Magnifying Glass

cmc

Joined
Oct 24, 2001
Messages
70
Any recommendations for a decent quality handheld magnifying glass - and also where to buy it?
 
I don't know what size or power you're interested in, but I carry this magnifying glass every day.

It really is glass, the rim is solid, the leather cover is Galco. It magnifies about 2 x.
 
Don't laugh, but I went to the Rexall Drug Store and looked in the 'geriatric isle.' They have lighted magnifying glasses there that take standard size batteries.

I bought the smaller lighted loupe that has a +1 inch square lens, it runs on one AAA battery that I have never replaced. I could carry it easily in a pocket.

I keep it with my Edge Pro, and it's just the right magnification size to closely check an edge. The light easily reflects off the flat spots that show I missed.

I paid $3.29 for the thing, with battery.
 
I EDC a magnifying glass - it's on my SAK a Victorinox Scientist.

It is only reasonable quality - but more than acceptable and it doesn't take up any extra space in my pocket.

I used to laugh at the fact I had a magnifying glass - but with the on-set of age and eye-sight this is not much of a joke any more - more like a necessity.

Victorinox Scientist (custom handles)
fc6e2d3b.jpg


Note: the Victorinox magnifying glass is acceptable - but the Wenger's I have seen don't seem to be.

Unfortunately the only TWO models of Victorinox currently imported to the US with magnifying glass are the SwissChamp (bit big) and the
Explorer
53791_l.jpg


- however one can still find the Victorinox Yeoman (which is basically the very sought after Scientist with Scissors and that multi-purpose hook thingy added) for about ~$25 - it's almost the same fuctionality as the Explorer but one backspring thinner.

Victorinox Yeoman
fc6e2d3a.jpg
 
do you have any ideas for a good place to pick up the victorinox yeoman? looks pretty cool. also, how did you get the custom scales on your scientist? looks great.

Pete

edit: sorry, i just realised i kinda hijacked your thread, i've found some good quality magnifying glasses at walgreens believe it or not but i like to use them for burning stuff more than for their optical quality. a good freshnel lense is handy though.
 
Originally posted by pjenkins00
do you have any ideas for a good place to pick up the victorinox yeoman? looks pretty cool. also, how did you get the custom scales on your scientist? looks great.
<snip>
a good freshnel lense is handy though.

Thanks.

Victorinox Yeoman - do a search with www.Froogle.com and you'll find a few vendors that still list the knife - be aware some are the "Boy Scout" version with the scout logo.

http://www.discountknivesonline.com/large.htm still lists it at $24 - (I'd consider that a bargain)

I had my Scientist customized by KJ Lewis of SC back in 1992/3 - his work was featured in one of the Knives 'XX book edited by Ken Warner.

The "stag" is actually ivory paper Micarta, jigged/scored/scorched to llok like premium stag.

KJ used to just replace the handles using a special aluminum compatible epoxy. However I suggested that he include the usual tools in the handle. After some discussion about some of the subtlties of the in-handle tools - he rose to the challange, and that Scientist pictured was the very first he made with tools in the handle.

Just in case you think tools in the handle is "easy" - try gripping the handles hard just above the toothpick - and try to extract it, without easing up on your grip.... now tell me why it won't come out....... :D :D

Fresnel lenses are great -
I forgot to mention I carry a credit card sized thin Fresnel magnifying lens in my wallet. I think these were like 99cents from Wal*Mart

fc1c18b8.jpg
fc1c18b5.jpg
 
Bausch and Lomb make a series of really good magnifying glasses that can be found at my local Walgreen drugstore.

I've tried Fresnel lenses before but, find them to be a little bit limited. A normal glass in my desk at work and home serve me well. I also got a B&L 10x loupe from a watch repair place for ~$10 and have found it to be much more useful then I imagined.
 
Check this out:
fbff5962.jpg
fbff5960.jpg


Only $1.97 from Wal*Mart.

Optical quality is pretty good - no obvious distortions or faults.

What's good is that the light bulb is the focussed type (uses 2x AA)and the bright hot "spot" is right on the object being looked at. This is a much better light-wise than a lot of the illuminated magnifiers I've seen.

At under $2 - I'd call it a bargain -
there wasn't even a moment's hesitation as I ran to the checkout with one......:D :D :cool:
 
Originally posted by UnknownVT
"EDC a magnifying glass - it's on my SAK a Victorinox Scientist.

It is only reasonable quality - but more than acceptable and it doesn't take up any extra space in my pocket.

I used to laugh at the fact I had a magnifying glass - but with the on-set of age and eye-sight this is not much of a joke any more - more like a necessity."

UnknownVT,

Do you know what the magnification is on these ?? Just curious as I have one on my SwissChamp too :)
 
Originally posted by tardis
Do you know what the magnification is on these ?? Just curious as I have one on my SwissChamp too :)

The magnifying glass on all the Victorinox SAKs should be the same tool/magnification.

I'm not very good at this, but I have two other magnifying glasses that are marked, so I can compare.

The trouble is I'm not sure how magnifcation is measured - I have an Osram Halomax illuminated magnifying glass marked as 2.5X, and the one I posted above at 6X -

They seem to magnify about the same - so my guess is that the Osram is measured as a linear/scale magnification and the 6x one is measuring area magnification - since 2.5 squared is about 6.

The magnifying glass on my SAKs - Scientist and SwissChamp seem to give more magnification than those two -

so my guess is that the Vic SAK magnifer is in the region of 3x linear magnifcation, or somewhere between 8 to 10x area magnification.

Perhaps one could ask Victorinox?
 
