So, I'll start off by saying a huge thank you to Dave (GrumpyOldMan)! For anyone wondering Magnifying Headgear is, a quick look at the accompanying pics will give you the idea - it's basically like the frame from a pair of spectacles but, instead of individual lenses for each eye, it has a centrally mounted swivelling clamp with holds one of three interchangeable magnifying lenses provided. The lenses are 1.5x, 2.5x and 3.5x power and each arrives packed in a separate plastic bag. The whole set is packed in a sturdy cardboard box with a dense foam liner to protect everything. The lenses are plastic, but the optical quality is excellent. There is no distortion or double-imaging.

In use

I must admit I've never really got on with magnifiers in the past. I've got a stand-mounted glass which takes up desk space and I find is a total pain because it gets in the way of everything, and a combined lamp/magnifier which is too cumbersome. Furthermore, with both these magnifiers I've always felt rather disorientated and removed from what I'm trying to work on - almost as through I'm trying to use somebody else's hands. So I usually end up just straining my Mk1 eyeballs to get the job done.

The Enkay Magnifier is a revelation! For one thing, it's light and comfortable and you very soon forget you're wearing it. Positioning the lense out ahead of the frame is great. It pivots up out of harm's way if you don't need it and, when in use, provides a kind of magnified "hotspot" - you can simply tilt your head a degree or so to see the subject unmagnified - and the real beauty of it is that the working distance is the same, so no more having to move the desk or lamp magnifiers out of the way, you simply check your progress and move on. Working with the Enkay rapidly became instinctive and I found it invaluable when tackling the tiny details in a photetched detail set.

Conclusion

This is a tool I can tell already is going to become an essential for detail work. Other magnifiers no doubt do the job equally well, but the fact that this is so little hassle means I'll actually USE it - which is the make or break of any tool, no matter how useful it appears on paper. I don't know the price - and because it was a present, I'm not going to go searching for it! I've never come across one in the UK, so I can't even hazard a guess - I'll simply let others check price and availability for themselves. Thanks again Dave - I really appreciate it!

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