Dental Surgical Optical Loupes

I saw one once on my dentists head. Fortunately he wasn't gonna look at me with them.

You must be dead serious about detail work.

They do look interesting.

Until now I was really proud of my authentic Optivisor!

I bought an inexpensive pair off eBay several years ago. The pair I bought didn't have a headband and clipped onto regular glasses. IIRC they were 3 or 5X. I never got accustomed to using them and definitely wouldn't buy clip on ones again. Unlike the 'Optivisor' type, working distance is quite large for the magnification so you're not up close to the object your observing (hard for me to adapt to). Always thought they were a great idea. Don't buy clip ons though.

Edit Mine were similar to these:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dental-lab-Binocular-clip-loupes-optical-glass-Magnifying-3-5X-420mm-/250997329555?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a709b4e93

If you have not tried anything else yet, look into a pair of reading glasses in the 1.5 to 2.5 diopter range first.  They can be relatively inexpensive at discount and some drug stores, and they are very unobtrusive.  In many stores there is a chart on the rack, and you can try them right there. I would try the least obtrusive method first before going to extremes.

My dentist uses something like that and I asked him about them.  He said they are really great, but they are custom-made to fit your eye prescription, and cost about $3,000.  I guess I'll have to stick with the optivisor!

I have been considering contacting a local dental school and ask what the students use.

I presume students may not be able to afford a $3,000 set of optics ...............unless they are going into debt for the rest of their lives............

Thanks for your responses,

Mitsdude:  I will be working with the braille scale stuff so I intend  to do some detail work. The Optivisor is great , I just don't like the very short working distance and narrow field of view.

Bick: I will consider what you said about the clip on model.

Don Stauffer: Stole the wife's but was not too impressed. May have to look at a different diopter.

Sprue-ce  Goose / Cadet Chuck : I will leave the  $3000 set to the pro's besides $3000 buys a lot of models. The ones that I am looking at range from $120 to $500. I will prob. go no higher than $250 if they are a worthy investment.

Hello RX7850

I have been modelling for the past 40 years. I own a both a 3.5 x Gallilean and a 6x prismatic loupe like the one in your pic, I don't recommend it for modeling as its very hard to adjust both sides to give you a centered image and also 6x is just to high a magnification since the field of view is so narrow, you get disoriented, loose your subject fro view and the focal distance is way too long, you actually have to lean back...they are made for people who work standing up with the patient at the height of their belly button.- Not recommended

My tool of choice is the Optivisor, by Donegan Optical,  2.5x... 3.0x at most...any higher than that and the focal distance is too short. Your x-acto or paint brush will be hitting it all the time.

2.x5 is the most useful in terms of magnification level vs focal distance. You'll love em'

2,5 may not look like much but its actually fabulous for model building...and I machine micro-miniature  parts (down to 0.007in. wide) with them . I wear them all the time and wouldn't trade them for anything...

Another option ( and a nice compromise) are the fly tying glasses sold by orvis