Do Magnifiers Make Painting TOO EASY? Small Model Painting Project 

As Uncle Atom says: it's a hobby, not an exam. If it makes your life easier, it ain't cheating. Cheers!

I bought a pair of magnifiers recently and they are brilliant! They made me realise that a fine brush and a steady hand aren't the secret to painting miniatures, it's BEING ABLE TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING! Only a fool would paint miniatures without them!

I can't do any painting at all without those magnifier glasses. I'm nearly 50

You know those flip up like a visor, it makes it a bit easier, you just have to use them sparingly, definitely not for 8 hours

If you wore the glasses for 8hrs straight with no breaks, I'd assume anyone would feel a bit nauseous.

The idea of "cheating" enjoying your hobby makes no sense. If magnifiers help, use them. That was said of the airbrush when figure painters started using them. Scale modelers had used them for years before with no accusations. Now an airbrush is almost as common as the paintbrush in figure modeling

I have the arm magnifier with daylight LEDs and it's great, you dont need to use it for base coating or washing and you can swing it into place for details and highlighting as required! :)

I have the Magnifier arm, its so good, I dont need any aditional lamps as the light around the ring light the mini perfectly. I can paint in the middle of the night and still have crisp clean highlights.

At 60, magnification is a must. I generally use a magnifier/light on an arm thingy, but I also have those magnifying glasses for when I'm not at my desk. They both work very well.

Having used both kinds of magnifiers, the issue with ring light ones is they are harder to keep in focus. I had a lot of issues with having to keep my hands in exact positions otherwise the model would go blurry. I had a similar first experience to you with the glasses, but after a few sessions my body got used to it and I stopped having nausea and learned to better judge my water cup/palette. The increased freedom of where to hold the model offered by the glasses was what pushed me over the edge into preferring them.

The basic 'magnifying reading glasses' work really well - a bit of fiddling finds the sweet spot to rest them a bit down your nose so that it is easy to look up/down as needed to go back to the pallet/water cup/etc. and are easy enough to put back up on your forehead when you have some less detailed work to do. I used to have one of the magnifying lamps (in the past before LEDs or Amazon) and it worked great - but it's a piece of desk real estate taken up by the mount for the arm. Find what works and go with it - and remember, you also have to adapt to the brush looking way bigger as well . . .

I use the magnifying lense on the arm, and once you get it, there is no going back. It does not cause the seasick sensation you get from the goggles, but it does take a tad of adjusting to how close to your face you hold your paint brushes.

I actually use a magnifier with a light that's attached to a metal armature. I've been using this setup since I painted my first model about 15 years ago and still use the same setup. It's absolutely amazing for being able to perceive tiny detail on a model and vastly increases your perceived skill. I would imagine it would be terrible having the magnifier stuck to your face as you mentioned. Having the magnifier in a fixed position is a much better setup, and I highly recommend it as I can't imagine painting that much detail without it. It's definitely worth giving that setup a shot!

I use a Magnifier Headband. It adjusts up and down which makes the sub-activities like play list choosing and other small things done then adjust back. The focus stuff with your eyes you still got to get used to though, but I’m already wearing glasses so I been used to that since grade school.

Great video! I've used a clamp-on magnifying lamp with cold light on it and have to say it really can improve your work, it helped me a lot when I got started painting miniatures. Sadly my lamp broke but ill be probably be picking up some glasses or a lamp if possible after this video.

Was looking into these exact glasses, thanks so much for the insight!

I cannot stress how good a game Malifaux is. The rules are really tight and the victory conditions change from game to game making it really engaging. Been playing for a few years and it’s fantastic.

Love to see you painting some Malifaux! Ive used so many of your basing tutorials to base my Faux minis.

At 44 years old I find my sweet spot is a pair of +.50 reading glasses and a swing arm lamp/magnifier. Still get a bit nauseous after long sessions, but just looking around the desk isn't as bad as a headset.

I've gotten these when I got back into the hobby half a year ago. My paintjobs have never been better!

Been using the one I inherited from my dad's workshop for two years now. Love it, made it a lot easier on my eyes. Avoid the magnifiers on arms, especially if you have a neck injury, they don't let you move around comfortably.

One of the best mini painters in the world uses those magnifying goggles, so good enough for me to get a pair.

Ay! Nice to see someone talk about magnifiers! Also, I will always like to see more Malifaux on any mini channel. Its my hope it becomes more popular than it is currently, because both the game and minis are absolutely amazing.

