MicroPro 48 - piece Microscope Set

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by: Richard Clem (St. Paul, MN USA)
on: Monday, 15-February-2010

Ill 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, its 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 wouldnt 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, its 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 shouldnt induce the levels of trauma suggested by some other reviewers. You certainly shouldnt just stop using the microscope and simply wait for the manufacturer to send you a new bulb.

Louis Pasteur probably didnt have an electric light on his microscope, and you child doesnt 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 youve 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 theyre plastic, you dont 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. Its an exceptional value for the money.

by: R. Phillips (NC)
on: Wednesday, 19-August-2009

I bought this for my 15 year old daughter who has a moderate interest in biology. She has enjoyed the prepared slides that we bought on this site, and we have had none of the mentioned problems found in the other reviews. We have used this microscope several times for at least 1/2 hour sessions and the bulb that came in the microscope is still going strong. We have not had to use the replacement bulb as yet. That being said, this is not a super-duper microscope. You get what you pay for. If you are looking for a classroom quality model, this is not it. This model is a lighter weight than most, but we have been able to use it with reasonable success. We have looked at specimens we have made ourselves, ranging from dog hair to blood. I feel its worth taking a chance on if you can get by with this model. If it doesnt do well for you, your site is always good about returns.

by: Reggie (Houston, TX USA)
on: Wednesday, 24-December-2008

This microscope works well for younger children. It seems durable enough and my nephew and daughter loved seeing what everything looked like under magnification.

by: L. Phillips (South Carolina)
on: Wednesday, 17-December-2008

My son (8) did have a little trouble learning to focus the slides at first, but quickly got the hang of it. Weve only had it for a month or so, but the die cast metal body seems very durable. The light underneath is not great, it works much better for us on a table near a window or below an indoor light. We have not yet tried making our own slides, but he has had fun so far looking at the prepared slides. We bought The World of the Microscope with this and it has helped a lot to explain things and give him new ideas.

by: C. Johnson (United States)
on: Monday, 9-June-2008

We bought this for our 6-year-old daughter, and she enjoys using it. It is simple enough that she can do it herself. However, within the first hour, the bulb burned out. We replaced it with the spare bulb that came in the box, and that one burned out less than a month later (and we do not use the microscope very much at all, she maybe turns it on a couple of times a week and never for very long). The slides that come with it are not very exciting, but we collected things from the yard to look at, and they showed up well.