I'm 28, wear glasses since 12 or so. I still can see some small things but find it a bit of a pain without getting tired or a headache and I've been thinking on getting a pair of these glasses for a long time. Thanks for helping me make my mind up!
Glad it helps - it's whatever lets you stay in a comfortable position - much nicer than getting your head and eyes into awkward positions to see normally :)
@@CurryKitten, I am 66 and recently retired from 20 years as an audio electronics repair tech. I used Optivisor magnification visors (made by Donegan Optical) almost every day for 20 years and I ended up buying several sets of them for at home usage as well. Swappable lenses of various *diopter* magnification levels are available, in glass or acrylic (glass is preferable for soldering because of flux spatters); #5 diopter (2.5x magnification) is the minimum that I find useful, and I use a #7 or #10 lense for really close-up work. Depending on what lenses are included and where you buy them from, the glass-lense Optivisor kits run from about $45 to $65 USD (the acrylic lense kit versions are cheaper), and therefore presumably more expensive than the no-name visor you bought from Banggood, but the quality is high and they're light and comfy (the headband is cushioned with thin leather). Optivisor sell an add-on spotlight kit but I wasn't impressed with it (as of a few years ago it was an incandescent bulb, not an LED) so I bought an inexpensive headband flashlight and modified it to stick on top of the visor with Velcro (I put the batteries on the rear of the band, next to the adjustment knob, so that the extra weight wouldn't be forward of the hinged pivot points; I am guessing that your visor might be front-heavy due to the battery location). I love these Optivisors and at my age would find it Impossible to do any kind of small repair work without them (ps, I also wear bifocals); I am a volunteer for the local Repair Cafe cafe events and I always bring them along as part of my mobile tool kit. If you're curious and look these things up online, be aware that there are no-name "clones" of unknown quality on Amazon etc and you really want to look for the Donegal Optics brand. The Optivisor kits including acrylic lenses are cheaper but I greatly prefer the glass lenses for clarity and longevity. The sellers who have the real-deal Donegan Optical units will include 3 or 4 long paragraphs on magnification diopters, focal distance, and specifications of the lenses.
age 67 and just last year started using glasses ! I do a LOT of soldering and I use a large illumin ated magnifier on a goose neck sorta thing ...works but …. I use Fatsharks with some magnifier thingys I refuse to give up quietly !! I fly FPV EVERY DAY ! Retired after 28 years as Airline Captain ...
I was eyeing binocular microscopes close to £200 to help with SMD soldering but thought this might be worth a shot for about £16 delivered. Pleased to report that it's good enough for my needs (various SOT & 0805 packages, but I'm sure I could go smaller if the need arose). You saved me a bunch of money, so thanks.
I was talking to Eric (from Mkme labs) as I was saying about feeling disconnected if looking through a lens. Trinocular microscopes is what he suggests for properly perceiving depth. But yeah, they are very expensive - I'm sure they are fantastic for the right sort of work, but I'm still using these for every solder job. They are working well for me still - glad they are doing so for you as well !
Many people have mentioned they had great vision and then the close up stuff went in their 50's. I think this is part of of the lens in your eye being less flexible or something like that as you get older.
Thanks. I found the exact same one. I like the fact that there no pressure on the nose or behing the ears. You don't mention it, but the light is detachable.
I'm 74 and use a similar magnifier. Helps keep soldering enjoyable. Also with the leds it's great for reading a book in bed. Mine has a rechargeable lipo built in. Enjoy your channel.
I've been using a magnifying visor for 10+ years now, it looks similar to your one with the dual lens mounting but the 2 LEDs for lighting are on a swivel mount, but they suck so I replaced it with a LED cob from a cheap torch along with a rechargeable lithium battery and USB charging socket - works great.
Headlamps with COB LED'S do indeed have a wider, more even illumination field and work much better than "spot" LED'S. I use an Optivisor magnifying headband (glass lenses!👍) with a COB headlamp Velcro-mounted to the visor.
I am 56. So glad I saw your review, got the same model and it has helped so much. I have a to do a Qx7 crossfire mod and fit crossfire to a tiny hawk 2 fs. No more moving my head to get focused.
Glad it helped - I literally use it every time I pick up my soldering iron now. I do notice I'm always using the 3.5x magnification lens now. I think my eyes are getting worse by the day !
This kind of magnifying glasses are priceless, welcome to the club! Another important point, you don’t loose the depth perception, as you do with a single magnifier when closing one eye.
On the subject of magnifiers, the best pocket magnifier I own (I bought two) for really inspecting the detail of soldering etc. are from RS, part number 528-5307, two dual lenses to get multiple levels of magnification and they slide back into the 'shell' so you don't scratch them when not in use. I also use that magnifier to get amazing macro photos on my phone, sticking it in place with a bit a Blu-tack.
That's quite cool. I've been known to use a little USB microscope I have to inspect really close up, or small things. But a decent magfifying glass (along with a good light source) sounds goos as an inspection tool
It's a perfect portable inspection tool, and my favourite 'good light source' is the BLF A6 XPL, a 18650 powered ridiculously tough waterproof torch designed by people from the budgetlightforum website. 7 brightness levels that start at moonlight equivalent and goes to "ow, you just blinded me!" level :) The different 1A/3D/5A designs are for cool white, neutral white & warm white LED option.
So glad to see this video - it's exactly what I'm dealing with... I finally figured out it's my vision that's causing me to foul up and melt delicate pieces because I cannot see, and must move in so close I'm singeing my hair! Thank you for posting this!
This has made quite a difference for me. The use of a nice small tip on my TS100, these visors (the light is great on them as well) and some helping hands where I can raise the stuff up to a decent level to work on. It's stopped the manny "unforced errors" I was making
Thanks for posting.I'm 67,wait another 20 yrs, it gets more interesting. I've had some luck with those inexpensive ones that look like a surgeon or dentist wears.Would like to find some used quality ones on ebay someday.
I expect proper medical ones will have fantastic quality lenses... if you can get hold of them. I don't want to think of the further failings my body will get in the next 20 years !
Good timing. I’m 46 and have been very lucky with my sight until about 3 years back when Close things started going blurry. In the last three months I have started using reading glasses +1. My soldering was good, being part of my job, but now being magnified is a little easier. I have been in Southampton working the last few days and flying in the park near Hillyfields. Always on the lookout for places to fly when I’m working away.
I see the showery weather as an opportunity, less people out and about. Big downside is potential water damage. A camera blacked out towards the end of flying but after a day of drying out All is good. Will need to investigate so it doesn’t happen again
I'm 30 and have started building scale models again. I need glasses for close up work as the details can be very small but its an extremely weak script so my eyes still get tired. I've been looking at something like this for when I build and your review has been very helpful indeed. Thanks!
Certainly getting a set of those. I have just turned 50 and have struggled with my eyes for the last few years, now wearing reading glasses for close work, and I too have struggled trying to get a magnifying glass to work. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I've got reading glasses too, but they are quite subtle. So they work for reading a book (or kindle) but that's it. Where I'm usually a bit closer in to solder they don't help at all. It was actually my optician that suggested this idea after I explained what I was looking for and he explained that I was looking at several extra pairs of glasses to accomplish what I wanted :)
I see that microscopes are now the norm. But I can't afford the binocular ones, bought a digital one and found I can't have the perspective and working distance to use my hands. Thanks so much for sharing about this affordable alternative ...
Age 68 and wear reading glasses, I have had a similar magnifying headpiece for a number of years now and use it a lot. On a similar note I have a problem seeing clearly using box type fpv goggles because of the short distance between my eyes and the screen. A solution is to get a cheap pair of glasses from a 'Poundshop' they go up to +3.5 magnification, these are still not strong enough for me so I got a second pair, took out the lenses and hot glued, on the edge, these lenses to the first pair. It took a few goes to get the correct magnification for me, about +5 and with a little modification to the box goggle frame I can now wear these 'super glasses' and see clearly.
Thamk you. You may just have fixed my own problem. I'm 83 and life-long very shortsighted. I've never had a problem soldering, I simply removed my glasses and worked very close-up. Hazardous yes, but I've got away with, 4 years ago I had cateracts removed from both eyes and my vision corrected. The result was that I now need reading glasses. I can no longer work in close-up and the prescription for the two eyes is different so magnifyers don't work. I can't fly FPV for the same reason. I've just discovered Eachine EV100 goggles which have solved the problem. I've ordered a set of the goggles you describe and hope they will work. Banggood are out of stock at the moment but I'll come back to you when I get them.
