How to choose an inspection mirror or magnifier
By Grant, Inspection Tool Specialists. Reviewed November 2026.
Two things decide which tool you need: whether you must see around an obstacle or read a small mark, and how much magnification and light the job requires. For anything you need to record or measure in detail, a borescope or camera is usually the better tool.
Which tool?
| Need | Tool | Typical in our range |
|---|---|---|
| See behind or around an obstacle | Inspection mirror | Inspection mirror |
| Read small text, marks or surface detail | Magnifying glass | Magnifying glass |
| Read fine scales with magnification and light | LED scale loupe | 10× LED scale loupe |
When to use a camera instead
A mirror or loupe gives a view, not a record. If the inspection must be photographed, measured or kept, use a borescope, videoscope or measuring microscope from our range, and see our guides on those instruments.
Price guide
As a guide to our current range, including VAT: inspection mirrors from about R220; magnifying glasses from about R450; LED scale loupes from about R3,500. Prices change, so check the product pages.
Questions we will ask you
Tell us what you need to see or read, how small the detail is, whether you need light and magnification together, and whether the view must be recorded. With that we can recommend a tool and provide pricing.