What is a Linen Tester?

Some customers who come to our site looking for a high-powered folding magnifier will come across the term "Linen Tester" and wonder what it means. Well, we're here to help! Linen Testers, in terms of magnifiers (not people) are, in general, small folding magnifiers with measuring gradients along the bottom surface that is visible while looking through the lens. The product below (a 6x Metal Linen Tester) is a good example. In the picture below you can see the top and bottom hinges that allow the magnifier to fold very flat for easy portability. You can also see the white measurement marks on the base. Linen Testers (or thread counters) were originally developed for the textile industry to help people examine the type and quality of textile weaves. They were made hinged and foldable for portability and had the measurement marks for easy comparison. Our linen testers (and other folding magnifiers) are being used in a wide range of applications including print shops, circuit board manufacturing, and stamp collecting. (I know a few of our employees like to use them to help remove splinters because a linen tester base help keep the skin pressed down while the open comparator area allows easy access by a tweezers.)