What is Reddit's opinion of BelOMO Jewelers Loupe 10x Triplet Magnifier 21mm (.85"). Optical Glass with Anti-Reflection Coating for a Bright, Clear and Color Correct View. Foldable Loupe for Gems, Jewelry, Coins and Trichomes?

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$35 - I'm very happy with it:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EXPWU8S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

If you have a decent cell phone, try taking a video - you can pause as you like, and it might be just fine for checking trychome colors.

Home grower and 12 mini owner here. Photographing seedlings is very challenging, regardless of equipment. Autofocus systems almost always latch on to the medium rather than the seedling. For macro photography with my mini, I use a jewelers loupe held over the iPhone camera lens. The results are awesome in my opinion. Btw not all loupes are created equal. I have this one and it's much better than others I've tried. You can look through my history to see some macro shots of my grows.

Took your advice and finally gave in. Ended up getting a nice BelOMO triplet 10x loupe with anti-reflective coating and color correct view. I had something similar but I realized that neither my microscope I own (very cheap $50 video-screen microscope, mainly for cataloguing) nor what I use as a loupe (single 10x eyepiece) have triple lenses, anti reflective coating, and color correct. Got even deeper in debt, $40 after tax doesn't seem like much but when you are overdrawing an already maxed card and you have no job, ooof it gets to you.

Belomo Triplett 10x loupe. I just hold it up against my phone camera lens zoomed in 1.4x with one hand and stabilize/ press the shutter button with the other hand. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EXPWU8S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_6A0TBFF8VYQQMZ2KVSSJ

There are a million options for less than impressive glass out there, but for true quality at a reasonable price I’d go with Belomo

BelOMO 10x Triplet. Jewelers Loupe Magnifier 21mm (.85"). Optical Glass with Anti-Reflection Coating for a Bright, Clear and Color Correct View. Foldable Loupe for Gems, Jewelry, Coins and Trichomes https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EXPWU8S/

I lock my iPhone camera’s focus and exposure and hold this loupe up over the lens. Pretty finicky to get everything centered/lit/focused correctly, but worth it!

https://www.amazon.com/BelOMO-Triplet-Folding-Magnifier-Anti-Reflection/dp/B00EXPWU8S

A 10X triplet loupe is a great place to start. I use one of these though it's probably a little pricey.

Also, there's a lot of cheap USB microscopes around these days, and I've found them to be pretty useful for trace/solder inspection on fine pitch SMDs.

Get a Belomo 10x from Amazon for $32. I’ve got a 10x and a 20x, the 10x is more than perfect.

Books: This is what I said when replying to another thread for book recommendations. I love the CherryPicker's Guide - these will pay for themselves over and over. I don't personally recommend Striking it Rich, but to each their own. I'd rather see you "creep" a coin forum where die varieties and mint errors are discussed and new finds shared than spend a ton on books right out of the gate. I might also recommend learning about the entire minting process (I think a book called From Mine to Mint?) - this will help you understand how die varieties and mint errors are created in the first place and eliminate the confusion between a true doubled die and something like strike doubling.

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Bookmarks: John Wexler has a very useful site called doubleddie.com with lots of images and descriptions of die varieties. CONECA has a Master Listing of all known die varieties for US Coins and a forum (that, honestly, I rarely visit because no one ever replies to my posts there.) These are just a couple examples; there are tons of great websites out there for you to reference (even PCGS and NGC have some nice high-quality images of varieties they attribute, which also can be very helpful when determining value.) Start building your set of web bookmarks and it will make things easier for you in the long run. PCGS Photograde is a free online reference to help you learn how to grade US Coins, for example.

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Loupe: I'm always happy to recommend the BelOMO 10x Triplet Loupe - it's the loupe I've been using for about a decade now. IMO 10x is large enough to see even tiny varieties, and you'll mostly be concerned with the quality of the glass and metal. Lots of those cheap plastic loupes say they are higher magnifications, but aren't, or the "glass" isn't even glass (let alone high-quality glass.) I like the shape of the loupe and the texture of it - if your hands get sweaty, it won't slip out (like the cheaper chrome-plated examples you find at every coin shop.) You really, really want good quality glass here - save your eyes - and the better quality glass and larger field of vision (wider glass) the easier it will be on you. Cheap loupes make it hard to focus properly.

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Magnet: Get yourself a decently strong magnet - this will help diagnose some bad counterfeits out there. I think I got mine at a local hardware store. I'm always amazed when a coin shop doesn't USE the magnet and buys a bunch of fakes...like, did we forget how to deal coins today or something?

