Harbor Freight Rectangle Magnifying Glass, Black (37708)

What it IS: A very nice magnifier that provides crisp, clear print all across the lens. I would say the actual magnification is somewhere between 2x and 3x - it can vary depending on how far you are away from the object. I am actually measuring the distance from my computer screen at 9 inches and this magnifier is providing a clear image close to 3 times the normal size of the print. I think that most people leaving negative reviews simply don't understand this basic concept. The lens IS real glass which is very surprising at this price point. The plastic handle and frame are decent quality - not fancy but not overly cheap as well. What it is NOT : this is not a luxury magnifier that you can show off with to demonstrate your immaculate taste and pride in all your objects being the finest quality money can buy. But you can buy lots of these at 7 bucks or less and have one around whenever you need it and get very clear and useful magnification. If one happens to break or get lost no big deal. No way you can go wrong at this price and unless you are an imbecile incapable of understanding you actually have to move the magnifier to a suitable distance from the object for it to work properly, you will have excellent results and be glad you spent the money.

An inexpensive not to heavy magnifyer with a good guality defect free lens and no moving parts to break or weaken. The frame and the handle is of a heavy thick plastic making it quite sturdy. I can safely throw it into a brief case or just leave it on my desk top but it will not fit in a pocket. The higher you hold the lens above what you are reading, it goes from looking like the lettering is 2 times the original size to 4 times the original size so it works as advertised. The rectanglar shape of the lens is about 2" X 4" and is perfect for reading books or the newspaper as well as legal documents and medicine bottles. The older you get the more you might want someting with more magnification power or a larger len. My elderly mother likes it but thinks it is a bit heavy and decided on a similar shaped magnifying glass but one with a hollow plastic handle and lighter plastic frame to make the whole thing lighter when reading a newspaper or magizine. I'm happy with this one because it hasn't broken after being pushed off my desk to the floor several times by my cats wanting attention.

Other reviewers have observed the same thing. I purchased one in 2015 and it was fantastic. It was so good that I bought a second one. While it was plain and simple, the glass was clear and well manufactured. The plastic handle on them is indeed brittle and will break when dropped on a hard surface, hence what spurred me to buy a new one. The newer units are now garbage. The "glass" is not glass, but plastic and by the picture I posted, you can see that it is 59 grams (40%) less weight...because it's not glass. The plastic lens is not manufactured well. You can see by holding it up to a light or trying to read something. The lens is warped, because it's molded plastic. In the picture I provided, you can see the lens has a different tint than the old style. Don't bother buying it. I am initiating a return for the one that just arrived.

This product is good for enlarging text on newspapers, books, and stamps. The slanted handle design is nice as it is easy to hold without view of pages in books being obstructed. The only thing about it is that it is a little heavy for its size, but nothing much to complain about this solid magnifying glass.

This is a heavy lens as it is made of glass unlike plastic lenses (by Electro-Optix). But the frame is too flimsy for a heavy lens. Very cheaply made plastic frame. I can see openings/chips on the plastic frame along the grove. I hope the lens will not fall out. The magnification is good (4x) and focus is sharp. The glass is not as transparent as I would like it to be. But what do you expect from a cheap lens. It does the magnification well as intended but if you are looking for good quality build, then you have to pay a lot more. I also bought a 2x4, 3X lens by Electro-Optix and that was a plastic lens. So compared to that, this 4X lens is better. I might put a thin bead of glue along the grove so that the lens does not fall out.

All I wanted was an inexpensive magnifying glass to help me read documents with very small type. I don't use it all the time, just once in a while. I didn't want a bunch of gadgets, just a magnifying glass. This one is cheaply made, but works fine. The text in the magnifier is sharp and clear, and that's all I need. The other thing I liked was the price. I didn't want to spend a ton of money for just a simple magnifying glass.

Sellers were excellent, product is poor. The lens has several chips on the glass and you can see daylight around the lens in the frame which makes me question how long the lens will stay in the frame. It is functional and does the job for now, just not sure how long it will last.

Great magnifying glass! Love the fact that it's real glass and not plastic. The images are sharp and clear, and the size is large enough for most purposes. This is our third -- not a single one has broken over the years we've owned them, but they're so useful we just keep adding them in different places where we need them. Great value for the money!