Purchasing a loupe

[paperumbrella]

I am planning on purchasing a loupe to use casually at home (I just want to be able to evaluate my stone occasionally for damage, and to check the girdle inscription). What would you all recommend? Do I need a 10x, 20x, or 30x magnification? Should I get one with an LED light attached?

On another note, I posted the specs for a 1.59 I-SI1 RB stone last week (it is an AGS0, but did not score as such on the HCA), and I think we may be making the purchase this week!!! I will let you know my thoughts when I get the stone. I'm very excited!

 

[ksinger]

I wouldn't feel the need to get anything stronger than a 10X - with a 10x it's pretty easy to get and keep the item in the field of view and see inclusions. Of course you DO see more stuff with a stronger magnification, but I sure wouldn't get 20X over 10X, not for what we usually need them for. The field of view is smaller on a 20X and a bit trickier to get the item steady. So it's not always a case of stronger is better, you know? Oh....I'm not an optics person, but I seem to recall that the triplet loupes correct for field of view edge distortions, so you want to get a triplet.

I have a Belomo 10X Triplet Loupe that folds shut. It's very rugged, and costs 36 bucks at Amazon. I carry it most of the time. I'd certainly recommend it.