Loupe recommendations?

[kimchi]

I can't even find my old one at the moment. It worked well enough but I can't remember the magnification X and it's a bit scratched up anyway. So, time for a new one!

Any recommendations would be most welcome, even general ones like what sort of magnification is best.

I'd like not to spend a fortune, one I can take good photos through, and the ones with LEDs look like a good bet to me (?).

 

(Hope this is in the right part of the forum.)

 

[whitesands1]

I have Ruper loupe, which I have owned since 1996!  I often lose it but it keeps finding its way back to me.  It cost me £17 new, a lot for a loupe but it is highly recommended.

It has magnification for 3, 4 and 5 times and you can add them together to get 7X, 9X and 12X!

The advantage of three lenses or (triplet) is that you get great clarity, true colour and the quality of the image is much superior as there can often be distortion in bigger single lenses.

I use it for everything, not just coins.  It was a great investment for me.

[kimchi]

Many thanks @whitesands1! A very helpful and detailed post and it looks very good

I'd still be grateful for any (and all!) other recommendations so i have a few types to choose from.

[silversky]

Me too, I lost mine so looking for something nice that anyone can recommend.  My budget is somewhere in the middle of the road.

[Clens92]

The Nikon Precision 10x is fantastic, in my experience.  Very good for diamonds and true-colour; the only criticism is that is rather small and easy to lose.

[stackspot]

Thanks @kimchi for bringing this up

Thanks @whitesands1 and @Clens92 for the recommendations

I keep threatening to get one so I stuck my neck out and went for a new Ruper on eBay - £32.99 with free delivery

 

[whitesands1]

I am certain you will like it!  Compare it to a cheaper one when you can and you will see the difference, very versatile loupe.

I found this on the WWW

"Why Ruper? The story goes that when first manufactured for Hilkinson in Japan in the mid-fifties they were to be called Super Magnifiers. An unfortunate typo changed this to Ruper Magnifier. Over 50 years later, the Hilkinson models are still made in the same factory and they are still known as Rupers."

Super Ruper!

 

[kimchi]

Yes indeed the Japanese have problems with their L & Rs, because there's no difference in Japanese (or rather, it's halfway between the two with a touch of the English 'D' tongue movement thrown in as well for good measure!).

I'd still be very interested to hear any other recommendations but @stackspot if you've found a reputable seller on ebay I'd be grateful for the link

The light is not always great here though, so still wondering about the lit ones, hmmm...

[hooria]

Bausch + Lomb has a wonderful reputation for top-of-the-line loupes.

There are also high-quality loupes made by Nikon and Zeiss but they can exceed $100. I don’t know that you need to spend that kind of money.

Bausch + Lomb offers a very fine, optically-correct gemological loupe for about $50 which is, in my opinion, the best value for the money. Because it has a smaller diameter in the loupe area, some people complain that you have to move it around to take everything in. But you’re looking at – or for – microscopic things inside or on the surface of a stone. A smaller diameter is actually better for gemological purposes because it helps you focus more critically and precisely.

At the most affordable end, the BelOMO triplet loupe is worth considering as well. Like the Bausch & Lomb, it has a reputation for accuracy and retails for less than $50. BelOMO is made of steel and is a bit larger and heavier than the tiny B&L. This loupe possible suited more for coins.

[Silvergun]

I have a Belomo Triplet 10 x Loupe , i can highly recommend it .

[stackspot]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ruper-x3-x4-x5-Folding-Lens-Multi-Magnification-Loupe-/181671953070?hash=item2a4c7e02ae:g:eGMAAOSwNSxU5xur

99.7% in last 12 months for more than 3000 ratings

Same people as at http://www.ukge.com/

[fehk2001]

3 hours ago, Silvergun said:

I have a Belomo Triplet 10 x Loupe , i can highly recommend it .

