Just wanted to get some opinions from Eschenbach or zeiss owners, which one is the best? They seam to be equally priced but is there a difference? Im looking to get a high quality loupe that is built to last, and from research Eschenbach and Zeiss seam to be the top dogs so which one would you buy?
Eschenbach is my preference and I've owned both. As for B&L hastings or coddingtons, they are fine but if you spend a lot of time looking at coins, pay up for the best. Unless one has used top quality glass, they really do not know what they are missing IMO. I have a couple Eschenbach 1186-9 3x6x9x and they are fantastic.
I've used both, and -- kind of like Nikon/Canon in the camera world -- I don't think you can go wrong with either brand. Of the ones I own, I use the Eschenbach 5x the most.
I use a Ziess & have for 7 years - The best loupe out there IMO . 3-6-9x Achromatic Triplet .The lenses are aplanatic & achromatic ,the anti-reflective coating that it has really is nice when using it for extended periods of time. No need for a built in light , I have issues with loupes that have built in lights but, that is for another thread.
I have used the same cheesy tecnar x10 for IDK 15-20yrs now. Don't think they build the good ones that well anymore hehe It's been through jewelry work, casting inspection, minerals and coins over the years.
A non-illuminated loupe makes it very hard to see the details of a coin unless in sunlight or under a very good light.
After going through 5+ loupes over the past two years, never spending more than $15, I finally paid up for a good eschenbach 10X. The thing is a beast and has excellent optics. I think I'll buy a 5x or 3x6x9x when I see one at a show. But I love the 10x eschenbach. You can tell just by picking it up it is high quality.