Hopefully they will work - that fact you can keep your glasses on and magnify your corrected vision means they should at least. I was going to recommend the custom prescription diopters I looked at before for Fatshark goggles, but the ev100 - did they have the movable lens to correct a - prescription in that way ?
@@CurryKitten The EV100 has sideways ajustment to fit the space between your eyes and individual focusing. I can set them to suit without the reading glasses.I think the ajustable focus is unique at the moment.
So with that visor & lenses, you can place (mount) 2 lenses, changing the magnification? 🤔 Thank you 🤓 my problem is I tend to take off my glasses & bring things closer.. bad habit, I know!
You can - I've never had to do so, as 3.5x seems enough for me. I was doing the exact same - but bringing my eyes so close to hot solder is probably not the best idea
@@CurryKitten I have a kind of adjustable magnifying glass (sits on the table) but when using it sort of difficult to solder small things. I also am considering an Andonstar digital microscope, maybe the A208, as it's affordable. Thank you 🤓
I've had this Headband Magnifying Glass for several years now. I love the thing but hate the headband. I keep a small microfiber towel with it to soften the front part of the headband and it also stops sweat. ( I'm ordering Cotton Hard Hat Sweatband now that I've remembered) The headband needs fiddling with more than I care, tightening it up. The headlight is great. I use 3 AAA rechargeable batteries and it lasts a long time for me. The light telescopes out and tilts down. The light can also be removed and be stood up next to your project. I like the fact 2 lenses can be attached. I use the 1x and then a stronger lens upfront depending on the project. Usually, 1.5x is plenty. Having the ability to be able to plip the 2nd lens out of the way is nice. I'd buy this again even though I'm going to need to do something with the headband in the future.
I would agree that the headband is not very comfortable. I normally do little 10 minute bits of soldering before I have to rearrange things, and always take it off inbetween. A little microfibre towel under it on the forehead section sounds like a good plan for any extended sessions
Use a strip of self adhesive foam to make it more comfortable, it increases grip, softens the band and absorbs a degree of sweat. £1 a sheet from Hobbycraft.
Thanks for the video. 47, started wearing glasses full-time a couple of years ago (varifocals) and I love them. I struggle with seeing-what-I'm-doing when soldering though and already have one of the magnifiers like you featured here. I didn't really get on with it, but based on your tips I'll give it another try, thanks :)
For me, it really does go hand-in-hand with having a good light source and something to hold what I'm working on in the right position. I've rejected the idea of varifocals - I can't get to grips with certain parts of the FOV only being for close up or distance
@@CurryKitten Thanks. I got used to varifocals quite quickly. Never wore glasses at all 5 years ago but I need them now. I got my magnifying visor out earlier and found I've got a 1.8x that looks like it could work for soldering, with a 2.5x that gives a slightly closer view for checking what I've done wrong :) It does have 2 LEDs on mine that could be useful as well. Cheers.
Have had this same one for about 2 years now, life saver. Only complaint is the headband tends to loosen a bit after wearing them a while. I'm sure it could be easily resolved if I tinkered with it. Great for the money, and the lenses are surprisingly good.
I don't think the headband is particularly comfy. I've done it up a few times so it does stay tight... but I always remove them inbetween jobs as it's a bit unpleasant once my forehead gets sweaty wearing them :D
I'm 49 and have exactly your very same problem. My solution has been to use an electronic microscope but I agree that is not ideal. I was thinking about the magnifying goggles. Thanks for the review! I'll get them almost for sure.
A microscope was something I considered, but aside from maybe feeling a bit "detached" from my hands I was more concerned that it might be awkward to angle everything correctly so that I could see it properly whilst getting my iron into the right bit
Your description of how you wished age would cure near-sightedness made my laugh because I had the same wishful thinking. For replacing a small transistor on a circuit board, I am doing some research on magnifying solutions. Will check out the visors you showed here. Thanks!
@@CurryKitten Hey, I got a pair of 'headband magnifying glasses' from Amazon similar to the visors used by you. I was able to un-solder and re-solder a tiny transistor on a NAS server motherboard. You are right that using these type of glasses allow us to zoom in on the job while still maintaining a good orientation of the surroundings. Many thanks!
Comes to us all Wayne. I have been extremely lucky having reached 51 with fab eyes. However I have also purchased a head magnifier for close up work now. I also have one in a stand with a very bright light and a small vice and also helping hands too... thats fab for very fine work. .... Nothing falling off of me though, walking dogs for a living works wonders :)
Perhaps it was too much walking that made the meniscus layer in one of my knees calficy? Just unlucky I guess - I'll solder on and keep taking the tablets :D
Well, I prefer the versatility of MagEyes headband magnifiers. Lightweight, Easy to Use and All U.S.A. Made. I have found that the Open Frame offers me more Natural Light and my eyes have less fatigue with hours of working. The ease of the Open Frame Headband magnifier in MagEyes is a joy and comfort to use. I use the two Lower Powers at this time for my needs but I do know they have two Higher Power lenses as well that even help with many struggling with Macular Degeneration.
I know exactly what you mean, I will be 50 next month! I have glasses that allow me to look under or over to enable me to read things. I take my glasses off to solder and put on some +2 magnifying glasses. From the £1 shop as reading glasses. It helps but is a pain when you want to then look at the computer screen!! I do like the headset, nice hands free solution with multiple magnification and easy to flip out of the way. Nice video.
I actually got reading glasses when I last replaced my regular glasses , but when I talked to the optician about soldering he said I'd need a third pair of glasses specifically for that distance. I never thought about using £1 versions for this. I do like the 2x mag now just to be a more confirtable distance away and still see up close
I'm still in the denial stage (44) and will continue to look over the top of my glasses for a couple of years. But when the time comes I'll remember this. Thanks!
Being blind in one eye prevents actual depth perception which, as you can imagine, makes soldering quite difficult. I always have to use helping hands with a magnifying glass and lots of light from different directions to prevent shadows. It helped me a bit.
Yes - I think it was the lack of depth perception in the magnifying glass that was not helping - so kudos that you've worked out a system that lets you get on with it.
I'm 49 and things get blurry at about a foot away so i use magnifying goggles with a LED , it is similar to your setup, works well soldering tabs half the size of a match head is no problem... Specially those 16x16 FCs !!
im 63 i use a rolson magnfying head set four lens of different strengths ,quickly changed just pop them in and out , it has 2 leds as a torch on it too ive used it for five yrs and it allows me too solder everything ive had so far ...almost the same as this one on test.
I'm officially "over the hill" but I've been using magnifiers like these for 25 years. My mags are 2x and flip up like those. Very comfortable and lightweight but I use anglepoise lamps to provide my lighting. Just simple 60w bulbs that I can place close to my workpiece. FYI I only started wearing glasses when I was 44.
The lights are a great idea - I have these two multi-LED lamps I use for filming that really can fill a space with light, but they are (rechargable) battery only. Mains lighting would be handy
@@CurryKitten These are very robust and don't take up any valuable desk space. Standard screw bulb fitting. www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-desk-mounted-swing-arm-lamp/
Making automotive harness's I crimp and solder a lot. I wear 1.75x and have to switch to 3.25x glasses to crimp. You just showed I can just flip it up and down. Thanks I'm off to amazon right now!
CurryKitten I guess I'll find out in 30 years ;). Do you have any tips getting my old man into the hobby? I have been trying for a couple of months now, but the progress is slow lol
Have looked at a few videos on this type magnifying glasses and they look ideal for use as a beekeeper when it comes to inspecing the frames. Some of the eggs the queen lays are just so small and can hardley be seen with the eye. Like the fact these can flip up when not in use and hopefully will fit nicely inside bee head gear and still be able to flip up...
Been round the sun 44 times. Same problems but plus some weird form of astigmatism. Couple of days ago borrowed this headband. Works well, except light is rubbish, as its directly in front and makes bad reflections. i'm planning on buying it and modding on a led strip with lipo or something. Generally i used cantilevered light with magnifying glass (170mm, 2x and small 5x insert) to great success, long arm, so would easily swing it away from work if needed.But cfl was burning out and transformer buzz was anoying, finally bit the dust and i'm in the process of LEDing it. Got laser cutter, will make a good diffuser to remove sharp LED shadows too.
I could never get the hang of a magnifying glass (even with a light) I didn't seem to perceive depth through it and so my hands didn't feel my own! GLad you've got something that works for you though
I'm trying to straighten out the pins of a motherboard (lga1151 socket). They are very small, and so I need high magnification to see them. Would these be sufficient to do this please?
