Magnifying Glass - Better or Worse?

[sergemaster]

Amici,
I have a question regarding the magnifying glass tool found on some knives and how it has either evolved or devolved. Now the knives that I have this, are all of the two piece type. Meaning the old style with a grey frame, and a separate lens that is then inserted into the frame. I know this was the standard up until what, I believe sometime in the 1990's they changed to a one piece of frame and lens that has replaced the tool of old.

My question is, how does the new style of MG stand up to the old style? Also, is it an improvement regarding craftsmanship and materials, or has it somewhat degraded as well? 

Question being is that I'm looking to score an Explorer, and I am vacillating between either the new or an original version.

Cheers,
Serge

[Thunderpants]

I had a new Explorer with the clear plastic mag glass. I didn't like how it looked but it did a reasonable job magnifying tiny things - like when my kid came home from school with a note saying they had an outbreak of nits...
I dropped it and the lens popped out of the frame. It was no problem sticking it in again & looked as good as new.

Since then I have got hold of an old Champion with the grey mag glass. Optically it is terrible and the glass seems to be very distorted - not sure if the old ones are all that bad.

Even more recently - and the biggest disappointment of all - I bought a Wenger SAK with a mag glass and it is so small as to be useless. Takes up a lot of room too!

So my conclusion, based only on the three examples I have used, is that the newer Vic mag glass is the best.
But it looks like crap.

[jaya_man]

Grey Mag Glass (v1 - 8x magnification)... clear mag glass w/ plastic lens (v2 - 5x magnification)... clear mag glass w/ glass lens (v3 - 6x magnification)

Each has its pros and cons... they grey mag glass is definitely more sturdy... I would need to stick it very close to the object in order to get a good view...

The clear glass frame on v2 and v3 feels fleemsy...

With 5x magnification on v2, I can take below pics easily...



However glass is plastic and more prone to scratches?

On v3, with 6x magnification, probably need to bring the MG a little bit closer to the object but not as close as 8x magnification...

But then again, I might be using the MG completely wrong...

Another thing to point out, the MG always comes with the inline phillips... the inline phillips which comes with the grey MG is longer compared to the other versions... However, it is more softer... the head tends to get worn out from frequent use over time... not the case for the ones which comes with the  v2 and v3 MG... Length over strength? Or strength over length?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mizedog]

Woo hoo!
My beautiful wife and daughters just gave me a brand new Explorer Plus for my birthday!

I've wanted one of these for several years, ever since my arms started getting shorter.  After my first try, I believe the magnifier will be used constantly. Since I don't carry glasses with my all the time, this knife will come in handy.  I tried holding the lens right up my eye, and the box label up close and it worked great.  I carry a credit card sized Fresnel lens in my wallet, but this may be quicker and easier.

Cheers.

[Don Pablo]

Nice!

And I like the recursive photo. 

[Thunderpants]

[Don Pablo]

Message in a message.   
With a side of scary, halloween like smiley!! 

[Aloha]

Woo hoo!
My beautiful wife and daughters just gave me a brand new Explorer Plus for my birthday!
(Image removed from quote.)
I've wanted one of these for several years, ever since my arms started getting shorter.  After my first try, I believe the magnifier will be used constantly. Since I don't carry glasses with my all the time, this knife will come in handy.  I tried holding the lens right up my eye, and the box label up close and it worked great.  I carry a credit card sized Fresnel lens in my wallet, but this may be quicker and easier.

Cheers.

Congrats.  The Explorer Plus is such a terrific SAK.  I find myself using the mag glass more and more as it seem printing has gotten smaller and smaller 

[jalind]

Regarding size and power changes from v1 to v2 and v3 . . .
IMO the reduction from 8x to 5x from v1 to v2 was directly related to the lens size increase. The reduction from 8x to 5x simplified the larger lens design, avoiding a more complex aspherical shape and reducing aberration and distortion in a single element. The larger the lens size, the more difficult it becomes to maintain the same magnification and avoid aberration/distortion. If you look at the better loupes, the higher power ones are multiple lens elements, typically two. The best camera auxiliary close-up lenses have two elements. Individual element design is simpler, more robust to manufacturing variation, and much less expensive. They took it up to 6x in v3, but not back to the 8x in v1.

John

[JamesJ]

What's this about the v1 IL phillips being softer? like a different grade of steel? or just a less sturdy tip design?

I like to look at the v1 glass the most and I like how the frame matches the tweezer head and mini screwdriver  (and LED module though I think the first SAK with mag and LED was the Cybertool Lite which was introduced after the change to clear plastic mag frame).

