Paul 4 I bought this to paint wargame miniatures & have been using it about 2 weeks.The 11cm lens is very clear & you can get a good view of what you are doing. I was worried that an acrylic lens might not be good, but it is fine. I guess it might get scratched over time, but It was quite cheap.The focusing distance is about 17cm, so for the ideal position the lens should be 15cm~20cm from the subject. Outside that range the focus is not good. (this is normal for magnifying glasses)The small 8x window is excellent for checking tiny details, such as eyes, but its not really practical to paint using that much magnification. Still, it's handy to be able to check.My photos dont show the magnification that well because of the camera, in real life it's really the perfect level for miniature painting.The unit is well made & I dont think anything would become loose or break easily.The articulating arm is convenient to position & holds its position perfectly wherever you put it.The base has legs that fold out for using stand alone on a desk. However I found the balance is not great & its easy to tip over if you nudge it or extend the arm too far. To solve this I placed a piece of wood in the clamp to make the base heavier & now I don't have a problem. A small metal weight would be ideal.I have not used the light.I chose this item because I have a small desk to work on & I needed something small that didnt take up a lot of room but still had a nice big lens. I also have another desk magnifier with a 6.5 diameter lens, this is too small to work enjoyably.Ideally you need 2.25 ~ 2.5 x for this kind of work because the working range is between 15-25 cm at these levels. If you get more magnification you have to move the lens closer, & that makes it hard to paint.I was happy with the purchase for ￥2000 & I would recommend this to other miniature painters.
