Magnifier and Light, Thoughts?

[Steve Simon]

I think a Magnifier and Light are the next purchase. Even in the daytime I could use extra light in my BackYard Shed Wood Shop and the Magnification has to be a boost for my old eyes. Anything I should know about what to look for, If you have a preferred manufacturer is it OK for you to share that on this forum?

Thanks in advance for your responses...

[OCtoolguy]

I bought mine from Harbor Freight. I have 2. They work great. I did have to convert them to LED but I think they come that way now. About $40 or so.

[JTTHECLOCKMAN]

Absolutely they are worth the investment. There are different strengths so need to be careful of what you pick. If you have a place where they sell draftsman equipment like a Staples store you can test them out. Have no idea about what HF carries and am sure it is cheaper than anything out there but check Amazon if you find something you like first. Having the tubes weather led or conventional I highly suggest it have a plastic cover to protect the tubes from breakage. One of the pattern designers sells them. Forgot which one. I am sure someone will comment.  If you can find one with controllable light output for Led is the way to go if going with LED. Led light can be too bright and not good for your eyes at those close ranges. May need a warm white. I have the old flourescents cicle tubes and bought them from a draftsman store. Not cheap but you get what you pay for. 

[Wichman]

Be wary of magnifier strength that is more than 1.75 x ( 3 diopter ).

Make sure you get one with a lens cover, and if the lens can be in direct sunlight, at any time (other than in use), including indoors, keep the lens covered to prevent scorching and/or fires. No, I am not kidding.

[Steve Simon]

Thanks to all for their input... I have a harbor freight store 10 minutes from the house and the reviews for the light/magnifier were really surprisingly favorable. I think I will start there. That's where I bought the saw

Having fun Scrolling already. My first couple of tries on large Letters and numbers were not bad at all.

Edited 6 hours ago by Steve Simon

[Dan]

If you think it will help then definitely get one. There are many out there. Home Depot sells an LED lamp for $25.19. It doesn't have a cover but you can just toss a cloth or make some type of cover if needed. 

[TAIrving]

I used to have/use a magnifier/light combination but have recently changed.  I now use 2 sewing machine type lights and strong reading glasses.  The lights attach to the side of the SS arm via magnets and light up the workpiece quite nicely.  For scrolling, I use reading glasses about 1 diopter stronger than those I use for reading.  

Amazon.com: EVISWIY Sewing Machine Light LED Lighting (30LEDs) 6 Watt Multifunctional Flexible Gooseneck Arm Work Lamp with Magnetic Mounting Base for Workbench Lathe Drill Press 2 Pack : Arts, Crafts & Sewing

[Wichman]

Sorry for the additional post, but I did a dive into the differences between the HF light and the HD light. I was surprised.

The HD light specs are 5X magnification with a 10 watt light ( I had to do a conversion because the two lights have different specs for their power and neither one listed the lumes or the lux ).

The HF light specs are 1.75 X with a 22 watt light.

The HD light is three times the magnification with half the illumination.

A note about the magnification. The magnifier lights sold by Hegner are 1.75X ( I have one ), but at $400 I wouldn't recommend it to a beginner. 

I had a spot of luck when I retired, the boss gave me a hefty retirement bonus and I was able to buy a new Hegner with all the bells and whistles, saw, light, foot switch. Normally I wouldn't be able to afford such luxuries, but I had the chance and took it.

[Scrappile]

One comment: I have three. A HF one and a HAWK one, meaning the guy I purchased my Hawk from, bought it with the saw, and an expensive one.  The expensive one is 5x, LED, and I rarely use it other than when I need more light over my workbench.  For me, it is too bright and has two powerful magnifications.  The HF on is good; I like it, and the Hawk is my favorite, It is old, so old that when I switch it on, it takes a second to light up.  I love it's brightness, kind of the old yellowish glow that old fluorescent lights gave off.  I use it most.  I will be sad when it finally dies.

[Denny Knappen]

I use mine all the time.  I have two (Fluorescent and LED) on the website.  The link is below my signature.

[Scrappile]

Denny's fluorescent one looks just like the one I referred to as a "Hawk" light in my previous post.

[edward]

I also bought one from Harbor Freight and love it, helps me cut things easier!