"Optivisor v desktop magnifier?" Topic

A few months ago, having realised I was more blind than I wanted to admit, I bought a cheap magnifying glass. The sort that has a swivel stand that sits on your desk.

The magnifying lens bit is great. I can see loads more detail!

But……I keep knocking the top of the paintbrush against the rim of the glass causing the brush to wobble. Which is annoying.

So the question is….is it worth shelling out for an optivisor? Are they better? And do you need multiple lenses or is the bog standard one enough?

I use magnifying reading glases you can pick up in a pharmacy. They are cheap and work well for me and I'm blind as a bat.

You might try the el-cheapo knock-off versions of the "Optivisor" first – something like this:

link

For $10 USD-12 dollars, it's worth the "test drive" to see if you like it.

If you find it works well and want to upgrade, the Optivisor is great for being able to swap out the lenses.

If your eyes aren't too bad yet, you might even find that simple "reading glasses" are enough magnification to help with your painting. They would also be least invasive while you're painting.

I have an Optivisor, and use it for finer, detail work. Otherwise, I'm near-sighted, so for most general painting, I just use the "Mark I Eyeball" system.

I've got an optivisor but have had trouble getting used to it (I just don't like things on my head!). I find myself going with the squint method most often.

I started using the Optivisor, and it meant a world of change for me as I can now see detail that was "lost" form me. I think the Optivisor raised my painting level at least from a 6-7 to a 8-9.
The desk top magnifier was nor so useful for me as it tended to get in the way and I bumped it too often.

I started using reading glasses about three years ago and my painting improved considerably. Now I can't imagine painting without them. Since I wear glasses anyway, I am used to wearing them whilst painting.

Same as FtG: Reading glasses X3 magnification. Best thing ever for my painting. Cost next to nothing.

Bought an Optivisor couple years ago and never looked back. No adjustment to depth and is the best mini paint item I own. beats everthing i have tried before

I bought 3x readers at Costco, $20.00 USD for 3 pairs. They should last me a long time. Brought my painting level up a couple of notches. Problem is, I now take more time to paint….

I've been using an optivisor for years because, like you, the desktop magnifiers kept getting in the way or, I had trouble getting the right depth of focus.

Love the optivisor.

I use a fairly cheapo visor from Maplins ( link ) and absolutely swear by it – really a revelation.

I use the open type of optivisor. Not has heavy duty but it comes with all 3 lens types and is a LOT cheaper. like $30 USD for the setup. I wear glasses to I can't do the reading glasses trick. I think my glasses magnify more then they do :)

The lighter optivisor works great for me. I don't use the strap that comes with it. my head is big enough to just friction fit. I've worn it for hours without trouble. I tried the cheap knockoffs but they all have the same flaws. They don't stay were you put them and I usually ended up with them resting on my glasses.

My biggest problem right now is light. I need to buy a descent lamp.

Got an optivisor for Christmas. Solved one big problem for me. With a desktop magnifier I would get nauseous after 2-3 minutes of painting due to shifting my vision to and away from the magnifier. No such problems with the optivisor.

Painted with an optivisor for years now, only trouble is I,ve tried painting without the visor, forget it once you start using the visor I find you can't go back and I have become completley dependant on it for all my painting now.
Really easy to adapt and an excellent modelling tool though.

I've used a magnifier lamp for the last year. It has a 7" lens and is fully adjustable, clamping onto the edge of the desk. The magnifier is completely surrounded by 108 LED bulbs that give a very strong illumination. I recommend it. See: link

I also have used the optivisor, but found its field of view very narrow, and depth distortion not as easy to deal with as the LED lamp magnifier.

The lamp above solves both the lighting and the magnification issues easily.

When Depreciated over the time of use, the lamp is a very good value.

I use a magnifier lamp too … I think it's fantastic.

I use both an Optivisor and a LED lamp with a built-in magnifier. They are useful in different situations with different scaled figures. I think both are handy to have around the work bench.

I use each of the 3 magnification devices mentioned. By default, I mostly use the magnifier lamp due to the better lighting and reduction of shadows. One tip I learned to reduce eye fatigue is to periodically shift my vision to objects farther away, no matter which device I'm using. I have multiple lenses for the Optivisor, but use the same lense and if I need more or less magnification, just shift to the glasses or lamp.

Optiivisor. I use it for soldering as well. The only downside I've ever experienced is the parallax issue and positioning my head in a slightly uncomfortable position sometimes.

The only problem I have had with using an optivisor is I spend a lot of time painting detail that is not apparent when the figure is on the table top. I am still glad I got one and it is a big improvement over using a simple magnifier lens.

I've been using an Optivisor over my prescription reading glasses for most of my painting the last couple of years. It made a lot possible that had been getting difficult. I only have one lens set for it; seems to be enough.

Optivisor. It's like having a head mounted torch – ie something that follows your eyeline automatically but still gives you both hands free and isn't something on a desk to work around.

Talking of which, although the visor I have is fitted with an LED light, it's fairly feeble and I do sometimes also wear a head torch. Sure, I look like some kind of mad professor but who cares!

John T

I usually wear contact lenses but prefer to wear glasses when painting. I have a set of prescription glasses just for painting.

I explained to my optician about needing to see the figures more closely, she recommended that I chose the cheapest frames they offered and she then seriously beefed up the presciption to give me the magnification I needed (it is apparently just simple addition – if your prescription is +0.75 and the optician beefs it up by +3, the lens would be ground to +3.75; this is a crude example).

These worked beautifully and I sometimes use some clip-on magnifying lenses if I need additional magnification; I am painting 6mm most of the time. It achieves the same end as an optivisor but without the weight.

Having a natural daylight bulb in one of your desk lamps can make a big difference too.

I have to have reading/close work glasses, but I don't find they give enough magnification for work on minis (or fly tying). Other people have suggested "supplementary loops" to go on glasses, but I find a desktop magnifier (x2 power, with inbuilt LED's) does the job.

@Repiqueone

Do you find the cover for the lens to get in the way at all?

With the 2.25x (5 diopoter) how far do you keep the mini from the lens?

How far do you keep your eyes from the lens?

That one looks pretty good, but I must have black.