Thread: Honing loupes

I'm looking to purchase a loupe for my honing.. I really wanna educate myself in what a good bevel should look like and how a shave ready razor looks under magnification.. Any ideas on a good loupe for this hobby.. And is there a thread that explains what i should be looking for under a loupe..

You can't tell if a razor is shave ready with magnification. You can only see the physical condition of the edge which can have little to do with how it shaves. What you can do is see the bevel and any chips and imperfections in the edge.

As to what to get? it depends what you want to see. You can buy a radio shack magnifier and it will show you enough. if you want detail then you need something of quality. A good 10x magnifier will show you everything you need to see and more. A cheap 60x will show you way less. With any optical product it's always resolution over magnification.

Yes meant what a set bevel should look like ..and edge condition..

The absolute edge should not reflect any light at all. The 2 sides come together to an almost invisible point evenly(in a perfect world). if the edge reflects any light at all, then its not fully set(there is flatness).

I ordered a loupe that was recommended by a few other guys on a different post I'll give it a whirl when i get it .. I'll be posting a lot asking what am I looking at?

Originally Posted by Airportcopper

I ordered a loupe that was recommended by a few other guys on a different post I'll give it a whirl when i get it .. I'll be posting a lot asking what am I looking at?

Hopefully the bevel but they are fun to play with….

I got my loupe what does a set and non set bevel look like? Most of the razors bevels I have look dark.. I have one i think the bevel isn't quite there yet and it almost looks the same as the razors I have pro honed .. Des anybody have a pic of a non set bevel or a thread they can refer me to

This is the one I use: Amazon.com: Bausch & Lomb Watchmaker Loupe, 10x: Health & Personal Care

I bought a microscope from amazon a while back, it's a little more pricy but you can really get up close and personal with it. AmScope 20x 40x 80x Home School Student Dissecting Binocular Stereo Microscope with Incident and Transmitted Dual Light Illumination System: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

This is what I use everyday

Amazon.com: 40x Mini Magnifier Magnifying Glass LED Illuminate Jeweller Loupe: Jewelry

Buy 2 or 3 the loupe is about the same price as the batteries in them

I have never found a reliable way of "Seeing" the bevel set, The TNT and the AHT confirm that I have a sharp edge, the loupe confirms that the striations are even and complete along the edge..
I have found that they are really good for finding problem spots that will get past the "Feel" tests, basically I use both the tactile tests and the visual tests to confirm the complete bevel set .. But I don't rely on any one test