These magnifiers help with gadget repairs

It’s been many years since I opened a computer with a soldering iron in one hand and a magnifying glass in the other. But even with today’s sealed systems, I’ve encountered many tech tasks that required magnification.

Like reading the teeny-weenie type on so-called user manuals that come with many gadgets from China. Or the model numbers and other tiny text embossed on the back of my current desktop computer, mouse and external hard drives.

And then there was the time I had to make some repairs to a drone that hadn’t completely survived a crash landing.

Fortunately, I found a couple of new magnifiers that are proving to be well suited to these sorts of jobs.

One is shaped like a traditional magnifying glass with a large (3.5-inch) round metal lens and a long handle. The lens offer 5X magnification with a small clear bubble on one side that will bump an image up to 10x.

A key feature is the ring of 12 LED lights built into the lens ring and powered by a pair of AA batteries in the handle. The lights are activated by a thumb button on the side of the handle. One press turns on the lights and a second press bumps them to a higher level of illumination.

The same company offers a second magnifier that has a slightly smaller lens that also has 5X and 10X magnification.

This one has a ring of eight LEDs powered by three AAA batteries and an USB charging cable if you're using rechargeable batteries.

This smaller version unfolds to turn a hand-held magnifier into a static desktop magnifier. That setup is perfect for times when you need both hands free. I used it when I had to remove several super-small screws on the case of a toy I wanted to open.

Both magnifiers are available on Amazon. Current prices are $19.68 for the Metal Lighted Magnifier and $14.59 for the Folding Desktop Magnifier.

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Written by Ric Manning

Follow me on Twitter @ricmanning and read my technology columns at My Well Being.