AmScope OMAX 40X-2000X Lab LED Binocular Compound Microscope with Double Layer Mechanical Stage and Coaxial Coarse/Fine Focusing Knob

Purchased as Christmas gift. Usage: Home and hobby Mechanical Stage: Works very, very well. Even under the highest optical power it moves the plate smooth enough to not lose focus, or have any jumping Light: The light is fully adjustable in brightness from off to full light. Very useful as you increase in magnification. Fine Focusing Knob. Works well at the first three optic setting. At the highest optic setting the fine focus is too course and very difficult to bring into focus. But most things do not need this level of magnification. Plate: Has a spring loaded pressure clip that holds the plate very well with no movement. (puts pressure on the side of the plate and wedges it against the top and side brackets) Binocular: Slide in and out to adjust to any size face (except really small kids) Assembly: no difficulty. I would by ten more of them at this price if i had the need.

My 8-year-old son wants to be a marine biologist, and got a fishtank for his birthday. We're moving away from mindless toys and getting him things he can use to explore the world. When given the choice between a telescope and microscope he wanted a microscope so that he could see the microbes living in the tank with his fish. This was going to be my first microscope purchase, and I wanted to get something that was not a toy, but would serve him now and far into the future (read "high school"). I did a lot a research, and decided to go with this OMAX LED (won't heat up and cook the slides or burn the boy) binocular (much more comfortable for viewing) microscope. This microscope definitely delivers the goods! All the pieces were secure in its styrofoam packing case and once put together, everything worked perfectly. It is true that there is not much of a manual, but I really did not need one to put the microscope together and only needed to view the YouTube video once to really understand the features. The microscope is solid and heavy, and the eyepieces more than survived some excitement-induced clumsiness on the part of my son (he dropped one...twice). You MUST purchase glass slides and glass covers (I made sure to do so), and you might consider also purchasing iodine and a couple of other stains (pay attention, Amazon...I had to get the stains somewhere else!), but within 20 minutes we were looking at onion cells, plant cells from leaves from houseplants, and other cool stuff. From looking online at various pictures of various things, we'll be able to see most of the things we want at 400-1000x magnification (onion cells were clearly visible at 200x), but the extremely high (and much lower) power will give us a ton of flexibility. Once the other stains get here, we'll be able to look at those fish tank microbes, blood and other cells—just about anything. If I'm going to plop down my hard earned money, I better get what I pay for. This microscope is definitely delivers the goods, and I'm looking forward to years of looking at the invisible world with my son.

I ordered this after it was recommended on a Facebook goat group, as I wanted to be able to run my own fecals. However when it arrived, I was dismayed to find no manual was included. A piece of paper in the box stated that a manual could be downloaded from their website after entering a code, which I was supposed to find on the box, however they had failed to print or stick the code on the box in the place they said it would be. I contacted customer service who sent me a link but in order to access the link I would need a password which they had not provided. You would think it was a matter of national security just to get a manual for a product purchased at full price. On the next attempt at getting customer service, I found someone who gave me the password to access the link, but on finally gaining access to the website, I found the drop down list did not include my model. Finally, third attempt at customer service and Daniel R. said he would email me the manual. Hours later he did email me the PDF. I got the microscope set up, but the instructions said to look through the binoculars and adjust until the two circles converged. Unfortunately I never saw 2 circles and regardless of adjustments, never got anything to converge either. The main problem is, unlike a pair of binoculars, where the two eye pieces can be adjusted to fit one's eyes, on this microscope, the eyepieces are stationary and the only adjustment is to have them go up and down. Very unsatisfactory. I am an adult with a normal sized face and normal eye spacing, but there is no way for me to look through these two eyepieces with both eyes at the same time and their very minimal adjustments do not change that. I contacted customer service again and the only thing they could offer was that I could return it. Absolutely zero attempt to help me resolve the issue or give me any pointers for things I could do differently to get this to work. It is a hassle to have to return and I'm sure there is nothing actually wrong with the microscope but I decided in the end I will just return it, because if it is this hard to get customer service from them, I don't want to be stuck with it down the road when something does go wrong with it.