+1

triplet lens and fine tune lens all round make a huge difference

price is a bit steep but well worth the $$$$$$$$$$

[stackspot]

One with a light -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/5fn/21mm-Jeweler-Loupe-10x-Magnifier-LED-Light/B00MMYNX38/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_229_tr_t_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3H5F0MERFB1NWWMS77VH

[fehk2001]

5 minutes ago, stackspot said:

One with a light -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/5fn/21mm-Jeweler-Loupe-10x-Magnifier-LED-Light/B00MMYNX38/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_229_tr_t_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=3H5F0MERFB1NWWMS77VH

one of my friend bought this loupe the lens is blur on the outside , not very nice for grading

[kimchi]

Thanks so much to everyone for the input, it's been incredibly helpful!

Every loupe that's been posted about has been of great interest looking into, and hopefully if there's no other topic on these on the forum folk will continue to chime in over time, as I think it's so helpful to many folk

[fehk2001]

2 minutes ago, kimchi said:

Thanks so much to everyone for the input, it's been incredibly helpful!

Every loupe that's been posted about has been of great interest looking into, and hopefully if there's no other topic on these on the forum folk will continue to chime in over time, as I think it's so helpful to many folk

Nah you are wrong , we help you , you get us some fresh kimchi and bibimbap

[kimchi]

13 minutes ago, fehk2001 said:

Nah you are wrong , we help you , you get us some fresh kimchi and bibimbap

Always lots of thoroughly fermented kimchi here for my loupe buddies!

[fehk2001]

1 minute ago, kimchi said:

Always lots of thoroughly fermented kimchi here for my loupe buddies!

bibimbap and Pajeon 

but I think most of the people here will find it too spicy  

ok , I change my mind , just put Kim  taeyeon as my COLLECTION  will do , easy task for you , thank you 

[kimchi]

1 minute ago, fehk2001 said:

bibimbap and Pajeon 

but I think most of the people here will find it too spicy  

ok , I change my mind , just put Kim  taeyeon as my COLLECTION  will do , easy task for you , thank you 

I don't have a furnace for proper bibimbap

My kimchi is the northern type that is more salty than spicy (although it is very spicy of course!). I can, though, offer as a special deal some lovely 1932 kimchi that has been graded as KM68. I am happy to swap for a sovereign of the same year

 

 

[Roy]

My wife makes her own kimchi too. Takes bloody ages but she does do it in bulk.

I like the taste but it does stink 

Sometimes she hides it in my beer fridge and it taints my beer. Luckily no coins have been harmed as yet 

An old pic for a new member so it makes sense!

[fehk2001]

14 minutes ago, kimchi said:

I don't have a furnace for proper bibimbap

My kimchi is the northern type that is more salty than spicy (although it is very spicy of course!). I can, though, offer as a special deal some lovely 1932 kimchi that has been graded as KM68. I am happy to swap for a sovereign of the same year

 

 

Not 1937 ??

[fehk2001]

13 minutes ago, Roy said:

My wife makes her own kimchi too. Takes bloody ages but she does do it in bulk.

I like the taste but it does stink 

Sometimes she hides it in my beer fridge and it taints my beer. Luckily no coins have been harmed as yet 

An old pic for a new member so it makes sense!

I think she dislike you 

she should have put some ginseng into your beer plus a bit of honey , your body  will feel boiling * hot * at night 

[Roy]

lol when we first got married, I was a 'victim' of all the tricks of the East. Powdered this and ground that...

She forgot that I was raised on roast beef and Guinness and she soon became 'in da club'. Strong swimmers you see 

Now she's happy with her Korean/Japanese dramas and leaves me to my forum! 

[kimchi]

On 18/05/2017 at 19:42, Roy said:

My wife makes her own kimchi too. Takes bloody ages but she does do it in bulk.

I like the taste but it does stink 

Sometimes she hides it in my beer fridge and it taints my beer. Luckily no coins have been harmed as yet 

An old pic for a new member so it makes sense!

A fine lady who stacks my fridge with homemade kimchi...the lass of my dreams!

But my spider sense tells me there is something badly wrong with that 'beer fridge'..the encasement looks fine enough, and there seems to be oodles of space. No I still can't quite work it out but something is bugging me about that photo for a 'beer fridge'. I think you've been had!

[Roy]

Fair play...a midweek drought 

t

Note the toxic items on the bottom shelf