recommendations for magnification on stream

[Jake41]

I am in my early 70's and are using cheaters when on the stream. I would like to hear any suggestions for help tying on my fly without constantly putting my glasses on and back into my pocket. I have seen the flip glasses that clip onto your hat but would appreciate other suggestions for a fix.

 

[Paul6.5]

I can't give a recommendation for magnification but I recently switched to progressive lenses for my daily wear. Took a bit getting used to them but it's really nice not needing to switch to readers.
I use amber Cocoons for sunglasses

 

[gibsygoldtop]

These are pretty sweet. My Dad put them in his sunglasses and they are work really well.

StickTite Instant Reading Lenses | StickTite Lens

INSTANT STICK-ON READERS: Transform any set of non-prescription eyewear into instant bifocals with our stick-on lenses that are thin, flexible, and secure. EASY TO APPLY: Within minutes, you can begin using your stick-on bifocals anywhere you use your non-prescription eyewear. Simply remove the...

www.sticktitelens.com

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

If you don't mind something hanging on your upper chest, attach a lanyard to your readers. Everyone at work has "Chums" on their safety glasses.

 

[lestrout]

I'm a big fan of Clic readers https://clicreaders.com/collections/readers?usf_sort=r which are on 25% sale. Many of the fly shops have them. They are durable, great optically and can be put into use with one hand. They are pretty well out of the way hanging around my neck when the magnets are separated.

 

[Bamboozle]

If you wear a ball cap, nothing beats having a pair of Hat Eyes flip up (or down) magnifiers on your hat brim...

They are made of stainless steel with replaceable lenses, they come with an extension arm, they can be slid forward & back and they can be flipped up or down when needed.

For all of those reasons they are 1000 times better the all plastic, flip in only one direction competition, Flip Focals.

 

[wildtrout2]

If you don't mind something hanging on your upper chest, attach a lanyard to your readers.

That's what I do with my glasses. Works well, and they're pretty much out of the way.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

That's what I do with my glasses. Works well, and they're pretty much out of the way.

(I only recommended it because the OP didn't like pulling glasses out of his pocket - which happens to be where I keep mine in a very tattered case).

 

[riverwhy]

If you wear a ball cap, nothing beats having a pair of Hat Eyes flip up (or down) magnifiers on your hat brim...

They are made of stainless steel with replaceable lenses, they come with an extension arm, they can be slid forward & back and they can be flipped up or down when needed.

For all of those reasons they are 1000 times better the all plastic, flip in only one direction competition, Flip Focals.

Do you have a link to these? I have the cheap plastic ones but I can always see them in my upper field of vision. Wish they went farther and actually laid flat over the top of the visor.

 

[Bamboozle]

Do you have a link to these? I have the cheap plastic ones but I can always see them in my upper field of vision. Wish they went farther and actually laid flat over the top of the visor.

The manufacturer's website is down. I HOPE it is just a temporary glitch...

In the meantime this shop shows several magnifications in stock.

If you use the included extension arm, you can flip them up and out of the way.

 

[Bamboozle]

FWIW - Sadly I am getting the sinking feeling that MagEyes, the company that makes/made the USA manufactured HatEyes hat brim magnifiers has gone out of business...

Their website is and has been MIA and when I called their contact phone number there was no answer/no message. I also see that there are a few dealers that show no inventory. As a precaution, I just ordered a few pairs from a fly shop to add to my back-up collection.

I use HatEyes on all of my fishing hats (at least 5 different hats at present) because I have never seen or used anything that worked as well for me or was so convenient and I don't want to ever have to find a substitute.

IF you are in the market, I'd be shopping sooner rather than later because if I am right, you'll miss the opportunity to own a pair of the best hat brim magnifiers I ever used.

BTW - Below is a list of the different lenses available. Keep in mind IF you wear eyeglasses the working distance will be effected with the addition of magnification. However if you fish little flies like I do, you may still want to have a shorter working distance.

Lens #2 = 1.6x​

working distance approximately 12"-14"​

​

Lens #4 = 2.0x​

working distance approximately 10"-12"​

​

Lens #5 = 2.25x​

working distance approximately 7"-10"​

​

Lens #7 = 2.75x​

working distance approximately 4"-7"​

 

[henrydavid]

Do you have a link to these? I have the cheap plastic ones but I can always see them in my upper field of vision. Wish they went farther and actually laid flat over the top of the visor.

