As a material scientist enthusiast... I had to have one of these. I bought one a while back, and yeah theyre amazing. And that tucson idea is gold lol.... These would make geologists go crazy
Mine came today and I love it. The thumb grip and lanyard works as well as any handle for holding it steady (very creative design the thumb grip and lanyard). Better than any of my other magnifying glasses for most of my uses (I will still use a larger glass for large areas like reading books, and I’ll use my eye loupes when I need both hands free) and I can carry it in my pocket without damage from my keys or pocket knife. Retro reflective specks on the lanyard mean you can fine it easily in the dark with a flashlight when the phosphorescent parts have stopped glowing, or use the cord to signal an oncoming car at night.
Have one, ran a search, and found you. We use magnifiers in our work, and have quite a few. Mostly internally lit 40-60X. Not as clear, but we don't really need that. This one is superb.
I had a B&L folding magnifier as a kid, and loved using it for bugs and just general discovery as a curious kid. It was all fun and games until my dad showed me how to start a fire with one. Mom revoked privileges quite quick.
I received mine a few days ago. The quality of the lens is really good. It's convex on both sides, which doesn't bother me, but I read that one side was flat. Works great! There are no instructions on what the o-ring is for, so I took it off, and the lens fell out. The o-ring holds the lens in-place. Duh. There are also no videos on replacing the o-ring, but I figured it out. This replaces a magnifier about half the size that I've been using for over 30-years. What a great purchase I made.
I didn’t think I needed another magnifying glass but this video completely changed my mind. I ordered one for me and one for my wife, and one for my son whose birthday is coming up soon. Their website is fascinating, with quality products at all ranges of prices, and I bought a couple more things I didn’t think I needed before I checked their website.
I've been in IT for a lot of years. I've had to deal with a lot of SIM cards. IMHO a smartphone is the best EDC 'magnifier' you'll find, and it's already in your pocket.
and especially one with a decent macro lens system on it, not sure what ones these days myself. but surely worthwhile when they are already putting as many as 4 different cameras onto the 1 single smartphone
@@chadhardwick9214 Maybe so, but a smartphone will also have a flashlight on the same side as the camera. I won't say that I haven't emailed a picture of a SIM or even a barcode (2D even) to myself to blow up the picture as well. I used to keep a magnifier in the office, but I stopped using it after smartphones came out. I've worked with a lot of scanners and cams over the years for jobs I've had.
I carry a linen tester/thread count loupe with me so that I can use my phone to take macro photos I wouldn't otherwise be able to capture. I've done this for years now.
@@chadhardwick9214not really, the lens in my smartphone is far more sophisticated than the simple lenses in many of these, or the two element acrobat. The best use three elements, but they’re expensive. That’s the coddington lens he mentioned. Then, I can take a picture, something you can’t do with a lens.
As a geologist, looking through such small lenses is limiting. You end up spending more time in the field trying to figure out whether you want a particular sample. A larger lens should help with that and it should save time in looking through each sample. Bottom line you always end up carrying way more rocks than you expected heh. Anyway, good video Doc! please test this one in the field!
I have two of these from the first run. County Comm's titanium large ball chain works well with these for a neck hanger. One of mine did however get a scratch.
"How does he afford all these tools? Ah." 😅 Geologist here - I have not heard reference to Moh's Hardness Scale ever on a non-geo video. I have several B&L loops - they are not easy to use, but pretty great.
If they would tumble or bead blast the titanium housing to knock the corners off it would be nearly perfect. I'm going to put mine on a longer cord and then sew a leather hood that slides on the cord for a cover. Over all well worth the money regardless
I didn’t know I needed one before now but there are times when my eyes can use some extra help over my regular glasses. I have one ordered thanks doc!🤓
Oh wow! Bought one!.. These look cool. Can't find any of my magnifying glasses, I think the kids walked off with them when they moved out. This will be fun
Great video! I’m finding that watching your videos is getting expensive as I’ve purchased the Civivi Element Knife, this magnifier as they are great tools. The only purchase i regret was the Wauben E7. Charging issues and NO support as I emailed them they responded requesting the same proof of purchase that i included in my email and then total silence! No further responses of any kink so i just gave up. Keep making videos as i really enjoy watching them.
I hate to ask, but yow do YOU know it is sapphire? I know it is advertised as such, but is there a reliable test? I have seen some pretty good optical glass in my time. So far as I know, only a hardness test or a prismatic test on a broken shard would prove it. Good review though.
