Doc Mark
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Hey Jim!
Here's my 2 cents. As you can probably guess, I wear "dental loupes" or surgical telescopes many hours a day in the office. If you are going to be happy with these devices, they must be custom fitted to you. Your preferred working distance, amount of magnification, normal vision, and tolerance for weight must all be taken into account. That is why you will not find a standard price list on the various manufacturer's websites.
In the office I use a 2.6X set. The working distance is about 16 inches. I have tried to use them for engraving and cameo carving but find that they don't have enough magnification. The absolute best for working distance and higher magnification (up around 5X) come from Prismatic, or Kepler style optics. These are going to set you back a couple of grand. The Galilean style can be found at around $1000 for a good brand. But these don't go above somewhere around 3.5 - 4X. The main advantage of surgical telescopes vs. simple lense systems like the optivisor is the greater depth of field and the much greater working distance. They work well with hammer and chisel but you do need to learn how to hold your head fairly steady. With the highest magnifications, it's often not the depth of field that is your enemy, but rather that the rapid head movement can literally make you feel dizzy.
Go to these websites and read about the different designs and their advantages/disadvantages, then call one of their reps and have them bring you some samples to try. They are usually quite knowledgeable and willing to find the best unit for your needs. Both these companies have excellent optics, quite in line with Zeiss without the premium prices.
ORASCOPTIC, and DESIGNS FOR VISION
Hope this helps,
Mark
Here's my 2 cents. As you can probably guess, I wear "dental loupes" or surgical telescopes many hours a day in the office. If you are going to be happy with these devices, they must be custom fitted to you. Your preferred working distance, amount of magnification, normal vision, and tolerance for weight must all be taken into account. That is why you will not find a standard price list on the various manufacturer's websites.
In the office I use a 2.6X set. The working distance is about 16 inches. I have tried to use them for engraving and cameo carving but find that they don't have enough magnification. The absolute best for working distance and higher magnification (up around 5X) come from Prismatic, or Kepler style optics. These are going to set you back a couple of grand. The Galilean style can be found at around $1000 for a good brand. But these don't go above somewhere around 3.5 - 4X. The main advantage of surgical telescopes vs. simple lense systems like the optivisor is the greater depth of field and the much greater working distance. They work well with hammer and chisel but you do need to learn how to hold your head fairly steady. With the highest magnifications, it's often not the depth of field that is your enemy, but rather that the rapid head movement can literally make you feel dizzy.
Go to these websites and read about the different designs and their advantages/disadvantages, then call one of their reps and have them bring you some samples to try. They are usually quite knowledgeable and willing to find the best unit for your needs. Both these companies have excellent optics, quite in line with Zeiss without the premium prices.
ORASCOPTIC, and DESIGNS FOR VISION
Hope this helps,
Mark