UnknownVT,

Do you know the Victorinox part number for the Yeoman ? i.e. 1.63.05 for the scientist. I have someone looking out for one for me :)

Thanks for your help

Tardis
 
Originally posted by tardis
Do you know the Victorinox part number for the Yeoman ?

Tardis,

Unfortunately I only have the US model # - which was: 54791 -
normally the US model #s bear absolutely no relationship to the Swiss/international #s -

You could e-mail Victorinox direct and ask them?

E-Mail: info@victorinox.ch
 
Hi UnknownVT,

I emailed Victorinox CH a couple of times regarding the Yeoman and Scientist and here are the replies ... Quite interesting as they don't seem to remember ever having a Yeoman ???
Regards,
Tardis



Dear ...

We have compared the model you sent us by attachement with every similar model in our older leaflets back over 30 years. The scientist was in the leaflets and it seems that it was taken out of the assortment 6-8 years ago. Concerning "yeoman" we found absolutely nothing. We spoke to our engineers and they have probably an explanation. The yeoman picture shows a combination blade (screwdriver, can opener and bottle opener in one). We have two models carrying this special blade. Now the model, we call it yeoman, was a good selling product. The engineers told us that for this reason we had to do the assembling automatically and because this was not possible with the combination blade, we decided to replace this special blade by the can opener with scredriver and the cap lifter with screwdriver. The result was the explorer model, item number 1.6703. We have attached it, please compare.

best regards




Betreff: Re: Yeoman Part Number
Dear Claire,

The Yeoman is the similar to the Scientist but has a hook and scissors
extra. Please see attached images.

Maybe the Yeoman had another name or just had a number. Maybe the name
Yeoman was the American name ??

Thanks for your help and if you should discover the model name or number I would appreciate it if you could email me.

Regards,


----- Original Message -----
Subject: AW: AW: Yeoman Part Number

> Dear ...
>
> We have tried to check out something about the name "Yeoman". But nobody can remember this name, also older people which works a long time at Victorinox can not remember this name.
>
> The model Sientist 1.6305 from Victorinox is sold out and liquidate since five years.
>
> We hope, we could help you and wish you a nice weekend.
>
> Kind regards
> Victorinox

> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Betreff: Re: AW: Yeoman Part Number
> Dear ,
>
> Thank you for your reply.
>
> Please could you tell me the serial number of the Yeoman ? I know the Scientist is 1.63.05 but I don't know the Yeoman number.
>
> Scientist = 1.63.05
> Yeoman = ????
>
> Thanks again
>
> Kind regards,



> >Subject: AW: Yeoman Part Number
> >Dear
> >
> >Thank you for your e-mail and your interest in Victorinox.
> >
> >We are very sorry to inform you, that the name "Yeoman" wheter the number 1.63.05 are known at Victorinox.
> >Please contact your local dealer.
> >
> >Kind regards from the Swiss Knife Valley
> >
> >Victorinox
> >
> >-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> >Betreff: Yeoman Part Number
> >
> >
> >Dear Victorinox,
> >
> >Please could you tell me the Swiss serial number for the 'Yeoman' i.e. 1.63.05
> >
> >Thank you for your help
> >
> >Regards,
 
Originally posted by tardis
I emailed Victorinox CH a couple of times regarding the Yeoman and Scientist and here are the replies ... Quite interesting as they don't seem to remember ever having a Yeoman ???

Tardis,

Sorry for this very late reply - I missed your post.......

That was very interesting regarding the Victorinox response to the Yeoman.

Perhaps they were asleep at the time? :D
- maybe this might remind them of something?

fbf50fdc.jpg


This is the Swiss Army Brands (US) packaging -
look carefully at mid-left of the pic and one can just make out the name Yeoman.

It was also listed in a circa 1992/3 Swiss Army Brands price list - and obviously the number of them for sale on the net means that most people seem to know that's called the Yeoman at least in the USA....

The US model #54791


This is what looks like a scan of a catalog page of the Boy Scouts of America version US model #55781 :
shoppingmatrix1_1744_235098191
 
UnknownVT,

Wow! I'd completely forgotten about that thread..until this morning :)

Thanks for uncovering that image of the Yeoman. I have a good mind to email it Victorinox and ask them if it jogs their memory ?? I suppose they've made so many knives that all the new employees can't keep up but you would have thought they'd have a master directory or something showing all the models, names or numbers they've ever made. I guess not. This is why I'd like to get hold of the full catalogues - so I can keep track myself :D No such luck though.

Anyway, thanks again for your time in finding and scanning in that image. Much appreciated.

Regards,
Tardis

P.S. What's your latest SAK aquisition ??? I just got another Soldier...my wife stole my first one :D
 
Originally posted by tardis
Wow! I'd completely forgotten about that thread..until this morning :)
......what's even more amazing/coinicdental was that I didn't spot your post until today either,
when searching the forum for incidences of the Yeoman in response to another thread......

I just got another Soldier...my wife stole my first one :D
then it couldn't have been a Soldier with the hollow rivet/lanyard hole.......
that way she couldn't have detached it from you :D
 
Originally posted by tardis
Thanks for uncovering that image of the Yeoman. I have a good mind to email it Victorinox and ask them if it jogs their memory ??

Tardis,

What's even better may be this url from Swiss Army Brands -

http://www.swissarmy.com/webstore/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=3866&category=42

55781_l.jpg

Victorinox BSA (Boy Scouts of America) Yeoman - US model # 55781

Swiss Army Brands are now an owned subsidiary of Victorinox -
so it is part of the company!!!!

(I've saved a copy of that web page - I suggest anyone who's interested do the same just in case they remove it in the future)
 
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