I'm kinda sceptical about whether it can be a real 25x or not. The reason those high magnification loupes have a tiny lens and you have to hold them right up to your eye is because that's how the optics work at those magnifications. You have a really narrow field of view at 25x. And it's somewhat telling that the people who make scientific magnifiers like Essenbach only produce up to 10x at maximum. Hand held glasses like this tend to be more like 2x and 3.5x at most. Looks like a nice glass and I'm very tempted but I'm very sceptical about that 25x magnification claim.
It feels like a 10x-15x compared to other lenses but my only comparable at that magnification with a large field of view is a stereo microscope. Either way, it a different world compared to my 5x B&Ls.
@@lastbesttool -- I've been Googling. The highest magnification I could find from a simple magnifier is from Eschenbach who do a 10x. Even with those, the lens becomes so much smaller and the field of view so much narrower that unless you have serious visual impairment, they generally suggest using something with a lower magification. One site said this: "There are tons of cheap inferior magnifying glasses out there claiming 20X, 30X, and even 45X magnifications, yet they sell for less than $10. These are false claims as any magnifier over 20X magnification will have such a small field of vision that they are no longer considered magnifiers, but rather loupes . Higher quality lenses with high magnifications are also more difficult to produce, consequently they tend to be more expensive." I think if it were possible to make a 25x magnifier with a wide field of view, the big boys in the optics field would have been doing it a long time ago. The fact that they aren't is what makes me sceptical. But maybe I'm just being grumpy because they won't ship to the UK? 🙂
I’m even skeptical that it’s 10x. I’d bet it’s closer to 3x. Maybe just 2.5. I notice that the website carefully doesn’t show any images of it magnifying anything. It annoys me that they’re trying to cash in on the silly “tactical” idea. And they say “Use responsibly” it’s a magnifier. How irresponsible are you going to be with it? Burn an ant?
It can’t be 25x at that diameter, and even more impossible if that’s a single lens. It can still be a great magnifier, but that thing is 25x like Amazon flashlights produce 1 million lumens.
for only 50 euros? thats an absolute steal... also there is critical need for good saphire lenses for infra red optics imaging. since regular glass lenses are not suitable / not transparent in infra red frequencies. especially cool application and perhaps might be worth investigating for night time imaging optics. in combination with other modern affordable ir camera ccd. although whether this specific lens is actually suitable for any such purpose(s). perhaps not. since the lens needs to be suited to the purpose and the night vision camera / ccd chip. so maybe not this specific prodduct itself, but instead if they can ever expand their product lineup more broadly with sister products. to then also include other types of lenses. even so (neverminding the infra red imaging)... great looking lens. just for all the regular loupe style magnifier duties. seems absolutely well worth it agreed! 👍
Wish they had some other magnifications available. 25X is more than I need for reading tiny product labels, lol. I do watchmaking, but for that I've got my magnifying visor.
My guess is that sapphire may be harder, less prone to scratching, but also more brittle and less durable/more prone to shatter by impact than regular glass. It may have a refractive index that allows higher magnification than common soda lime glass for a given dimension. Is that worthwhile? That's up to you. Titanium holder? Yeah... we're hitting peak County Comm man bauble territory here.
LBT - I ordered this magnifier from CountyComm simply based on your glowing review. I returned it today. It was disappointing to say the least. The only thing "amazing" about this magnifier was the distortion and glare. IMHO its unusable. My Bower 8x is far superior to this 25x. My confidence in your opinion has been shaken.
Sorry about that. I still love mine. I only noticed distortion at the edges and mentioned it. The view through mine is crystal clear and strongly magnified. The working distance is great. To remove a majority of the edge distortion, it would likely have to be a multi lens aspherical design vastly more expensive. And compared to my Hastings triplet B&Ls there is an equal proportion of distortion but with the larger surface area of the CC, it is more obvious. Thanks for your comment!
I was just using mine again and wondered if you were using it close to your eye. This is more of a loupe than a large magnifying glass. Mine is exceptional and the minor pincushion distortion only at the edges and hardly noticeable.
So there goes $100, because I'll be using the heck out of this thing in the shop and in my away kit at other shops. But... You and I both know how they got the price to $49.95... China!
The "x" after the magnifying number isn't the letter ex, it's a multiplication symbol. A magnifying lens that says "25x" isn't twenty five ex, it's twenty five times.
Do I even have to say it at this point!? Please stop telling people about county comm. you are ruining it for everyone cause everything is just gonna sell out overnight. Jay Jonah Jamison Voice: “you are a menace worse then spider man!!!”