I'm a homebrewer and I was looking for a microscope with which I could count yeast cells and check yeast viability. I didn't want to spend $500+ on a hobby microscope and my husband found this one for me! The image on 400x is great for counting cells with my hemocytometer (which I bought somewhere else) and it's very handy having the 20x eyepieces so that I can get an even better look at the yeast without having to deal with the oil objective lens (which works fine but is a little bit of a hassle to use and clean, BTW the immersion oil is included with the microscope). This is perfect for the nerdy homebrewer like myself. The image is just as good as the microscope used at a local brewpub here (which is a heavy duty college type microscope). Only 2 very minor complaints: First, you have to assemble the microscope (which is simple) by attaching the top eyepiece section to the base but the hole for the thumb screw that you use to screw the two together was poorly drilled (but then it's an inexpensive microscope). Once together it seems fine but the screw does stick out such that you wouldn't want someone using your microscope without knowing that this screw should not be touched. Second, while the instructions downloaded were generally fine, the instructions for interpupillary adjustment (3.3, page 5) read 'hold the left and right eyepiece tubes and slide the tubes in and out' when it should read ' hold eyepiece tubes and move them apart or closer together'. This is a great microscope for homebrewers. Great images for under $200 - well worth the money!! Just don't forget to get a hemocytometer or at the very least some slides and cover glass. So much fun for so little money!!

Good optics, but beware of the flimsy power plug as it can break if the power socket is too tight.

Good quality and certainly good enough for my needs. Clear image and smooth focus operation. The LED set up is very well done and effective. The only issue I have found, is that the image is not so great at maximum magnification. It may just be a dirty lens or it may be an optics flaw..not sure yet...whatever..hardly an issue considering the low price. -Markkus UPDATE: The issue with maximum magnification was user error. I had not downloaded the instructions and assumed the immersion oil was for the focus action assembly. It is actually used with the 100x objective lens and allows the light waves at extremely close proximity to reach the eye without distortion. Very happy with the product considering the price..but a few slides and printed instructions (quick start guide would be sufficient) would make 5 stars.

(UPDATED REVIEW) This is an update to the review below. I must state that, after I wrote the first review I was immediately contacted by OMAX customer support. To be honest, I am not sure how they got my phone number...I assume through my Amazon account. A "tech" called and left a message. He stated that he would be happy to try a few things to get the microscope working properly. Unfortunately, I had already packed and mailed the first microscope back to the factory so it was too late. I agree with some reviewers that the microscope needs to come with a BASIC instruction manual. I am not a first time user of microscopes so it assembled with ease. However, I am sure some people would really need a basic guide. My second microscope arrived and is working PERFECTLY. Thanks! Thanks to OMAX for the amazing customer support and for reading the reviews on Amazon. It really shows they care! I have not had the same luck with their competitor Amscope. They were quite rude to me when I needed assistance. (BEGIN ORIGINAL REVIEW) When the microscope arrived I was really exited and began to assemble it immediately. One of the FIRST things I noticed, while assembling, was that the lens at the base of the viewing scope (the one that faces down when you attach the viewing head to the base with the knurled locking screw)was glued in place at a slight angle. It wasn't flush in the hole that the lens was supposed to go in and there was a large glob of glue (optic cement) on the side. I desperately wanted this NOT to be an issue and, when I first started using the scope...it didn't seem to be. Then, as I increased magnification more and more, I began to notice that focus was IMPOSSIBLE at 1000x or 2000x magnification. I tried slide after slide and to check the focus. I could NEVER get a clean or crisp focus and I became fully aware that this lens placement was the issue. So, with a heavy heart, I decided that this microscope HAD to be exchanged. I am going to order another one of these microscopes because I am SURE that the first one suffered from human error during the manufacturing process and feel the microscope, if built properly, must be a good product from all that I have read. So, here we go again...

I bought this microscope for my daughter who is in grade four and who is more inclined to reading and learning and exploring than anything else. It was an advanced microscope for her age but after doing some research I've decided to buy this one instead of a toy-microscope. The primary reason to choose this particular one is the product description and good feedback. The product was described well enough with high quality photos that I could actually feel it (as closely as possible) before purchasing. It is a solid and professional grade microscope. Why did I buy from OMAX? Again the answer is the product description. I thought they know the product they were selling. I did not hesitate. Also the price was competitive. Together I bought a box of 100 slides and 100 cover-slips because it was on sale. You must buy some slides and cover-slips if you are a first time microscope buyer because the slides do not come with the microscope. I recommend highly to buy some prepared slides as well, which I am going to do now. The microscope came in a very nicely and securely packed box. It was very easy to assemble (without me watching the video on youtube.com.). My daughter watched it and she instructed me how to do it. If you are not teck-savvy, you should watch it before you assemble. However, I had to watch the video to know how to use the 40x and 100x objective lenses. In my opinion, this microscope is suitable for ages 8 and above.