Same here, can't stand having that on the underside of my cap, EXCEPT at night when it's hardly noticeable. I had a slim pair that attached via a pin through the cap that wore out and the shop I purchased from is long gone.

 

[riverwhy]

It looks like the ones listed above are not enough magnification for me. My normal cheaters are 3.25 and my cheap plastic ones that attach to the visor are way more than that. My sunglasses have a slight magnification in the bottom of the lens, but that is about enough to unhook a wooly bugger from a fish! They have a band that allows me to put them down without losing them and pull down my visor ones for tying on something pretty small if needed. I am debating just using another lanyard for my cheaters. But two lanyards are a hassle also.

 

[td566]

Thanks for that link to Hat Eyes Bamboozle.
I currently wear progressive lenses and still need help threading and tying those smaller flies. I struggle all day and basically can’t do it past about 7 PM it’s time to stop blaming the low light conditions.
I get a yearly exam and do fine with the reading part. Maybe I need to take a tippet section and fly with me to the next appointment 😀

 

[Bamboozle]

It looks like the ones listed above are not enough magnification for me. My normal cheaters are 3.25 and my cheap plastic ones that attach to the visor are way more than that. My sunglasses have a slight magnification in the bottom of the lens, but that is about enough to unhook a wooly bugger from a fish! They have a band that allows me to put them down without losing them and pull down my visor ones for tying on something pretty small if needed. I am debating just using another lanyard for my cheaters. But two lanyards are a hassle also.

If your "cheap plastic ones that attach to the visor" are Flip Focals, they only come in a 2.5x magnification. You can get up to 2.75x with Hat Eyes.

Because I can get away with using cheap cheaters for everything but driving, that's all I use at the computer, tying desk and when watching TV. However, when fishing excluding changing flies, I feel more comfortable with a LITTLE magnification for distance. For that reason and others I wear clear magnifying safety glasses all the time when fishing.

When I combine 1.5x safety glasses with my 2.25x Hat Eyes, threading a size 28 - 32 hook is a breeze and I'm not exaggerating about those hook sizes. I fish those sizes all the time...

 

[riverwhy]

If your "cheap plastic ones that attach to the visor" are Flip Focals, they only come in a 2.5x magnification. You can get up to 2.75x with Hat Eyes.

Because I can get away with using cheap cheaters for everything but driving, that's all I use at the computer, tying desk and when watching TV. However, when fishing excluding changing flies, I feel more comfortable with a LITTLE magnification for distance. For that reason and others I wear clear magnifying safety glasses all the time when fishing.

When I combine 1.5x safety glasses with my 2.25x Hat Eyes, threading a size 28 - 32 hook is a breeze and I'm not exaggerating about those hook sizes. I fish those sizes all the time...

Just checked. My clip On’s are +4.

 

[dryflyguy]

Bi-focals work for me........

 

[poopdeck]

I know your after other suggestion but I find the clip on hat magnifiers to be the absolute hands down clear choice for the task. I have the 10 dollar Carson clip on and flip down magnifiers. I like then over the small rectangle shaped ones just because the Carson’s cover more of my eyes. I also am a full time wearer of bifocal glasses and I don’t have to remove my glasses to use the flip downs. They do not get in the way of my vision when they are up because they are way up in the upper vision and easy for me to ignore. I don’t even think about them.

 

[riverwhy]

I know your after other suggestion but I find the clip on hat magnifiers to be the absolute hands down clear choice for the task. I have the 10 dollar Carson clip on and flip down magnifiers. I like then over the small rectangle shaped ones just because the Carson’s cover more of my eyes. I also am a full time wearer of bifocal glasses and I don’t have to remove my glasses to use the flip downs. They do not get in the way of my vision when they are up because they are way up in the upper vision and easy for me to ignore. I don’t even think about them.

These are exactly what I have. Not bad. I think I need to tighten them up. They seem to work their way down a bit from the underside of my hat.

 

[poopdeck]

These are exactly what I have. Not bad. I think I need to tighten them up. They seem to work their way down a bit from the underside of my hat.

Yep, they do move around a bit but they are easy to put back where you want them. I do like the pin on the rectangular ones because you can pin it fast to the hat bill so it don’t move. I wish the Carson’s had that feature.

One thing with the Carson’s is they work great on a ball cap bill but not so great on the brim of my Tilly hat. I use the smaller rectangular shaped ones on my Tilly because they are smaller and lighter then the Carson’s. Either way, for me, tge clip on flip downs are more convenient then readers.