Don't know - I don't have a similar socket around. The max usable magnification is about 3.5x which is great for fairly fine solder work, but for some really fine stuff I've had to use a microscope
I’ve been in the electronics business all my working life (now retired, age 64 and a Yorkshire man just to balance up your intro !) Luckily my eye sight has been pretty good, I do use cheap 3.5 magnifier glasses for reading but that’s it, lucky I know, with intricate soldering you obviously need good, quick rapid controllable gear, no good faffing with equipment that has intermittent temperature variances ( all my stuff is Metcal ) the main must is a brilliant white light, the cold blue leds work for me and plenty of them, wire a dimmer in for control if you want. I’m certainly going to invest in this visor you’re reviewing,never seen one before,thanks for heads up,now where did that surface mount shoot off to............... Best wishes . Richard.Yorkshire.England
Yes - light I think gets overlooked. Close up a shadow looks like something else, and you want to fill the area with light to make things really clear. Ideally I'd be using the two multi LED lights I use for filming... only problem is they are not mains powered and a pain to keep recharging
I got to about 46 before I needed any glasses at all, now I need them for reading , soldering etc and another set for watching telly and driving ( and flying RC gliders at a distance ) ... It's a downhill slope lol! Add the shakes and it is becoming harder to build stuff .. Cheap glasses from the £ shop or ebay come in handy for soldering too.
nigelsheffield same here, I'm on 1.25 from the pound shop for reading and soldering etc. I try not to use anything when flying, I've seen the slippery slope my wife has been on since she had to use varifocals. I use a big magnifying thing like CK has for soldering, does work quiet well.
@@jibbajabba4597 generally I try to get by without wearing glasses most of the time, I think wearing them makes my eyes lazy but reading became impossible without them and soldering was getting dangerous lol, mostly I fly without glasses even with the gliders but occationally I wear prescription sunglasses which really make the model easier to see in a blue sky where I was starting to struggle flying at distance with a glider. I kind of just fly within my own eyesight capabilities without the glasses mostly to keep my eyes working lol...
nigelsheffield yup I hear you, a few years ago someone bought me some, I think they're called, "pinhole reading glasses" they're black glasses with holes in, because as you say glasses make your eyes lazy and the theory is if you restrict the amount of light entering your eyes, it makes them work harder, and improves your eyesight, your supposed to use them for 15 minutes a day, but I lost the dam things lol.
@@jibbajabba4597 haha, that sounds about right lol, can't find my glasses cause I can't see lol! After nearly losing my right eye in a bike accident years ago I was shown some eye excercises where you spend 10 mins looking from near and far objects etc, maybe I should start those again.
im 41 (definitely not in the states, im a stones throw from you) and all my life i have had perfect vision but ive noticed in the last year and a half that i cant focus on things as close as i used to be able but im too proud to get an eye test, i cant accept getting old :(
@@jibbajabba4597 I can't bring myself to wear glasses. I am in denial about getting old, I'm doing crazy amounts of exercise to maintain a body well above the average for my age in an attempt to feel younger but it's exhausting doing 5.5 miles plus a workout every single day lol
Haha denial Steve. You sound like me when I was at school. I kept running up to the board, memorising what was on it, running back to the desk and writing it down. WHen a teacher suggested I might need glasses I was like "what, why?"
@@CurryKitten I am in major denial lol but I think I'll have to admit aging sooner or later as I'm pushing my body to the absolute limit and I don't know how much longer I can keep up the level I'm doing :/
Hey grandpa, good vid. I use my phone with a magnifying app (there are plenty) on a stand. Works ok for me. Has advantage that you take a picture and use the light from your phone. I do this trick every time I have to solder a wire to an smd component (such as inversion hack for xsr receiver. 👍
Well there's one I'd never would have thought of - essentially using your phone camera. I guess if you get your distances right it'll work well. Interesting
Hi Wayne, thanks for sharing this :-) I have been struggling a bit too and have tried various options but this looks like a solution well worth trying.
I built boutique guitar amplifiers for a number of years. I turned 40 during that time and I started using reading glasses and headlamps. My eyesight wasn't bad I would say, but probably not as good as it used to be. I wanted all my connections to be beautiful and as perfect as I could make them. Soldering up Kwaads tends to require a finer work for sure. Looks like I'm in the the market for these...oof 😢😢 🤣. ✌️❤️🤘. Thank you for the information
I’m in my 20s, but I was born legally blind, and I’ve just started learning to work with guitar electronics. I’ve found the desk magnifier (at 2.5x) doesn’t magnify near enough for me to see the components from further. Maybe I’ll give one of these a try
41 and just had cataracts removed. 20 years of presbyopia happened overnight :( I've found that the Optivisor range of magnifiers work very well, and for really close work (SMD soldering, reading IDs from ICs etc.) you can't beat the 4.3" LCD microscopes from banggood. Normally about 40 quid and absolutely brilliant.
I find an odd disconnect between my hands/tools when looking at a screen. I guess it just needs some practice before it clicks. I certainly like the look of those LCD microscopes
@@CurryKitten exactly what I found - took a while to get proper coordination when not looking at your actual hands but a screen image. But at least I was able to finally solder the RX protocol jumper pads on the Tyro 129 FC! Love the channel - helped me a lot on my FPV journey so far. Keep it up sir!
I am 66 and recently retired from 20 years as an audio equipment repair tech. I used Optivisor magnifying visors at work every single day, and I bought several for home use as well. They cost more than the cheap Chinese visors but the more expensive Optivisor version has glass lenses and are worth every penny. The US manufacturer is Donegan Optical, which is important to know because there are unbranded, plastic-lense "clones" being sold on Amazon.....
I have the same problem, 44years old (-3 nearsighted), but I wear contacts so I cant lift my glasses to look closer, but what I can do is put on a pair of +2 reading glasses when soldering, also had to put a pair into my Eachine ev800d goggles, much better option then removing my contact before flying ;)
@@CurryKitten I can imagine how that looks :) Luckily the the magnifying setup you got should be equally good with lenses. Can also mention that I ordered the same magnifier as in your video for my work a year ago and on ebay then it cost less then half.
Funny, the part where you said, you thought your short sight would be reversed over age - it's exactly what my mum told me when I was a child and I actually believed that up until I was in my late 40'es when I began getting 'old age sight', only then did I realize I would have the 'joy' of both handicaps :-)) btw, great video.
Yes - we've been lied to. What they should have told us is that we'd lost the ability to look at stuff up close as well as still be blind for looking at distances :)
Try a Tomlov digital microscope...has HDMI output, 10 inch display, 25MP sensor. However, just doesn't do it for me. ... Looked at reviews on Amz and they all complain about the headband slipping and the weight. Ordered something similar, but not this design. One I ordered has five LED lights with color settings (3k to 5k). Only the magnifier+LED head flips up. Has the RECHARGEABLE batteries are in the headband so weight is back at the headband and not in the head itself. Thanks for the review!
I've tried soldering with a very basic scope, but I felt very disconnected from my hands - although I would guess that if you persevere you'd get there in the end
Yup, 54 times round the sun! Visor magnifying glasses(first stage) and lots of light is where I'm at:-) Sounded a little grumpy at the end......welcome to the club;-)
I know it's an old video but jesis if you need varifocals just use them. I have bad eyes and started varifocals 3 years ago. Went against them when suggested but wow they are great. I still need a magnifying headset as it makes things far more easy:)
I did talk to the optician about how close up I need to see things, and he mentioned that glasses wouldn't work for that level of closeness anyway. But that aside, I still don't want only certain areas of my glasses to be for distance and some for close up. I'm still using 2 pairs of glasses and this visor - which is still working nicely
I found for the past 3 years a desk unit with a ring light is the only way I can work. I am long sighted. I was worried about fixing in the field so I bought from banggood a portable version that folds into itself so I keep it in my BX3 for use in the field. It's no fun getting old lol 👻
I am an electronics manufacturer --one thing I would recommend is to avoid the lead free solder. It is like trying to solder with month old goat cheese. The US Military won't use it and neither will I . I am not going to eat my amplfier , so my view is that the lead is OK.
Usually between around 10-14 days once it's dispatched. The odd thing seems to get stuck, but around 2 weeks seems to be around the norm at the moment.
I've been nearsighted most of my life. As I got older had to get bifocals. Oh joy. I'm in the the exact same situation as you. I have been on and off researching various magnifying options. So thank you for reviewing this headset for us. I think I'm going to give it a try. 🤓
I wish I was still 48 what you complain about that's not old. But I hear what your saying we all need a little help seeing them bloody small wires. I went down to my local £ shop and picked up a per of magnifying glasses and for only a £1 they work great.