A refreshing change to 8+feet tall transhumans in blue power armour - very enjoyable.

you can peek with normal sight just by looking up like a normal eyeglass that's how we do it with a reading glasses, this however does not apply if you're using a jewel magnifier (the one with the black color and completely close the eye sight for the magnifier)

Love the paint job Thanks for the positive negative honesty ive been thinking about glasses like this for awhile

Great paint job and really good review!

I have these exact glasses and I love them!

First I want to say how much I enjoy your videos! I use the inspiration I get from your base making videos all the time. As for the glasses I find them invaluable! It will take a little practice, but you will more than likely find you get used to them. The key for me keep them up a little higher so when I want to look at something else, ( like my wet palette) I look under them not over. Also try to move them up on you head like sunglasses when you are not looking thought them for things that take focus and attention. Like typing on a keyboard. Also try a long blink as you shift you eyes back into the magnified area of your view. Your eyes might adjust a little smoother since you're going from a closed eye to a focus instead of the eyes trying to go between two different focal points. This is what causes the nausea. It's similar to motions sickness, as the eyes are trying to keep up with the rapidly changing views. I used to use the big magnifying lens and light combo. It was the hot thing back in the late 80's. lol 'but then again so were Testers model paints (that's about all there was!) Yeap I'm old! The glasses offer so much more freedom and a better posture, but they are not for everyone. Thanks again for sharing all that you do for the hobby! P.S. I really enjoyed the interview with Heath from the murder basement!

sounds like a godsend for painting pilot figures that come with rg, mg, and pg gunpla. Most of the pilot figures you can get references by looking up how the character the pilot figure represents is in the anime.

I also have some of these glasses and I think they work quite well. I have the type you mention at 1.26 in your video. Yes everything around you gets a little blurry, but if you arrange your work space properly this is not an issue. (it also helps to paint faster without the glasses) Also I dont recommend to wear them for longer times since they do strain your brain more than just trying to focus normally. Around 30-60min each day is the maximum I wear them to avoid any discomfort. Gotta get my workspace cleaned up and put on some paints to my models! Havent been mentioned with my painting in the last 2 videos.

I use the third option that are more like reading glasses. Have tried different versions over time and they are definitely in my opinion the best.

I bought the glasses and one thing I have done is tilt my head up and look down when I had to focus on anything that wasn't the model. It helped with the focus problem you mentioned.

Those sculpts are so cool. And your paintjob looks great!

This was a great video, thank you for the review! Also those models look awesome

As my eyes have, well, gotten old, I find have magnification is a must. I have a standing magnifier that I got for my birthday a few years ago and it’s a life saver. Makes the hobby so much more enjoyable for me.

Solid review, Eons and Jay. I totally understand why it would be uncomfortable for you with the switching focal lengths constantly. My experience is somewhat different as I am VERY farsighted and have worn glasses since 2nd grade (almost 40 years ago!) and had bifocals in 6th grade! I am back in bifocals again in my 40s because, surprisingly, your vision does not improve with age. :( Anyway, all this to say that I am used to switching magnification constantly. I started painting minis in 2014 but quickly adopted the headset magnifiers (mine are not like glasses but are more like a headband with a frame that you rotate up and down... because I am already wearing glasses.). The magnifiers were game changers for me and I literally cannot do any painting without them!

Jay, I have been out of the hobby for a long time. The EOB channel has re-ignited the interest again! Keep up the great work!

My wife got me a little magnifying glass stand for my birthday last year. I use it for when I need to do really fine detail. Definitely helps a lot and I think it works a lot better than the glasses would. Plus it was cheaper, lol

Recently got myself a desk mounted magnifier with an LED light and I don't know how I ever tried painted without them. Absolute game changer.

i went with a mag light and love it for some of the reasons you mentioned not liking the glasses, just what I need for aging eyes

I use a magnifying glass on the arm like you said at the end of your video. Only use it for the detailed stuff. It’s nice to be watching something on a laptop and when the time calls for it to quarter swivel on my chair and I’m ready to go.

I have both the glasses and the magnifying light. For me it is a must to use magnification because I'm half blind. I started with the magnifying light and one of the biggest issues with it is my brush handles keep hitting the light. I switched to the glasses and that resolved the issue with hitting your brush handle, but you are right about it making you a little nauseating. I found over time you get use to it and the nauseating feeling goes away. Just do short painting sessions at first. If I had the eye site I would prefer not to use any magnification. but if you must, I prefer the glasses.

