Magnifying LED scrolling light purchase recommendations?

[Tallbald]

I've received lots of great advise here and once again am seeking the voices of experience. I've been changing to 3.25 power reading glasses from Dollar Tree when scrolling , and using my small gooseneck sewing light. Wondering though if there are more benefits to having a magnifying adjustable light than I'm aware of when comparing to just more powerful reading glasses(?)

Amazon has numerous magnifying LED lights but many are 10X magnification which seems high. A few 5X versions are there too.

Suggestions for choosing a good magnifying light from the many that Amazon offers please?

Thanks. Don

[rafairchild2]

This is what I use.  Under $30 on Amazon, has a $6 off coupon right now too. 5X Magnifying Glass with Light, 5 Color Modes

https://amzn.to/3Nay6jO

 

[Scrappile]

Personally for me I would not go over 5X.  But that is my eyes, which are not great anymore.  I have two of the magnifying  lights. one with plastic lens and one with glass.  I really prefer the glass lens one.  somewhat clearer and do not have to worry about scratching the lens when I clean it.

[Dak0ta52]

I believe Paul nailed it. I'm using a 5X floor stand lighted magnifier and even with that I sometimes have to back away to get a clear view. No doubt it will get dirty from just the dust created while sawing. I actually use lens cleaning wipes to clean the glass in an effort to prevent scratching. I also let it dry completely before returning to scrolling so the dust won't collect on the damp lens. I went with the floor model just because any movement in the saw could cause the lens to "shake" making it hard to follow your cuts.

[Bill WIlson]

Anyone ever try something like this?

A few people have them at work.  Most come with an LED light and multiple lenses for different magnification.  Looks kind of intriguing.

 

 

[Gene Howe]

41 minutes ago, Bill WIlson said:

Anyone ever try something like this?

A few people have them at work.  Most come with an LED light and multiple lenses for different magnification.  Looks kind of intriguing.

 

 

That's sorta like mine. Mine has ear pieces like glasses  though. They are very handy for my old eyes. 

[OCtoolguy]

1 hour ago, Bill WIlson said:

Anyone ever try something like this?

A few people have them at work.  Most come with an LED light and multiple lenses for different magnification.  Looks kind of intriguing.

 

 

Have you got a link for these? I'd like to buy one just to have it.

[Bill WIlson]

I just searched for "magnifying head lamp".  Amazon has a bunch of different ones.

https://www.amazon.com/magnifying-headlamp-light/s?k=magnifying+headlamp+with+light

[Sycamore67]

You might do a search here in magnifying lights. There have been several lengthy thread on that.

[Tallbald]

Thanks to each of you so much. Don

[OCtoolguy]

6 hours ago, Sycamore67 said:

You might do a search here in magnifying lights. There have been several lengthy thread on that.

Never, not even once, have I had success using the search function.  It's me, I know it's me. 

[Sycamore67]

I put "magnifying light" in the search box and got 172 hits. I did not select anything else on the search page. 

While I find the search page a bit confusing, it does work.  It likely would be helpful to figure out why people have problems with it.  There is so much information available.  Too often, the same questions are asked again and again. 

Edited June 3, 2023 by Sycamore67

[OCtoolguy]

On 6/3/2023 at 4:18 AM, Sycamore67 said:

I put "magnifying light" in the search box and got 172 hits. I did not select anything else on the search page. 

While I find the search page a bit confusing, it does work.  It likely would be helpful to figure out why people have problems with it.  There is so much information available.  Too often, the same questions are asked again and again. 

I guess it's all in the search terms. I must never ask the right questions. 

[JimMarco]

On 6/2/2023 at 1:10 PM, Bill WIlson said:

Anyone ever try something like this?

A few people have them at work.  Most come with an LED light and multiple lenses for different magnification.  Looks kind of intriguing.

 

 

I have a head set similar to that one with the various magnifying lenses that you can swap out. I like it but...  having the light and flipper lenses on my head makes it awkward sometimes. I will likely buy the 5x magnifier with lamp that attaches to the stand that someone gave a link to. In my mind it would be less cumbersome? I'll find out.

[OCtoolguy]

3 minutes ago, JimMarco said:

I have a head set similar to that one with the various magnifying lenses that you can swap out. I like it but...  having the light and flipper lenses on my head makes it awkward sometimes. I will likely buy the 5x magnifier with lamp that attaches to the stand that someone gave a link to. In my mind it would be less cumbersome? I'll find out.

Don't attach it to the saw stand in any way. Separate it from any vibration or it will drive you to drink.

[rafairchild2]

55 minutes ago, OCtoolguy said:

Don't attach it to the saw stand in any way. Separate it from any vibration or it will drive you to drink.

