The SnakeClamp Handheld Magnifying Glass is available with your choice of 3x, 8x, 10x or 15x glass lens magnification.

Our Handheld Magnifier is available with your choice of economy (light green tint) or colorless glass lenses.  See product page for picture. The economy lenses are available in 3x, 8x and 10x magnification.  The colorless lenses are available in 3x, 8x, 10x and 15x magnification.  Both lenses are high quality optical glass but clear lenses are more expensive to make.  They are usually chosen when viewing the color of your object is very important (such as coins, jewelry, etc.)

The handle is removable if you wish to mount it to a flexible gooseneck arm, sold separately.

Keep in mind the following as you choose a magnifying glass:

• Lens size is the optical area of the lens.  All of our magnifiers are 5" (130 mm) diameter although this is reduced to 4.6" (118 mm) due to the width of the magnifier frame.
• As the magnification increases the field of view decreases.  In other words, a more powerful magnifier is suitable for viewing or inspecting small objects, but would not be good for reading, because it does not magnify a wide area.
• The depth of field also decreases with increasing power; which means that as you hold an object behind the magnifier there is a smaller distance range in which it will be in focus.
• A more powerful lens has a shorter focal length, which is the distance between the center of the lens and where the object will be in focus.  This means that for a shorter focal length you will hold the object closer to the magnifying glass.  For example the 15x lens is in focus at 5" from the object whereas the 3x lens is in focus at about 12" from the object.
• While the distance between the object you are looking at and the lens remains generally fixed (for the object to be in focus), the closer you move your eye to the lens the larger your field of vision will be.  If you hold the magnifier right up to your eye you will have the largest field of vision. 
• NOTE: The magnification factor, for example 15x, does not mean that the image will be 15 times larger.  It is simply a scale used to distinguish between the different lens powers.  Compare the magnification provided by each lens looking at the same ruler: