Adam Savage's Favorite Tools: Wearable Magnifiers! 

$22 Headband Magnifer: amzn.to/2SgtvzH $50 Headback Magnifier: amzn.to/2W9dE6S Jeweler's Loupe: amzn.to/2W2UFLr 20X Loupe: amzn.to/2zCOpm3 Surgical viewing glasses: amzn.to/2SfT5Vl (And that's Adam's mom, sorting LEGO blocks, that you hear in the background.)

One benefit Adam didn't mention of that last set is that you can wear it without taking off your existing prescription eyeglasses. Not having to take your glasses off and set them down and pick them up makes a huge difference in how likely you are to use your magnification when you need it.

You have made me so happy. I may never be the model maker you are, but after going through the tool selection process in my head a few years ago, I landed on "I bet those headband magnifiers with the bifocal action are going to end up being the most useful in your day to day". And they were, I use them to paint miniatures and assemble models. I still use them constantly and they're still great.

4 years laters and this still teaches me more than I thought I needed to know when getting my microbio headset. Thanks you

Someones losing a fight against recycled glass in the back😂😂

Dude, as a hobby jewellery maker, you just sorted out a massive issue I've been having with magnification solutions. Thanks tons.

Who's walking through a pool of Lego in the background? Lol

Thank you Adam! Your recommendation on a headband magnifier helped me cut through an array of confusing products and options. I found one similar to what you demonstrated and it's exactly what I need to help deal with my vision challenges.

Adam, thanks for this video. My slow-creeping blindness has been difficult to handle, as things have reached the point where I can barely watch videos (blurry to the point of bad headaches) and can't read a book, forget instructions in tiny fonts. The last model you were talking about just arrived via Amazon today. I was able to read the tiny instructions all the way though with no strain, and I've been watching RU-vid for a few hours. Comfortably. It's life-changing, And so nice to get the advice from one of my favorite TV personalities. Again, thanks, Adam. Be seeing you clearly.

I bought one of these on Amazon at the beginning of the pandemic, so that I could do the adult paint-by-number kits that take forever to complete. The spaces are sooooo tiny, my eyes could not handle it! I got these and found that not only are they great for painting tiny things, but also for beading, and all the other little fine point projects I work on. I got prescription glasses earlier this year and can even use them with my glasses still on! Definitely one of my best purchases during the Pandemic.

Adam, my wife is an aesthetician and her facial machine came with an adjustable arm magnifier that is about 10" diameter with high magnification and an LED ring lamp installed. It is great for mounting to the work table and getting very high magnification (it is made for looking at pores) without wearing anything. If you are interested, look up facial steamer with magnifying lamp. Thank you for the continual quality of content.

Thanks, Adam - Perfect timing, I am an armature model maker and was looking for a magnifier - was looking at all the same things you showed order the exact headgear you showed. Thanks for saving me a boat load of money!

How pleased am I that Adam showed off the exact set of magnifiers I’ve been using for 3 years - he never even showed off the work light that they hold too!

Love this man, his work, and his down-to-earth honesty.

For the last several weeks I've been wanting you to do this very video! Very timely; already ordered! Thanks again!

I've been using the exact model you recommended for years and I love it! Surprised you didn't mention the adjustable light, I find it immensely helpful even in my well lit workshop

Thank you for researching magnifyers, sharing your findings, and posting this video.

Have been using and loving the budget headband magnfier for years when hand soldering surface mount electronic components. Invaluable!!!

Thank you so much for this video. I've been fretting over whether or not to purchase an optivisor of some kind and you just helped me immensely. Thank you so much.

Oh, I've been debating what to use to paint my DND figures...so glad I stumbled across this vid. Thank you!

Great video, Adam. I'm glad I thought of you and youtube thought of you when I looking for the best answer to the question of what kind of magnifier to get.

Exactly the same clip in lens system as I use! The great thing is that they have a very natural field of view - it is comfortable to wear them for extended periods and at high magnification, without feeling like you've been hit with a spade. Plus, as you say - they're so affordable, there really is no excuse to squint and struggle.

