A Buying Guide to Magnifying Lamps

Lamps with built-in magnifiers can be a useful tool for a wide range of different activities.  The primary use of a magnifying lamp is to provide high-quality light to make the item you are looking at brighter and more visible. Not only are they helpful to anyone who has degenerative eyesight problems like macular degeneration, but they are also fantastic tools to help reduce eye strain and vision fatigue for anyone who needs to focus on small details or any delicate work. This can be anything from jewelry making to electronic repair to a whole range of hobby crafts.  They are also helpful for professional uses such as dentistry or esthetics that require both magnifying and illumination at the same time.

There are many different types of lighted magnifying lamps with an option for every budget.

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Features to Consider

When shopping around for an illuminated magnifier lamp, there are a few features and terms to be familiar with to ensure that you end up getting a light that will work the best for your needs.

Bulb- One of the essential features of these products is the bulb or tube that is used to produce the light. For the most part, these magnifiers use either a fluorescent lamp or an LED lighting element placed around the viewing glass frame. It tends to be the older models that use fluorescent bulbs, as most new models use LED, although there is still a fair amount that uses fluorescent.

Newer fluorescent bulbs generally have a more natural and less harsh quality than the “white light” of the older types of fluorescent. If you are turning the switch on and off quickly and frequently, it can reduce the life of the bulb, and they usually take a little while to warm up and reach full brightness.

LEDs are durable, long-lasting, and they also use less energy and emit less heat than fluorescent bulbs. Since LED provides light without heat, they’re also safer to work with, even more reliable than fluorescent, which is typically quite cool.

Magnifier- Depending on your intended use for the product, you will also want to pay close attention to the magnification level of the lens or the diopter of the lens. Diopter is the amount of curvature a lens will have, the more curvature a lens has means it will have a higher diopter number and more magnification.

Figuring out what diopter lens to get depends on the type of task you are using the light for, as well as your own eyesight. Generally, these lenses have a diopter number of 3 or 5. Objects viewed under a three diopter lens will have a magnification of 1.75x and will appear 175% bigger than usual while objects seen under a 5-diopter lens have a magnification of 2.25x and will look 225% bigger than usual. The three diopter lens would let you view things from farther away (10-13 inches), while a five diopter lens is best for really fine work with small objects.

Keep in mind that as the level of magnification increases, your lens and focal length get smaller.

Style- There are four basic styles that you can go with, all with advantages and disadvantages depending on its intended use.

• Desktop – The desk style models are generally the least expensive and most compact. They are great for most activities where you are seated at a table or a desk. If you are using it near a computer, you may want to look into models that are ESD-safe.
• Desktop with Clamp-The clamp style is very versatile for most users. You can attach these to workbenches, tables, desks, or any workstation that you have set up. Depending on what you are clamping the lamp to, you may want to check the measurement of the clamp.
• Floor Standing Solid Base– If you are interested in a floor light for reading or crafting, there are some great options available. Ensure that you check reviews to ensure that the base of any product you are interested in has an excellent weight to it to avoid it falling over.
• Floor Standing with Rolling Base– A rolling base style is a good option if you are looking for a large floor style that you may be moving from room to room. The only downside of a rolling base is the base can sometimes take up quite a lot of space.

ESD-Safe

If you are using one of these lamps to work with electrical circuit boards and sensitive components, you will probably want to look for a model that is Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) safe. There are many higher-end magnifiers (Aven, Luxo, or Dazor) that are ESD-Safe that have special polymers applied to the lens, and that have passed rigid ESD certification testing standards.

Common issues to be aware of:

• When you aren’t using the light, ensure that you keep the lens covered, as it could become a fire hazard if it is exposed to any direct sunlight.
• Many of the lower end floor models do not have a substantial base and are prone to toppling over.
• Some of the desk styles can get very hot; check reviews to ensure that you get one that doesn’t have this problem.
• Some models do not allow you to change the bulb. If the lighting stops working, you are out of luck (although they are reported to work for up to 100,000 hours).
• Generally, you cannot adjust the brightness level on these types of lamps unless you are willing to pay for the higher end brands.
• Many magnifier lights eventually go limp at the head, although with careful use and some maintenance (tightening screws), you may be able to avoid this.

Performance

Unfortunately, like most things, the more you pay, the better the features and performance you will get from a lamp with a magnifier. Many users will find that the products that are available in the $40 to $80 range suit them quite well, while others will need the better quality and better quality of the $100 to $150 products from companies like  Ott-Lite, ProMagnify, Daylight, Normande, Fulcrum, and HawkEye. If you are planning on using one of these devices a lot and if your budget allows, you can look at some of the mid to higher-end models such as Aven, Luxo, or Dazor that offer bigger lens higher magnification, and ESD-Safe models.

If you are looking for a product with a huge lens, the largest available is the 7″ lens with three diopters (1.75x) lens that you can get on the Daylight Naturalight 7-Inch Magnifying Lamp.

Where to Buy

Staples have a good selection of lamps available. You can also buy them at Walmart as well as online with Amazon or eBay. Crafting, fabric/sewing, art supply, and hobby shops are also places that these types of lamps can be found.

The Bottom Line

A lighted magnifier is an essential tool for anyone involved in precision assembly or design, but it is also an excellent aid for people who have trouble with their vision. Lighted magnifiers reduce eye strain and fatigue while allowing the user to see the small details of the object being viewed. Many other items, from jewelry to specific craft items, have components that are hard to see with the naked eye, so a magnifying glass is often essential when working with them.

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Marie Davis

Website reviewer and traveler. Would rather be shopping.

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