Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have previously tried the HoMedics Illuminated Satin Nickel Beauty Mirror, only to return it because its incandescent bulb is quite useless. This item (Floxite 9" high powered 10x Bright White Light Daylight Mirror) on the other hand, is equipped with a circular fluorescent bulb which provides cool, bright illumination. Why is good illumination so important for a magnifying mirror? When the image in the mirror is magnified, its brightness decreases proportionally. Therefore you really need much stronger light to illuminate the subject (your face). Bright light also makes your pupils contract, which allows people with poor eyesight to focus much better. Finally, a circular light source surrounding the mirror is the best configuration, because it does not cast any shadows on the subject. This is not to say that this mirror is perfect. Here are some minor annoyances: 1. The 9" diameter mentioned in product description includes the fluorescent bulb. The mirror itself is only 7.5" in diameter. 2. The optical quality of the mirror is decent, but not exactly 'distortion free' at full magnification. 3. Many other magnifying mirrors also offer a flat '1x' surface. This mirror only has one '10x' magnifying surface (*). 4. The white plastic construction looks rather cheap. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to find a high quality magnifying mirror for under $100. So considering its relatively low cost, this item is still a good buy. (*) Footnote / Pet Peeve: Why do manufacturers of magnifying mirrors always insist on abusing the definition of 'magnification'? For example, a '10x telescope' means its LINEAR magnification factor is 10, so the subject in view appears 100 times larger in area. However, a so-called '10x mirror' in this case means that it makes the subject looks 10 times larger, so its linear magnification is just 3.16 (square-root of 10).