CARSON OPTICAL

Carson Optical claim to be the #1 manufacturer of US magnifiers, and for the price, this range is an excellent choice for the hobbyist. Hold the magnifier close to your eye (with your reading glasses on) and use the clear acrylic skirt to know where to place the object to be inspected. The true magnification provided is not quite as per the label, but a decent amount for looking at fountain pen nibs. We use the 10x for checking nib engravings and tine alignment, and the 17.5x for trickier tine adjustments. The 10x with snap-on reticule is the same as the 10x except it also includes a removable scale you can use to measure tipping and line widths.