Thanks for the info, as a hobbyist who's not getting any younger. This info has encouraged me to purchase your suggestion. Thanks again

Versatile yes and the only magnifier that you wore with your glasses still on!! Thanks for answering my question!

Thanks Adam for answering my question! It will be very helpful as there is some close work I would like to do.

Thanks for sharing Adam, your so generous with your information and advice. Your a national treasure. Genuine.

Its so crazy I have been looking for a pair magnifiers just this week. Thanks for the heads up on this subject.

Got them yesterday and have been fantastic exactly what I needed for phone repair and cleaning

Thanks for the tip. My problem which needed this type of solution is using soldering iron on PCB's and small wires.

Thank you so much for your input! I’ve been looking for a set of magnifying glasses for a while and didn’t want to buy without finding some that people have used.

Thank you so much. I was really in need of this info.

just what I was looking for my head was spinning with all the choices that are out there will give them a try

I was taking a break from scrolling for jeweler optics. I will stay with the model that I have, the same with yours white lenses. Thank you for that and for so many others.

I have that setup. The multiple lense options are great, plus its cheap. Added bonus, most of them come with a mini LED light which really helps!

Excellent review, thank you Adam❤

My AADD brain thanks you for this! I'm just starting back to jewelry making. Your's was the first video that come up. You saved me several days of 'too many choices', and probably alot of money too ☺️

I've been looking for this type of thing, thanks Adam!

Working with electronics 30+ years i have to agree Adam. Those magnifiers are the best all around. It won't replace my stereo microscope but all around they are useful. I wonder about the extended focal length one for working on my mini mill/lath. You have to get really close and i prefer not to put my face right next to chips flying off.

Always a pleasure to just ask Adam one stop answer

Perfect timing! I have been looking for the perfect magnifiers.

I was getting closed to buying a set of the "medical" loupes glasses - the main complaint that they were a bit heavy on your nose. I was wondering if anyone had done a mode - say attach it to a "baseball" type cap - to distribute the weight - and I land on your review. I was convinced that your recommendation was the way to go. Not $24 - but $37 - but still cheaper than the loupes glasses I was looking at. Being able to "stack" magnifier lenses is a big plus...Thanks Adam. You be the man!

I concur. The cheap flip-downs are great for all sorts of close-up work where you need to see detail but not in front of your face for either convenience or safety. I still use a loupe at times for detail checking, but for actually being useful for getting stuff done, it's the flip-downs.

Thanks for the heads up, just received my new viewer and super impressed. Jim

Super useful advice. Thank you.

Thanks for sharing Adam because this is also useful in the Automotive field, definitely would be good for looking at wear on bearings and engine or transmission parts as well as repairing tiny wires or connector pins.

I would like to add that a "Jeweler's Loupe" is a 10X Triplet. It is the best balance of magnification for most things in jewelry, gemology and the like. It is also the maximum magnification allowed for grading clarity in diamonds. Triplet means it's made from 3 lenses stacked to correct the image and keep it sharp around the edges. Yes jeweler's use all types of magnification to work including headbands, microscopes and loupes of every magnification but if you ask a jeweler to pass the loupe, you are getting a 10X triplet.

I bought a set of those with the box of lenses some time ago, I allways liked them. Glad to know im not alone.

had been wondering about this, and needed it today actually! Thanks

I'm finally ahead of the curve on an Adam tool video for once! I have a headband magnifier similar to this. Mineb is a little bit more unwieldy and the lenses aren't as large, but it's great for painting minis etc

I'm pretty sure these are the ones I ordered off Amazon yrsterday. They apparently will behere today. I searched RU-vid just now and seen your vid first. Can't wait to be able to see fine work I need to do with both gands free. Thanks.

Love these segments. Please keep them coming

Thanks for another great video mate, helping us all get through this quarantine

I can clearly see what your getting at. 👀 My next Amazon purchase! Thanks Adam....

