Large Hand Magnifier (lightweight)

Summary

About 2.5X magnification. 5 inches (125mm) across, the lightest (lightweight) to hold.

Read all about magnification and how to choose a magnifier, click here.

Comments

Officially, the magnification is 2.5X. This is what is printed on the packaging so feel free to believe it and ignore what I have to say.

The manufacturers have calculated this on its focal length (working distance, which is about 700mm). This works fine if you make a stand for it, place it 700mm from a small TV, then sit back about 350mm from the lens - wow, it really does make the TV seem big!! But for reading a book, your cannot hold the book in one hand and the lens (700mm away) in your other hand because your arms are not that long - you will hold the magnifier closer to the book, and the magnification will then be less.

My conclusion: do not choose this one if you are partially sighted and are expecting 2.5X, for normal reading. The magnification for reading is about 1.25X. HOWEVER, even at just 1.25X magnification it really is quite good, this is what I used in the car for map reading before the sat-nav. took over; this is the one that will cover an entire page of a book at one go.

Technical

Magnification / lens size in mm: 2.5X X 125 (but see 'comments').

Field of view: about an entire pages at a time (obviously, it depends on the size of the page).

Lens material: plastic

Origin / brand: imported by us from China.

Presentation: Blister pack

Further information

Everything you need to know about magnifiers and magnification.

See information about (and reviews of) loupes (small high-power folding jewellers' magnifiers).

See information about (and reviews of) binocular (head-worn) magnifiers- especially the surgeons-type.

See a guide to magnifiers for the partially-sighted.

See loupes with UV lights.

Video (electronic) magnifiers, video magnifiers compared.

Products: see pocket microscopes and phone microscopes, click here.

With most magnifiers* magnification and working distance are related. Download our Excel sheet, enter a magnification to see the resulting working distance, enter a working distance to see the resulting magnification.

* excluding surgeons-type, digital & phone magnifiers, and microscopes.