The cheap and indispensible tool every laser owner should have

[Rodne Gold]

A close up inspection device

I suggest an indispensible tool for any laser engraver is a jewellers or 10x ore even stronger loupe to inspect engraving close up

You can see what going on so much better , especially in glass or other difficult substrates when when examining the actual pits created will tell you so much quicker if your lasering strategy is going in the right direction.

Applies to other stuff as well , like you can often spot incipient prolems with your machine using this tool , like spotting an overactive source by seeing micro shadowing

Spotting motion system slop by looking at how wavy straight lines and circles are

Correcting Bi directional calibration issues

Using edge quality to note effects of stronger air assist or problems with evacuation

See it , and you can correct it before it becomes a bigger problem.

I have many of these all over my shop as what applies to lasering also applies to digital printing and conventional cnc and engraving work, etching and other processes.

[Dave Jones]

And get a good quality one.

Some cheap ones have lots of distortion away from the center of the lens. Good quality ones like Bausch & Lomb are well worth the small extra price over no-name cheap ones.

[Jim A. Walters]

I have one of those 6" magnifying lenses on a swivel arm with a fluorescent light built in. I am aging, and my scratched glasses are up for renewal soon.

[Dave Jones]

Another useful device is the OptiVisor, which is a headband mounted magnifier. Since it uses both eyes you can sometimes see things better than with just a large magnifier.

But a loupe still gives a better closeup view than the optivisor or a regular large magnifier. It can really show you tiny things so you can see what is happening to the material you are lasering, dot by dot.

[John Esberg]

I should also mention how much I use calibrated calipers and a depth mics. They are indispensable to me.

John "DAK" Esberg