Hand Magnifiers
Hand-held magnifiersare one of the most common types of magnifiers available and will be familiar to most people. Nearly everyone has used a hand-held magnifier at some point in time.
The hand-held magnifier typically has a handle that is attached to a lens through which the user will view an object – whether it is text or an image. Because the user has the ability to adjust the distance between the lens and the object, hand-held magnifiers can be operated with the user wearing either their distance glasses or reading glasses depending on preference.
Eschenbach offers a wide range of hand-held magnifiers from which to choose. We carry illuminated and non-illuminated hand-held magnifiers with a variety of lens geometries - including aspheric, aplanatic, biconvex, and the multi-ordered diffractive lens. These lenses are available in either a round or rectangular format.
When choosing a magnifier it is important to consider the tasks you are wanting the magnification for. A rectangular lens may be more suited to reading columns of print, whereas a round lens may be more suitable for viewing a map or a watch.
Always aim to purchase the lowest magnification power available that will give you the results you need. Typically the stronger the lens power, the smaller the lens diameter and greater the reduction in eye to lens and focal distance.
Eschenbach hand-held magnifiers are available in powers from 2x to 12.5x and available in both rectangular and round formats .
Lighting is another consideration when purchasing a magnifier. Most people over the age of 60 require 3x more light on a subject than that of somebody in their 20s. This is due to the natural ageing process of the eye and completely normal. The most commonly used illumination in hand-held magnifiers today is the 'light emitting diode' (LED). LEDs are incredibly efficient, providing the user of up to 50,000 hours service and up to 10x longer battery life. Several studies exploring the efficacy of different LED light temperatures on reading performance have been published in the last few years. All have come to the conclusion that light temperature is subjective and anyone considering the purchase of a magnifier should explore at least the 3 main light temperatures commonly available - 2700K, 4500K & 6500K - Eschenbach is the only manufacturer at time of writing this that offer all 3 lighting temperatures in one magnifier -mobiluxDue to the fact the end-user must hold the magnifier, hand-held magnifiers are ideal for short-term spotting tasks such as reading a medicine bottle, a menu, a watch, washing tags, or even an oven dial. Actually, any task where a near object will be viewed for a short period of time can be assisted with the use of a hand-held magnifier.
When reading for longer periods of time, consider using a stand magnifier, hands-free magnifier, or a digital magnifier.
