a good magnifier lamp with clamp

do you guys think this is a good one? i'm looking for a good magnifier lamp so i can do better soldering jobs.


http://cgi.ebay.com/BLACK-CLAMP-ON-MAGNIFIER-LIGHT-MAGNIFYING-LAMP_W0QQitemZ320082326749QQihZ011QQcategoryZ34084QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

if you guys know of certain features i should look at. please let me know.

the clamp is crap. look for one with a good clamp. ive got 1 with a serious clamp that i inherited here at work and its solid. i have one like the one in the picture and it never really stayed. now its useless.

How about a different clamp?

That website has a range of pricing on those magnif/lights. I have a hard time using the really cheap ones. But I have an astigmatism so things are not where they appear to be! The only magnifier I found I could use that didn't bug me bad was about $400!

HTH!
Charlie

how about this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fluorescent-Magnifier-Lamp-Clamp-on-NIB_W0QQitemZ250082374117QQihZ015QQcategoryZ34084QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

how could i attach this heavy duty clamp to this magnifier?

http://www.all-spec.com/1/viewitem/A-BRACK-B/ALLSPEC/prodinfo/w3path=cat

Best is a screw on base, all that clamps come loose....


Look for a tube where the lamp fits in, take a piece rectangular steel, drill 4 holes for the screws and let somebody weld both together if you cannot find one.

I took a drill and blasted a hole in my benchtop for it once after the clamp came off and it crashed into my work one time too many. =)

I have gone through two lamps in two years. The one with the transformer by the clamp base. The transformer housing is crappy pot metal that eventually breaks from the stress. Before that happens, the ringlamp part becomes loose. It must be completely dismantled to tighten the crappy screws, I even tried to glue the screws in. I now have a third lamp from an office depot store. The transformer is wall-wart style, however the peg that goes into the clamp is made out of pressed sheetmetal and the clamp was crappy, so I use the clamp from the busted lamp. It's been good so far. the nuts can be tightened to hold the lamp where I want it. There has to be a ballance between the spring tension being strong enough to function, and the nuts ability to oppose the spring tension and keep the lamp from flopping out of the way, or onto the work. Where did that surface mount resistor go? Maybe you could find one made in the fifties from a University surplus sale. Those are SOLID.

[quote author="versuviusx"]how could i attach this heavy duty clamp to this magnifier?

http://www.all-spec.com/1/viewitem/A-BRACK-B/ALLSPEC/prodinfo/w3path=cat[/quote]

If its like all the other ones I have seen, the left hand side of that is hollow and the magnif/light "should" drop in.

The screw on base deal sounds like a really good idea, but I had never seen one before. I think if you buy a light that cost more than $40, it should have a decent clamp though. Its just the cheap stuff that is...well...cheap!

HTH!
Charlie

Since when do we discuss lamps and clamps in the Drawing Board.
Stupid, we have a room for stuff like that

analag

We?
Us?
Them?
Floyd?

I found a pretty good one at the sewing store - decent price, pretty good clamp, etc. You gotta figure there are plenty of old ladies on a fixed budget who need a lot of light and a big magnifier out there...

Once Upon A year, Luxo was the brand of choice, but they were kind of pricey. I did find this:

http://www.shoplet.com/office/db/LEDL745WT.html

Luxo's website:

http://www.luxous.com/

I wonder if their current products are USA made, or are more akin to the knock-offs? I have a 15+ year-old Taiwan knock-off (from Office Depot) which I have been nursing along these past few years, as just about everything on it seems to be falling apart <g>.

Bri

The Staples model for $20. Clear lense and 75 watts. I screwed the clamp to the bench. Or there are weighted bases available from net suppliers.
Don't like the jiggly light on the fluro mags. I have a fluro shop light overhead, but add halogen and incandescent for a broader light.
Mike

[quote author="CJ"]We?
Us?
Them?
Floyd?
[/quote]

No them.
Hey we even have more of them, now.

analag

Luxoooooo... Say it like Cadillac, if ya know what I mean.

We have this one in our lab. Works awesome. But $$$!

http://www.luxous.com/magnifiers/waveplus.html

My magna - light is a piece of caca at the clamp. I drilled 4 or 5 holes in my work bench the right size and tossed out the clamp, problem solved.