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Scale: I have been using an AWS SC-2kg scale for a few years now with decent results. My older version doesn't have an AC Adapter (just battery operated.) This will also help you diagnose counterfeits and other various mint errors.

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Lamps: IKEA sells their Jansjo gooseneck LED lamps for less than ten bucks. They have a few different styles of these including some with clamps. They will be bright enough for variety hunting and if you get a few of them can be useful in coin imaging.

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I tried to use gloves, I really did. But when you drop half the coins because the cotton is too slippery, it's best to learn how to properly hold a coin in your hand. I bought a really nice set of coin tongs in person at a coin shop somewhere - can't remember where - but they are sold on Amazon and eBay now. The problem with them, though, is that the company is in Germany and the shipping is more than the cost of the item.

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I'd start learning how to image your coins as you look for varieties and errors. If you can take a good image of a die variety, chances are someone will be able to help you attribute it. I've never had good luck with the cheapo LED USB microscopes that are available, they all take crappy images, don't work with my computer, etc. I've returned every one. This could be an entire other discussion, honestly.

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I love using my tablet (I maxed out with an iPad Pro a couple years ago) for reference books and cherrypicking on eBay. It's wonderful to have a ton of reference books/manuals/coin images handy and portable.

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Other than that - best of luck to you, and we'll do our best to help. Just remember at the beginning to take a breath before you get all amped up and start thinking you've found a valuable variety on every coin you see. I've seen it so many times - new person shows up, posts thirty threads about thirty different coins, none of which have usable images (all out of focus for example) and then gets butt hurt when people tell them their coins are worth face value.

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Don't take it personally.

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It takes time and persistence to learn how to find real varieties. THEY ARE OUT THERE, though...I just found a nice 1934 DDO Quarter in a bag someone told me fifty times had been searched and searched (he's just that kind of a person, though, so I just ignored him.)

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I like this one. Compact and easy to use. No problem looking at watches, dials, movements, jewelry, or anything else up close.

I will second the 10x Belomo, although the price is closer to $30-35. The loupe feels very sturdy and has a much larger lens than the Bausch and Lomb. Belomo recommends you purchase through an authorized dealer but the page seems outdated. It appears the authorized Amazon seller ToysNGames (who I purchased mine from) is now called River Colony Trading.

I see above you are considering 30-60x magnification... Depending on what you want to use it for that may be overkill. A 10x is entirely sufficient for grading, determining varieties and counterfeit detection for most collectors.

I see 60x loupes with LED light mentioned in this thread as well as a few others very recently. Awhile back someone linked to a Belomo on Amazon, which I bought. The Belomo is a 10x

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EXPWU8S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Was this purchase made in error and I should make it a point to get the higher magnification loupe with LED? Or can I make things work with this loupe and my own separate LED?

I really love my BelOMO 10x Triplet Loupe ($30 on Amazon) - good quality glass, large viewing area, non slip coating on the metal:

https://www.amazon.com/BelOMO-Triplet-Folding-Magnifier-Anti-Reflection/dp/B00EXPWU8S

I use this loupe from amazon, I just hold it flat against the back of the phone and line it up with the camera:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EXPWU8S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Pic (click to zoom):

https://i.imgur.com/bVmAmBr.jpg

You're very welcome. Kon Peki ought to come out awfully easily with pen flush. This makes me worry there's something else going on.

What ink is it that won't flow now - is it still Kon Peki, or something else? (Let's make sure the problem isn't an exceedingly dry ink!)

In lieu of brass sheets, if you have DVDs or electronics boxes in the house, you could look for the anti-theft device (see this comment for reference) and take it apart.

Baby's bottom is caused by excessive (and incorrect) polishing. If you ground it out with coarser micromesh and then carefully worked back to a polished nib with finer and finer micromesh, and it worked, then you probably did it right. But some of your initial comment made it sound to me like maybe you used micromesh on misaligned tines, for example.

A bulb syringe, brass shims, and a loupe (like this one) are very helpful when trying to diagnose nib issues.

FWIW, I don't worry about "gentle" when using a bulb syringe to force water or pen flush into and out of a nib / feed. I just push it through as fast as it will go - part of the point is to use force to get stuck stuff out. Modern nibs and feeds aren't so fragile (in my experience) to worry about a bulb syringe...

Anywho, deep cleaning still seems like the safest first step. If the previously proposed plan doesn't work, my recommendation is to get a loupe and start examining the nib. Sorry, not sure what else to recommend.

