Thread: headband magnifier - which is best

I have been thinking the same recently (plus upgrading lighting in the shed) as I am having trouble seeing. Keen to see what others are using.

Do you wear glasses and have you actually had your eyes tested?
It may be you need more than just magnification correction?
I have significant astigmatism in one eye and my eyes are different to each other so stock head magnifiers don't work quite so well for me.

I have several pairs of cheap headband magnifiers but find wearing a pair of prescription reading glasses better for close up work (especially for things like welding) than magnifiers because they fit under PPE and you get a much wider field of view.
I had a maggy lamp like the Aldi one but I found I hardly used it so I gave it to SWMBO for her needlework.
I
f you only have magnification (technically its called "near point") issues and your eyes need the same degree of correction then a pair of reading glasses off the shelf may work for you.

I do occasionally use a headband magnifier when I want more magnification and have two of them.
One came from a hardware store and cost about $40 and has two lenses built in that you switch between - the optics is unsuited to my eyes but they are OK if I use one eye.
The second pair came from McJing for a whole $18 with a small swing-in loupe type lens for extra magnification, optics is as poor as the $40 hardware set so I guess you get what you pay for.
I see Mcjing have an LED illuminated set With AAA batteries for only $28.

I am thinking of investing in a decent Loupe and would be interested in recommendations for these

i am interested in responses here too, but just mentioning for $75 i got led tubes (four of) to go into my fluoro fittings ... because i had old fittings that had capacitive starters, i was able to make the change myself without needing an electrician (just like changing tubes and starters) ... they have made a heap of difference ... i might still get a couple more fittings (but will need an electrician to instal these) or a headlamp or maybe just make a standard (floor standing) lamp and put a bright led lamp in it ... they are very bright .... maybe not quite up to a halogen lamp i have on my lathe but much much better than normal globes or fluoros

regards david

Originally Posted by justonething

My eye sight is not as good as it used to be. Especially when doing detailed work. Sometimes I can't even see the line that I'm sawing to.
I am thinking about getting a headband magnifier. But there are so many types with different price tags.
What is the best manification - focal length comination?
Battery - I'd prefer AAA or AA batteries rather than the button variety.
Where would you get one of these headband, ebay, jaycar or should I go to Aldi and buy that https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-b...7-05-01_17-27?

So far my online search revealed this one: https://www.aussiesapphire.com.au/in...oducts_id=1717. Not sure if it's any good.
Comments, opinions?

I have both of those ,I prefer the Magnified task lamp which I have currently attached to my scroll saw bench.The headwear one is OK but can be uncomfortable at times .

Cheers

One of the problems with reading glasses, if you already wear glasses, is that when you need to walk away from your closeup work to get something you need to change glasses. I find that with the headband units they are easy to swing up out of the way and back again.

My normal glasses are variable focus but the biggest improvement is in better lighting.

Originally Posted by robbygard

i am interested in responses here too, but just mentioning for $75 i got led tubes (four of) to go into my fluoro fittings ... because i had old fittings that had capacitive starters, i was able to make the change myself without needing an electrician (just like changing tubes and starters) ... they have made a heap of difference ...

If you have more tubes than this you can get AEG LED tubes on eBay ($100 for 10 tubes inc delivery) I have bought 30 tubes and changed all the tubes in my shed (17 tubes), house (5 tubes) and my sons place (5 tubes) so I have a couple of spares left over.

They do indeed help.

I agree about the changing glasses issue and the limitations of bifocals. I have a pair of glasses that are reading on the bottom half and zero on the top half and these have the same problems as bifocals.

I got my first pair of glasses when I was 17 because I was nearsighted and couldn't see the black board at school and couldn't read street signs - although I passed the eye test for my licence. I wore distance vision glasses until I became diabetic in 2010. After being on meds for a while my far vision steadily improved to the point where I haven't needed glasses to drive for some time and more recently I found I can watch TV very comfortably without them.

The level of light (or more specifically contrast) available really does make a difference - for example I can just read standard size text on a bright computer screen, or a standard paperback text in bright sunlight but it does hurt after a while so I still wear reading glasses. Inside the house I cannot read standard paperback text without glasses , likewise for standard size text on a mobile screen or do the fine stuff in shed, but who knows if my eyesight keeps changing maybe I will be able to do those some time in the future without glasses, although my optician says this is unlikely.

Changing the tubes in my shed would not help all the time as I want to use it when I'm at the men's shed and I already have plenty of fluros in my shed. I also have specific task lighting as well.
I do wear glasses and I will have my eye sight tested (haven't done it for a long time). However, I do notice an improvement when using a hand held magnifier with a LED.
I'll check out the Mcjing headband.

I don't wear glasses (yet) and have a headband magnifier. Very useful for setting saws and removing splinters. Ending up getting a 2nd one for the house as the first one kept getting borrowed.

