Illuminated pocket magnifier

[polygonum_on_google]

Looking for a simple magnifier that I can slip into a pocket or bag and carry with me. I find some things more difficult to read these days - still manage quite small type but definitely not as good as I once was.

Magnification, I guess 5x would be fine.

Light, adequate LED, not too blue.

Batteries - something common, preferably CR2025 or similar - not an obscure silver or alkaline cell.

Preferably a pop-up so that the lens is protected to some extent. Also, great if pushing back down switched off the light.

Finally, not too expensive. I simply don't need it often enough to be worth paying out for the best.

[Martin Brown]

3x would be more common. If you relax the requirement of a built in light the credit card Fresnel lens flat plastic magnifiers are not bad.

And cheap enough to treat as sacrificial.

Something like this meets your spec but I think it would be too heavy and bulky. You can get fold away lenses with no light much cheaper. YMMV

[polygonum_on_google]

I'd looked at the Carson but agree it is a bit bulky and, with three AAA cells, heavy, for my purposes.

Not sure what you were linking to in the first one! Edward Samuel Shire (1908-1978), Mathematician, physicist and joint inventor of the radio proximity fuse for explosive devices - very interesting but no magnifier!

Yes - I might find 3x sufficient but wanted to look slightly higher, if possible. And drop down to 3x if I have to.

[Martin Brown]

And cheap enough to treat as sacrificial.

Finger trouble on my part. Paste buffer had that link in it by chance. Credit card sized flat magnifiers that fit in a wallet/purse.

Carson do a more expensive version with a case.

[Andrew]

My father had a really good German one that slid out of a holder rather like some mobile phones used to. Quite expensive though.

I think it was one of these :-

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

Optima low vision? The trendy way is an app on your phone these days of course. Brian

[polygonum_on_google]

Mixed reviews as you go round. They seem pretty effective but not as rugged as I'd like - at least, as I'd really expect at the price!

[polygonum_on_google]

Yes - and sometimes that is fine. But I find it difficult to use one-handed which is sometimes necessary.