@EonsofBattle Thanks for this video. Love Malifaux models, underrepresented game that deserves more attention I think!

I'm over 40.. last time i painted was 15 years ago. Got back in to it and realized I can't see anything anymore. Got one of those right away, and couldn't live without them.

love the content man, you have come a long way i used to watch on an old account named vighar and im very happy seeing you follow your dream.

I use similar magnifiers and I can't work without them anymore. Mine hold the lenses further away and I can "bifocal" them by looking around or below. I got used to them very quickly, and I bet you will too. The nausea thing and disorientation will go away- the same thing happened when I got my first prescription glasses, but only for a day. I also have an arm, and I love it too (but the back end of the paint brushes often bonk off the lens and smear across the mini (usually the eyes). Also- thanks for painting Malifaux! I love it when people paint something other that GW, and I have been thinking about buying some M minis for a while now. They look awesome.

I got a magnifier a few months ago that are the type with 2 magnification lenses flip down in front of your eyes or you can flip one of them out for a variety of magnification levels. I thought they were stupid when I first saw them for sale in a hobby store but was having problems with seeing small details on one of my models, so I decided to give them a try.. One of the best investments I've made so far with model building.. They're awesome!!

You are right about both the glasses and the lens on the articulated arm, I have both and they both have pros and cons. The glasses do make it hard to find the plate than the rinse cup, but the large lens can block the handle of the brush and you have few options of fagnification.

I've been using a Dazor Circline Magnifier on an arm since the 90s. I have bad eyes though, and it really helps me a lot. I couldn't paint without it.

Just a little suggestion/input - don't wear the magnifiers for 8 hours! Also, you may find that your depth perception will be off with the single arm. Personally, I need the magnifiers because my eyes are getting older (I'm 51) and regular reading glasses (cheaters) don't work as well for me. Overall, this was a nice video and I love those Malifaux models. Thanks.

For me I actually need them. I found out through a work eye test, only a few years ago in my late twenties, I'm far sighted so anything 1-2 foot in front of me is blurry. Doesn't affect me in normal life so don't have glasses but since getting a headset like this I don't paint like a 7 year old any more

I really am a fan of Malifaux. The models are a lot of fun. I couldn't do this hobby without reading glasses at this point. It's just hard sometimes to assemble models if you can't see well enough to know what you are attaching. Particularly with the Malifaux models, which tend to be a bit more piecemeal than a lot of other models. I tend to prefer the lower end of the reading glasses scale, but I wouldn't try working without a magnifier of some kind.

My wife had actually bought me BOTH pairs that you highlighted! We had to send the black pair back though, they are TOO magnifying! The only place you could actually get them to focus didn't leave enough space to work the brush in. They really are meant for watchmaking as advertised beware your magnification level. I found 1.5-2 just about right

I agree. I painted a crew of Malifaux minis for a customer. They are extremely detailed for their size.

Aside from the magnifying glasses review, the colour theory in this video was really informative.

If you wear glasses like i do, then in my experience the visor type of magnifier is the best and easy to move out of the way. I use it for very fiddly stuff in the scale modelling i also do and is invaluable for that. The magnifier lamp things are good, but they can get in the way sometimes, but the light is the key with them as you want as close to natural as you can get to ensure colour accuracy. Though the last one I had, the bit that is supposed to keep it fixed in position wore quickly leading to it drooping, so don't skimp on the quality or your mini might be getting whacked by your magnifier. Also, always take regular breaks, your back will thank you as well as your eyes.

I have been thinking of using a micro camera with a tablet. I have used the glasses but sometimes I want to see closer but can't so I figured try a micro on my camera and it's pretty cool.

Colette FTW .. you bought the best mini's i love that crew and the mannequin models :D - Y'no, when you get to my age you have to use those magnifying glasses nearly all the time :( ... You'll eventually get used to looking at models up close then away, but there does have to be something better, totally agree with you on them making everything away from the model harder to do. Thanks for another awesome video :D

I love using these glasses since I'm getting older and not as near sighted as I once used to be. I quickly got used to looking around the lenses to see brushes, water cup, etc... The only problem I do have is the nose piece does tend to mess with my sinuses and I need to constantly lift them higher on my nose but I'm used to it.

I lucked out and rescued a magnifying lens station from a dumpster, they're way more expensive than the goggles but the nice thing is you don't have to worry about flipping them up for working on other stuff. for me it is kind of my only option b/c my glasses often get in the way of any form of headgear.

