If you are ever in a need of taking a closer look at some incredibly small print then this Satechi LED magnifier might be the right tool for you. It combines a very large lens with bright LED lights for the maximum effect in spotlighting the text that you want to take a look at.

This magnifier is very well designed and solidly built. The body of the magnifier seems to be made out of a single piece of lightweight aluminum, while the lens is a solid piece of optical grade glass. The magnifier rests securely on any given pice of paper, while its smooth aluminum build allows you to glide it across almost effortlessly.

The magnifier uses two 3V CR2016L batteries. The batteries are inconspicuously located inside a small compartment on the inner part of the magnifier and were easy to remove. Most of these small circular batteries are hard to find in regular stores, but places like Amazon carry all of them. I don’t expect that you will be needing to replace these batteries too often with a regular use – maybe once a year or so.

In order to turn the LED lights on you need to push the on/off switch into the “on” position and then press the lens once downward. Pressing it again turns the LEDs off. This is an ingenious little mechanism and once you get used to it makes the use of this magnifier a very simple and intuitive affair.

The magnifying lens has a fivefold magnifying power. The tiny text on any given page really comes to life when you place it under this magnifier. This is especially true when you turn on the LED lights – they give off very bright, white light that really accentuates the black and white contrast of the written text.

This LED magnifier doubles as a paperweight. Even though it’s not terribly heavy, it still does a great job of keeping a pile of papers in their place. Its elegant design really makes you want to keep it on your work desk. It also comes with a nice carrying case that will allow you to take it with you on a trip for instance.