Carson Microbrite 60x-120x

[ThumbpickerCGP]

I picked up one of these for $35, which is cheap enough I think, to try and see if I could see the edge of my straight razor under a decent magnification...

I can report that if you remove four tiny philips head screws from it's clear plastic shroud then indeed it is useful. I put my razor on a mouse mat and the shroudless Carson Microbrite then clears the razor comfortably will very low risk of going anywhere near the razor's edge and achieves a fairly easy focus... You can then move the Carson Microbrite along the mouse mat following the blade edge and you can fairly easily examine the edge...

Both 60x and 120x achieve focus and the illumination is adequate from its LED. For such a cheap microscope I have to say I was relatively impressed.

I am also getting a 10x Belomo triplet loupe I will report on that when I receive it.

 

[sd_baker]

I have a 10x microscope eyepiece that works quite well as an alternative to the Belomo. I'm trying to visualize what you mean with the Carson microbrite. I have a Carson as well and find it very hard to use because the field of view is so shallow.

 

[ThumbpickerCGP]

I have a 10x microscope eyepiece that works quite well as an alternative to the Belomo. I'm trying to visualize what you mean with the Carson microbrite. I have a Carson as well and find it very hard to use because the field of view is so shallow.

MicroBrite Plus 60 120x Pocket Microscope LED Lighted Zoom Carson MM-300 | eBay

^^^ They look like that. I found it easy enough to use but I did have to take the clear shroud/guard off. The rest of the housing needs to sit on a surface which then helps you keep the focus steady. Ordinarily you'd put the microscope and clear shroud on top of the object you are trying to view but you wouldn't do that with a delicate blade. The back of the unit doesn't get removed so that helps with the focal length. I didn't find it that hard to keep focused and without the clear guard you can focus generally with the adjuster knob and rock it slightly to change the focus point around that as well. I had no real trouble sliding the microscope parallel to the blade edge to view it along its length.

 

[Substance]

MicroBrite Plus 60 120x Pocket Microscope LED Lighted Zoom Carson MM-300 | eBay

^^^ They look like that. I found it easy enough to use but I did have to take the clear shroud/guard off. The rest of the housing needs to sit on a surface which then helps you keep the focus steady. Ordinarily you'd put the microscope and clear shroud on top of the object you are trying to view but you wouldn't do that with a delicate blade. The back of the unit doesn't get removed so that helps with the focal length. I didn't find it that hard to keep focused and without the clear guard you can focus generally with the adjuster knob and rock it slightly to change the focus point around that as well. I had no real trouble sliding the microscope parallel to the blade edge to view it along its length.

Have used this one and a loupe since I started honing, great investment, magnification is your friend

 

[ThumbpickerCGP]

Have used this one and a loupe since I started honing, great investment, magnification is your friend

I'm glad you don't think I was silly getting them - the loupe has been shipped so I'm just waiting on that. I did have a Japanese Loupe from my uni days but the aperture of the Belomo being 21mm is almost twice as big my current one and being a triplet I dare say it'll help with chromatic and spherical aberration - although my experience in optics comes from astronomy - not microscopy.

 

[rhgg2]

Just want to add how I use the microbrite:

I do not remove the plastic shroud. Rather I leave it on and rest it on the lip of the bevel. The bevel slopes away so there is no way you are going to contact the edge. Then you focus, once, and it is set perfectly for pretty much every razor. I don't even put the razor down, just hold it in my hand. Dead easy to slide up and down the length of the blade as well.

I do not use the built in led. I can't really see anything with it, and it makes things look really grainy. I have a lamp mounted at just above head height and when I use the microbrite I stand with my head almost under the lamp shade with the razor between me and the lamp and the spine towards the light. Basically the goal is to strongly backlight the edge from an oblique angle so you just see that. With a little tilt you can also illuminate the bevel but I think it's easier to look at that through a loupe or with naked eye.