Idealscope Expert or Beginner

[shiatsu]

I see the beginner idealscope runs $25 and the expert one runs $65.
http://www.ideal-scope.com/cart_order.asp
For the average person who just wants to check out their diamond purchase and make sure it''s a top notch cut, are they gonna see a whole lot of difference between the two? Also, is the ideal light for another $30 worth it?

Why even have two different models, don''t they both cost the same to make?

 

[Richard Sherwood]

The expert model is with a finer ground glass lens (versus beginner plastic lens), at a higher magnification (10x versus 7x). Worth the money if you''re going to use it more than once.

Otherwise the beginner model works just fine, at 7 power. I used it for a long time before I got the expert model.

The ideal light battery pack background model is worth the 30 bucks, if you''re going to use it consistently. Otherwise a paper diffused fluorescent lighting background will work just fine, as the idealscope website illustrates.

All in all, a tool that gives the layperson a great "leg up" in judging light performance in a diamond.