Quality loupes suited for the process

[ScreenFoo]

Just been poking around the internet looking for info on a good loupe-- I am sick of the old plastic Agfa 8x that makes my head hurt after a few minutes. 
It seems like a lot of the photo geeks swear by the Schneider stuff, is anyone using one of these?  Any other higher-quality brands that are worth looking at? 

Seems like one of those pieces of equipment that is incredibly important, but rarely gets a whole lot of attention...

[Frog]

You may also want to look at Linen Testers as well.

Not a brand recommendation, but examples http://www.linentester.com/

[inkbrigade]

We have a bunch of the plastic M&R ones that work great for general use around the shop. We have one of the Stretch Devices ones and it's awesome. Got a light built in so it's great looking at shirts printed on press to check registeration
http://stretchdevices.com/accessories

[mk162]

radio shack of all places sells a great $12 microscope....
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2179604

and a magnifying lens....
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102638&clickid=prod_cs

the microscope is overkill, but awsome for looking at stencil edges.

The lenses work well and are cheap.  They can get you by until you get a good loupe.

I have an old metal one that I had to glue the lens back in every once in a while.  Works great and is heavy for a little loupe.

[ScreenFoo]

Are the M&R ones are similar to the Agfa?  I do love most everything in the shop by stretch devices, maybe I need to check one of theirs out...
Radio shack is a regular destination for me, they do have great gear if you have nothing... but I already have a 60X microscope, a 100X microscope, a USB 150X microscope, and the Agfa 8x... 

The linen testers look interesting Frog, do you get a little better field of undistorted view with them than with a cheap loupe?  (and are they easy on your eyes?)

Just seeing if anyone has recommendations on something lower power but with better resolution and without massive chromatic and edge aberration.   
(and mentioning Schneider stuff, yes, I'm thinking one or two hundred bucks is a lot cheaper than a string of appointments with an opthamologist...)

[blue moon]

one of my hobbies used to be making/fixing watches. I've bought some nice loupes (stuff with a band that that holds it on your eye) and use them for screenprinting now. I also bought a 10-20X binocular microscope that beats any other loupe I have by about a million. The wide field of vision, the clarity and also having a depth field rather than just a flat plane, is HUGE! I think I paid less than $200 for it. It can not be taken and used on the screens (because of the base), but if you are trying to inspect the print it can not be beat. I am pretty sure there are versions that do not have a base, but they might still be to cumbersome to lug to the press.

I guess my point here is if you are looking for something nicer, go with multiple elements in the lens as they work much better . . .

pierre

[Sbrem]

I have a good loupe used by photographers who use View Cameras (4 x 5, 5 x 7, 8 x 10, etc.) which they use to focus the image on the ground glass before inserting the film holder. Try Calumet. I think I paid $75.00 for it about twenty years ago. Pretty good loupe...

Steve

[alan802]

radio shack of all places sells a great $12 microscope....
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2179604

and a magnifying lens....
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102638&clickid=prod_cs

the microscope is overkill, but awsome for looking at stencil edges.

The lenses work well and are cheap.  They can get you by until you get a good loupe.

I have an old metal one that I had to glue the lens back in every once in a while.  Works great and is heavy for a little loupe.

I have the radio shack lighted microscope in the link above.  It's a decent loupe.  I've got my eye on another one that when I get it I'll post up all the info.  It has a bright led light and gauged crosshairs so you can measure thread thickness and mesh openings.

[ScreenFoo]

I'll have to find some old school photographers to check out a view camera.  I also realized, just having printed an order for a local canvas shop, I'm thinking I can see a linen tester or two there.   

Pierre:  I've been debating a proper microscope, but I find most of my inspections are on screen and/or in the middle of a positive, which isn't conducive to the 'biological' style of scope.  I should look into more triplet lens loupes though.

Sure sounds like a sweet piece of gear you're getting, Alan.   What kind of tolerance does it measure to?  My USB rig and photoshop only go to a mil or so the way I'm doing it now, and it involves a bit of math.  (better than nothing, I guess)


http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-Deluxe-Handheld-Digital-Microscope/dp/B004QF0A1Y/ref=dp_ob_title_ce  is the newer version of what I'm using, if any of you are still stuck with just a 4x or 8x, I'd highly recommend it--at under fifty bucks shipped.
They even have OSX covered...  although being too broke to pay the mac tax, I don't know how well it's implemented.  Even the PC client is pretty junky.