60X LED Microscope for Blade Inspection

I ordered one of the cheapest of the Bay, batteries included. I think it was around 5 bucks.

 

Looks great. Enjoy!

 

Thanks! I used the LED microscope again tonight as I honed up another razor.
Being able to see the very fine detail from the scratch pattern left by the hone to the precise widths of the bevels has been for me a BIG asset.
The last two razors I've honed have to be the sharpest and cleanest edges I've produced…(of course the new stones may have helped as well)...

 

Thx Glen. That's what I needed

 

got mine coming, thx everybody

 

That cheap 40X from amazon is the one I got back in August and it's still going strong, and it seems to plenty of magnification to my rookie eye!

 

Yeah, Chris, there probably not as significant a difference from a 40x, but for me, using the 60x microscope over the 30x loupe is pretty substantial in revealing edge detail, scratch pattern, unevenness on the blade. The microscope is a bit quirky at first (as Glen mentioned earlier), but once you find the 'sweet spot' I find using it extremely helpful.
Over the past 3 or 4 razors when using the microscope, it has become obvious to me where the 'weak spots' are in my honing regimen.

 

I have been using ta 60-100x mini-microscope I purchased at Radio Shack. It has a light and does the trick. I think it cost around $12. Microscopes really help master the honing process.

 

And mine has arrived. $4.50, batteries and pouch included! Great little item, works as intended.

 

How is it that cheap? I just searched for something like it on ebay. If I came across it by myself I would have thought it's bad quality or a toy microscope =P

 

I bought mine on ebay $4.99 shipped, also bought the Loupe from same seller $4.99 shipped

 

It's all made of plastic. Compared to a 'real' microscope is akin to comparing a 'disposable' razor in quality vs a stainless DE razor. Both can get the job done, but one will do a much better job—at a steeper price.
This product isn't science-lab quality, but for my purposes (seeing a razor's edge), it's a decent value for the low price.

 

I have absolutely no use for it. Stil I wanna try it hahaha

 

Get a straight razor, then you will have a use for it.

 

Hahahaha good system but Im not ready for straights

 

I remember saying that once, sure am glad I tried it

 

So how do you know the edge is honed enough (or not enough, or too much!). In other words: what do you look for?

 

I will give you my opinion but there are others on here with a lot more knowledge than I have. I do use the microscope to look at the edge and for me it needs to be even and shiny all the way along the edge, However when I get to that point it needs to also start feeling smoother and smoother on the stone. That's when I move on to a finer polishing stone. Before I learned what the edge should look like, I depended on feel. Again - I am a rather inexperienced honer who has had some luck at successful honing

 

Right now I'm very fond of using a blade once and throwing it away =P If Im gonna use straights, first I need a straight razor, then I need a strop, strop paste, a couple of different hone, 26 instead of 24 hours in a day, the prep before a shave changes and not only that, i'll get inconsistent shaves for a while. I will miss getting consecutive good shaves hahaha

 

I can give you my guess haha. I guess the edge needs to be even and smooth all the way. Plus when you hone the razor and try it out and realize it was a successful hone, you might learn how its supposed to look like and with some trial and error you can "see" when your done instead of having to check is if cuts smoothly. And by this time your arm hair can start to grow back =P