Duo-Scope Stem Microscope with 50 Piece Accessory Kit

I read quite a few reviews on microscopes because we wanted to get my 8 year old one for Christmas. We bought one at Toys R Us but when I read the reviews on it they were all 1 stars. After finding a website that reviewed them this was the second best one that was recommended and was cheaper than the top one so I figured it would be a good purchase. We took the one back to Toys R Us and I quickly ordered this one. It was about 25 dollars more than the toys r us one but I am so GLAD we upgraded to this one. This thing is really cool. It has 2 light settings. One for clear/transparent objects and another for solid objects. I could not be happier and I love messing with this thing as well. My daughter likes it as well. We found an earwig and we were able to zoom in on it and look at the legs and antennae and see the tiny hairs and appendages. Since we live in a cold climate we have not found any ponds but there is one close by where we live and we will be going to get some water when the weather warms. The products seems durable and the tray is easy to move up and down to get focused. I do like that it is battery powered so it can be taken on the move. After using this with my daughter for 2 days I can't find anything I do not like about it. It comes with a one year warranty which is nice.Pros: Fun, objects are clear if focused, easy to use, durableCons: No educational booksSo if you are looking for an educational tool that is fun and interesting buy this now. If you are looking for a cheap item that is more of a toy then get something cheaper. I'd say this is more for the kid that likes science. For the value this one can't be beat.

About who might enjoy using it:This toy was purchased for my eight year old daughter who is very curious about the natural world and she loves using it. She's looked at plant matter, insects, foodstuffs, plastics, paper and even things like hairbands and stickers - anything that will fit on the stage and under the objectives. I was suprised that my nine year old daughter, who is more interested in the material world, began to use it as well. My son, who is 5, also likes to look through the monocular but he needs help to position and focus objects. My husband and I enjoy using it as well. As an aside, it assisted me with determining that one of my children had a case of pediculosis (head lice). I had no previous experience with head lice, and seeing that little critter under the 'scope allowed me to confirm the cause of her itching and begin home treatment immediately (but I am not recommending this as a substitute for proper medical care).About the microscope itself:I am very pleased with the quality for the price. I'm also impressed that it has both transmission (look thru transparent or translucent objects) and reflectance (look at three-dimensional detail) modes. The objectives give clear, sharp images and the magnification range is very good for recreational/educational purposes. The LED light source is bright and lasts a long time even when powered by regular alkaline batteries (3 AA). It is lightweight and portable and while not very small (~12" high), it's robust enough to survive camping trips or time at the cottage. The kit comes with four prepared slides that got my children interested right away. They have since learned how to prepare their own slides with the blank slides provided. The only issue that could be considered a drawback is that the distance between the stage and the objectives is not very big, so it is difficult to look at thicker/larger objects such as fingers, pens etc. It also requires some manual dexterity and patience when positioning objects for viewing.The reason I say it's not just a toy is because it has become like a routinely used appliance in our home. It resides in a common area and is available for use whenever someone has something interesting to look at. And even I am surprised at how many mundane things there are in our home that become very interesting up close!**UPDATE** This toy has admittedly collected dust for the past year and a half because one of the tiny screws holding the monocular and its base in place fell out rendering it unusable and we did not bother to repair it until recently. Since its repair though the kids are discovering it all over again and being older and somewhat wiser, are appreciating it from a new perspective. Although it broke, it was a simple fix and I would still recommend it and maybe advise that while robust, it's not indestructable as many things need to be in the hands of some (my) children.

Great first microscope.I did play with it too; I used microscopes at school, many years ago, and of course this won't compare with professional equipment, but it is good enough for kids.The resolution is good; if you have time to prepare your samples, you will have a lot of fun. The box include 5 blank plates; be sure to not break them, they are really fragile, and for sure not suitable for kids (the edges are sharp).Overall it is easy to use, you can look at simple things like stones, metal coin and also hair and bits of skin, but the fun is to watch very small items, although you need patience in preparing the samples, or just save time and get a pre-made set with most of the nice samples ready to be looked at.The light below is strong but not super strong, so if you use samples that are too thick, you won't see much. The top light is good but if you use the maximum magnification attachment, it will cover the top light so you won't see anything.the controls are simple, overall feel sturdy enough, although you want to supervise your kids, because there is no lock mechanism for the moving plate: you move it too close to the magnifier and you can actually break either the magnifier attachment or the sample. Once you find the right distance it works fine, but it takes a moment to get distracted and end up moving the plate too much, so beware of that.In the end, there are a lot of accessories to do preliminary observation on many things; I had no luck in observing living cells, so unless you have big bacteria or micro-organisms around, you won't be able to see living cells (I did try with some blood and some dirty water in a yard puddle and could not see much). Perfect as first microscope, I am having as much fun as the kids!