The illuminated magnifying glass made by SE is one of the most popular products in its market. That doesn’t come as much of a surprise to us, as over the years, SE has become a something of a mainstay in the magnifying glasses arena. Their products are always so well-made, and as people who specialize in magnifying glasses with lights, we especially appreciate their craftsmanship.
Specifications
The SE illuminated magnifier requires 4 AA batteries to operate. Yes, we aren’t big fans of going through package after package of batteries either. But, honestly, their 2X model is very efficient when it comes to energy usage. We only had to change the batteries out once every couple months.
The 2x magnifying glass comes in a standard square 3.25” x 3.25” size, and we found it to be the most reliable part of the whole product. That’s not to say we thought the rest of the lighted magnifying glass was made out of dinky materials, but we can definitely tell SE did not skimp out on the glass, and the parts holding the glass in place.
Additional Commentary
One of the not-so-good things we noticed about the SE illuminated magnifying glass was that it had perhaps maybe too defined of a viewing range when it came to illuminating the entire object that you are looking at. Like a handful of other glasses we’ve tried, we had to be very meticulous with where we held this glass in order to sufficiently illuminate whatever we were viewing. Granted, this was only a minor hassle, and we got used to it rather quickly. However, it is worth keeping in mind if you are looking for a magnifying lens that has more range when it comes to illumination, you might want to look elsewhere.
We did find the handle to be a little on the cheap side. We have always appreciated SE’s style, but sometimes the plastics they use just feel a little clunky. This was more of a subjective observation, however. If you don’t care about what it feels like in your hand and you just want a fantastic clear lens, ignore this comment.
The battery cover on the SE illuminated magnifier can be hit and miss. We’ve tested this on several identical devices, and found some battery covers to be very easy to remove (sometimes even being too easy), but every now and then we would come across a battery cover that wouldn’t come off even if you took a crowbar to it. That’s an exaggeration, obviously. But we can’t quite put a finger on why the battery cover’s “stickiness” varies from device to device.
Verdict
We liked the squared shape of the glass, as it just made more sense to us for things to magnified in a square rather than a circle. We couldn’t ask for a better glass, and we were really surprised by how energy efficient this illuminated magnifying glass was. We wouldn’t let the somewhat questionable in quality plastic handle, and the strange battery cover problem keep us from buying another one of these products.