The Mantis and other stereo microscopes can only look straight down (with
some exceptions, of course). Loupes, Optivisors, and similar head mounted
optical systems can look wherever is convenient. It is not easy to do
wrist watch work with a stereo microscope. About the only which way I
don't need to see is straight down. But they're ideal for soldering and
are available on the surplus market. I'm now going to seriously consider
a dental loupe, and I thank you and the others for bringing it up.
-Bob
On Thu, Oct 4, 2018 at 9:55 AM Mark Goldberg <marklgoldberg@...>
wrote:
I'm jealous. The Mantis is the greatest thing since sliced bread,
especially if you wear glasses. Wish I had one.
In my opinion, from best to worst:
Mantis
Binocular Microscope (I have an Amscope SE-400Z)
Dentist style optical loupes
Optivisor or similar
Lots of light is also a big help. I can use my microscope without my
glasses, even though I have astigmatism with enough light to close down my
irises and minimize it. I do very tiny SMT work with 61 year old eyes.
Luckily, hands are still steady!
Regards,
Mark
On Thu, Oct 4, 2018 at 5:21 AM Paul Amaranth <paul@...> wrote:
I have a couple pair of the cheap loupes. The 3.5X are pretty handy for
general work and I use them quite a bit. I also have a higher power set
but those are not very good since they shake with my pulse which is
annoying.
I also bit the bullet and found a Mantis. I use that for serious
work but keep the loupes handy for small jobs.
Paul
redarlington