At my age and eyesight limitations, using a magnifying glass is not an option. It is a requirement! There are a lot of good features about this one. Such as, the retractable handle (a common posture I use in grip with thumb and forefinger on the top and bottom rims..) And the optional lilght lis a super-plus, as well as the weight being not too heavy at all.On the downside, it is NOT any kind of super optic and the resulting distortion acts against the notion of a "wider" view glass. On the other hand, I suppose a more perfect optic result would result in an order of magnitude increase in price. But still, efinitely better than my antique, circular glass set in a metal band and handle.