing powerful obviously but something just enough to show what is wrong with the edge.

Thanks for the input in advance, anything is greatly appreciated.
Darrell

[nessmuck]

radio shack has a scope for 12.95. i have one and it will let you see if you have a nice bevel or if an edge is messed up, it takes a little to get use to but for the price its worth it.

[sparq]

You do not need a microscope to figure out what is wrong with an edge. If you are into photography or have a friend with old SLR lenses, get an old lens 25 to 55mm long and look at the edge through it (in reverse - edge is where the film was).

[Pete_S]

A loupe works well also. You could prolly get away with a good magnifying glass, too.

[flylot]

What power loop do you recommend, 10X, 20X, 30X? Inquiring minds want to know........

[zib]

Be careful with the loupes. I have a 10x power which is adequate. You can see if there are small chips in the bevel. I bought 20x and 30x off Amazon. I swear there's no difference, they both seem like the 10x They were so cheap it wasn't worth it to send it back.

[thebigspendur]

I would like to step up my razor maintenance, and the best thing I could do is buy some sort of scope. This would insure knowing exactly what is happening when a strop is used correctly or incorrectly, or a few passes on diamond paste has what exact affect?

Yes I am fairly new still to all of this hence my reasoning, still not 100% sure I am doing everything correctly. I am assuming this would take all the guess work out of every aspect of keeping my razor in tip top shape.

So is it possible to get a microscope for $75 or less? nothing powerful obviously but something just enough to show what is wrong with the edge.

Thanks for the input in advance, anything is greatly appreciated.
Darrell

If you think using a scope will take the guesswork out of razor maint. you would be making a big mistake. A scope will tell you if you have microchips and imperfection in the edge but it will tell you nothing about whether the edge is shave ready.

Save your money and buy a loupe. Its quality over quantity with any optical instrument. A quality loupe at 20x will show far more than a cheap 100x one. I use one which is about 30x and it shows me all I need to see. Look for the good brands like B&L or Zeiss. You get what you pay for.

[Darrell]

Ok so whats a loupe??

[avatar1999]

Ok so whats a loupe??

Google "jewelers loupe" and you'll see

[Pete_S]

The cheap loupes are definately a crap shoot. I got a lot of three of ebay, they're all about 5-8x, despite being labeled 10x,20x,30x. The best I have I got from sciplus. Its about 12x and its labeled 20x.

I decied to look around, I could use a decent 20x loupe. These look like they might be good. And they're pretty cheap.

BelOMO 20x Quadruplet Loupe Magnifier - Amateur Geologist, Inc

Bausch & Lomb 20x Folding Pocket Magnifie 3 lens (5x & 7x & 8x) - Amateur Geologist, Inc

Don't know if the magnifier would be any better or worse then the loupe, I think I'll email them to find out.