OH how I wish you had done this a few years ago! I have EVERY version you have on that table save the first fold-out. I went through the same process when I needed to do some circuit board repair on my cars, and needed a focal point far enough away to avoid the heat of the soldering iron but not so far that it made soldering difficult. I just went through the process in 25 days instead of 25 years. I came to the same conclusion - I have a cheaper version of the last with a smaller headband system. It also has 2 lense mounts. It works VERY well for what it does. I still use the others from time to time, though. And having a decent range of reading glasses also works well for casual, quick use. Dollar stores often have them, the lenses are obviously cheap in that case, but for quick and dirty work where you don't care if they break or otherwise get damaged, because they cost ONE DOLLAR, they're great. As for sorting large LEGO collections...yeah. I went through a buying spree in the early aughts in the SF Bay when Costco had Iris carts at roughly half the cost of other places. It helps sort the large categories. Adding trays/boxes in them helps too. They're great because you can tear them down into individual drawers and re-stack them to the height you want, so I custom fit them to the room at the time, floor to ceiling. When it came time to move them, I just shrink-wrapped entire stacks, reconfiguring them at about 6' tall, and hand trucked them to/from the moving van. But when you spend thousands of dollars on JUST the storage for your LEGO, it's time to admit you may have a LEGO problem. "Hi, my name is Talonts, and I have a LEGO problem" "Hi, Talonts!"...

Thanks sir Adam. I just ordered one (different model, it seems to now have 3 lenses)

Thanks Adam. My choice is set now!

I just ordered a similar magnifier a couple of days ago... was afraid you'd say they suck. But for once I made the correct choice!! Good video!

Maybe it is just serendipity but this is the exact answer to my question on the Discord! Thank you so much! The spiders I work with are exceedingly small, so having a good, portable magnifier that I can use to examine them in more detail than "this little spider is... a little spider" will be really helpful. Especially when it comes time to determining their sex. Also, for my next project, I plan on working with bigger spiders because gosh these things are fiddly.

Best tool for the small diorama builders. Thanks for sharing.

Excellent exhaustive comparison! Thank you

Just bought this exact one a few weeks ago 😅. Good to know my coice was the right one.

Thank you Adam. Best wishes 2021.

I just grabbed a AZFUNN 1X to 6X Headband Magnifier from the bay as Amazon can't ship to my country atm due to low stock. Thanks for the video mate.. I have been struggling for a while on finding something just like this..

That's a nice milling machine. Bridgeport by the looks. Spent a lot of years on one of them. Great machine the best.

Thanks Adam i was looking for headset to build metal earth stuff . great info

i bought some of these and they are really good and do a great job of helping you with small objects

I sew a lot, so magnification is useful on occasion. I have a cheap jewelers loupe to inspect the tips of machine needles. the best thing I have is an articulated fluorescent floor lamp I keep hovering over my sewing machine, but it also has attached both a clip for instructions, and about a 4" wide plastic lens for magnification with a very small area, like a bifocal lens, of high magnification, I can't count the number of times that's saved me while trying to sew by hand (untying some ungodly knot or threading a hand needle) Thanks Adam

Just wanna say, before I even watch the vid: no magnifier will hold a candle, personally, to the steam punk goggles my aunt(? Can't entirely remember who, actually) got me ages ago. Mainly because I added a headlamp to them and wear them basically every winter as eye protection. It's amazing how a simple project made from a Christmas present and dollar store components can become something so meaningful. Can hardly wait to start building stuff, again. Been too long.

Just started soldering and was frustrated with my 20+ year old "Helping Hands" from Radio Shack. This was super helpful as I was wary of such a "cheap" tool.. But I've just ordered your recommended tool! (P.S. Years long fan. Spent many hours enjoying MythBusters with my young daughter.)

I've spent a bit looking for good magnifiers also, haven't tried those yet, think i'll give them a try. I love the tool talk.

