Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I'm not a young person. When I look into my trusty old 2X mirror, I see more than enough to allow me to apply whatever needs applying and move on, in my routine. This mirror is rated 5X, that is to say, five times the normal size and magnification of your face, with all flaws contained therein. At that magnification, I look like I'm dying. Everyone tells me I have wonderful skin for my age. They're right. I really do. I've worked hard for it, for years and years, but not according to this thing. According to this mirror, I may already be dead. So, on the one hand, this mirror does what it is supposed to do. It aids in the little grooming tasks, that list of chores we've all got to march our way through, each day, if we want to look our best. The light is excellent, not blinding. The magnification is illuminating, to say the least. The hinge is loose enough to move freely but tight enough to keep the mirror in place, at whatever angle you've set for optimal use. The sensor feature is amazing and represents exactly the kind of innovative design I have come to expect from simplehuman branded products over the years. Overall, it is an excellent option. However, there are a couple of flaws. First, the price is far too high. There are quite a lot of options for a decent quality make-up mirror with illumination. Some are, indeed, blinding, but most aren't. You can find a good one for well under one-hundred dollars. I've seen pretty decent illuminated models, with an on/off switch, not as good as this but still quite good, for around fifty dollars. So, I have to wonder why this costs so much, as compared to the others on the market. I'm sorry to say, I really can't tell enough of a difference between this and an eighty dollar model I tested, to tell you why. If the addition of a simple sensor, removing the need for me to push a simple button to turn the unit on or off, is the reason for that price difference, then it isn't worth it. I can push a button rather easily and having the thing turn on every time a cat walks in front of it is actually kind of annoying. Beyond price, assuming that the price would not be of issue for anyone genuinely considering buying this, the only real problem is that not all of us really want to know how bad we look when magnified to this degree. For an actress, this would be the perfect mirror. For a perfectly beautiful twenty year old, who has never spent a day in sunlight, this would be the perfect mirror. For me, it's depressing. The youngest person in the house is using it now, as I couldn't take it any longer, and loves it. Her compliments on the quality of the magnification of her face have not ceased in days. But here's the kicker. She has significant vision problems, a degenerative condition in her eyes, which makes it very difficult to see up close. This mirror is just what the doctor ordered, quite literally, for her. So, for a person losing their eyesight this is great. If that person happens to be very young and very beautiful, all the better. To summarize: For a young, attractive person, a 5X mirror with excellent lighting will be greatly appreciated and this is a truly wonderful option. For a person losing their vision, this is a literal gift from God. It can make all the difference in aiding a person with ailing vision to see what they can no longer see. For that, I say this is worth it. I think this should be the go-to mirror for anyone with waning vision. However, again, for anyone else, this is actually a depressing thing to have around. It is tempting to look at it, tempting to walk by, taking a glance, tempting to hover over while examining flaws. It is not a thing I would recommend for the average person, absent a vision problem, for this specific reason. We simply weren't meant to be able to see our faces magnified to such horrific clarity. This is a Five Star mirror for a person with waning vision. This is a Five Star mirror for a person who is exceptionally beautiful. This is a Three Star mirror for a woman of a certain age. As such, I have averaged and given it Four Stars. When deciding what will work best for you, I recommend that you ask yourself a couple of specific questions about how it will be used, where it will be kept, how well you see, how much you will use it. Given the cost and exceptionally clear magnification, if this will be used to aid a person with low-vision, this is a no-brainer, just get it. If you will be using it to apply make-up and you can see pretty well, this is too much money and too much mirror. A 3X will do nicely, or even a 2X. If it will be kept in a locked bathroom, great. If it will be kept on a surface where animals like to climb, not so great. They could knock it down, of course, but, even if they are very well behaved, the cat set this off a few times and it had to be moved, because it woke me up. If you are like my best friend, a man who is obsessed with his face, looks at it constantly, can't pass a window without taking a peek and primping, then this is the mirror for you. If you are like me and it is one and done, with a routine that takes less than twenty minutes and does not consume your mind for the rest of the day, then, again, this is too much mirror for you. I hope I've helped you to clarify some of this, in your search for the right mirror. Good luck in finding it and, please, please, remember that no one can see you that well. The person with the best vision in the room can't see you as clearly as any magnifying mirror can allow you to see yourself. You are far more beautiful than you feel when you look into a make-up mirror. Don't forget that. Don't think that this is an accurate reflection of your face. I guarantee you it is not.