@@sp-vt4je I carry traditional knives and generally prefer more traditional things like leather and brass. Titanium reminds me of all the modern trends that I don't like, it's one of those popular things that everyone thinks is the best thing ever and I just don't want anything to do with it. I'm just carrying small things on my person that I frequently find useful, and I'm not counting ounces or grams so I can afford the negligible extra weight that brass adds to a small item like an AAA flashlight or pen...etc.
Even though heavier i slightly prefer brass to aluminum for items like this; and IMO titanium is vastly better than either one for several reasons: much less heat transfer so it feels warm in the winter, vastly more corrosion resistant even in and around salt water, stronger and tougher, better strength and stiffness to weight ratio, less likely to be damaged by dropping, no bad smell or taste like brass, highest biocompatibility (non allergen)..., etc.
As a material scientist enthusiast... I had to have one of these. I bought one a while back, and yeah theyre amazing.
And that tucson idea is gold lol.... These would make geologists go crazy
I didn't wake up today thinking i'd need to buy a magnifying glass, but now..... Great video as always, Doc.
“He is a damn MENACE“ quote Jay Jonah Jamison
Mine came today and I love it. The thumb grip and lanyard works as well as any handle for holding it steady (very creative design the thumb grip and lanyard). Better than any of my other magnifying glasses for most of my uses (I will still use a larger glass for large areas like reading books, and I’ll use my eye loupes when I need both hands free) and I can carry it in my pocket without damage from my keys or pocket knife. Retro reflective specks on the lanyard mean you can fine it easily in the dark with a flashlight when the phosphorescent parts have stopped glowing, or use the cord to signal an oncoming car at night.
Have one, ran a search, and found you. We use magnifiers in our work, and have quite a few. Mostly internally lit 40-60X. Not as clear, but we don't really need that. This one is superb.
I had a B&L folding magnifier as a kid, and loved using it for bugs and just general discovery as a curious kid.
It was all fun and games until my dad showed me how to start a fire with one. Mom revoked privileges quite quick.
I received mine a few days ago. The quality of the lens is really good. It's convex on both sides, which doesn't bother me, but I read that one side was flat. Works great! There are no instructions on what the o-ring is for, so I took it off, and the lens fell out. The o-ring holds the lens in-place. Duh. There are also no videos on replacing the o-ring, but I figured it out. This replaces a magnifier about half the size that I've been using for over 30-years. What a great purchase I made.
I didn’t think I needed another magnifying glass but this video completely changed my mind. I ordered one for me and one for my wife, and one for my son whose birthday is coming up soon. Their website is fascinating, with quality products at all ranges of prices, and I bought a couple more things I didn’t think I needed before I checked their website.
titanium gets me every time, ordered, docs enthusiasm also meant it was must buy, god this guy costs me some $$$
Well, I guess I found my birthday present to myself. I can't wait to play with this!!!!
I get the impression doc likes this one!!!
I've been in IT for a lot of years. I've had to deal with a lot of SIM cards. IMHO a smartphone is the best EDC 'magnifier' you'll find, and it's already in your pocket.
and especially one with a decent macro lens system on it, not sure what ones these days myself. but surely worthwhile when they are already putting as many as 4 different cameras onto the 1 single smartphone
But super distorted tho….
@@chadhardwick9214 Maybe so, but a smartphone will also have a flashlight on the same side as the camera. I won't say that I haven't emailed a picture of a SIM or even a barcode (2D even) to myself to blow up the picture as well. I used to keep a magnifier in the office, but I stopped using it after smartphones came out.
I've worked with a lot of scanners and cams over the years for jobs I've had.
I carry a linen tester/thread count loupe with me so that I can use my phone to take macro photos I wouldn't otherwise be able to capture. I've done this for years now.
@@chadhardwick9214not really, the lens in my smartphone is far more sophisticated than the simple lenses in many of these, or the two element acrobat. The best use three elements, but they’re expensive. That’s the coddington lens he mentioned. Then, I can take a picture, something you can’t do with a lens.
Just purchased one. Can’t wait to get it. Looks amazing.
I now know a lot more about magnifiers
I have the same affinity for magnifying glass, as well as being a rockhound. CountyComm knocked it out of the park with this one!
Man, I love a good magnifying glass too! That and flashlights, can never have enough. Thanks for sharing!
As a geologist, looking through such small lenses is limiting. You end up spending more time in the field trying to figure out whether you want a particular sample.
A larger lens should help with that and it should save time in looking through each sample.
Bottom line you always end up carrying way more rocks than you expected heh.
Anyway, good video Doc! please test this one in the field!
I agree
Just bought one after seeing this review!
Right there with you in being an optics snob, Doc. Also a big CountyComm fan, but had not heard about this. Thanks!