Two things I've learnt from this. 1) Lots of people are older than me, and 2) the pound shop is apparantly the most popular opticians on the high street !
I do a lot of close soldering work like SMD and have used electroscopes but they always seam to get in the way. When I had better eyes I could solder SMD stuff without any help but now I need all the help I can get. For the price its worth giving this a go so order placed, if I get asked to be on a pod cast again and if no good then both of us could put then on and look like two Mr magoo`s
Thanks for video will try these been using 2x glasses with another magnifying lens while soldering depth precipitation and light blockage very bad with this set up hopefully visor the answer cheers ps i am 48
I always feel like my hands wouldn't be connected to me if looking through a lens like that. Did it take some getting used to, or did it just feel natural ?
@@CurryKitten I cannot say it feels natural, it's more like an alternative that is less painful than what I could find elsewhere. I also have binocular microscopes at work so I was used to having them for other purposes when my eyesight went form mediocre to ridiculous :) I had the chance to buy one of these microscopes for a very low cost... But ok.. the field of view is very limited and it is common that I touch cables with the soldering iron by mistake because of that.
Hey curry, I ordered the visor you show in your video but I got mine through Amazon for £8.99 delivered. I did check banggood to see how much they were there and was shocked to see them for £14.99, so I'm hoping banggood gave you a slight discount after all the drones and other stuff you've tested and reviewed. I'll post tomorrow to let you know my thoughts on this visor.
Exactly the same one (there are lots that look similar) usually Banggood are an order of magnitude cheaper than what can be had from Amazon - but yeah, don't spend more than you have to
Before my cataracts were done I had varifocals for years. Excellent they were. Since then I only need close up llenses. Colour is now excellent as is distance. My sight is as it was 20 years ago. Just bought these magnifiers like your and very pleased especially when using superglue!
I,m over 30, and I use a magnifying visit for soldering,BUT with separate Halogen bulbs (not the silly dim LED ones it comes with) Blinding light equals blinding solder joints me thinks👍😉
I've got a 100w (or equivalent - so it says) as well as a desk lamp pointed at my target. The headlamp just fills in those dark areas right in front. In my idea scenario I'd have bright mains powered lamps really filling everything with light
@@CurryKitten ..yes, that'd work well .Wonder what the big component companies use on their production lines for their employees solder stations.. (young people)?👍😉😂
God man your getting so old it makes me sick! Lol ill be 42 this year! It sucks getting old and we definitely need our eyes. I feel terrible for Bruce although i must say he seems like he is doinf better lately his meds must be working for him and i think Bruce is a wealth of knowledge it such a nice guy i would love to go to New Zealand amd fly with him and his grandpa crew lol
You youngsters and your crazy ways :) It's certainly sad about Bruce's condition, but I'd glad he's facing it head on an carrying on doing things he wants to. My father-in-law went from a Parkinsons diagnosis to near-paralysis and ultimately death within 2 years. I'm very glad to see that Bruce is having some good days with his - may it long continue.
Stupid question: can you read the newspaper with it ? My father is 80 and lost one eye and has just 60% on the last and he needs a 3x glass ... or loupe but it is hard to get 4x magnifxing glasses with a bigger view area and good quality. Most chinese products are described as they can do it but fake magnifying factors do not work out in real life as intended.
Yes - although it does require you to hold the news paper at the right distance. Possibly closer than you normally would. As the go up in the magnification the distance needs to be close still. So 2x is quite comfy and gives a nice view, but I've found that the 3.5x is a bit too close and harder to focus.
These kept coming up on the Banggood site when I was looking for stuff, but the only ones I could that quoted how close you had to be was really close, but had a higher magnification. What sort of distance and mag do yours work at ?
Darn, I thought you were nearly my age :D (I'm in the 8.4%) I use a digital microscope for soldering so you should worry ;) Perfect demonstration of the "trombone effect" btw Nice bit of kit for people who are getting on and haven't yet developed SERIOUSLY wonky eyes.
There's been a few people mentioning scopes for soldering. Do you lose depth perception, or "contact" with yours hands at all. Just wondering if it something you have to get used to, or it clicked with you straight away ?
@@CurryKitten It was weird at first, but it only took a couple of practice sessions. Position by eye and look up at screen works for me especially if I put the image on a 40" TV.
Me with contacts lenses in looks hilarious - they are set for distance only, but I don't remember that and somehow think that I can look over the top of my imaginary glasses and see close up. The result of which just looks like I'm have some sort of weird tourettes tick
Using the cheaper version of that, the holder thingy gets loose and the LED (who cares) came apart. still using them with some trouble and doing great wit SMD soldering + using an USB microscope witch is even better. 51 btw
I've been using my phone to take photos and then zoom in to see the mess I've made. This is not a good way of doing it! I have been looking at a microscope with live screen but these look good too.
I'm 57 and will not reveal the age related horrors to come for you.Been using a similar set for a few years and they have been invaluable. Keep up the good work
@@CurryKitten I've been on those for over 10 years now and I used to have perfect vision. I think the eyesight ages sooner than the rest of us. Btw, I'm seriously considering ordering a set of those binocular thing. Looks are for the young.
Interesting review. Like you said, worst case scenario is that you can look ridiculous with it on. So if it's no good for circuit boards, you can at least go to restaurants with it. I see no reason not to try it.
Some months on, and this is on my head everytime I pick up a soldering iron. I can't work without it now - between this and the 6-arm helping hand thingy I've not been making unforced errors anymore
I'm 28, wear glasses since 12 or so. I still can see some small things but find it a bit of a pain without getting tired or a headache and I've been thinking on getting a pair of these glasses for a long time. Thanks for helping me make my mind up!
Glad it helps - it's whatever lets you stay in a comfortable position - much nicer than getting your head and eyes into awkward positions to see normally :)
@@CurryKitten, I am 66 and recently retired from 20 years as an audio electronics repair tech. I used Optivisor magnification visors (made by Donegan Optical) almost every day for 20 years and I ended up buying several sets of them for at home usage as well. Swappable lenses of various *diopter* magnification levels are available, in glass or acrylic (glass is preferable for soldering because of flux spatters); #5 diopter (2.5x magnification) is the minimum that I find useful, and I use a #7 or #10 lense for really close-up work. Depending on what lenses are included and where you buy them from, the glass-lense Optivisor kits run from about $45 to $65 USD (the acrylic lense kit versions are cheaper), and therefore presumably more expensive than the no-name visor you bought from Banggood, but the quality is high and they're light and comfy (the headband is cushioned with thin leather). Optivisor sell an add-on spotlight kit but I wasn't impressed with it (as of a few years ago it was an incandescent bulb, not an LED) so I bought an inexpensive headband flashlight and modified it to stick on top of the visor with Velcro (I put the batteries on the rear of the band, next to the adjustment knob, so that the extra weight wouldn't be forward of the hinged pivot points; I am guessing that your visor might be front-heavy due to the battery location). I love these Optivisors and at my age would find it Impossible to do any kind of small repair work without them (ps, I also wear bifocals); I am a volunteer for the local Repair Cafe cafe events and I always bring them along as part of my mobile tool kit.
If you're curious and look these things up online, be aware that there are no-name "clones" of unknown quality on Amazon etc and you really want to look for the Donegal Optics brand. The Optivisor kits including acrylic lenses are cheaper but I greatly prefer the glass lenses for clarity and longevity. The sellers who have the real-deal Donegan Optical units will include 3 or 4 long paragraphs on magnification diopters, focal distance, and specifications of the lenses.
age 67 and just last year started using glasses ! I do a LOT of soldering and I use a large illumin ated magnifier on a goose neck sorta thing ...works but ….
I use Fatsharks with some magnifier thingys
I refuse to give up quietly !! I fly FPV EVERY DAY ! Retired after 28 years as Airline Captain ...
Crikey looks like you have a lot more of us old soldering RC gits than you thought at the beginning of the review !!
Yes, all the oldies are coming out of the woodwork to let me know it's going to get worse and worse :)
I was eyeing binocular microscopes close to £200 to help with SMD soldering but thought this might be worth a shot for about £16 delivered. Pleased to report that it's good enough for my needs (various SOT & 0805 packages, but I'm sure I could go smaller if the need arose). You saved me a bunch of money, so thanks.
I was talking to Eric (from Mkme labs) as I was saying about feeling disconnected if looking through a lens. Trinocular microscopes is what he suggests for properly perceiving depth. But yeah, they are very expensive - I'm sure they are fantastic for the right sort of work, but I'm still using these for every solder job. They are working well for me still - glad they are doing so for you as well !
