Handy Magnifier

If you're starting to loose your youthful visual acuity, these little glasses are just the thing when you need to observe or fix a small detail on your plane while at the field. I stumbled across them in a Lee Valley Tools catalog http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=55986&cat=1,43456,43351
I got the 2.5 diopter lenses. They have a comfortable 6-8 inch focal length and magnify enough to be useful. They are made of injection molded polycarbonate. There is no anti-scratch coating, so you'll have to be somewhat careful. You'll also want to be careful with the thin bridge/spring section.
Yes, they look goofy. I'm new at getting old, so I'm still a bit self-conscious. Those of you, ah, more seasoned, won't be concerned. In any case, they are more socially acceptable than an OptiVISOR, which are better, but should only be used behind closed doors.
They're cheap, so I bought three pair- one for my flight box, one for my brief case and a spare. They magnify as advertised and they stay put on a sweaty, oily nose. The vinyl protective pouch is a nice touch; for the flight box I put that in a small zip-lock bag to keep out the oil and dirt.

Derek Moran


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How do these type work? Are these magnifiers intended for people who have 20-20 eyesight but want to have a magnified image , or as a substitute for my ordinary perscription eyeglasses or would you wear them in combination with regular everyday glasses?

Lyle

These are simple magnifying lenses and as far as I know are not available in prescription.
As part of my thorough testing in preparation for this review, my wife tried them in front of her prescription glasses (nearsighted w/astigmatism). She said they worked fine. Your results may vary.
D

>These are simple magnifying lenses and as far as I know are
>not available in prescription.
>As part of my thorough testing in preparation for this review,
>my wife tried them in front of her prescription glasses
>(nearsighted w/astigmatism). She said they worked fine. Your
>results may vary.
>D

I would think, in looking at the things, that they are intended more like reading glasses. The diopter rating is what they go by at the eye doc, although they usually get more specific and may vary for each eye. I, however, use a 1.5 in a prescription lense (window glass for the top portion of bi-focals) for when I want to do fine detail work or read the fine print. Thus the 1.5 would work out fine for me as something to carry around for such purposes when I do not have my regular glasses with me (which is a lot of the time).

They would probably work, however, for finer detail close-up work when you want to see right up close. As a check for what may or may not be beneficial to you, go to Wal-Mart to their off-the-shelf glasses rack and try out the various glasses between 1.5 and 2.5 to see if they would work for the purpose for which you would intend them. Then you could order these if they might suit your purpose better. Without doing that it is hard to tell what may or may not work for you.

Snip--->I would think, in looking at the things, that they are
>intended more like reading glasses. The diopter rating is
>what they go by at the eye doc, although they usually get more
>specific and may vary for each eye. I, however, use a 1.5 in
>a prescription lense (window glass for the top portion of
>bi-focals) for when I want to do fine detail work or read the
>fine print. Thus the 1.5 would work out fine for me as
>something to carry around for such purposes when I do not have
>my regular glasses with me (which is a lot of the time).
>
>They would probably work, however, for finer detail close-up
>work when you want to see right up close. As a check for what
>may or may not be beneficial to you, go to Wal-Mart to their
>off-the-shelf glasses rack and try out the various glasses
>between 1.5 and 2.5 to see if they would work for the purpose
>for which you would intend them. Then you could order these
>if they might suit your purpose better. Without doing that it
>is hard to tell what may or may not work for you.

Hi Guys, the Wal-Mart suggestion is right-on... just as cheap and will
probably stay on your head better.
tony

I guess I didn't empasize the fact that these glasses are thin and small. They can be put in your tool kit without much concern about space, weight or anything else. If, in the course of a day at the field, you happen to need some magnification, they are there.
I would not recommend these, or anything else off the shelf, for everyday or long-term use. For that, ante up and go see your eye doctor.
Derek