I like to look through the v3 glass. More usable. But afraid of cracking the frame. It seems brittle. The gray seems to be made of some kind of nylon/delrin which kind of flexes a little whereas the clear seems like it would crack if bent.

Ideally I'd like to see a metal frame with an actual glass magnifier. Indeed one with a slight coke bottle green tint even, just for fun. would also be cool if the glass was "officially" removable and for sale as a replacement item. the v3 can pop out but seems like doing so multiple times would loosen it up.

So what I'm dreaming up is a stainless frame with threaded hole and a glass magnifier with a threaded metal ring around it that screws into the frame.

I know the cost of this would be too high for mass production.

As for the 8x v1 and tiny Wenger glass...these may be better for emergency fire starting even though not as useful for magnification. Not sure.

[jaya_man]

Regarding size and power changes from v1 to v2 and v3 . . .
IMO the reduction from 8x to 5x from v1 to v2 was directly related to the lens size increase. The reduction from 8x to 5x simplified the larger lens design, avoiding a more complex aspherical shape and reducing aberration and distortion in a single element. The larger the lens size, the more difficult it becomes to maintain the same magnification and avoid aberration/distortion. If you look at the better loupes, the higher power ones are multiple lens elements, typically two. The best camera auxiliary close-up lenses have two elements. Individual element design is simpler, more robust to manufacturing variation, and much less expensive. They took it up to 6x in v3, but not back to the 8x in v1.

John

Nice info John


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jaya_man]

What's this about the v1 IL phillips being softer? like a different grade of steel? or just a less sturdy tip design?

I like to look at the v1 glass the most and I like how the frame matches the tweezer head and mini screwdriver  (and LED module though I think the first SAK with mag and LED was the Cybertool Lite which was introduced after the change to clear plastic mag frame).

I like to look through the v3 glass. More usable. But afraid of cracking the frame. It seems brittle. The gray seems to be made of some kind of nylon/delrin which kind of flexes a little whereas the clear seems like it would crack if bent.

Ideally I'd like to see a metal frame with an actual glass magnifier. Indeed one with a slight coke bottle green tint even, just for fun. would also be cool if the glass was "officially" removable and for sale as a replacement item. the v3 can pop out but seems like doing so multiple times would loosen it up.

So what I'm dreaming up is a stainless frame with threaded hole and a glass magnifier with a threaded metal ring around it that screws into the frame.

I know the cost of this would be too high for mass production.

As for the 8x v1 and tiny Wenger glass...these may be better for emergency fire starting even though not as useful for magnification. Not sure.

I recall Syph saying something about this in one of the threads in this forum... and prefers Strength over length...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Oxford_Guy]

What's this about the v1 IL phillips being softer? like a different grade of steel? or just a less sturdy tip design?

I like to look at the v1 glass the most and I like how the frame matches the tweezer head and mini screwdriver  (and LED module though I think the first SAK with mag and LED was the Cybertool Lite which was introduced after the change to clear plastic mag frame).

I like to look through the v3 glass. More usable. But afraid of cracking the frame. It seems brittle. The gray seems to be made of some kind of nylon/delrin which kind of flexes a little whereas the clear seems like it would crack if bent.

Ideally I'd like to see a metal frame with an actual glass magnifier. Indeed one with a slight coke bottle green tint even, just for fun. would also be cool if the glass was "officially" removable and for sale as a replacement item. the v3 can pop out but seems like doing so multiple times would loosen it up.

So what I'm dreaming up is a stainless frame with threaded hole and a glass magnifier with a threaded metal ring around it that screws into the frame.

I know the cost of this would be too high for mass production.

As for the 8x v1 and tiny Wenger glass...these may be better for emergency fire starting even though not as useful for magnification. Not sure.

I recall Syph saying something about this in one of the threads in this forum... and prefers Strength over length...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have a v3 glass lens in a brass metal holder on my Ti Yeoman, I'll post a pic later. The optical clarity is good and I find the magnification level good enough for most things. The glass can also be popped-out and changed, if necessary (Syph even supplied a spare lens), but is not something you would want to do often

[jaya_man]

What's this about the v1 IL phillips being softer? like a different grade of steel? or just a less sturdy tip design?

I like to look at the v1 glass the most and I like how the frame matches the tweezer head and mini screwdriver  (and LED module though I think the first SAK with mag and LED was the Cybertool Lite which was introduced after the change to clear plastic mag frame).