Great stuff friend 👏 👍

I’ve had those for a year already and they are great especially when I’m doing elder gems.

My favorite thing about magnifiers is the much better posture and less eye strain from just being able to see it better from further away.

At least I relieve that I'm not the only one who've bought these and had nausea and struggled in time for adjusting focus + finding disturbing the area aside the focus lenses. Thanks a lot, I was afraid that something was wrong with me only.

Great video. I'm ordering my glasses now 😌

With those binocular style glasses you might find depending on the width between your eyes that its hard to get both lenses to focus on one point of the model, meaning double vision and no depth perception. I have the exact kind you showed and I use an elastic band to pull them close enough together to work for me. Personally, set up that way I really like them. Spent all of last nights painting session wearing them.

There is a HUGE difference between cheap magnifying glasses and good (but pricey) ones. With good glasses you do not have visible distortion, great color rendition and it’s less tedious to switch between the magnified view and normal vision. I use a clip that attaches to my normal glasses, the lenses of that clip are planoconvex so I have a distortion free view. I think the distortion is the exhausting part that makes you nauseous.

I use that magna arm when I do faces or if I want to see if I missed any coverage. It also has bright white light which to me is the first thing you want as a painter, bright enough light to see the actual color you are painting with, not some warm cfc or incandescent. I'd rather have decent lighting then any expensive tool or paint. Next would be a comfortable chair, that would be my biggest cheat, a place that is comfortable to just sit to paint at for a few hours.

Privately, I use standard magnifying glasses. I arrange them at the end of my nose, if I need to look into a wet palette or look up on my desk. In the other direction, the eyes look down at the figurine. I usually keep the model at the height of the bridge, so my eyes fall down on the glasses and on the object itself. What I can recommend is that if you do not have any vision defect and you already feel great magnification at 1x1.5 then stick to it, 1x3.0 magnification and more we will use later in 20 years :). Personally, I developed this method just because of a whole lot of activities related to painting (which you just mentioned). I hope that I could direct you a little bit.

I use a set almost identical to that. My eyes are a little older than yours, but for me they are almost essential. Sure, you don't need them for base coating, but I even use them for cleaning flash off the model in the building phase, it's amazing what you wouldn't have seen without them. I never paint for more than an hour at a time, so no nausea yet. Some people actually suffer nausea with their first pair of bifocal glasses, so you're not weird! I also perform a humorous series of head bobs when shifting my gaze from model to palette, or partner, as I try to look through them, can't see anything, then try to look under then over. 😆 I think almost anyone would find them useful for some aspect of model painting as more and more precision is required, but maybe not leaving them on full time. I think it's interesting that tournament pieces these days seem to tend towards larger models though, as an implicit acceptance that fine detail on small models is just too fiddly! 🙂

After various experiments over the years, I've settled on just using 1.5x reading glasses. They give just a bit more zoom for painting, but are subtle enough to not ruin the experience of interacting with everything else on my desk. I've also got a pair of 3x readers, for the occasional freehanding/fine details work, but are otherwise too strong for practicality, imo. Both pairs are small and require little workspace or effort to switch between. Overall, I find that excellent lighting is the best way to ensure I can see/paint well (magnification is a nice bonus) - so much easier (not to mention cooler, temperature wise) now with the advances in high quality LED light fixtures!

... "pile o shame ... box 1 of 100" ... oof! :) Thanks for this video on this product. I have been looking at them, myself, to replicate those "close up" video shots that I see on the painting tutorials. Looking forward to a follow-up video review of the magnifier on an arm? Shifting to the models themselves ... thank you for bringing this game line to the spotlight. Your paintwork is very nice on these miniatures.

Magnifier glasses are part of the fun for me. They transport you into the micro-world. That said, they're designed small so you can peer over or under them to look at the normal world stuff like your show or your monitor. That and make it a habit to look out the window every once in awhile to stretch your eye muscles.

I own these and the review is spot on. I really feel like I need them, yet can’t use them for any amount of time. However, using one on an arm seems quite the option. Great vid and nice figure on that trampoline. Workout routine must be intense.

I use a light with a magnifying lense... its fantastic for those tricky little nooks and crannies... especially 10mm minis

I have some visopters, they are good as well but have a lighting issue due to how the top is a solid material. Another thing I have learned when painting small things, make sure you are not hungry and haven't had a lot of caffeine.

