Loupes! Update: MADE THE BUY

50cCOMMEMGUY

So I’m looking to replace my old junky loupe. I have done some research including older posts here on the boards. Would it be fair to say this is still a good candidate? I’m not put off by the price but things are always changing so if there’s something better at half the cost I’d like to hear about. Thanks!

Smudge

Zeiss glass is hard to beat.

Cameonut

I prefer the D36 which gives you a 3x and 6x magnifier - 9x total.
Or the similar Eschenbach.
I rarely use 6x for long periods of time.
Price looks OK.

PerryHall

@Cameonut said:
I prefer the D36 which gives you a 3x and 6x magnifier - 9x total.
Or the similar Eschenbach.
I rarely use 6x for long periods of time.
Price looks OK.

I have both of these loupes and they're great. The BelOMO 10X Triplet with coated lenses is highly recommended. I bought one from Amateur Geologist for $30. This company removes the screws and then uses Locktight when they replace the screws so they never come loose. They sell them on both eBay and their web site. BelOMO is located in Belarus. They used to make the optics for the Soviet military including the optics for the guidance systems for their cruse missiles. The lenses are noticeably larger than the lenses on the Zeiss 10X and have a wider field of view than the Zeiss. The BelOMO 10X is very popular with Professional Geologists. They come in a variety of magnifications but the 10X is the most practical magnification for the detailed examination and authentication of coins.

BuffaloIronTail

Don't remember what I paid, but I have a Bausch & Lomb 10X Loupe that I'm perfectly satisfied with.

Ordered it somewhere online.

Pete

airplanenut

I’m very happy with my Eschenbach 3-6-9. Excellent quality. I tried it once at a show and then bought one... never tried the others. I do like having the various strengths, but truth is I almost always use it at full power because I rarely pull it out unless I need to see something particularly small, like a mintmark/lettering oddity or a small nick.

joeykoins

$100! WoW! I only Paid $10 for my 10x. Mag.
My opinion, "Way too high $" for a 10x. Sorry, I would take that $100 and buy 4 0r 5 1600x Mag. scopes.

cmerlo1

I use 8x and a 12x Eschenbach loupes and I love them.

COINS MAKE CENTS

@PerryHall said:

@Cameonut said:
I prefer the D36 which gives you a 3x and 6x magnifier - 9x total.
Or the similar Eschenbach.
I rarely use 6x for long periods of time.
Price looks OK.

I have both of these loupes and they're great. The BelOMO 10X Triplet with coated lenses is highly recommended. I bought one from Amateur Geologist for $30. This company removes the screws and then uses Locktight when they replace the screws so they never come loose. They sell them on both eBay and their web site. BelOMO is located in Belarus. They used to make the optics for the Soviet military including the optics for the guidance systems for their cruse missiles. The lenses are noticeably larger than the lenses on the Zeiss 10X and have a wider field of view than the Zeiss. The BelOMO 10X is very popular with Professional Geologists. They come in a variety of magnifications but the 10X is the most practical magnification for the detailed examination and authentication of coins.

This is the loupe I use as well, and I love it. Belomo loupe has been to every show I've attended for the last 5 years!

koynekwest

I use a B&L 5x that slides into it's own case. They cost under $10 and it's adequate for most things.

They also offer this one for more intricate details such as minor doubled dies and RPMs. It runs just under $25 and offers 20x power.

airplanenut

@joeykoins said:
$100! WoW! I only Paid $10 for my 10x. Mag.
My opinion, "Way too high $" for a 10x. Sorry, I would take that $100 and buy 4 0r 5 1600x Mag. scopes.

I was at a FUN show late 2000s and was told by a mentor to look carefully using my cheap loupe at a specific Indian cent in a heritage sale and tell him what I thought. I reported that it looked quite nice. He sent be back with his Eschenbach and I saw the X graffitied on the cheek. This was a mid five figure coin in a high grade holder. It’s true that cheap loupes may be fine for looking at some things, but the improved quality of high-end ones is undeniable.

astrorat

I want to use the Eschenbach lenses. I have two, a 7x (large glass) and 3-6-9x. I just can't get past the edge of field distortion.

A Bosch and Lomb Hastings triplet 7x magnifier is great for grading, when magnification is needed. The 14x is excellent for variety attribution.

I have tried so many different loupes and magnifiers, but I keep going back to the B&L.

joeykoins

@airplanenut said:

@joeykoins said:
$100! WoW! I only Paid $10 for my 10x. Mag.
My opinion, "Way too high $" for a 10x. Sorry, I would take that $100 and buy 4 0r 5 1600x Mag. scopes.

I was at a FUN show late 2000s and was told by a mentor to look carefully using my cheap loupe at a specific Indian cent in a heritage sale and tell him what I thought. I reported that it looked quite nice. He sent be back with his Eschenbach and I saw the X graffitied on the cheek. This was a mid five figure coin in a high grade holder. It’s true that cheap loupes may be fine for looking at some things, but the improved quality of high-end ones is undeniable.

I'm sure you're right in your assumption but my pockets aren't that deep for high quality Loupes. Lol. Thanks for the valuable info. though.

neildrobertson

@COINS MAKE CENTS said:

@PerryHall said:

@Cameonut said:
I prefer the D36 which gives you a 3x and 6x magnifier - 9x total.
Or the similar Eschenbach.
I rarely use 6x for long periods of time.
Price looks OK.

I have both of these loupes and they're great. The BelOMO 10X Triplet with coated lenses is highly recommended. I bought one from Amateur Geologist for $30. This company removes the screws and then uses Locktight when they replace the screws so they never come loose. They sell them on both eBay and their web site. BelOMO is located in Belarus. They used to make the optics for the Soviet military including the optics for the guidance systems for their cruse missiles. The lenses are noticeably larger than the lenses on the Zeiss 10X and have a wider field of view than the Zeiss. The BelOMO 10X is very popular with Professional Geologists. They come in a variety of magnifications but the 10X is the most practical magnification for the detailed examination and authentication of coins.

