Grain focuser do I need one?

Echoing Ron, I recommend getting a Peak grain focuser from the beginning.
https://www.amazon.com/Peak-Enlargi...1497827729&sr=8-1&keywords=peak+grain+focuser
https://www.amazon.com/Peak-Enlargi...1497827729&sr=8-2&keywords=peak+grain+focuser

Sirius Glass said:

I disagree. Even with good eyes a grain focuser improves the focus. By delaying using a grain focuser one will be making prints that do not show their full potential. How depressing is it work making a good print to hang on the wall only to realized a few years later that one should go back and make another print to replace it with that which should have been made the first time.

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You'll most likely still want to reprint those in a year or two anyway, once you have gained more experience. There's always something that can be done better.

I'm not advocating never buying a grain focuser. I'm just saying that in the beginning, if money is tight, you might be better off saving your money and buying a decent one when the time is right, rather than wasting $30 on one you're only going to replace soon anyway. In the beginning, what you need most is more experience, not more debt and/or cheap gear. If the OP had said money wasn't a concern, then I would have suggested differently. But when money is tight, it's best to save up and buy quality stuff, so you're only buying once.

Curlypengling said:

Just getting into printing but I was wondering how important having the grain focuser is. Could I just use a magnifying glass on the surface and see if it's good?

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a gran focuser is useful to obtain critical focus but you don't need to spend much.Get one wiyh a higher magnification(10-25x).Magnasight?is good value for money.Peak makes high-quality focusers, which can see all the way into the corner of a negative but they are very expensive and if you can make sure that the neg is flat between glass, focusing on the center is just fine.

paul ron said:

this stuff is going to get harder ro find in years to come

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^ That

Nige said:

I never had one for 20 years. Just eye-balled it then stopped the lens down a couple of stops and let that take care of it. Worked fine but you're always left wondering if you've got it right. A grain focuser takes that out of the equation and lets you get on with the more creative aspects of printmaking.

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Yes you need a grain focusser. As well as the advantages cited in the preceding posts, it will let you know when you are beginning to lose definition due to diffraction in the enlarging lens at small apertures.

jim10219 said:

Save your money. It'll take you a while to get the hang of all of that stuff anyway, so I wouldn't be expecting perfect prints right away. Like most things, experience is king. If your eyes are good, you may not even need one. Make a couple of prints and examine them with your magnifying lens. See where you stand first. You can always get one later down the line if you decide you do need one.

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It's best to learn to do things properly at the outset, rather than acquire bad habits that take time and effort to overcome.

jim10219 said:

Save your money. It'll take you a while to get the hang of all of that stuff anyway, so I wouldn't be expecting perfect prints right away. Like most things, experience is king. If your eyes are good, you may not even need one. Make a couple of prints and examine them with your magnifying lens. See where you stand first. You can always get one later down the line if you decide you do need one.

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Very true but you will want one eventually

A grain focuser makes focusing both faster and easier. Why struggle? Every link in the chain from exposure to final mounted print is important and every link should be as strong as possible. Be somewhat skeptical of those who claim to possess the eyes of a hawk. And even the premium grain focusers are pretty cheap nowadays.