What Loupe for Nib Tuning?

[Wolfman Zack]

I'm thinking about getting a basic loupe for inspecting and possibly doing minor adjustments to my nibs.

What magnification would be recommended?
Any brands I should generally be looking for or staying clear of?

I don’t want to spend a ton on it, but am willing to pay for good quality still, no sense in buying junk.

[FredRydr]

10x

There are many different types, from simple lens to added LED lights to added measuring devices. Some clip to glasses or head for hands-free.

[Pterodactylus]

I’m using two Belomo Triplets, one with 10x and one with 20x.

I‘m really satisfied with the building quality and the optical quality.
The price value ratio is also quite good.

If you plan to buy only 1 than I would recommend the 10x.
A 20x is an optional addition for very fine details.

[Chrissy]

I would recommend a Belomo triplet at 10X. You might find a 15X or 20X more difficult to focus due to their much narrower field of vision. :)

For a nib 10X is plenty.

[Deb]

I use a 10X and a 20X. The 20X, as Chrissy says, has less depth of field but I find it useful for fine detail.

[Wolfman Zack]

Sounds like the Belomo 10x is the crowd favorite, thanks for the advice everyone.

[stub]

I have a Ruper Loupe. Made in Japan.

Bought randomly at a book store many many years ago for about $19. Apparently, it is a well liked model. I can only say that I have tried a few others and have a 12x loupe with LED and for most applications prefer this one. Not entirely sure why. Built like a tank.




https://dqzrr9k4bjpzk.cloudfront.net/images/7671031/360336322.jpg

[alexwi]

Back in the day I thought of becoming a precious stones dealer. Long story short, that didn't pan out, but I needed a couple of loupes (10x for diamonds and 20x for colored stones).

A gemologist stressed that it had to be a three-element loupe, in order to get an undistorted image, and he swore by Hastings' Triplet loupes, which is what I got and I'm still happy with my pair.

This web site has great information about loupes and the author does recommend a few: http://www.njminerals.org/loupes.html

And I agree with everybody in that it should be a 10x. 20x is awesome if you want to spend an hour contemplating the nib, but for quick looks, to do quality check, 10x is the sweet spot - it's easy enough to use and magnifies plenty.

Nowadays, I've found that the most comfortable set up for me is to prop my phone somewhere (one of these days I'll make a base for it), and fire up an android app called visor.

Alex39896

[blopplop]

I’m using two Belomo Triplets, one with 10x and one with 20x.

I‘m really satisfied with the building quality and the optical quality.
The price value ratio is also quite good.

If you plan to buy only 1 than I would recommend the 10x.
A 20x is an optional addition for very fine details.

For what it's worth, DITTO.

[Wuddus]

All I have at the moment is 5x magnification. It's not perfect, but good enough. I'll probably pick up a 10x at some point, but I'm in no rush.

[penwash]

I use a few loupes:

1. One with the headband (cheap plastic lens with low magnification, but wide field of view), this is handy for working with the pens themselves, not nibs.

2. A generic but good quality triplet glass lens 10x 21mm. This is for examining and working with nibs.

3. A generic 10x with light. This one is to bring to pen meetings, etc. if I lose it or left it somewhere, it's cheap enough to replace

[alexwi]

3. A generic 10x with light. This one is to bring to pen meetings, etc. if I lose it or left it somewhere, it's cheap enough to replace

I have mine attached to a thin steel chain that I hang on my neck - similar to this one: http://a.co/ado7D4Y

That way they're always handy when I'm using them.

I got mine at a hardware store, so it was much cheaper than the one I mentioned above, and then added the clasp, which I also got very cheap at a store.

This way you can bring your best loupe with you and not fear loosing it.

alex

[alexwi]

Hi,

I got the Belomo 10x last week (as I said, I already had a Hastings 10x), and the fact that it has a diameter of some 20mm is just awesome. Highly recommended.

alex