I've been quite happy with this loupe. It is a Hastings triplet, which provides magnification while minimizing aberration.

I grow autos too, and hang out a bit at /r/Autoflowers/ (and also /r/microgrowery/). It's very common for the seller's advice about harvest time to be fictional, and it's kind of a running joke there. Also, be aware that if you post a picture asking if you're ready for harvest, everyone will say "two more weeks". It's the club chant.

I got this loupe and I'm happy with it. It's like $40 but I use it all the time:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EXPWU8S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Other folks use those little USB microscope things, and they work too.

When I hold it against my iphone lens, I get photos like this:

https://i.imgur.com/bVmAmBr.jpg

I'm using an older iPhone with a single lens, not sure if the new multi-lens phones will work like this.

If you zoom in, you'll see mostly cloudy, with just a hint of amber, maybe 1% of the total. There's still some clear ones as well, probably more clears than ambers. Two more weeks!

Ambers hold THC that has tranformed to CBN (not CBD, that's different), and CBN is the couch-lock sedative feeling. A little of that feeling, when mixed in with a normal high, is nice, it makes for a cozy smooth ride. Some people like a lot of that effect, some don't, but you won't go wrong with 10% or 20% amber.

There are always a few clear ones, but you want a minimum of those - they seem to make the high a more anxious-type thing. It's not anything to worry about if you see a few when you have the amber where you want it, you always will, but this is why unripe weed isn't ideal.

These photos are helpful too:

https://www.edrosenthal.com/the-guru-of-ganja-blog/the-cannabis-ripening-process

If it only seems to scratch in that one direction, it suggests that the tines are misaligned, and assuming the nib is traveling from SW to NE on that upstroke, then it suggests the left tine is lower than the right tine. But please confirm that with a loupe. (I like the Belomo 10x, but there are others that will work fine.) While getting a loupe, I recommend getting brass shims, a sheet of 12,000 micromesh, and if you don't have one, a bulb syringe - I consider those essential for any serious FP user. :)

NOTE: It's always best to test with different inks, double check that the nib isn't picky about rotation, and clean, and even adjust wetness before doing more, but scratch in exactly one direction almost always means misaligned tines.

Here are the best resources I know for nib tuning.

A cheap triplet, hand held in front of your cell phone camera does wonders:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EXPWU8S/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_navT_g_05ZQ7DS7M5FPPHKQ7767 


https://www.reddit.com/r/EngagementRings/comments/sljb1q/outofthisworld_3way_collaboration/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share

This loupe + my iPhone. Cheaper loupes don’t work well, something to do with focal length

this one:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EXPWU8S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Happy with both:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EXPWU8S/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JSYLY1I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I second this idea. This is a great choice for a high quality with value price loupe:

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https://www.amazon.com/BelOMO-Triplet-Folding-Magnifier-Anti-Reflection/dp/B00EXPWU8S

1) Get yourself a good 10x triplet loupe. I prefer the BelOMO (Amazon link; it's the best $30 you'll spend and will pay for itself many, many times over.) I don't work for Amazon or BelOMO or a coin shop. I just use it every day and it's amazing.

2) A copy of the Cherrypicker's Guide to Rare Die Varieties (Vol 1 and Vol 2) will list the more popular die varieties. Go through and read it, pick a variety, and then see if you can cherrypick one off eBay or at a LCS.

3) CONECA has a good website with all known die varieties. John Wexler and Brian Ribar (Jefferson Nickels) and Lincoln Cent Resource are good places to start. Also check out the NGC and PCGS Price Guide (will list varieties they recognize under the coin under related varieties) pages. VAMWorld is a great site for Morgan and Peace Dollar varieties.

4) If you haven't yet found a true doubled die, or are having trouble figuring out what a real one looks like, sometimes it's helpful to purchase a cheap graded example to use as a reference. I did this with an AU58 1974 D Kennedy Half a long, long time ago - as soon as I knew what to look for, finding my own got a LOT easier.

5) If you're going to find die varieties, you'll need to learn to image your coins to be able to show the variety. At the very least learn how to properly light your coins and get the images in focus. This will help others confirm your finds and potentially (if you choose) help you sell them. If someone can't see the variety in your photos, chances are they're not going to pay you for your word.

This is enough info to keep you busy for a few years, I think. Good luck!

Non-mobile: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EXPWU8S/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1430851809&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX200_QL40&keywords=Belomo&dpPl=1&dpID=41SxzuGXTuL&ref=plSrch

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