I have a set of those cheap ones that I use for painting DnD minis. They truly are as great as Adam says.

Thanks Adam. My wife has issues with her sight. This is going to be a great help!

Awesome thanks for sharing. Looking for something like this.

I have those! The last model I love them! 2x mag is the most useful for general small work, 2,5x is ok but more gives head aches because the lenses are good but not perfect. If you wear glasses put the magnifying lens in the front slot, more room and less distortion and higher dept of field.

1:05 The coughing in the background is so… topical.

Nice so now I know what I need to get as I get more into model belieing

Optivisor is the most important search term when looking for this class of object, presumably not mentioned because it's a trade name.

Wow! Oh wise one thank you so much! You have saved this old biddy so much time and money. If you are ever in Vancouver Canada please let me make you a nice home cooked meal..

Let there be light!! You forgot to mention that those magnifiers include a decent LED light. I've used an old Bulldog magnifier with similar lens arrangement, and I added a big LED headband light to it which made all the difference in the world! The setup was a little bulky and I would often bump it against my bench light. I decided to check out more recent offerings and purchased the one you are recommending. Lower profile, lighter, the over the head band is an improvement, and brighter light. I keep an old Optivisor in the garage, and as good as they are, one comes to appreciate the peripheral vision offered with newer designs.

I went through the same iteration. Hands free, built in magnification, but when it came down to it the silly $15 magnifying hat I got off amazon with the flip up lenses works the best.

I cant believe how handy this information is. I was just thinking of Nightmare Before Xmas today as I lock into making replacement heads for my own project. Peace.

The one you finally recommend is the type I have; glad to know I settled on a winner. However, the strap on mine is headache inducing, so I will probably need to 'makerize' it for added comfort.

I didnt know Mitch had died. I worked at ILM and on nightmare as a model maker and cameraman. I had many a beer with Mitch and he was a great guy. thanks for mentioning him Adam

I use reading glasses for close work. Having a couple different magnifications helps depending on the type of work. They are inexpensive enough that it's not a big deal to replace when they get scratched.

I bought the white large snap in lense headpiece about two mo tha ago to use with 28mm mini painting. Love it, it works great. Glad to have my cheapness validated by you lol.

Adam, just the tool I am looking for, I am fighting with the same issues, thanks.

Very useful advice thanks

Very helpful, thanks!

It’s neat to see what particular model you settled on. Lee Valley Tools in Canada periodically carries that exact model.

This is perfect for me as a novice seamstress! I work at a drycleaners and the more experienced lady retired. I am having a hard time keeping my lines straight. So far I have found using only my dominant eye helps. Maybe the magnification will help? I plan on taking classes at the nearby community college... Thankfully the other seamstresses in town are nice and helpful.

I’ve just bought a pair of fishermen’s x2 magnifiers that are wearable on a hat brim. They’re called HatEyes, they’re articulated, they look nice and they’re great! Super fun mainly

That is just... incredibly helpful. Bless you sir. ❤️

Thank you! I’ve been looking for a magnifying solution and this looks like it might be it!

I have a set just like the one he uses... with the ability to use 2 lenses at once and let me tell you, it is far more handy than you would ever think. Yes you can combine them, but the fact that you can switch between (2) magnification powers so quickly is a lifesaver. And they are Super inexpensive. I have 2 pair - I think the exact pair he has and another pair I bought off aliexpress. (btw, both made in China). Love the wide viewing area.

I do a bit of hobby with Warhammer miniatures and I have been looking for something like this to help me with painting. might order that headband you suggested later.

One of the lens were too "Persnickety" you say! lol Wow..now that's a fun word! & I even had to ask google just to see if it existed- and of coarse it did. Also thanks for the great vid.👍😎🇨🇦

I had to watch twice. The first time I was too busy looking around at his workshop instead of paying attention to Adam.

Thank you Adam!

That was funny. I have one of the latter type and I thought the other "tunnel" magnifying glass was better. Thanks Adam.

Just bought one. Thanks!