New Guy here looking for info on a USB scope

[Joe]

Hi all

New guy here , looking for  suggestions on a  good USB  scope .

I bought a  new  Gen 3 Pro a  few weeks  ago ,  been playing around with it  a  little bit since then .

I spent  a  lot of  time  reading these forums ,and watching  youtube videos on  the best way to  use  it.

I thought i would like to get   a   USB scope to see a little better just whats happening with the different grits .etc.

I’m  not looking for  a   $1000  scope  , but  i wouldn’t  mind spending   $200-$400 +  on one .

I can think of  a  lot  of  other uses   for  it,  so getting something  a little better  would be  ok for me also .

These  70+ year old eyes  can use all the  help they can get !

thanks in advance

Joe

 

 

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anomad

[airscapes]

A good lot of use just use this inexpensive scope.

https://www.amazon.com/Plugable-Microscope-Flexible-Observation-Magnification/dp/B00XNYXQHE/ref=asc_df_B00XNYXQHE/

1 user thanked author for this post.

anomad

[Marc H]

Welcome to the W.E. Forum, Joe.

I am another user and fan of the inexpensive Plugable 2.0 USB scope from Amazon.  I’ve bought and used probably 8   or 10 different scopes over the years and it’s still my favorite one to use.  Quick and simple for my hand-held method for edge inspections.

Using a scope for inspecting your sharpening progress and using a scope for other duties are two very different things.  If your wanting to see how your stone work is sharpening your knife edge, this scope is perfect.  If your looking to make microscopic metallurgical studies and micro-photographs then you may want a better scope.

I bought all the better scopes thinking that a better scope was better for my needs.  Came to pass that I’m sharpening knives. I’m not making microscopic knife edge studies and photography.  To pick up a scope, inspect my progress, (maybe snap a couple photos), and get back to sharpening, this is perfect!

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

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anomad

[tcmeyer]

I’ve got a couple of the very inexpensive ‘scope and have not been happy with them.  The first wouldn’t hold focus and the software for the second wouldn’t work on my older laptop – or I’m too dumb to make it work.  The third was a Carson and wouldn’t let me rest it on the edge without a clunky adapter.  My first ‘scope was a 5MP Celestron which worked very well for a few years, but I somehow got dust into the lens chamber and attempts to clear it made it worse.  So I bought another Celestron and am still happy with it.  The major benefit is simple – it holds focus perfectly.  Any error in focus is easily compensated by slightly tipping the camera to one side or the other.  Like most of these ‘scopes, they’ll focus on the plane of the camera shroud at two different magnifications.  With my 21″ monitor, that’s about 55X and about 158X or so.  The higher magnification is too sensitive and the depth of field is too small for most sharpening use.  The lower magnification displays an area about 8mm wide by whatever the height of the screen image is for that power.  All of my ‘scope use is handheld.  If the knife is important to me, I’ll check the length of the blade with each grit change, checking for damage, burrs and scratch patterns.

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anomad

[Joe]

Thanks for the  replies

I have a  old / inexpensive  scope , i bought years ago.

The thing is  only about the  diameter   of   a  sharpie marker , and with the  leds built in, there is not much of  a lens in it

I thought something   bigger in diameter (and newer) might give me  a  bit  bigger and better  picture .

I appreciate all the  info .

thanks

Joe

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anomad

[Marc H]

Some of us are using this scope holder accessory with the Pluggable Scope.  It takes all the focusing issues/problems away.  Now, where I set it, it stays until I choose to re-adjust the focus ring. This scope accessory was devised for hand-held scope use.

Here’s a couple edge photos taken hand-held. They are of the bevel and tip at high power before sharpening. They show me everything I need to see to do what I want to do.

 

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

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anomad

[Timm]

I recently purchased the Pluggable ‘scope after reading the reviews on the WE forum. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XNYXQHE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here’s a sample of what you can expect from it:

Scratch pattern of a 2,200 grit WE stone.

 

What’s the magnification?

This is 5mm:

These pics are down-sized for posting. When using the camera with my laptop, the image completely fills the 13″ screen. The photos are taken hand-held with the bezel of the ‘scope in contact with the subject.

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anomad

[tcmeyer]

I’ll take a stab at the actual screen image width being actually about 5.25 mm wide.  If your laptop screen is 13″ (330mm) wide, then the magnification is about 63X (330/5.25).

[Joe]

Hi

First thing , i would like to thank you all for the  replies/ info

I thought I would  start with one of  the  $40 Pluggable scopes from Amazon , just to  see what things looked like with it .

If  I decide I  want to upgrade later I can always  set this one  up   for my 7 year old granddaughter who is fascinated  looking at  bugs ,and other creepy crawly things , (as opposed to her  5 year old sister who is  scared to death of  bugs , go  figure !!!  )  .

Again , thanks for  the info

Joe

 

[tcmeyer]

Regarding bugs and stuff…

The first time I started up my first USB ‘scope, I looked around for stuff to look at.  The videos and ads show coins and insects, so I picked up a fly I’d swatted earlier in the day.  I quickly called my wife to show her that the fly was actually still alive.  His (or her?) abdomen was pulsing as though it were breathing or its heart was beating.  There was a shimmering reflection from the segments on its abdomen which gave the impression of wet blood.  I thought it was incredibly cool, but my usually-stalwart life partner was creeped out to no end.  I don’t show her weird stuff anymore.

[Marc H]

Here’s a deal.  I picked up one as a backup a couple months ago.  Other than the “Refurbished” sticker you’d think it was new:

eBay Plugable Scope

I can not vouch for the quality of every purchase, just that my experience was good. For the price, I figured it was worth the chance.

Marc
(MarcH's Rack-Its)

[Author]

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