I’m not quite ready to invest in a microscope, but my Optivisor doesn’t cut it for my weary eyes after so many years doing close setting work. The optics maker claims their 2x telescopic magnification is better than the 2 dioptor of a magnifying lamp.
Before I hand over a chunk of green for them, I’d love to hear others’ experience with them - especially from goldsmiths or stone setters.
Thanks and as always, I so appreciate this community!
Lisa
i believe there are quite a few posts on this and related topuvd…try searching for craftoptics, craft optics, magnifiers, magnification, optivisor, etc
There was a thread not long ago about Vervor Microscopes that were fairly affordable. (less than these lenses). The Vervor looks just like my Otto Frei setters microscope.
Whatever you chose make sure that you verify the return policy. Magnification is a very personal decision. You probably won’t really know if it works for you until you actually use it for a week or so.
I don’t have experience with CraftOptics either, but I do have a Vevor microscope
I agree that it looks just like the Otto Frei microscope, but I have never used the Otto Frei, so I can not compare
A goldsmith friend of mine had a look at my Vevor. He has a high end microscope (May be a Leica, but I am not certain). He felt that the optics were not as good as his Leica, but that they were still quite good, in particular, considering the price.
I have the craft optics. They aren’t bad, but not a good as I was hoping. Since it is only 2X magnification, I use them for general work, but still used different magnifiers for stone setting.
Bernie
I"m a little confused about the magnification you’re quoting. If you look up Optivisor, you can see that they have various sets of lenses that fit the headband, from 1.5X to 3.5X. If 2X isn’t strong enough, the Optivisor still offers more magnification. The working distance for 3.5X is 4 inches, which some folks would possibly consider too short. The Craftoptics are 2.0X only and have a working distance of 12 to 18 inches, depending on the model chosen. The Optivisor is on Amazon for about $55 to $60. Craftoptics would run over $500. The Craftoptics have a better working distance and the optics might be a little clearer, but the magnification probably isn’t enough for some jewelry work. Also, you could probably get a stereo microscope for close to that price. There are a lot of cheaper telescopic Craftoptics type knockoffs to consider, too. I have really enjoyed my boom stand microscope, but it is a little limited to one location, whereas your eyeglass type aids go with you to your various workstations. But suffice to say that Optivisor and Craftoptics are not your only two options and, to me, the Craftoptics are overpriced for what they are. -royjohn
I have a pair of CraftOptics with readers for the bifocal lenses. I like them very much. The extra working distance is great.
Before I bought them I checked to see if I could wear them over an optivisor. It greatly reduces the working distance, but it works.
I can’t say if they will work for your intended purpose. I don’t have a jewelers microscope so I can’t make that comparison. I have a slew of vision aids that I use for different purposes. When I want to see something close I use my CraftOptics. The working distance makes working much easier.
I bought CraftOptics glasses when my OptiVisor became too uncomfortable to wear and just wasn’t cutting it over my bifocals, even though I increased the lens strength. They were giving me headaches, too. I couldn’t really afford the cost of the microscope I wanted, and thought the lenses would give me more flexibility to move around my studio and do other things. A good alternative for me.
I finally bought the CraftOptics after getting anew eye exam about a year ago, and then experienced problems with my new bifocals and the CraftOptics. Turns out, my eyes were so dry that my prescription was off. You know what? The wonderful people at CraftOptics replaced my lenses using the updated prescription at no cost. It may have helped that I was within the warrant period. But due to their kindness and flexibility in working with me, I’m a fan for life. And I love wearing the lenses. They come with a nice cord that I can keep around my neck, which makes swapping them for my regular glasses a breeze. I pull down the binoculars for stone setting and sometimes fine soldering. No more headaches.
I’ve played with the CraftOptics. Good working distance (better than Optivisor), but they don’t hold a candle to my scope (I have a Vevor scope here that I adore and a Meiji a bench over… and I can’t tell the difference between them). That said, I use visors and scopes for different things. If I’m doing filing, soldering, or sanding, or general work, I don’t usually do that in the scope. If I’m setting or engraving, or doing anything that requires a level of precision and detail, that’s all under the scope.
It’s fine. Nothing to complain about but definitely don’t see it lasting 5 years.
I would suggest doing EVERYTHING in your peer to get a microscope. It allows a whole new level of work. I bought a cheap Chinese one from Vision Scientific. But the Vevor and Amscope are the same rebranded clones. Game changer.