opti visor?

Postal wrote:

does anyone know where you can order replacement black knobs that are found on the side of the visor?  One of mine seems to have gone missing.

Presumably you can order replacement parts from Donegan, contact info follows:

http://www.doneganoptical.com/contact.php

MikeV wrote:

Wrinkledm wrote: I ran out to Harbor Freight yesterday and picked up a pair of the $6 optivisor knockoff.  For $6 its not to bad. the lights a a bit a cheap side but the lenses were better than expected. Can't beat this item for $6 though. Cheers D I have one of those as well minus the lights as I think the lights are a gimmick. They do have pretty good optical quality though and are comfortable to wear.

Whole things a gimmick. Not taking any chances with MY eyes.          

  ~I was just reading Mark Bannerman's book " Modelling Scale Figures ", and although it's rather basic stuff, it's interesting to hear  how and why a master of our craft does things. Anyways, he  talks about the nessessity of some sort of optics, and says you need at least some cheap reading glasses, but preferablely the Optivisor by Donegan with  a # 5 lens. Similar to what I posted above about the #4 lens, he says about the #5 lens(not alot different), and like we both said,it's up to personal preference....but the weaker ones will have you straining, and the more powerful ones are just impractical.              ~in other words... Cheap optics may be better than no optics, if you are otherwise straining for hours at a time to work, but good quality optics are not very expensive and well worth getting .

Wrinkledm wrote:

I ran out to Harbor Freight yesterday and picked up a pair of the $6 optivisor knockoff.  For $6 its not to bad. the lights a a bit a cheap side but the lenses were better than expected. Can't beat this item for $6 though. Cheers D

I have one of those as well minus the lights as I think the lights are a gimmick. They do have pretty good optical quality though and are comfortable to wear. 

I ran out to Harbor Freight yesterday and picked up a pair of the $6 optivisor knockoff.  For $6 its not to bad. the lights a a bit a cheap side but the lenses were better than expected. Can't beat this item for $6 though.

Cheers

D

With 8 dollar shipping, not a bad tool..

http://www.hobbytool.com/lightedmagnifierheadwearwremovableled.aspx

Not a substitute for Optivisors, but what I have done that seems to work well for most close up work is to buy prescription reading specs.  Cost isn't as bad as you think and my eyes are different enough that store bought ones don't cut it.  I started with my standard reading prescription 1.25 and 1.75. (Something like that anyways.)  I added 1.5 and 3.0 to each and ordered a pair of  2.75 / 3.25 and a pair of 4.25 / 4.75 specs.

I used Zenni optical, an online store and you can pick up two pair of specs for under $25 bucks shipped.  My wife is a long time Opthalmic technician and she kind steered me along the way.  Additional info you will need to order your specs beyond teh normal prescription info is your frame size (width???) and your PD. (Info that you should be able to get when you get your eyes checked. 

 With that said, I seem to do all I need with these two pair of specs BUT... I've not tried PE yet. I'm still new to modeling and PE isn't a player until I get to the next kit in my mini-stash.

Cheers

D

dupes wrote:

Looking at picking one of these up this week - about time, right? So is the 2.5x magnification sufficient for working with tiny PE and stuff? Was thinking the 2.75x might be the way to go, but the 6" focal point seemed pretty tight to me - you're working DIRECTLY in front of your face at that point it would seem. Any suggestions?

~Dupes ~ See my suggestion in my well produced post above?  # 4 lens (X2 magnifacation)    -->>is all I use ~ The 10 inch focal length feels natural to me.I've tried the #5 and it was near as good, maybe I'd just gotton used to not hunching over. I barrowed a friends #10 for one tedious job, but forget that, break out the electron microscope !  I'ts just too uncomfortable, and I'm not doing oil paintings on the head of a pin. #4 lets me see each scratch as I sand or file, it's plenty of magnification for my 1/35 scale work ~ You may be one that likes the #5, but try measuring how far your eyeball is off your bench when you do detail work, probably a bit more than 6 or 8 inches, yes?

Indy

Looking at picking one of these up this week - about time, right?

So is the 2.5x magnification sufficient for working with tiny PE and stuff? Was thinking the 2.75x might be the way to go, but the 6" focal point seemed pretty tight to me - you're working DIRECTLY in front of your face at that point it would seem.

Any suggestions?

