 |
| From the CraftOptics website |
A little more than a month ago, I received a letter from Jeff Caplan at CraftOptics, introducing me to their amazing telescope glasses. I immediately went to their website to see what they had to say:
Designed for artists, craftspeople and hobbyists of all types, CraftOptics Telescopes offer clear, hands-free magnification at an ergonomic working angle and distance. Comfortable, lightweight and easy to use, our telescopes bring out your best work and make your projects more fun.
Was I interested. Well...er...YES! Even though I don't wear prescription glasses, I've been needing drugstore reading lenses for a few years now just to get clarity when working with the littlest of the little darlings...15/0s and smaller antique seed beads. And a very bright light, which I often have to move around to get the right angle when I'm working with silver-lined or dark matte beads. You KNOW what I'm talking about, right?
Given that Celebrate Seed Bead month was about to start, and also knowing that I was planning some large necklaces with lots of small black matte and dark gray beads, I was delighted to have the opportunity to test drive a pair of CraftOptics telescopes. The package arrived with two basic parts: the telescope glasses with a head strap, and a second box with the DreamBeam, an LED illuminator that clips onto the glasses frame and is powered by a battery pack. All the clips that you'll need to keep the cord from tangling in your work are included too.
My pair was made for me with clear glass in the lenses except for a bifocal part that contains my reading lenses. You can have the glasses made with just about any prescription you need, including your reading correction, which ensures you have the proper comfortable working distance. If you wear contacts, same goes: the lens in the frame can be clear or clear plus your readers.
Expect there to be a "breaking in" period when you first start to use these. You have to figure out how your eyes best like different positions and distances set, but it's really easy to make the adjustments. You can also flip the telescopes and the beam up and down to get them out of your way without removing the glasses if you need to for certain tasks.
I started using them with this project that I'm currently working on, lava rocks plus black, gray, silver, and dark red beads in all different sizes and finishes. Yikes! Could I do it with my regular magnifiers and lights? Yes. Would I be as comfortable? No way. One of the strongest selling points of the glasses for me is that they enable you to maintain good posture while you're working, something that my poor neck and lower back can attest to as being very important!
I wish I had had them when I was working on this one, which I finished last month! Visit CraftOptics and see what a pair of these telescope glasses could do to help "magnify your talents"!
As regards FTC disclosure guidelines: I have received a pair of telescope glasses free of charge from CraftOptics in order to write a review and/or create a project free of charge for you. I have not been paid for my endorsement as it pertains to the products received.
Technorati Tags:handmade beaded jewelry,wearable art,beads,jewelry,necklace,mixed media,beading
Comments