I purchased mine for my KME knife sharpening system very awesome
I have two of these from the first run. County Comm's titanium large ball chain works well with these for a neck hanger. One of mine did however get a scratch.
I carry a fresnel lens. Big seeing windown, lightweight and flat which makes it easy to carry.
"How does he afford all these tools? Ah." 😅 Geologist here - I have not heard reference to Moh's Hardness Scale ever on a non-geo video. I have several B&L loops - they are not easy to use, but pretty great.
If they would tumble or bead blast the titanium housing to knock the corners off it would be nearly perfect. I'm going to put mine on a longer cord and then sew a leather hood that slides on the cord for a cover. Over all well worth the money regardless
I didn’t know I needed one before now but there are times when my eyes can use some extra help over my regular glasses. I have one ordered thanks doc!🤓
Oh wow! Bought one!.. These look cool. Can't find any of my magnifying glasses, I think the kids walked off with them when they moved out. This will be fun
🚨🚨🚨🚨 Finally Back In Stock 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
I always check my watch crystals with an electronic hardness meter. Just curious, have you checked this to make sure it’s genuine sapphire?
Great review. Just picked one up! 👍
I had been looking for a good, small magnifier like this! Bought.
Great video! I’m finding that watching your videos is getting expensive as I’ve purchased the Civivi Element Knife, this magnifier as they are great tools. The only purchase i regret was the Wauben E7. Charging issues and NO support as I emailed them they responded requesting the same proof of purchase that i included in my email and then total silence! No further responses of any kink so i just gave up. Keep making videos as i really enjoy watching them.
I hate to ask, but yow do YOU know it is sapphire? I know it is advertised as such, but is there a reliable test? I have seen some pretty good optical glass in my time. So far as I know, only a hardness test or a prismatic test on a broken shard would prove it. Good review though.
I'm kinda sceptical about whether it can be a real 25x or not. The reason those high magnification loupes have a tiny lens and you have to hold them right up to your eye is because that's how the optics work at those magnifications. You have a really narrow field of view at 25x. And it's somewhat telling that the people who make scientific magnifiers like Essenbach only produce up to 10x at maximum. Hand held glasses like this tend to be more like 2x and 3.5x at most. Looks like a nice glass and I'm very tempted but I'm very sceptical about that 25x magnification claim.
It feels like a 10x-15x compared to other lenses but my only comparable at that magnification with a large field of view is a stereo microscope. Either way, it a different world compared to my 5x B&Ls.
@@lastbesttool -- I've been Googling. The highest magnification I could find from a simple magnifier is from Eschenbach who do a 10x. Even with those, the lens becomes so much smaller and the field of view so much narrower that unless you have serious visual impairment, they generally suggest using something with a lower magification. One site said this:
"There are tons of cheap inferior magnifying glasses out there claiming 20X, 30X, and even 45X magnifications, yet they sell for less than $10. These are false claims as any magnifier over 20X magnification will have such a small field of vision that they are no longer considered magnifiers, but rather loupes . Higher quality lenses with high magnifications are also more difficult to produce, consequently they tend to be more expensive."
I think if it were possible to make a 25x magnifier with a wide field of view, the big boys in the optics field would have been doing it a long time ago. The fact that they aren't is what makes me sceptical. But maybe I'm just being grumpy because they won't ship to the UK? 🙂
@@lastbesttool Yeah, I'd assume NOT 25x, but getting a great 10x at that size and build is what I need!
You're skeptical of the spectacle?
I’m even skeptical that it’s 10x. I’d bet it’s closer to 3x. Maybe just 2.5. I notice that the website carefully doesn’t show any images of it magnifying anything. It annoys me that they’re trying to cash in on the silly “tactical” idea. And they say “Use responsibly” it’s a magnifier. How irresponsible are you going to be with it? Burn an ant?
It can’t be 25x at that diameter, and even more impossible if that’s a single lens. It can still be a great magnifier, but that thing is 25x like Amazon flashlights produce 1 million lumens.
for only 50 euros? thats an absolute steal...
also there is critical need for good saphire lenses for infra red optics imaging. since regular glass lenses are not suitable / not transparent in infra red frequencies.
especially cool application and perhaps might be worth investigating for night time imaging optics. in combination with other modern affordable ir camera ccd.
although whether this specific lens is actually suitable for any such purpose(s). perhaps not. since the lens needs to be suited to the purpose and the night vision camera / ccd chip. so maybe not this specific prodduct itself, but instead if they can ever expand their product lineup more broadly with sister products. to then also include other types of lenses.
even so (neverminding the infra red imaging)... great looking lens. just for all the regular loupe style magnifier duties. seems absolutely well worth it agreed! 👍
Looks great! I'd love one, but they won't ship to the EU for orders under $150 :(
Just buy more stuff then…it’s the American way 😎
Have a few friends that want one?