Th Donagan IS the Opti-visor it's completely worth the $30 somthing dollars. I personally prefer the # 4 lens ( which is actually a 2X lens ) they break down like this:

I agree the #10 is too much magnifacation to really work. That $20 copy at hobby-expo is ok,unless you've ever tried one of these babies.  Here's a link to the maker:

http://www.doneganoptical.com/optivisorlx.php     

nico86326 wrote:

HawkeyeHobbies wrote: Just remember that those Optivisor copycats are not equal to the original. I've taken the short route to save a buck on reading glasses...you know the $2-$3 ones on the discount rack...I found that they gave me headaches and my eyes tired faster. So I spent a few dollars more to get the more expensive ones...the optics were much better and there were no side effects. Im with Hawkeye. I use 2.0 power reading glasses from the pharmacy at Walmart. Think I paid about 15.00 for them. They work just as well for me.  Nico

Same here but I bought mine a few years back from Harbor Freight. They were about $5 a pair and I was worried about optical quality but they are very good. I am impressed. I have two pairs, one is 1.5x and the other is 2x I think. 

I just looked at their site and I don't think they sell them any longer though. 

I have been using the Optivisor (lowest power) and have been happy with them. They are easy to flip up out of the way when you don't need the magnification. I look really nerdy because I wear a terry cloth sports head band under the existing headband for comfort. Love the picture wingnut, now I know why my daughter laughs at me when I am modeling. She says it reminds her of the old guy in Toy Story that does the restorations I was intrigued by the dental loupes that are out there, but not enough to lay out the cash to try them.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Surgicial-Loupe-2.5X-Dental-Dentist-Dentistry-Loupes-_W0QQitemZ270318056603QQcmdZViewItem 

HawkeyeHobbies wrote:

Just remember that those Optivisor copycats are not equal to the original. I've taken the short route to save a buck on reading glasses...you know the $2-$3 ones on the discount rack...I found that they gave me headaches and my eyes tired faster. So I spent a few dollars more to get the more expensive ones...the optics were much better and there were no side effects.

Im with Hawkeye. I use 2.0 power reading glasses from the pharmacy at Walmart. Think I paid about 15.00 for them. They work just as well for me. 

Nico

Thats scary looking Wing,remind me not to go to the other side of town fo Halloween lol... Never looked at them from that view very funny looking.

John

wing_nut wrote:

And they are fun on Halloween when you open the door for little kids...

Wall-E?

Oh meee gawd!

HOW MANY FINGERS AM I HOLDING UP?

 HA!

Donegan for this guy too (not sure how long I've had 'em, but it's been a while). The lens says "3" on it. Not sure what power that is, but combined with my glasses, it works great.

Now THAT'S scary, Marc!!!

And they are fun on Halloween when you open the door for little kids...

I have the Donegan also, but I didn't know that until I just now went and looked at it. I guess it's 4x- it has a raised "4" on the lens piece. I've owned it since way before this line of hobby, when I was a serious model railroader in N scale (1/160!!!).

Over the years I've replaced the tightening knobs at the temples because they come off and get lost to the carpet monster, but that's about it.

I'm a four-eyes anyways, with bifocals, but don't need the lower part of my own glasses with the visor, which is great (more in a minute).

I saw this thread and it struck me; I cannot think of a tool I own that has by itself so increased my abilities, except maybe my airbrush, but that's just technology, and expensive too. What I mean is that I could not do the same task without as I can with, by a really BIG difference. I always wear it now when I model, flip up/ flip down.

One time I had a particularily obnoxious client who kept arguing contract terms well into the phase where I was  working and billing. So I called him and went over to his office to go over the contract; pulled out the old O/V, put it on and sat down at the conference table. It certainly broke the ice and cost a lot less than bringing my lawyer along.

One last note; You're family will probably laugh at you when you use these goofy things.  They will tell you that you look like a real 'nerd.'   However, I guess we are what we are. . . let them have their fun, we do

Mine is a Donegan also........rescued from some idiot ready to toss it in a dumpster because of a lost lense screw! I believe it's a 3X.....sometimes I wear glasses underneath, but it also has an eye loup that might be a 7X....(fortunately I haven't needed it yet!)

Harv -  I use a 3x for most general work, sometimes I combine it with my "old man" readers. I aslo have a 7x I got for painting 1/72 pilot figures. Brings them in real close..

Donegan Optivisor is about the best brand on the market IMO