AmScope SK-6 Microscope Stains Vital Stain Kit - 7 Bottle Set, 6 Different Stains for Microscope Slides, Used on Living Cells Without Killing Them

This kit contains some of the best and safest biological stains available. Bismarck Brown, for example, is used for staining tissue (mucins stain yellow with this stain). Brilliant cresyl blue and Methelene Blue are both used to stain reticulocytes (immature red blood cells) so they can be counted --- the RNA in the reticulocytes stain a dark blue which makes them stand out from mature RB cells. What you get with this kit is a set of stains and a set of SDS sheets containing safety information regarding each stain. No instructions or technical materials are provided, and evidently for some that is a travesty. Once understood, however, the absence of instructions makes perfect sense. First of all, the cost of the kit covers the cost of the stains, no more, no less. And that cost is a bargain. That's why I purchased this kit. Obtaining these stains from a biological laboratory would have been much more expensive unless buying in large quantities, which would have been a waste for me. Second, though, and this is most important, the instructions needed on how to use these stains would require a large, expensive laboratory manual just for the basics. For the technical instructions needed to actually use the stains with specific organisms, tissues, etc., a library would be needed. Let me give an example: the most authoritative guide to the use of stains and dyes in Conn's Biological Stains. That book, last published in 2002, first came out in 1925. An up to date copy of the 9th edition costs $355.00, ten times the cost of this kit. In the introduction to Conn's are the words (not exactly in the form rendered here, but with this meaning) "This book does not provide technical instructions on how to use the stains or dyes, but does provide links to books from which such instructions may be obtained." In other words, if you want technical instruction on how to use these stains you may have to pay a little for that, separately from the cost of the kit. That's not a travesty. I just bought a grandson a leatherworking kit, and it had no instructions, just the materials; the seller assumed my grandson has a book on leatherworking, and that's true, I bought that for him earlier. Now, back to these stains, it isn't necessary to buy Conn's to find out how to use these stains. Just do an Internet search with the name of the stain and you will immediately have a wealth of information on how each is used. Some references even explain how the stain was used in the laboratory, i.e, if heat was or was not applied, how many washes should be performed after the stain is applied to remove excessive stain residue, etc. I'm very pleased with the stains in this kit, and use them with nematodes, mites, and various tissue specimens extracted from spider, insect, reptile, and mammal specimens.

Wonderful stain kit, I'm using this to show my children some interesting cellular structures and convince them that they can't get away with anything because I can investigate any wrong doing that happens, example: someone broke the lamp, I'll swab the broken lamp and I'll find your specific cells and know that you did it so you might as well just fess up now to avoid adding a charge of lying to the list of things you are grounded for. (In reality this wouldn't work quite like described but they are children they don't know that)

Exactly what I wanted

Great value however 2 bottles arrived like these photos. Will update once replacements arrive .

Good general purpose kit for quick lab or field use.

These stains were very well made and easy to use. They allow all sorts of specimens to be stained and observed with different levels of contrast for comparison. Makes the almost invisible and sometime invisible components easily seen. Love them all

Exactly what I needed for my slides. Came on time and is exactly as described. Can't wait to use these.

The product is good, BUT the print on the manual and SMDS is so small, that it cannot be read without a magnifier.