Hi everyone. I am one of the fortunate ones who will get a refund for 2009 and I plan on putting it to good use. I plan on buying a nice magnifying glass and a set of digital scales for my desk at home. I have seen a few that I like but I was going to get some opinions as to which ones are within the working mans price range and have been dependable for my fellow members. As always thanks for any replies.
I just use a harris 10x loupe, for hard to see things a 16x and for the really close-up stuff I have a digital blue scope. My scale is a My Weigh scale - does good enough for me.
I use a Bausch & Lomb 10x loupe that I rather like, though I don't yet have a scale of any kind. Maybe other responses can help me find one as well.
Should I consider a pocket scale with a resolution of 0.01? Can anyone recommend an accurate pocket scale? I'm currently considering http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/and-pv-60.aspx but thought I'd check to see what others are using first.
It depends what you want to use it for. If it's for your desk at home, size shouldn't be much of an issue. I purchased the Jennings JSVG40: http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/jennings-jscale-jsvg40.aspx It is very accurate (.005 g resolution) and was under $100. The main drawback is that it has a maximum 40g capacity. I figured that for coins, though, this was just about as high as I needed to go. There aren't many coins in excess of 40 grams that I'll ever need to test for authenticity via weight. Just because it was right for me doesn't mean it's right for everybody, but I've had it a little over two years, and I'm very happy with it. I purchased it from the linked website.
I prefer using a 5x illuminated desk magnifier with a 3X cats eye. IT's 3 1/2in in diameter and very positionable and sturdy. This way I can use both hands. For really close work I use a 3X, 5X, AND 10X loupes in combo. Lighting is critical and the desk mag. fills the bill. Total cost: $35 for the desk mag. $15 for the loupes. They are available on Ebay too.
My main loupe is a 3x-6x-9x (the 3x and 6x together results in a 9x). Take a look at Eschenbach. I also have a 3x magnifying glass for quick looks. As for a scale, the first question is 'Do you REALLY need one?' Even a reasonable scale will be in the $50-100 range. IMO reasonable = .01 gm and .001 oz. Will you need that precision often enough to merit the cost? Mine cost over $100 and in retrospect that was overkill.
Believe it or not I purchased my digital scale at a pwan shop for $20.00. Weighs in 100th grams and is small. I use it for placer gold and scrap measurments mostly. The clerk said they sell about 60 of them a month, whick tells me to lock up my coins tight as I'm sure most arn't weighing coins with theirs. It also tells me most scales are prob wholesale 6-8 bucks. Thats my tip of the day!
