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 microscope Jul 21, 2010
This is a very good idea for a child, but on this one the light would not stay on. If it worked better my son would use it alot more. I would have gone with one of the more expensive ones if I could do it over again.
 Not good enough for a toy Apr 25, 2010
I have tried several kids microscopes. This one is not even good enough to be a toy. The lenses are of extremely poor quality. Even the slides that came with it are not viewable due to the lenses and the very poor lighting. So, beware! This is truly a piece of junk.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Exceptional value for the money Feb 15, 2010
I'll start out by pointing out that this is a $35 microscope. It has its limitations, and I doubt if this model is in use at the CDC. But for the money, it's an excellent buy.
We got this one for our five-year-old son, who enjoys it very much, and is able to use it. He started out with quite a bit of adult guidance, but he is now able to use it by himself.
As far as I can tell, the optics are quite good. There do appear to be a couple of minor flaws, so that if the microscope is out of focus, some phantom images come into view. But as it is focused, they disappear, and you get a clear image.
From some of the other reviews, it appears that the lamp sometimes fails to work. Ours works much better than expected, but I wouldn't consider the electric light to be critical. The microscope is actually easier to use with the mirror, and you generally get a better image. The trick is to place a bright light in front of the microscope, shining on the mirror. A desk lamp works well. Then, before attemting to focus the microscope, move the mirror around until the light through the eyepiece is brightest. Only then should you begin to focus. Start with the lowest magnification, carefully focus the image, and then carefully move the slide around to center the image. After you have focused it with the lowest magnification, then increase the magnification (without moving anything else), and then repeat the process of focusing. In most cases, it's best to stay with the lowest magnification. But you should always start with the lowest magnification.
If the bulb burns out, it should be possible to replace it at any almost any hardware store. Simply show them the bulb, and they will find one the same shape and size. The only other piece of information you need to give is the voltage, which would be three volts. But again, if the bulb burns out or fails to work for some reason, better results can be obtained with the mirror. In any event, a burnt out lightbulb shouldn't induce the levels of trauma suggested by some other reviewers. You certainly shouldn't just stop using the microscope and simply wait for the manufacturer to send you a new bulb.
Louis Pasteur probably didn't have an electric light on his microscope, and you child doesn't need one either!
If you understand the limitations and take care when adjusting the focus knob, you will get excellent results from this microscope. It comes with enough prepared slides so that you can begin looking at things right away. I would recommend starting with the prepared slides. Once you've figured out how the microscope works, you will be able to move on to other items.
Other reviewers have pointed out that many of the accessories are of very poor quality. The slides are actually quite good, and since they're plastic, you don't need to worry about breakage. Another reviewer correctly pointed out that the warning about sharp objects is absolutely unnecessary, since the "scalpel" is made out of plastic, and is incapable of cutting, intentionally or otherwise. We originally intended to remove the scalpel before giving the microscope to our son, but that was not necessary. The various other petri dishes, eye droppers, etc., are perfectly functional.
This is not a toy microscope. It is a completely functional microscope that happens to be cheap enough that it can be given to kids as a very educational toy. It's an exceptional value for the money.
returned.... Feb 04, 2010
Had to return this item the day after it was given as a gift for my son. Both light bulbs that came with it burnt out literally seconds from turning them on. The make of the microcope was not at all durable and the eye piece seemed small. This was not a product with kids or ease in mind. Ended up spending a tad more and getting the 'My First Lab Duo-Scope'...and would highly recommend that product.
Utter Garbage Jan 31, 2010
I bought this microscope for my son's seventh birthday. When we opened it up, I was surprised at the poor quality of the metal used in its construction. It looked like it was made out of something more solid that it actually is because there are plastic parts painted silver. Even worse, the light completely didn't work. We tried two different sets of batteries, and both lightbulbs, and nothing helped. I think the problem is that the lightbulb is supposed to turn on automatically when the mirror, which is supposed to send through enough light to see through a slide but doesn't unless it's on the windowsill, is turned over. At that point, a small piece of metal on the light casing is meant to connect with another small piece of metal on the main body of the microscope, completing the electric circuit. I'm thinking this is probably the problem, that the wiring isn't sufficient to bring the electricity through, either because of the poor connection or because the wiring itself is faulty.
For the price (I bought it from a small retailer locally), I expected a mid-range microscope, but this was a complete piece of junk.
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