Optivisor..... I have two (or three) sets about the workshops.
Wide range of glass lenses and swing down loupes.
Expensive, but like they say, you get what you pay for, and you only have one set of eyes so do the best you can for them.
Mark

JOT, this is a pretty complex issue, there are lots of vision problems that are not cured by making the object you wish to see apparently bigger. Bright lighting helps a lot, but if you are simply suffering from the normal sorts of reasons for deteriorating vision, a magnifier can do wonders.

Imo, a headband is vastly superior to a maggy lamp, simply because it moves with your head & eyes & is always where you need it. I used to use maggy lamps at work, & they are fine for some tasks, hopeless for others. I also recommend Optivisor, for two reasons, one being the optics are about as good as you'll get in something like this, the other is that you can order it with a lens that suits your eyesight a bit more (check out the prices, they vary a lot, depending on who's selling them!). I started with a McJing model. It was ok, and was certainly a huge improvement on nothing. Forget about the built-in lights, they are close to useless in most situations and just add weight you don't need. I removed them on mine.

The higher the magnification, the shorter your working distance, so bear that in mind, particularly for jobs like sawing. I also wear reading glasses, about 2.75 dioptres currently, and I chose a lens that I can use with my specs on, but not have my nose in the work. That way I can flip the Optivisor out of the way & still see for other jobs that don't need it.

I couldn't live without my headband magnifier, I just can't see as closely with my specs under any lighting (and yes, I've just had my prescription checked, thanks) as I could in the 'good 'ol days'. Sharpening a 15tpi saw is easy with my headband, but near impossible with my prescription specs alone. I find myself wearing it most of the day, not because I use it all day, but it's light & comfy & I'm hardly aware of it most of the time, & there when I need it.

Cheers,

A lot of people are not aware of the need to increase general light levels to compensate for the fact that the older you get the less light is absorbed by our eyes. I am sure visitors to my workshop look at the number of lights and wonder why there are so many and it is solely for that reason.


Compensation: Proper illumination can compensate for many of the changes in your pupil as you age. Try these illumination techniques:

• Increase the amount of ambient light throughout your home.
• Use individual lights — or task lighting — for specific tasks. Studies show that for specific tasks, the average 60-year-old person needs at least three times the amount of light compared with the average 20-year-old.
• Use timed lighting that switches on and off at set times of the day to ensure consistent ambient lighting.
• Install motion-sensor lights in your home that turn on automatically when you enter a room.
• Avoid bare bulbs, clear shades, and chandeliers without shades; these produce glare that can be disorienting and uncomfortable.
• Cover shiny, highly polished surfaces in the home or work areas with cloth or rugs to reduce glare.

Taken from here https://www.sharecare.com/health/eye...icle/aging-eye

I have made a rule in my shed.....IF YOU NEED TO TURN A LIGHT ON, THEN ITS TIME TO KNOCK OFF FOR THE DAY.
Well OK that may be a little simplistic. I have had to wear specs since 2007. Readers first the full time for long site. Due to the high cost of prescriptive glasses I have been using those cheap magnifiers of different grades depending on what I am doing saving the prescriptive ones for computer and driving. I told the Optician what I was doing and asked if they would be damaging to my eyes, her response was no but the prescription glasses would just be better. So for general bench work, panelsaw, thicknesser, wood lathe I use 2.5-3.0 but for metal lathe and bench grinder its 4.0. I think its because I am measuring to a poofteenth as well as the fluro above the machine soaks up a lot of light

I would rather not have to wear any but age has taken its toll. In the house which is 30 years old and is decorated in the early eighties in brown tones we have had to use bright LED fittings.

Originally Posted by justonething

My eye sight is not as good as it used to be. Especially when doing detailed work. Sometimes I can't even see the line that I'm sawing to.
I am thinking about getting a headband magnifier. But there are so many types with different price tags.
What is the best manification - focal length comination?
Battery - I'd prefer AAA or AA batteries rather than the button variety.
Where would you get one of these headband, ebay, jaycar or should I go to Aldi and buy that https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-b...7-05-01_17-27?

So far my online search revealed this one: https://www.aussiesapphire.com.au/in...oducts_id=1717. Not sure if it's any good.
Comments, opinions?

I have similar issues with my eyes and told my optometrist and her suggestion was to make an extra pair of glasses with the same script as my reading glasses (as you work at a similar distance to that used in reading) and then just add a bit of magnification to the script. They work a treat.

Originally Posted by labrat

I have similar issues with my eyes and told my optometrist and her suggestion was to make an extra pair of glasses with the same script as my reading glasses (as you work at a similar distance to that used in reading) and then just add a bit of magnification to the script. They work a treat.

I have an Optivisor with light and find it very good (and the McJing one - poor quality in my opinion). Your idea of using the script + magnification is great, never thought about that. I am usually struggling to find a use for the "free" 2nd pair; this will be the use the next time I get new glasses).

Cheers
Peter