AmScope - Student Compound Monocular Microscope, 40X-1000X, Coarse and Fine Focus Knobs + 25 pc Prepared Sample Slide Set + World of the Microscope Book - M150C-PS25-WM

This microscope is nice and sturdy, and very intuitive to use for a beginner. I ordered this telescope for my seven year old daughter who is very interested in science. She enjoys preparing her own slides from things she finds around the yard, in our pantry, or in the pond. I simply had to sit down with her a few times, and she was good to go from then. The microscope has a jack that allows it to be plugged into a wall, which is a bonus for kids who forget to shut off the power switch. The microscope came with a set of pre-prepared slides in a nice variety, and a great book that helped give her context for things that she saw or was trying to find. My daughter loves the use them and draws pictures of the things she observes with the microscope. Great tool to spark imagination and an early love of science. I included a picture of a pond water sample that we gathered this week.

We had purchased a cheap plastic model bearing the name of a major nature conservation organization that was utter junk. This cost a bit more, but is worth every cent. The focus mechanism is smooth and precise. Optics are surprisingly good for this price. The frame is metal and very solid. The light works surprisingly well. It has a built in pointer to make it easier to find the subject as the magnification is increased. The supplied prepared slides are adequate and interesting. The book is rather minimal, but a good starting point for the budding biologist. Overall I really like this microscope and put it on par with those that I used in high school.

I didn’t get the book that was supposed to come with this microscope. How do I get my book? Microscope looks nice but without the book, I’m not going to give this as a gift. It also didn’t come in any sort of packaging that you would want to keep, just a plain regular cardboard box with styrofoam inside to hold the microscope together.

I chose this seller over the others for the included book on microscopy, and paid $15 more for that reason, but the item did not come with the book as described in the product details and shown in the picture. I tried contacting the seller to no avail. I’m not a happy customer.

Seems to be a quality piece of equipment. I got what I had expected within a reasonable period of time.