I was really thinking about getting glasses like these because although I have good vision and have little trouble picking out little details I get eye fatiuge during extended painting of fine details but I think I might get a desk mounted magnifier instead given the cons you mentioned I don't think I would be happy with the head mounted type.

100% agree. I love my magnifiers but I don't put them on unless I'm doing detail work. Wearing them for base coating, shading, and even highlighting is just a recipe for difficulty especially because of how it forces your posture to get focus.

I know it is a bit outdated, but i'll leave my 2 cents on te topic here. I've been wearing glasses for most of my life, for i have mild astigmatism. I got into miniature painting few months back and magnifiing glass on swivel arm was among my first purchases. It is wonderful tool. I would say 2nd most important right after quality lighting lamp. At least if your eyesight isn't sharpest anymore. EDIT: Typos.

Get the Ottlite floor lamp! It's great!

I have a cheapo headband style with a light since I already wear glasses. They are a godsend versus hunching over to get really close. Bad for your posture, neck, back and eyes. Also, whether it's painting, reading or whatever, take hourly breaks to stretch your legs and relax your eyes.

Bough a cheap Magnifier arm with led lightning. with a global 1,ish zoom and a smaller globe at 3x. One of the best purchases for the hobby. The lighting certainly is a must with the ring, and it can be used as just a flex lamp. With the magnifier it's very comfortable, but one advise: don't pull the model too close to you, or you'll hit the plastic. Or paint it. The focal point , specially of the secondary smaller , powerfull magnifier is about 3-4 inches.

I use exactly these goggles for electronics. They’re mandatory for SMD soldering work. I tend not to use them for painting because my close vision is pretty good.

Your bit about Planes, Trains & Automobiles made me laugh more than it should have... I recently purchased an arm lamp magnifier and I'm fairly happy with it. It's super helpful for those of us that are getting on a bit in the eyes department. My only issue that the distance I have to hold the model from the magnifier means my brush handle is hitting the lamp. I tried cutting the handle of one of my brushes shorter but I cut too much and I wasn't able to hold the brush as well. I'm going to try again but remove less of the brush handle. Pros and cons to everything, right? On a sidenote I just watched your Periodic Table of Space Marines video. Wow, that one was funny! Awful singing...but funny!

I'm a total noob painting minis, but I still bought the glasses. Same issue, plus I didn't felt they magnified as much as I wanted. I turn then back and bought a light with a magnifier, and so far seems to be working better, but I haven't been able to put on hours using it.

Cool game, I will defiantly look at the models.

The ONLY WAY to paint, LEFT HANDED!! 😁😁😁 NOICE! IM NOT ALONE!

I come from watch repair so hell yeah imma use my loupe glasses I need all the help I can get because I'm JUST getting into this : )

Have the glasses and like them. Same problem with it effecting everything I attempt while wearing them. I had to go with the headband to wear them cause of oxygen takes up the space behind my ears. I just ordered a table lamp with magnifier yesterday, so I'm hoping it will be a better option.

I bought the same pair recently. It was disorienting for everything else (eg. switching focus to dunk my brush in water) until I learned to use the gap above the glasses to see normally!

Hello noobie here just started last month or so and my dad had 2 of these since he was a dpctor and have me one for my starting kit and it helped immensely since i was poor sighted to tiny stuff and it has a daylight led on it and helped me see the nooks and crannies of my necrons and space marines so yeah not cheating but a useful tools

I love them to paint eyes and small details

I would love for you to try the magnifying glass on the arm.

I have the exact same magnifier you use in this video. When I was 18 and just starting to paint my eyes were percect. I became farsighted as I got older and I need reading glasses most of the time. I wear a much stronger pair when painting, but when it's time for the fiddly details I get out the magnifier. I agree about the eye adjustment issues, but my biggest gripe is how much the nose support hurts.

This dude needs way more Likes. 🙌🙌🙌🙌

I have an astigmatism. These magnifiers have been a game changer for me, but I can see if you have normal vision how they might seem a bit redundant.

I got glasses in a gift exchange for last christmas and it gives me the meanest headaches after only a few seconds so I only very rarely use them Seriously considering switching to a lamp at some point to hopefully make this less of an issue!

Interesting. I just bought a magnifying lamp and thought that glasses are propably so much better. But you made me rethink it. I'm pretty sure it'll never feel natural either way but atleast with the lamp my eyes get constant breaks from it. Either way - the glasses are so cheap that I can't resist the urge to try them out.

those are so nice to use even for building minis