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  1. #1
    Senior Member CathyA's Avatar
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    Good compass? Good loupe magnifier?

    Wasn't sure where to post this. Those of you who are into this stuff might be able to lead me in the right direction. I have a friend with a birthday coming up. She's pretty much a naturalist. I was thinking of getting her a compass and maybe a loupe magnifier for her various treks into the wilderness. (And of course, the usual famous chocolates made in our little town).
    Any suggestions? DS asked for a compass for his "survival" kit and it seemed good, but he hasn't used it much yet. They can be pretty inexpensive. As far as the loupe magnifier.......can you recommend a less expensive, but good one? I'm thinking 10x would be fine.......do you think 20x is too much? Thanks for any suggestions.

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    Dumb question ... why would a naturalist want a loupe magnifier or how often would it be used? I see jewelers use them but cannot envision much use for a naturalist? Guess I am missing something?

  3. #3
    Senior Member CathyA's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by frugal-one View Post
    Dumb question ... why would a naturalist want a loupe magnifier or how often would it be used? I see jewelers use them but cannot envision much use for a naturalist? Guess I am missing something?
    I was thinking it would be good to look at rocks, bugs, Indian artifacts up close.? Maybe I'm wrong.

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    Looked this up and this is what I found. Not sure if it is any help?

    Botanists and naturalists also use loupes to study flower and insects and a wide range of natural wonders. A good magnifier choice here would be the less expensive Bausch & Lomb Coddington Magnifiers which holds your insect captive long enough for a good look. Measuring loupes, such as Bausch & Lomb 10x Lenscope Magnifier B&L 10x have scales of varying types mounted in the magnifier to measure very small items (scales sold separately at Bausch & Lomb Scales). Since most loupes are fairly high magnification, they are also quite small and fit easily in a pocket.

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    Do you have an army/navy surplus store? (a place where I think would be a good compass)
    That said, there are some camping types I know, that like the paracord bracelets with the compass on them.

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    Senior Member bae's Avatar
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    For loupe, I've found this one is a great balance of quality, robustness, and price:

    https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EHLU8U/

    I use it a lot for examining rocks, plants, and tracking signs.

    For compass, that depends on the exact sort of use the person is going to be making of it. You can't really go wrong with the appropriate Silva or Suunto for their task. I often use a Brunton, but it's a specialty instrument and stupidly expensive.

  7. #7
    Senior Member CathyA's Avatar
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    Thanks TMS and bae.
    bae.........funny, that loupe is the one I was considering! I forget now where I saw it, but in the description of one of the loupes, it said that it had an area where you could hold an insect just for a short time to view it. Do you know anything about that type? It's hard to tell by looking at the images what they meant.

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    Senior Member KayLR's Avatar
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    Got my compass at the Boy Scout store when I was helping in Cub Scouts.
    My therapist told me the way to achieve true inner peace is to finish what I start. So far today, I have finished two bags of M&Ms and a chocolate cake. I feel better already!

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