What model did you find that was ok for £200?
@@NicksStufftry Swift S41-20
@@Hal-Gas I will check it out, thanks
I ordered a pair 👍! At the age of 47 I noticed that they kept miniturizing all the writings everywhere so this is a bless ;)
Just ordered!
Just turned 55, got my first glasses less than a year ago.
Been actually looking for something like this.
Cheers! 👍😎
Many people have mentioned they had great vision and then the close up stuff went in their 50's. I think this is part of of the lens in your eye being less flexible or something like that as you get older.
Thanks. I found the exact same one. I like the fact that there no pressure on the nose or behing the ears. You don't mention it, but the light is detachable.
Thank you for this video. I am 48 and the sight issues you talked about is what I have when soldering.
I have ordered mine today.
I'm still using mine every time I solder - hope it works well for you
I'm 74 and use a similar magnifier. Helps keep soldering enjoyable. Also with the leds it's great for reading a book in bed. Mine has a rechargeable lipo built in. Enjoy your channel.
Thanks - my vision in low light has become awful lately. Thank goodness for the Kindle Paperwhite edition with it's own backlit screen.
I've been using a magnifying visor for 10+ years now, it looks similar to your one with the dual lens mounting but the 2 LEDs for lighting are on a swivel mount, but they suck so I replaced it with a LED cob from a cheap torch along with a rechargeable lithium battery and USB charging socket - works great.
Headlamps with COB LED'S do indeed have a wider, more even illumination field and work much better than "spot" LED'S. I use an Optivisor magnifying headband (glass lenses!👍) with a COB headlamp Velcro-mounted to the visor.
I am 56. So glad I saw your review, got the same model and it has helped so much. I have a to do a Qx7 crossfire mod and fit crossfire to a tiny hawk 2 fs. No more moving my head to get focused.
Glad it helped - I literally use it every time I pick up my soldering iron now. I do notice I'm always using the 3.5x magnification lens now. I think my eyes are getting worse by the day !
This kind of magnifying glasses are priceless, welcome to the club! Another important point, you don’t loose the depth perception, as you do with a single magnifier when closing one eye.
This is true - previously I used to close an eye to try and get really focused on one spot, and that's probably why I felt my hands weren't connected.
On the subject of magnifiers, the best pocket magnifier I own (I bought two) for really inspecting the detail of soldering etc. are from RS, part number 528-5307, two dual lenses to get multiple levels of magnification and they slide back into the 'shell' so you don't scratch them when not in use.
I also use that magnifier to get amazing macro photos on my phone, sticking it in place with a bit a Blu-tack.
That's quite cool. I've been known to use a little USB microscope I have to inspect really close up, or small things. But a decent magfifying glass (along with a good light source) sounds goos as an inspection tool
It's a perfect portable inspection tool, and my favourite 'good light source' is the BLF A6 XPL, a 18650 powered ridiculously tough waterproof torch designed by people from the budgetlightforum website. 7 brightness levels that start at moonlight equivalent and goes to "ow, you just blinded me!" level :)
The different 1A/3D/5A designs are for cool white, neutral white & warm white LED option.
So glad to see this video - it's exactly what I'm dealing with... I finally figured out it's my vision that's causing me to foul up and melt delicate pieces because I cannot see, and must move in so close I'm singeing my hair! Thank you for posting this!
This has made quite a difference for me. The use of a nice small tip on my TS100, these visors (the light is great on them as well) and some helping hands where I can raise the stuff up to a decent level to work on. It's stopped the manny "unforced errors" I was making
I just ordered one. Thanks for the info👍. Almost 58 and suffering from solderstruggle...
Thanks for posting.I'm 67,wait another 20 yrs, it gets more interesting. I've had some luck with those inexpensive ones that look like a surgeon or dentist wears.Would like to find some used quality ones on ebay someday.
I expect proper medical ones will have fantastic quality lenses... if you can get hold of them. I don't want to think of the further failings my body will get in the next 20 years !
Good timing. I’m 46 and have been very lucky with my sight until about 3 years back when Close things started going blurry. In the last three months I have started using reading glasses +1. My soldering was good, being part of my job, but now being magnified is a little easier. I have been in Southampton working the last few days and flying in the park near Hillyfields. Always on the lookout for places to fly when I’m working away.
Hey - you were close to me. You did well to get out in the last few days though - I've been trapped inside while the weather has been appalling !
I see the showery weather as an opportunity, less people out and about. Big downside is potential water damage. A camera blacked out towards the end of flying but after a day of drying out All is good. Will need to investigate so it doesn’t happen again
I'm 30 and have started building scale models again. I need glasses for close up work as the details can be very small but its an extremely weak script so my eyes still get tired. I've been looking at something like this for when I build and your review has been very helpful indeed. Thanks!
They've been like gold dust for me, I use them everytime I need to solder anything - the light is very useful on them as well
Certainly getting a set of those. I have just turned 50 and have struggled with my eyes for the last few years, now wearing reading glasses for close work, and I too have struggled trying to get a magnifying glass to work. Thanks for sharing your experience.
I've got reading glasses too, but they are quite subtle. So they work for reading a book (or kindle) but that's it. Where I'm usually a bit closer in to solder they don't help at all. It was actually my optician that suggested this idea after I explained what I was looking for and he explained that I was looking at several extra pairs of glasses to accomplish what I wanted :)
49 and I strarted noticing the same problem last year. Thanks for the idea :-)
I see that microscopes are now the norm. But I can't afford the binocular ones, bought a digital one and found I can't have the perspective and working distance to use my hands. Thanks so much for sharing about this affordable alternative ...
I bought a pair of these sort of things last year and they are such a boon for close-in soldering :)
Age 68 and wear reading glasses, I have had a similar magnifying headpiece for a number of years now and use it a lot. On a similar note I have a problem seeing clearly using box type fpv goggles because of the short distance between my eyes and the screen. A solution is to get a cheap pair of glasses from a 'Poundshop' they go up to +3.5 magnification, these are still not strong enough for me so I got a second pair, took out the lenses and hot glued, on the edge, these lenses to the first pair. It took a few goes to get the correct magnification for me, about +5 and with a little modification to the box goggle frame I can now wear these 'super glasses' and see clearly.
As far as I can tell from the collected comments, the Poundshop is actually a more popular optician than sepcsavers ! :)
Thamk you. You may just have fixed my own problem. I'm 83 and life-long very shortsighted. I've never had a problem soldering, I simply removed my glasses and worked very close-up. Hazardous yes, but I've got away with, 4 years ago I had cateracts removed from both eyes and my vision corrected. The result was that I now need reading glasses. I can no longer work in close-up and the prescription for the two eyes is different so magnifyers don't work. I can't fly FPV for the same reason. I've just discovered Eachine EV100 goggles which have solved the problem. I've ordered a set of the goggles you describe and hope they will work. Banggood are out of stock at the moment but I'll come back to you when I get them.
Hopefully they will work - that fact you can keep your glasses on and magnify your corrected vision means they should at least. I was going to recommend the custom prescription diopters I looked at before for Fatshark goggles, but the ev100 - did they have the movable lens to correct a - prescription in that way ?
@@CurryKitten The EV100 has sideways ajustment to fit the space between your eyes and individual focusing. I can set them to suit without the reading glasses.I think the ajustable focus is unique at the moment.
I've now got a set of these goggles and they make things much easier. Thank you again for the review.
So with that visor & lenses, you can place (mount) 2 lenses, changing the magnification? 🤔 Thank you 🤓 my problem is I tend to take off my glasses & bring things closer.. bad habit, I know!
You can - I've never had to do so, as 3.5x seems enough for me. I was doing the exact same - but bringing my eyes so close to hot solder is probably not the best idea
@@CurryKitten I have a kind of adjustable magnifying glass (sits on the table) but when using it sort of difficult to solder small things. I also am considering an Andonstar digital microscope, maybe the A208, as it's affordable. Thank you 🤓
Thank you for this review! It’s going to help me out a lot.
I've had this Headband Magnifying Glass for several years now. I love the thing but hate the headband. I keep a small microfiber towel with it to soften the front part of the headband and it also stops sweat. ( I'm ordering Cotton Hard Hat Sweatband now that I've remembered) The headband needs fiddling with more than I care, tightening it up.
The headlight is great. I use 3 AAA rechargeable batteries and it lasts a long time for me. The light telescopes out and tilts down. The light can also be removed and be stood up next to your project.
