Choosing a Reading Magnifier and Comparing Magnifiers

In choosing a magnifier for reading, there is good news and not-so-good news: 

1.  The “good news”: The brighter the lighting, the better you can see through any magnifier.  (This is because bright light causes the pupil of the eye to become smaller, so that it focuses better.)   This has advantages for reading.   With bright light on the page, you are not going to need as much power in the magnifying lens.   For example, with bright light you can read a page better (and see more of the page) through a 3x power lens than you can in dim light with a 4x lens.  The advantage of being able to use a lower power magnifier is that you can read more of the page at one time.  For these reasons, Heimerdinger Cutlery carries several models of hand-held illuminating  magnifiers.  Lamp magnifiers are also illuminating, but with less magnification for reading.  We recommend having bright lighting from additional sources in the room as well.

2.  There is “not-so-good news” if you want to magnify the whole page to 3 times or 4 times larger.  The greater the magnification, the smaller the field of view.  In other words, the more powerful the lens is, the less you can see through that lens.   (This has to do with the laws of physics.)  In higher magnification, such as 3x and up, you have to move a magnifier often to read a page. 

In choosing a magnifier, it is helpful to come to Heimerdinger Cutlery and look through various magnifiers for these reasons:

1.  Magnifier manufacturers don’t measure “power” in the same way .  The same lens might be listed as 3x by one manufacturer and 4x by another manufacturer.

2.  Some manufacturers aren’t clear whether they are labeling by diopter measurements or power measurements.  There is a big difference between Diopter and Power. A magnifying lens may have “3” written on the box.  If that is 3 diopters, it may be only ¾ x power –much less than 3x power.

Diopter is a way to describe the curvature of the lens.  The greater the curvature, the thicker the lens and the higher the diopter.  This is a standard scientific measurement used by ophthalmologists and manufacturers.

Power describes how much larger something appears when you look through the magnifier, such as three times bigger (3x).  Manufacturers may calculate “power” differently.

3.  Some lenses have less distortion than others.  For instance, some lenses from Donegan Optical are aspheric, which means shaped to produce sharp focusing right to the edge of the lenses. This is much better for reading. 

4.  Magnifiers have different focal lengths.  Generally, the stronger the lens, the less focal length you will have.  Experimenting with different magnifiers is the best way to find out which is best for you.

Heimerdinger Cutlery is an “old-fashioned” German-style cutlery store.  A typical feature of such stores is carrying specialty items and unique products. Thus, in addition to our fine cutlery, we carry a variety of magnifiers.  We realize that it is very difficult to choose a reading magnifier.  Based on our experience in helping customers, we think you will find the above information to be helpful.   Of course, it is best if you can come in and compare magnifiers for yourself.  Our magnifiers are displayed so that customers can easily try them out.  If you are ordering a magnifier from a distance or buying one someone else, and find that the magnifier is not satisfactory, we do accept returns.  We ask that the magnifier is in the original packaging, has our price sticker or a Heimerdinger label, and is in resalable condition.

This page is from our original website.  For PRICES, our entire inventory of magnifiers, and additional information, please go to our on-line sales web page for Magnifiers.