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Hand Lens Magnifiers for Geology and Earth Sciences
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and Canada! 
Ship Info Here
Hand lenses, also called loupes, in 7x to 20x magnification have many uses for geologists, earth sciences, biologists, agronomists, master gardeners, rockhounds, and jewelers.Watch a quick YouTube video: How to use a hand lens
See our Selection Guide if you need help choosing which magnification to buy.
About B&L loupe quality:
The B&L loupes listed on this page passed our own quality inspection and we have no worry about selling them sight unseen to our customers. The others get sent off to our Clearance Page where we call them "Seconds" and drop the price 25% to get them out of our inventory without losing sleep at night. A good value if you don't mind cosmetic blemishes or imperfect assembly that won't affect the optical quality.
Magnifier Quick Selection Links |
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| Kooter's price includes free shipping and a neck lanyard | |||||
| You can browse only our 10x loupes, arranged by price from low to high |
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| Or use the table below to choose any one lens at a time | |||||
| Brand or Style |
7X |
10X |
14X |
15X |
20X |
| Belomo Triplet |
$35.50 |
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| Bausch & Lomb Hastings
Triplet |
$34.50 |
$35.95 |
$41.90 |
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| Bausch & Lomb
Coddington |
$23.75 |
$26.50 |
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| 18mm Value Triplets |
$16.00 |
$17.00 |
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| 21mm Large Value Triplet |
$22.00 |
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| 18mm Pro-Value Triplet |
$19.50 |
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| 21mm Large Pro-Value Triplet |
$26.50 |
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| B&L "Seconds" Clearance Page |
$25.90 |
$17&$27 |
$31.40 |
$19&$31 |
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10X Loupes - shown by price - from low to high |
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18mm Value 10X triplet magnifierThe best Hastings Triplet magnifier value we have found. Costs little more than a good quality doublet magnifier. Clear bright image of this genuine triplet lens rivals the B&L hand-lenses at less than half the price, and the larger 18mm diameter makes it easier to use for some people. Well made, nicely finished body.
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18mm Pro-Value 10X triplet magnifierSame construction and dimensions as our standard Value triplet, but the Pro version adds a matte black finish and an anti-reflection coating on the lens to produce a crisper image.
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21mm Large Size Value 10X triplet magnifierSame construction as the standard Value 10x. Just 3mm more diameter does not sound like much, but do the math and this 21mm loupe has 30% more glass area than the 18mm Value Triplet. And 80% more area than the B&L triplet Some people prefer a large lens because it is a little easier to get proper lighting on the subject. A little heavy on the lanyard if you will be carrying it all day. Expect a little linear distortion at the perimeter of the lens, but still a very sharp, bright image.
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Bausch & Lomb 10X Coddington magnifierThis magnifier is suited to the customer on a budget who wants the assurance of B & L quality in a hand lens. This is a Coddington magnifier, meaning that the lens is ground from a single piece of glass. The Coddington design requires a magnifier body that is large compared to the actual usable viewing size, but it results in a rugged magnifier that cannot be damaged by water. A good choice if you will be working in aquatic environments.
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21mm Large Size Pro-Value 10X triplet magnifierSame as the Large Value 10x above, but with added anti-reflection lens coating and professional matte black body finish.
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Belomo 10x triplet loupe LPZ-10This Belomo 10x triplet hand lens is gaining popularity with college students, rockounds, and professionals. Combines a high quality large lens with a rugged outdoor look.
Go to our Belomo Page for ordering |
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Bausch & Lomb 10X Hastings triplet hand lens magnifierOur most popular seller and a long time favorite Bausch & Lomb pocket magnifier. This is the one we recommend for field geology and general earth science uses with objects that are relatively flat.
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7x loupe |
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Bausch & Lomb 7X Hastings triplet magnifierA good choice for biologists working with 3D objects because the 7X power has a deeper depth of focus than the higher magnification lenses. A popular hand lens choice for Master Gardener programs. Also useful for teaching proper use of a hand lens to others because the large 19.8 mm diameter is easy to handle and get proper light on the object.
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14x and 15x Loupes |
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Bausch & Lomb 14X Hastings triplet magnifierA magnifier of this power can usually be used by a trained person fairly easily. Some users will need to remove eyeglasses to hold it close enough to the eye. A very useful hand-lens, but because of its smaller size and shallower depth of field of focus we would still recommend that you have another lower power lens handy for general use.
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Value 15X triplet magnifierSame specifications as the 18mm 10X above. Some people prefer a bit more magnification to pick out smaller details for advanced minerology or plant sciences. A little more difficult to use than a 10x, but still a reasonable choice for a general purpose handlens. Chrome finish.15X triplet hand lens $17.00 including shipping and neck lanyard |
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20x Loupes |
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Bausch & Lomb 20X Coddington magnifierThe only 20x loupe we keep in our regular stock is this 20x Coddington. Rugged one-piece lens design. Case and body is same as used for the B&L 14x triplet, so is much easier to handle than the very small B&L 20x triplet. PLEASE NOTE that 20x magnification is used only by a few specialists who can tolerate the very short range of focus. We suggest that you also have a 10x or 7x handy to serve most of your needs.
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Bausch & Lomb 20X Hastings triplet magnifierThe B&L 20X triplet lens is very small - the penny in the image is the same scale as the handlens. Any 20X lens is quite difficult to use because of the very short range of focus, and this very small loup add to the difficulty. Only a specialized and well trained person would use this high power lens, and they would also have a lower power lens available for more general uses.
NOTE: Our last shipment of the 20x B&L triplet contained 40% rejects, so we have not reordered after the good ones were gone. But we have plenty of 'seconds' available at our clearance price. For most users these will be just fine and are a great value. |
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Magnifier Selection Guide
- 7X is an excellent choice for 3D objects in biology. Popular with Master Gardener programs. Large size and good depth of focus makes it a good choice for teaching hand lens use to youngsters.
- 10X is appropriate for most all general science purposes. The preferred magnification for many jewelers and gemologists. Can usually be used without removing eye glasses or sun glasses.
- 14X - 15X is about the upper limit for general purposes, and may require removing eyeglasses for use.
- 20X is for specialized purposes, and has very little depth of focus. Using it requires the patience and knowledge of a trained person. It should only be used in addition to, and not in place of, a lower power hand lens.
- See Kooter Sez Hand Lens for more selection advice
Last revision 11/21/2011 |