I like the fact 2 lenses can be attached. I use the 1x and then a stronger lens upfront depending on the project. Usually, 1.5x is plenty. Having the ability to be able to plip the 2nd lens out of the way is nice.
I'd buy this again even though I'm going to need to do something with the headband in the future.
I would agree that the headband is not very comfortable. I normally do little 10 minute bits of soldering before I have to rearrange things, and always take it off inbetween. A little microfibre towel under it on the forehead section sounds like a good plan for any extended sessions
Use a strip of self adhesive foam to make it more comfortable, it increases grip, softens the band and absorbs a degree of sweat. £1 a sheet from Hobbycraft.
Thanks for the video. 47, started wearing glasses full-time a couple of years ago (varifocals) and I love them. I struggle with seeing-what-I'm-doing when soldering though and already have one of the magnifiers like you featured here. I didn't really get on with it, but based on your tips I'll give it another try, thanks :)
For me, it really does go hand-in-hand with having a good light source and something to hold what I'm working on in the right position. I've rejected the idea of varifocals - I can't get to grips with certain parts of the FOV only being for close up or distance
@@CurryKitten Thanks. I got used to varifocals quite quickly. Never wore glasses at all 5 years ago but I need them now. I got my magnifying visor out earlier and found I've got a 1.8x that looks like it could work for soldering, with a 2.5x that gives a slightly closer view for checking what I've done wrong :) It does have 2 LEDs on mine that could be useful as well. Cheers.
Have had this same one for about 2 years now, life saver. Only complaint is the headband tends to loosen a bit after wearing them a while. I'm sure it could be easily resolved if I tinkered with it. Great for the money, and the lenses are surprisingly good.
I don't think the headband is particularly comfy. I've done it up a few times so it does stay tight... but I always remove them inbetween jobs as it's a bit unpleasant once my forehead gets sweaty wearing them :D
@@CurryKitten - Agree with all of this, same here. But it sure is a life saver for blind guys like us, no doubt about it :D
I'm 49 and have exactly your very same problem. My solution has been to use an electronic microscope but I agree that is not ideal. I was thinking about the magnifying goggles. Thanks for the review! I'll get them almost for sure.
A microscope was something I considered, but aside from maybe feeling a bit "detached" from my hands I was more concerned that it might be awkward to angle everything correctly so that I could see it properly whilst getting my iron into the right bit
Your description of how you wished age would cure near-sightedness made my laugh because I had the same wishful thinking. For replacing a small transistor on a circuit board, I am doing some research on magnifying solutions. Will check out the visors you showed here. Thanks!
Glad it wasn't just me. I thought I'd have 2020 vision at some point in my 50s :)
@@CurryKitten Hey, I got a pair of 'headband magnifying glasses' from Amazon similar to the visors used by you. I was able to un-solder and re-solder a tiny transistor on a NAS server motherboard. You are right that using these type of glasses allow us to zoom in on the job while still maintaining a good orientation of the surroundings. Many thanks!
Comes to us all Wayne. I have been extremely lucky having reached 51 with fab eyes. However I have also purchased a head magnifier for close up work now. I also have one in a stand with a very bright light and a small vice and also helping hands too... thats fab for very fine work. .... Nothing falling off of me though, walking dogs for a living works wonders :)
Perhaps it was too much walking that made the meniscus layer in one of my knees calficy? Just unlucky I guess - I'll solder on and keep taking the tablets :D
Well, I prefer the versatility of MagEyes headband magnifiers. Lightweight, Easy to Use and All U.S.A. Made.
I have found that the Open Frame offers me more Natural Light and my eyes have less fatigue with hours of working. The ease of the Open Frame Headband magnifier in MagEyes is a joy and comfort to use. I use the two Lower Powers at this time for my needs but I do know they have two Higher Power lenses as well that even help with many struggling with Macular Degeneration.
I'm 64 from UK.. I've had similar pair for a Couple years..deffo a handy tool
Most importantly (to slightly butcher some lyrics) do people still need you and still feed you, now your 64 ? ;)
I know exactly what you mean, I will be 50 next month! I have glasses that allow me to look under or over to enable me to read things. I take my glasses off to solder and put on some +2 magnifying glasses. From the £1 shop as reading glasses. It helps but is a pain when you want to then look at the computer screen!! I do like the headset, nice hands free solution with multiple magnification and easy to flip out of the way. Nice video.
I actually got reading glasses when I last replaced my regular glasses , but when I talked to the optician about soldering he said I'd need a third pair of glasses specifically for that distance. I never thought about using £1 versions for this. I do like the 2x mag now just to be a more confirtable distance away and still see up close
Not only do I use a similar headset but when I could not get diopter's for my fatsharks I dremald out two from the acrylic lenses from the lens kit.
Well if it works for you, great - but did you check out the custom diopter reviews I did - really nice quality - I love mine
I'm still in the denial stage (44) and will continue to look over the top of my glasses for a couple of years. But when the time comes I'll remember this. Thanks!
People DO notice and the WILL make fun of you. You are entitled to punch them though
Being blind in one eye prevents actual depth perception which, as you can imagine, makes soldering quite difficult. I always have to use helping hands with a magnifying glass and lots of light from different directions to prevent shadows. It helped me a bit.
Yes - I think it was the lack of depth perception in the magnifying glass that was not helping - so kudos that you've worked out a system that lets you get on with it.
I'm 49 and things get blurry at about a foot away so i use magnifying goggles with a LED , it is similar to your setup, works well soldering tabs half the size of a match head is no problem... Specially those 16x16 FCs !!
im 63 i use a rolson magnfying head set four lens of different strengths ,quickly changed just pop them in and out , it has 2 leds as a torch on it too ive used it for five yrs and it allows me too solder everything ive had so far ...almost the same as this one on test.
I'm officially "over the hill" but I've been using magnifiers like these for 25 years. My mags are 2x and flip up like those. Very comfortable and lightweight but I use anglepoise lamps to provide my lighting. Just simple 60w bulbs that I can place close to my workpiece. FYI I only started wearing glasses when I was 44.
The lights are a great idea - I have these two multi-LED lamps I use for filming that really can fill a space with light, but they are (rechargable) battery only. Mains lighting would be handy
@@CurryKitten These are very robust and don't take up any valuable desk space. Standard screw bulb fitting. www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-desk-mounted-swing-arm-lamp/
Making automotive harness's I crimp and solder a lot. I wear 1.75x and have to switch to 3.25x glasses to crimp. You just showed I can just flip it up and down. Thanks I'm off to amazon right now!
Glad it helped!
My dad is turning 50 this year (sadly he isn't into RC), but I have been recognizing that looking over the glasses a lot lately haha!
It's completely unconscious - everyone just learns to do it !
CurryKitten I guess I'll find out in 30 years ;). Do you have any tips getting my old man into the hobby? I have been trying for a couple of months now, but the progress is slow lol
Have looked at a few videos on this type magnifying glasses and they look ideal for use as a beekeeper when it comes to inspecing the frames. Some of the eggs the queen lays are just so small and can hardley be seen with the eye. Like the fact these can flip up when not in use and hopefully will fit nicely inside bee head gear and still be able to flip up...
I'm glad you mentioned fitting these inside protective gear. I don't like to think of someone shoving their face that close into bees :)
I have same problem and I have magnifying but never use it 😁.
I like your videos man.. keep going
Been round the sun 44 times. Same problems but plus some weird form of astigmatism. Couple of days ago borrowed this headband. Works well, except light is rubbish, as its directly in front and makes bad reflections. i'm planning on buying it and modding on a led strip with lipo or something.
Generally i used cantilevered light with magnifying glass (170mm, 2x and small 5x insert) to great success, long arm, so would easily swing it away from work if needed.But cfl was burning out and transformer buzz was anoying, finally bit the dust and i'm in the process of LEDing it. Got laser cutter, will make a good diffuser to remove sharp LED shadows too.
I could never get the hang of a magnifying glass (even with a light) I didn't seem to perceive depth through it and so my hands didn't feel my own! GLad you've got something that works for you though
I'm in the same boat as you. Thanks for the link.
If you haven't got them yet check Amazon as I have ordered the same visor as the one in the video for £8.99
@@graham69parkinson That's what i was thinking of doing
Mid 30s and I think I'm in need of these I have the same issue as you as I have to look over my glasses when working close up
I'm trying to straighten out the pins of a motherboard (lga1151 socket). They are very small, and so I need high magnification to see them. Would these be sufficient to do this please?
