magnifying lamp

[Jim Wheeler]

I need advice on what power of magnification to buy for my lighted lamp. The one I had was destroyed in a fire and I can't remember the lamps specs, i think it was around 1.75X or 2.25X. I got it when I purchased the RBI Hawk 26 a few yrs back. Thanks, Jim

[oily]

mine is 4x

[Carl E Jacobs]

good question

I have never noticed power noted on boxes ,bought one floresent at Staple,and two bulb units on sale ,all work well ,now you got me curious,I quess I takes some small print and compare under one then the other ,just to satisfy that curiousity.
My Best !
Carl

[Jan]

Most of the inexpensive and mid price magnifier/lamp units have 3 diopter lenses. For a little bit more money, it is possible to get them with 5 diopter lenses and for even more money, there are some available with interchangeable 3 and 5 diopter lenses. The higher the diopter number, the greater the magnification. 3 diopters seems to be the average for these lamps.

One of the considerations may be the way the lamp is mounted either to the saw or to a wall or nearby bench. I had one that I got at Staples for about $60 that has a 3 diopter lens and a fluorescent ring bulb that are still working just fine. The part that broke was the part of the mount that the lamp base is inserted into. It's plastic and after about a year of being moved around a lot, the plastic base gave up. I have since replaced this lamp with one I got from Rockler that has a magnetic base that attaches FIRMLY to anything metal except aluminum. It has a 5 diopter lens and a lot of LED's around the ring. It's working beautifully, is much less bulky and doesn't have a flimsy base that will break.

Having said all that, I couldn't do the quality of work I want to accomplish without a magnifier. Love the durned things.

Jan

[Jim Wheeler]

Jan, lamp response

Thank you for all the good info about the magnification on lighted lamps. I got a good lamp when i purchased the RBI Hawk 26 kit a few years back, but it was destroyed in our house fire last Christmas. The lamp was around $85, about 6-7 inches diameter, had a 22" florescent ring, and was rock solid with no vibration. As for the diopters numbers is anybodies guess, possibly only 3. I will check out the one at Rockler, and will google up some other sites. One thing is for sure, the better you see the lines, the better your project will be. Thanks Jan, Jim.