I've been saving up for a Dazor light/magnifier for a while since my old light/magnifier died. They are expensive so I purchased a battery operated travel light/magnifier to stand in until my piggy bank is full again. The photo you see above is what I bought--a Vusion Craft Light by Mighty Bright.
It has a very bright LED light with a high and low setting controlled by the black button on the top of the light, a two inch magnifier that enlarged to twice the normal view through an "optical grade" acrylic lens, and a base where it stands upright until you need to clamp it on your frame. The clamp is large enough to handle my stretcher bars and ahoops, and the box says it will fit over Q-Snaps as well. The base has a large round magnet on the underside. You can put the light/magnifier in the base under a latch so it can sit on a table or hang sideways off the refrigerator when not in use. It takes three AAA batteries and is probably not meant for continuous use, just for travel. It seems to weigh about a pound and doesn't add substantially to the weight of any project I want to stitch holding the frame in my hand. The two necks bend separately in any direction--and stay there--to light or magnify your canvas (or both) as you stitch. You can buy an adaptor to plug into the wall and use like any electrical appliance but for me that would interfere with clamping this on my canvas. This AC adaptor costs extra and you have to buy it separately if you want it.
I've stitched a bit with my Vusion Craft Light and so far I like it very much. But I don't need a lot of light or much magnification and I don't mind the very small magnified area. I also don't need "true" illumination and don't mind a slight bluish ast from the LED lights. I am not sure it is wildly durable, however, since the clamp is plastic. I think a lot of clamping and unclamping might eventually break it.
Shop around on the Web before you buy something like this. I found it here on sale for $23.99 and no shipping charges. It came to me via UPS about four business days after I ordered it. I think it also might be available from Needle in a Haystack in California although I don't see it listed on their website now.
http://www.lampsplus.com/Products/desk-lamps/Type_Book-Lights/08118/
Here it sits on the base. Can you see how much the magnifier enlarges the base itself? I find it very useful and perhaps it'll meet some of your stitching needs also.Main blog at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/chillyhollow
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