Don't know - I don't have a similar socket around. The max usable magnification is about 3.5x which is great for fairly fine solder work, but for some really fine stuff I've had to use a microscope
@@CurryKitten Thank you for the reply :)
It's alright! I accepted it a few weeks ago and dove right in as well :-)
I’ve been in the electronics business all my working life (now retired, age 64 and a Yorkshire man just to balance up your intro !) Luckily my eye sight has been pretty good, I do use cheap 3.5 magnifier glasses for reading but that’s it, lucky I know, with intricate soldering you obviously need good, quick rapid controllable gear, no good faffing with equipment that has intermittent temperature variances ( all my stuff is Metcal ) the main must is a brilliant white light, the cold blue leds work for me and plenty of them, wire a dimmer in for control if you want.
I’m certainly going to invest in this visor you’re reviewing,never seen one before,thanks for heads up,now where did that surface mount shoot off to............... Best wishes . Richard.Yorkshire.England
Yes - light I think gets overlooked. Close up a shadow looks like something else, and you want to fill the area with light to make things really clear. Ideally I'd be using the two multi LED lights I use for filming... only problem is they are not mains powered and a pain to keep recharging
I got to about 46 before I needed any glasses at all, now I need them for reading , soldering etc and another set for watching telly and driving ( and flying RC gliders at a distance ) ...
It's a downhill slope lol!
Add the shakes and it is becoming harder to build stuff ..
Cheap glasses from the £ shop or ebay come in handy for soldering too.
nigelsheffield same here, I'm on 1.25 from the pound shop for reading and soldering etc. I try not to use anything when flying, I've seen the slippery slope my wife has been on since she had to use varifocals. I use a big magnifying thing like CK has for soldering, does work quiet well.
@@jibbajabba4597 generally I try to get by without wearing glasses most of the time, I think wearing them makes my eyes lazy but reading became impossible without them and soldering was getting dangerous lol, mostly I fly without glasses even with the gliders but occationally I wear prescription sunglasses which really make the model easier to see in a blue sky where I was starting to struggle flying at distance with a glider. I kind of just fly within my own eyesight capabilities without the glasses mostly to keep my eyes working lol...
nigelsheffield yup I hear you, a few years ago someone bought me some, I think they're called, "pinhole reading glasses" they're black glasses with holes in, because as you say glasses make your eyes lazy and the theory is if you restrict the amount of light entering your eyes, it makes them work harder, and improves your eyesight, your supposed to use them for 15 minutes a day, but I lost the dam things lol.
@@jibbajabba4597 haha, that sounds about right lol, can't find my glasses cause I can't see lol!
After nearly losing my right eye in a bike accident years ago I was shown some eye excercises where you spend 10 mins looking from near and far objects etc, maybe I should start those again.
im 41 (definitely not in the states, im a stones throw from you) and all my life i have had perfect vision but ive noticed in the last year and a half that i cant focus on things as close as i used to be able but im too proud to get an eye test, i cant accept getting old :(
Steve Fox Poundland reading glasses will stave off the eye tests for a few years lol
@@jibbajabba4597 I can't bring myself to wear glasses.
I am in denial about getting old, I'm doing crazy amounts of exercise to maintain a body well above the average for my age in an attempt to feel younger but it's exhausting doing 5.5 miles plus a workout every single day lol
Haha denial Steve. You sound like me when I was at school. I kept running up to the board, memorising what was on it, running back to the desk and writing it down. WHen a teacher suggested I might need glasses I was like "what, why?"
@@CurryKitten I am in major denial lol but I think I'll have to admit aging sooner or later as I'm pushing my body to the absolute limit and I don't know how much longer I can keep up the level I'm doing :/
Great tip thanks Chris
:-P
52, and I use the desk lamp/magnifier. I Couldnt solder without it.
Hey grandpa, good vid. I use my phone with a magnifying app (there are plenty) on a stand. Works ok for me. Has advantage that you take a picture and use the light from your phone. I do this trick every time I have to solder a wire to an smd component (such as inversion hack for xsr receiver. 👍
Well there's one I'd never would have thought of - essentially using your phone camera. I guess if you get your distances right it'll work well. Interesting
Super helpful. Thank you!
added that to my Bangood shoping list!
Hi Wayne, thanks for sharing this :-) I have been struggling a bit too and have tried various options but this looks like a solution well worth trying.
It certainly helped me out a lot - if you get some, let me know how you get on with them
@@CurryKitten will do :-)
Hi Wayne, I got these, although it is an uncomfortable headset, it really works well for me too :-)
1971 is the best year, I need to go get some goggles now... The last line of the video made me lol, so true...
That famous line "If I knew then what I know now" also makes a lot more sense
I built boutique guitar amplifiers for a number of years. I turned 40 during that time and I started using reading glasses and headlamps. My eyesight wasn't bad I would say, but probably not as good as it used to be. I wanted all my connections to be beautiful and as perfect as I could make them.
Soldering up Kwaads tends to require a finer work for sure. Looks like I'm in the the market for these...oof 😢😢 🤣. ✌️❤️🤘. Thank you for the information
I have the same ones and wow are they great.
I’m in my 20s, but I was born legally blind, and I’ve just started learning to work with guitar electronics. I’ve found the desk magnifier (at 2.5x) doesn’t magnify near enough for me to see the components from further. Maybe I’ll give one of these a try
Still useful for SMD soldering though! Thanks for the video!
41 and just had cataracts removed. 20 years of presbyopia happened overnight :(
I've found that the Optivisor range of magnifiers work very well, and for really close work (SMD soldering, reading IDs from ICs etc.) you can't beat the 4.3" LCD microscopes from banggood. Normally about 40 quid and absolutely brilliant.
I find an odd disconnect between my hands/tools when looking at a screen. I guess it just needs some practice before it clicks. I certainly like the look of those LCD microscopes
@@CurryKitten exactly what I found - took a while to get proper coordination when not looking at your actual hands but a screen image. But at least I was able to finally solder the RX protocol jumper pads on the Tyro 129 FC!
Love the channel - helped me a lot on my FPV journey so far. Keep it up sir!
I am 66 and recently retired from 20 years as an audio equipment repair tech. I used Optivisor magnifying visors at work every single day, and I bought several for home use as well. They cost more than the cheap Chinese visors but the more expensive Optivisor version has glass lenses and are worth every penny. The US manufacturer is Donegan Optical, which is important to know because there are unbranded, plastic-lense "clones" being sold on Amazon.....
I have the same problem, 44years old (-3 nearsighted), but I wear contacts so I cant lift my glasses to look closer, but what I can do is put on a pair of +2 reading glasses when soldering, also had to put a pair into my Eachine ev800d goggles, much better option then removing my contact before flying ;)
I'm an occasional contact lens wearer - I look really stupid when I attempt to peer over my glasses when I've got them in
@@CurryKitten I can imagine how that looks :) Luckily the the magnifying setup you got should be equally good with lenses. Can also mention that I ordered the same magnifier as in your video for my work a year ago and on ebay then it cost less then half.
Nice review. Thanks.
Funny, the part where you said, you thought your short sight would be reversed over age - it's exactly what my mum told me when I was a child and I actually believed that up until I was in my late 40'es when I began getting 'old age sight', only then did I realize I would have the 'joy' of both handicaps :-)) btw, great video.
Yes - we've been lied to. What they should have told us is that we'd lost the ability to look at stuff up close as well as still be blind for looking at distances :)
Try a Tomlov digital microscope...has HDMI output, 10 inch display, 25MP sensor. However, just doesn't do it for me. ... Looked at reviews on Amz and they all complain about the headband slipping and the weight. Ordered something similar, but not this design. One I ordered has five LED lights with color settings (3k to 5k). Only the magnifier+LED head flips up. Has the RECHARGEABLE batteries are in the headband so weight is back at the headband and not in the head itself. Thanks for the review!
I've tried soldering with a very basic scope, but I felt very disconnected from my hands - although I would guess that if you persevere you'd get there in the end
lol! Watch repair glasses are better! LOVE ya videos! Still flying because of ya advice!
Im like 15 and blind as a bat. Visual imparment is oh so fun but as an avid electronics enthusiast, i will give this one a try
Hope it works for you
Yup, 54 times round the sun!