This is the loupe I use as well, and I love it. Belomo loupe has been to every show I've attended for the last 5 years!

Me too. Best one I've had so far. Much larger than the bausch and Lomb triplets.

habaraca

I prefer the D36 which gives you a 3x and 6x magnifier - 9x total.
Or the similar Eschenbach. with the 3x you can see the whole coin.... Real Nice...
Every one I have let try my loupe see surface issues they don't see with their cheaper loupes.

I would suggest hold off buying till you can try the D36 you will see lots of dealers using them as they let
much more light in to see the surfaces better... mine has saved my thousands of dollars by NOT getting bad coins.

291fifth

Eschenbach 5X remains my favorite for grading. When higher magnification is needed I use A B&L Hastings Triplet 7X, 10X, 14X or 20X. I bought all of these many years ago. When a wider field of view is needed I use a large, German made 3X glass that I bought from Earl Schill in his Detroit coin shop back in 1983. I don't know the brand name but it has excellent optical qualities ... something many of the cheaper, more recent glasses seriously lack.

If I only had the money to buy one magnifying glass I would buy the Eschenbach 5X.

gonzer

And all this time I thought it was spelled L-O-O-P.

keets

what the airplanenut said, on steroids!!

think about it, a good loupe is all about clarity of the image and getting as much light to your eye as possible which eases strain over time used. as we age that gets to be very important. I had an experience similar to what Jeremy explained: I was at a show and a friend let me use his Eschenbach 3-6-9 to look at a coin and I was amazed, in comparison to what I was using it was almost like seeing a different coin.

I purchased one maybe 15 years ago and don't use anything else. I have repeated the same "Try this" experiment with many collectors/dealers and almost to a person they react the same and buy one. I paid about $110 for mine but I can hook you up with a link to buy one for about $75.

I can guarantee anyone this --- The Eschenbach 3-6-9 will pay for itself.

Jimnight

The first and only loupe I've ever owned ... a Whitman 10X and I still use it to this day ... I bought it back in 1965 for 85 cents.

ricko

I have been using the Zeiss D36 for many, many years... carry one with me every day. I have not tried the BeLOMO... will look into that one based on @PerryHall 's recommendation....I also like the Eschenbach -quality glass for sure.
Cheers, RickO

ColoradoCoinGuy

I use a Bausch & Lomb Hastings Triplet 7x and 10x and also an Eschenbach 5x.
I tend to use the 5x and 7x for grading and the 10x for variety attribution.

DennisH

I'm a crazy Morgan VAM guy. The first time I used an Eschenbach 12x it was an epiphany.

DIMEMAN

I use the B & L 5X for general looking and a 16X loop for close up.

BryceM

@291fifth said:
Eschenbach 5X remains my favorite for grading.

This. I have an Eschenbach 10X that I use occasionally for varieties, but the 5X is a lot easier for routine viewing.

silverpop

well i use Portable 30X- 21mm Jewelers Magnifier to look at coins

seanq

@Jimnight said:
The first and only loupe I've ever owned ... a Whitman 10X and I still use it to this day ... I bought it back in 1965 for 85 cents.

I have two just like this except mine are 16x, I bought the first in the early 1990s and the second in the early '00s when the first one temporarily went missing. Those loupes have paid for themselves in cherrypicks a hundred times over.

Sean Reynolds

mannie gray

I use a B&L 20x for variety attributions and it works great for me.
Some dealers and collectors can't get used to the high magnification and say it makes them dizzy.
I have had the same one for more than 25 years.
It's hard to believe I haven't misplaced or lost it.
I am blessed with extremely good closeup vision because I am extremely nearsighted and I don't
normally use a loupe to grade with but I will pull out the B&L if I have authentication questions.

50cCOMMEMGUY

So after NUMEROUS really great posts with some solid leads and good advice, I went with the Eschenbach 3-6-9. Wow though I thought my original pick was pricy. Can’t wait to see a whole new world on those coins!!

Cameonut

You will love the Eschenbach. I have it and the B&L D36 and prefer the Eschenbach for a couple of minor reasons. First, it "feels" better in my hand, and second, it has a ring you can hook to a lanyard.

ChangeInHistory

Eschenbach 3-6-9. Expensive but has paid for itself a few times over.

ricko

Good luck with your selection... it is a quality product. Let us know your impressions when you receive it and check out a few coins. Cheers, RickO

joeykoins

@silverpop said:
well i use Portable 30X- 21mm Jewelers Magnifier to look at coins

Yes! When I'm out in the hunt, I too use my trusted 30x jeweler mag. But when home, I use my 1600x scope. Or while I'm at my Starbucks.

Broadstruck

I've been using a 5X Eschenbach for about a decade now and it's worth every penny.

Namvet69

All this talk has made me loupey. Attached is my oldest sentimental favorite loupe. Circa 1950's my father got me my first real job at the NY Daily News in the Brooklyn plant. I was a photoengraver working on the Sunday funnies section and the Sunday color-roto magazine section. Marked GERMANY, this loupe in brass has the perfect standoff for examining the etched copper plated steel press rollers for imperfections, dings, registry issues. Enjoy. Peace Roy

50cCOMMEMGUY

Received the Eschenbach today. All I can say is wow. Like finding a whole new world. Clarity is off the charts.
Only problem is now I see how many flaws even my gems have!! Probably not the best piece for anyone with OCD.

Jimnight

Nice!