I like to look through the v3 glass. More usable. But afraid of cracking the frame. It seems brittle. The gray seems to be made of some kind of nylon/delrin which kind of flexes a little whereas the clear seems like it would crack if bent.

Ideally I'd like to see a metal frame with an actual glass magnifier. Indeed one with a slight coke bottle green tint even, just for fun. would also be cool if the glass was "officially" removable and for sale as a replacement item. the v3 can pop out but seems like doing so multiple times would loosen it up.

So what I'm dreaming up is a stainless frame with threaded hole and a glass magnifier with a threaded metal ring around it that screws into the frame.

I know the cost of this would be too high for mass production.

As for the 8x v1 and tiny Wenger glass...these may be better for emergency fire starting even though not as useful for magnification. Not sure.

I recall Syph saying something about this in one of the threads in this forum... and prefers Strength over length...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have a v3 glass lens in a brass metal holder on my Ti Yeoman, I'll post a pic later. The optical clarity is good and I find the magnification level good enough for most things. The glass can also be popped-out and changed, if necessary (Syph even supplied a spare lens), but is not something you would want to do often

Saw it in another thread... that Ti Yeoman is awesome... first its a Ti and second, its a Yeoman... that's 5 stars in my book...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Oxford_Guy]

What's this about the v1 IL phillips being softer? like a different grade of steel? or just a less sturdy tip design?

I like to look at the v1 glass the most and I like how the frame matches the tweezer head and mini screwdriver  (and LED module though I think the first SAK with mag and LED was the Cybertool Lite which was introduced after the change to clear plastic mag frame).

I like to look through the v3 glass. More usable. But afraid of cracking the frame. It seems brittle. The gray seems to be made of some kind of nylon/delrin which kind of flexes a little whereas the clear seems like it would crack if bent.

Ideally I'd like to see a metal frame with an actual glass magnifier. Indeed one with a slight coke bottle green tint even, just for fun. would also be cool if the glass was "officially" removable and for sale as a replacement item. the v3 can pop out but seems like doing so multiple times would loosen it up.

So what I'm dreaming up is a stainless frame with threaded hole and a glass magnifier with a threaded metal ring around it that screws into the frame.

I know the cost of this would be too high for mass production.

As for the 8x v1 and tiny Wenger glass...these may be better for emergency fire starting even though not as useful for magnification. Not sure.

I recall Syph saying something about this in one of the threads in this forum... and prefers Strength over length...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have a v3 glass lens in a brass metal holder on my Ti Yeoman, I'll post a pic later. The optical clarity is good and I find the magnification level good enough for most things. The glass can also be popped-out and changed, if necessary (Syph even supplied a spare lens), but is not something you would want to do often

Saw it in another thread... that Ti Yeoman is awesome... first its a Ti and second, its a Yeoman... that's 5 stars in my book... (Image removed from quote.)

  and third, it has a brass magnifying glass holder 

[sir_mike]

I haven't had any issues with any version myself but I too remember something being said of v1 philips not being as strong and can get trashed over time!

I do like the idea of v3 though that it can be popped out and replaced so maybe Vic with make stronger ones down the road that we can just purchase and replace our older ones! 

[Oxford_Guy]

What's this about the v1 IL phillips being softer? like a different grade of steel? or just a less sturdy tip design?

I like to look at the v1 glass the most and I like how the frame matches the tweezer head and mini screwdriver  (and LED module though I think the first SAK with mag and LED was the Cybertool Lite which was introduced after the change to clear plastic mag frame).

I like to look through the v3 glass. More usable. But afraid of cracking the frame. It seems brittle. The gray seems to be made of some kind of nylon/delrin which kind of flexes a little whereas the clear seems like it would crack if bent.

Ideally I'd like to see a metal frame with an actual glass magnifier. Indeed one with a slight coke bottle green tint even, just for fun. would also be cool if the glass was "officially" removable and for sale as a replacement item. the v3 can pop out but seems like doing so multiple times would loosen it up.

So what I'm dreaming up is a stainless frame with threaded hole and a glass magnifier with a threaded metal ring around it that screws into the frame.

I know the cost of this would be too high for mass production.

As for the 8x v1 and tiny Wenger glass...these may be better for emergency fire starting even though not as useful for magnification. Not sure.

I recall Syph saying something about this in one of the threads in this forum... and prefers Strength over length...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have a v3 glass lens in a brass metal holder on my Ti Yeoman, I'll post a pic later. The optical clarity is good and I find the magnification level good enough for most things. The glass can also be popped-out and changed, if necessary (Syph even supplied a spare lens), but is not something you would want to do often