Visor magnifying glasses(first stage) and lots of light is where I'm at:-)
Sounded a little grumpy at the end......welcome to the club;-)
Been using simular for years when soldering.. 👍
I know it's an old video but jesis if you need varifocals just use them. I have bad eyes and started varifocals 3 years ago. Went against them when suggested but wow they are great. I still need a magnifying headset as it makes things far more easy:)
I did talk to the optician about how close up I need to see things, and he mentioned that glasses wouldn't work for that level of closeness anyway. But that aside, I still don't want only certain areas of my glasses to be for distance and some for close up. I'm still using 2 pairs of glasses and this visor - which is still working nicely
I found for the past 3 years a desk unit with a ring light is the only way I can work. I am long sighted. I was worried about fixing in the field so I bought from banggood a portable version that folds into itself so I keep it in my BX3 for use in the field. It's no fun getting old lol 👻
Ring light is an interesting one - does it mean you look through the ring at your subject ?
CurryKitten yes the light shines down and in the middle of the ring is the magnification lens.
I hear your pain :) i got the same issues
I am an electronics manufacturer --one thing I would recommend is to avoid the lead free solder. It is like trying to solder with month old goat cheese. The US Military won't use it and neither will I . I am not going to eat my amplfier , so my view is that the lead is OK.
Hello There, thanks for the funny review. How long it will take to come to UK once ordered?
Usually between around 10-14 days once it's dispatched. The odd thing seems to get stuck, but around 2 weeks seems to be around the norm at the moment.
@@CurryKitten thanks for your reply, I will order them :)
I've been nearsighted most of my life. As I got older had to get bifocals. Oh joy. I'm in the the exact same situation as you.
I have been on and off researching various magnifying options. So thank you for reviewing this headset for us. I think I'm going to give it a try. 🤓
How did this work out for you?
@@Woodkin007 I like them. Use them all the time.
@@jlarson42 great. Thanks for responding. Hope you had a good Christmas.
@@Woodkin007 Merry Christmas 🎄🎅
I wish I was still 48 what you complain about that's not old. But I hear what your saying we all need a little help seeing them bloody small wires. I went down to my local £ shop and picked up a per of magnifying glasses and for only a £1 they work great.
Two things I've learnt from this. 1) Lots of people are older than me, and 2) the pound shop is apparantly the most popular opticians on the high street !
I do a lot of close soldering work like SMD and have used electroscopes but they always seam to get in the way. When I had better eyes I could solder SMD stuff without any help but now I need all the help I can get. For the price its worth giving this a go so order placed, if I get asked to be on a pod cast again and if no good then both of us could put then on and look like two Mr magoo`s
Good idea Wynne. We'll look like lovely anime characters :D
Thanks for video will try these been using 2x glasses with another magnifying lens while soldering depth precipitation and light blockage very bad with this set up hopefully visor the answer cheers ps i am 48
Thank you for this video.
Glad it was helpful!
ive got these and i used one of the spare lenses in my box goggles,win win
Bloody great idea using spare lens in goggles, I might try that myself when mine arrive tomorrow.
You are not the first one to have mentioned this - good reuse of a part !
I'm 58 and I do all my soldering under a Nikon binocular microscope... :)
I always feel like my hands wouldn't be connected to me if looking through a lens like that. Did it take some getting used to, or did it just feel natural ?
@@CurryKitten I cannot say it feels natural, it's more like an alternative that is less painful than what I could find elsewhere. I also have binocular microscopes at work so I was used to having them for other purposes when my eyesight went form mediocre to ridiculous :) I had the chance to buy one of these microscopes for a very low cost... But ok.. the field of view is very limited and it is common that I touch cables with the soldering iron by mistake because of that.
Hey curry, I ordered the visor you show in your video but I got mine through Amazon for £8.99 delivered. I did check banggood to see how much they were there and was shocked to see them for £14.99, so I'm hoping banggood gave you a slight discount after all the drones and other stuff you've tested and reviewed. I'll post tomorrow to let you know my thoughts on this visor.
Exactly the same one (there are lots that look similar) usually Banggood are an order of magnitude cheaper than what can be had from Amazon - but yeah, don't spend more than you have to
Haha, I turn 48 in July too.
And I use the frisno face plate from my eachine 800D's for fine soldering. Haha
P. S Happy birthday n great vids as always
Thanks and happy birthday for next month ! I guess that face plate is a big magnifying glass really
Before my cataracts were done I had varifocals for years. Excellent they were. Since then I only need close up llenses. Colour is now excellent as is distance. My sight is as it was 20 years ago. Just bought these magnifiers like your and very pleased especially when using superglue!
I,m over 30, and I use a magnifying visit for soldering,BUT with separate Halogen bulbs (not the silly dim LED ones it comes with)
Blinding light equals blinding solder joints me thinks👍😉
I've got a 100w (or equivalent - so it says) as well as a desk lamp pointed at my target. The headlamp just fills in those dark areas right in front. In my idea scenario I'd have bright mains powered lamps really filling everything with light
@@CurryKitten ..yes, that'd work well .Wonder what the big component companies use on their production lines for their employees solder stations.. (young people)?👍😉😂
I will need this then! Bought a different one but it isnt practical (watch repair magnifier)
When I looked at those, the magnification always looked too high, and meant you had to be really close in still. Is that the case with yours ?
@@CurryKitten yes...so putting your face close to the item reduces your access to do anything (i.e. soldering)..
God man your getting so old it makes me sick! Lol ill be 42 this year! It sucks getting old and we definitely need our eyes. I feel terrible for Bruce although i must say he seems like he is doinf better lately his meds must be working for him and i think Bruce is a wealth of knowledge it such a nice guy i would love to go to New Zealand amd fly with him and his grandpa crew lol
You youngsters and your crazy ways :) It's certainly sad about Bruce's condition, but I'd glad he's facing it head on an carrying on doing things he wants to. My father-in-law went from a Parkinsons diagnosis to near-paralysis and ultimately death within 2 years. I'm very glad to see that Bruce is having some good days with his - may it long continue.
Stupid question: can you read the newspaper with it ?
My father is 80 and lost one eye and has just 60% on the last and he needs a 3x glass ... or loupe but it is hard to get 4x magnifxing glasses with a bigger view area and good quality.
Most chinese products are described as they can do it but fake magnifying factors do not work out in real life as intended.
Yes - although it does require you to hold the news paper at the right distance. Possibly closer than you normally would. As the go up in the magnification the distance needs to be close still. So 2x is quite comfy and gives a nice view, but I've found that the 3.5x is a bit too close and harder to focus.
I have some jewelers magnifying visors that work great.
These kept coming up on the Banggood site when I was looking for stuff, but the only ones I could that quoted how close you had to be was really close, but had a higher magnification. What sort of distance and mag do yours work at ?
Darn, I thought you were nearly my age :D (I'm in the 8.4%) I use a digital microscope for soldering so you should worry ;) Perfect demonstration of the "trombone effect" btw
Nice bit of kit for people who are getting on and haven't yet developed SERIOUSLY wonky eyes.
There's been a few people mentioning scopes for soldering. Do you lose depth perception, or "contact" with yours hands at all. Just wondering if it something you have to get used to, or it clicked with you straight away ?
@@CurryKitten It was weird at first, but it only took a couple of practice sessions. Position by eye and look up at screen works for me especially if I put the image on a 40" TV.
I KNOW THE FEELING desk lamp with magnifying glass for me with my contacts in
Me with contacts lenses in looks hilarious - they are set for distance only, but I don't remember that and somehow think that I can look over the top of my imaginary glasses and see close up. The result of which just looks like I'm have some sort of weird tourettes tick
Using the cheaper version of that, the holder thingy gets loose and the LED (who cares) came apart. still using them with some trouble and doing great wit SMD soldering + using an USB microscope witch is even better. 51 btw
I've been using my phone to take photos and then zoom in to see the mess I've made. This is not a good way of doing it! I have been looking at a microscope with live screen but these look good too.
Haha I can just imagine think you've done a great job and then zooming in and learning the awful truth ;)
I'm 57 and will not reveal the age related horrors to come for you.Been using a similar set for a few years and they have been invaluable.
Keep up the good work
At the rate things are going, I seriously expect my arms and legs to just drop off in the next 10 years :D
Welcome to being old, mate! Multifocals rule.
I need to find a new optician. The last one failed at making me new glasses properly, and really failed on varifocals
@@CurryKitten I've been on those for over 10 years now and I used to have perfect vision. I think the eyesight ages sooner than the rest of us. Btw, I'm seriously considering ordering a set of those binocular thing. Looks are for the young.
Interesting review.
Like you said, worst case scenario is that you can look ridiculous with it on. So if it's no good for circuit boards, you can at least go to restaurants with it. I see no reason not to try it.
Some months on, and this is on my head everytime I pick up a soldering iron. I can't work without it now - between this and the 6-arm helping hand thingy I've not been making unforced errors anymore