And you will also find that if the arm is not long enough it will interfere with longer pieces of wood.  This is what I am facing right now until I can move it off my stand. I have zero vibration.. but... As you can see, there is a problematic issue as noted when I move my viewing glass into place, anything longer than a foot on the left side of the blade will come in contact with the arm. 

No biggie, I move it out of the way, then move it back.  I actually used to only use it for my fine detail cutting for Intarisa but quickly became accustomed to working with it in place all the time.  I am going to modify an old light stand and attach it to that.

[OCtoolguy]

After looking at your setup, I think I now understand why so many folks are having problems with their blade clamp screws. If all of you folks are using a handle or knob in this case, to tighten the blade clamp screw, you are over-tightening the clamps. I've never had to use anything to supplement the stock knobs and I've never had to replace a clamp screw or clamp body. I think you folks are all over-tightening the clamps. JMHO.

 

[Sycamore67]

With my Hegner, it is really difficult to over tighten the claps as they are hardened steel.

If the clamps are made from.aluminum or other than steel, it could be difficult.  In that situation i would likely use a handle to help tighten.  Some of us older folks have lost some hand strength or have arthritis and need some help.  Of course the downside is as Ray mentions of damaging the clamp.

[OCtoolguy]

1 hour ago, Sycamore67 said:

With my Hegner, it is really difficult to over tighten the claps as they are hardened steel.

If the clamps are made from.aluminum or other than steel, it could be difficult.  In that situation i would likely use a handle to help tighten.  Some of us older folks have lost some hand strength or have arthritis and need some help.  Of course the downside is as Ray mentions of damaging the clamp.

I agree with what you say. I'm 80 years old but still have strong hands. On my Dewalt, I added some wooden knob "extenders" to the knobs and it was definitely better but then I started hearing about the aluminum clamp bodies spreading so it got my attention. I took them off and just learned to work with what came from the factory. Now, with the Pegas clamps, they are far better made from a higher quality of aluminum. I don't overtighten them and have no problems with the blades slipping. I do take the time to clean the ends of the blades that always have some degree of oil on them. If your blades are slipping, look for other reasons why. 

[Denny Knappen]

I sell the ones by Grobet (Pegas).  In fact I have one on the demo saw at ArtCrafters.  I use it all the time.

[flarud]

On 6/2/2023 at 11:59 AM, rafairchild2 said:

This is what I use.  Under $30 on Amazon, has a $6 off coupon right now too. 5X Magnifying Glass with Light, 5 Color Modes

https://amzn.to/3Nay6jO

 

I bought this exact one last year from Amazon because the base on my old one broke,, it was a floor standing one.  I don't care much for this new one.  It does have good lighting and is handy as far as the mounting goes, but you have to look thru it at a certain angle or the blade looks like it is tilted.  I was able to make a new floor mount for my old one and am back to using it.  

[flarud]

On 6/2/2023 at 1:10 PM, Bill WIlson said:

Anyone ever try something like this?

A few people have them at work.  Most come with an LED light and multiple lenses for different magnification.  Looks kind of intriguing.

 

 

This looks like a newer version of what I have.  It works good.  It is a bit heavy but I just use the ear pieces, not the back strap.  I may install the back strap and see how it works. 

[rafairchild2]

1 minute ago, flarud said:

I bought this exact one last year from Amazon because the base on my old one broke,, it was a floor standing one.  I don't care much for this new one.  It does have good lighting and is handy as far as the mounting goes, but you have to look thru it at a certain angle or the blade looks like it is tilted.  I was able to make a new floor mount for my old one and am back to using it.  

Can you post a photo of your floor stand setup?  I am waiting for a wall mount to come in today so I can move mine off my scroll saw table, and hopefully get a better angle so there is no perspective shift..  

[flarud]

I will have to post it tomorrow as I am about to leave for work.  Originally it has a round base with about 5 swivel wheels on it.  The base was plastic and hollow.  You could put either water or sand in the base to make it heavy enough to be able the hold the light from tipping over.  Over time the base got a small hole in it and the water kept leaking out.  I tried to put sand in it instead of the water but the design of it didn't allow sand to be put in it very easy.  Then one of the wheels popped out of the wheel socket and wouldn't stay in any longer.  So I used a milk crate with a piece of plywood in the bottom of it so that I could attach wheels to the bottom side.  It also allows me to put some scraps that I want to keep inside the milk crate.  I'll get some pics tomorrow. 

[OCtoolguy]

3 hours ago, Denny Knappen said:

I sell the ones by Grobet (Pegas).  In fact I have one on the demo saw at ArtCrafters.  I use it all the time.

Denny, that looks exactly like mine. I bought mine at Harbor Freight for under $40. But, I did upgrade the bulb to LED.