You forgot to mention the o-ring glows also for low-light viewing.
This is like QVC for guys that write manifestos.
Wish they had some other magnifications available. 25X is more than I need for reading tiny product labels, lol. I do watchmaking, but for that I've got my magnifying visor.
wow! im sold 😅 youre d best 😊
new Ultem version available. Review coming soon.
@@lastbesttoolcant wait
Looks like it could be a great EDC item. Can it be used to start a fire via sunlight?
Good find sir
Ordered
I once wanted to buy a used zeiss one but the prices for the vintage ones are somehow crazy because some asian country working with gems loves them
Does it have a sapphire lens?
My guess is that sapphire may be harder, less prone to scratching, but also more brittle and less durable/more prone to shatter by impact than regular glass. It may have a refractive index that allows higher magnification than common soda lime glass for a given dimension. Is that worthwhile? That's up to you.
Titanium holder? Yeah... we're hitting peak County Comm man bauble territory here.
LBT - I ordered this magnifier from CountyComm simply based on your glowing review. I returned it today. It was disappointing to say the least. The only thing "amazing" about this magnifier was the distortion and glare. IMHO its unusable. My Bower 8x is far superior to this 25x. My confidence in your opinion has been shaken.
Sorry about that. I still love mine. I only noticed distortion at the edges and mentioned it. The view through mine is crystal clear and strongly magnified. The working distance is great. To remove a majority of the edge distortion, it would likely have to be a multi lens aspherical design vastly more expensive. And compared to my Hastings triplet B&Ls there is an equal proportion of distortion but with the larger surface area of the CC, it is more obvious. Thanks for your comment!
I was just using mine again and wondered if you were using it close to your eye. This is more of a loupe than a large magnifying glass. Mine is exceptional and the minor pincushion distortion only at the edges and hardly noticeable.
Did your remove the plastic film from each side of the lenses??
Pop out a older LED flashlight lens real cool.
Wow I super want but dont need, but SUPER WANT!!!
“EDC magnifier” - the world has officially lost its frickin’ mind.
I just picked up an EDC deep-fryer to go with my magnifying glass.
What a value !
One thing is for sure - it is definitely not a 25X magnifier with that huge lens. I would guess 10X or less.
This one take the cake for sure. I'm going to get one.
And now my next website visit is to buy one.
Lonsdaleite is harder than diamond, although it is chemically hexagonal diamond.
then it is.... in fact also a diamond! lol
@@dreamcat4 also known as a shiny lump of coal... 🧐👌
So there goes $100, because I'll be using the heck out of this thing in the shop and in my away kit at other shops.
But... You and I both know how they got the price to $49.95... China!
The Chinese are making amazing sapphire watch crystals, this probably came out of that technology.
The "x" after the magnifying number isn't the letter ex, it's a multiplication symbol. A magnifying lens that says "25x" isn't twenty five ex, it's twenty five times.
$50
Do I even have to say it at this point!?
Please stop telling people about county comm. you are ruining it for everyone cause everything is just gonna sell out overnight.
Jay Jonah Jamison Voice: “you are a menace worse then spider man!!!”
I'd buy one in brass, but otherwise I just have absolutely zero interest in ever owning a single bit of titanium anything.
Reason? If you don't mind me asking.
@@sp-vt4je I carry traditional knives and generally prefer more traditional things like leather and brass.
Titanium reminds me of all the modern trends that I don't like, it's one of those popular things that everyone thinks is the best thing ever and I just don't want anything to do with it.
I'm just carrying small things on my person that I frequently find useful, and I'm not counting ounces or grams so I can afford the negligible extra weight that brass adds to a small item like an AAA flashlight or pen...etc.
@@TylerSnyder305 I see your point. Thank you.
Even though heavier i slightly prefer brass to aluminum for items like this; and IMO titanium is vastly better than either one for several reasons: much less heat transfer so it feels warm in the winter, vastly more corrosion resistant even in and around salt water, stronger and tougher, better strength and stiffness to weight ratio, less likely to be damaged by dropping, no bad smell or taste like brass, highest biocompatibility (non allergen)..., etc.
76 now
Available nowhere......😂
"For under 50 dollars"... It literally cost 5 cents less than 50 dollars.
Exoskeleton ?!! it's a frame !
Just using their words.