GemOro Jewelers Loupe Magnifier | Silver Hastings 10x Jewelry Eye Loop LED Light Magnifying Glass Monocle for Watch Repair Diamonds Coins Plants Gems Stamps Rings Glasses Earrings | Pocket Microscope

I bought this for my husband to look at his coin collection. He said it was very good

I'd rather not comment

Nice product, works well.

I need something like this for electronics (checking solder joints, viewing tiny surface mount components, etc.), and for collecting baseball cards (looking for subtle surface defects that will affect whether it is worth it to submit the card for professional condition grading).The loupe comes in a plastic case with a fuzzy plastic insert to hold it and the tiny screwdriver that is used for battery replacement. The loupe is rather large considering the relatively small size of the lens. It comes with a pre-installed battery for the single LED light, with a tiny on/off switch in a somewhat awkward position. The light is bright enough to be functional, but with just one LED it will cast shadows; this might be a positive for some uses but overall it would be better to have multiple LEDs. I would say that it does give 10x magnification, but with only a clear, undistorted image near the center of the already small field of view. Overall okay for casual use, but maybe not if you need to use it a lot.

This loupe is mostly junk. It does magnify, and it does light up, but that's about the best I can say about it.I have a lot of loupes. Why? Because I solder a lot and having a 10X loupe is often the only way to diagnose issues with SMD (really really small) component solder connections. The simple truth is that companies like Zeiss and Schneider make loupes that cost hundreds because they are worth it. Cheap loupes can't compare, but I've certainly tried a bunch including the ones in my pics here.Focusing on the loupe in question, the first thing I noticed is that it's huge. Well, the handle and battery case are both huge - the lens is the same size as the others. That big handle also has some nasty rough edges which do not give a feeling of quality.The LED light is there, and that's the best thing I can say about it. A good loupe with LEDs will have a ring around the lens containing multiple LEDs so that you get even lighting of the subject. This loupe has one LED on the side so everything with even a little height casts shadows in the field of view.What really matters is the lens, and the lens in this loupe is not great. If I had to estimate I'd say that only the center 1/3 is actually in focus, and while that may be fine if you don't have experience with loupes, do yourself a favor and buy a better one because using this one is very tiring. At the very least look for a loupe that is an achromatic triplet. You can get one for not much more than what this one cost and it's worth it. What you really want is an aplanatic lens, but I've not seen one for less than $300.Lastly, the case. I was initially impressed by the large case that even includes a screwdriver so you can change the battery, but when I went to put the loupe back in the case I was a bit confused because it wouldn't seat right. That's when I realized that you have to open the loop in order to get it into the case. That's right - you must open the loupe thus removing the lens from its protective covering within the handle so that you can then put it in the case. Clearly the case's primary purpose with it's clear top is to show off the fact that there's a loupe inside. Dumb.

I like the size of the loupe 21mm 3/4 inch in size plus 10x led light great for inspecting coins for condition.

Unfortunately, I don't have many gems to inspect, but I do find the need for a good, more powerful magnifying glass fairly often. This one is well represented by the Amazon page—you get to see the case, little screwdriver, etc. and there is no mis-information there.The switch for the light is only on when you are pressing it, but is located so that it is easy to do this. The light is quite useful, since with a loupe liker this, whatever you are looking at is generally in the shadow of the loupe itself.The optics are good—not great, but certainly good for the cost. You can see what you are magnifying very cleanly, in good detail. (There is a bit of chromatic fringing towards the edges, but my guess is you'd need to spend several times the cost of this to get something that was better in that regard.)I have not had to change batteries yet, and assume that with the use this will get, that should not happen that often. It looks like you need to unscrew 6 small screws to get to them—but they do include the little screwdriver for that. Now, where did I put that pile of sapphires and emeralds I was looking at last week?EDIT: Correction—I was using this today to look at some old dental burrs and the switch does stay on, if you press it in far enough. So, be careful not to leave it on by accident.

GemOro Jewelers Loupe Magnifier | Silver Hastings 10x Jewelry Eye Loop LED Light Magnifying Glass Monocle for Watch Repair Diamonds Coins Plants Gems Stamps Rings Glasses Earrings | Pocket Microscope...What I like:I just can't say enough good things about this pocket magnifier. I own many magnifier loupes, and this one's my absolute favorite, to date.When inspecting my coins for errors and varieties, this instrument offers crisp detail with great definition, which is akin to distant, low magnification under my high quality USB microscopes.The device feels solid and the built-in light projection is appropriately in line with the subject to be viewed.I appreciate the inclusion of the free, handy, mini screwdriver.What I don't like:The plastic case is lacking, as the lid doesn't snap shut securely at all. However, like the loupe well enough that I still can't quite bring myself to assigning any less than 5 stars, just because of the lackluster case.I would definitely order this item again.