Hello all, I have been looking to get a coin loupe! I have a gift card for amazon so I was hoping on getting one there. I have no clue what magnification I will need so i was hoping for some help like 20X, 30X, 40X? I would like to be able to make out fine details on my coins and maybe even tell errors. Also did anyone buy one on amazon that could you recommend a brand. Thanks to everyone in advance! -Zach
Most folks use 5X for daily coin grading and viewing. Personally, I believe anything beyond 10X is far more than one needs and will make it very difficult to grade coins and identify surface characteristics. Of course, some folks like 20X for minutia, but again anything beyond 5X or 10X is overkill for the vast majority of collectors. Bausch and Lomb makes a great 5X that isn't much money.
B & L loupes are a fine brand, I have several . I prefer BelOMO loupes as my eyes are getting on in years, and this lens is wider and has a better focal length than my B&L and Swifts, and several Chinese manufactors. The only one I have better is a 10X textile thread checker that allows me even a greater focal length. BelOMO lens are made in different magnifications, here is a 7X. There is no feedback yet for this magnification, but go to the 10X and read those. High quality, you will lose it before you break it. Jim http://www.amazon.com/BelOMO-Triple...=1344134906&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=belomo+7x
10x would be the max I would buy for a manual loupe. Anything bigger than that and you will hurt your eyes after a couple uses, due in part that you have to get up real close to not only the loupe, but also the coin you're examining. At that juncture, you might as well consider upgrading into a USB microscope.
I've got one of the b&l pachette 5x lenses and I've got a cheap 7x and 10x loupe use the b&l for grading and the 7x and 10x for attributing
