Omano OM117L-XSP2 Student Compound Microscope 40X-400X Gift Package Awarded 2016 Best Kids Microscope by TOP Ten Reviews

We gave our 4YO a budget and let him choose his own 5th birthday presents. He originally chose a kids' microscope kit that ran at around $40. I upgraded to this one because it lights from both the top and the bottom, so he can look at sections and smears, but also coins and pebbles. I didn't want to be purchasing another one in two years, or worse, have him get frustrated and lose interest.He's now been playing with it for 4 hours with no signs of stopping except to find other things to look at.This kit came with useful extras:* Typical starter prepared slides with bits of vegetation and a housefly leg, and a 5-slide "Blood and Gore" set of human blood and other animal cells. Using those, you should be able to get a good feel for the controls.* A basic safety microtome. I worried we'd have to make one and I'd be dealing with loose razor blades. Still not giving it to a 5YO, of course, but MY fingers aren't going to suffer mishaps, either. Yay!* The Usborn book pictured. It includes a history of microscopy and plenty of experiment ideas while keeping everything exciting.* Dyes, lens cleaner, lens papers, pipettes, a small petri dish, plain slides, covers, a slide box, etc.I thought it didn't include any well (depression) slides, I didn't find them until later, but there were only 3, so I got a pack of AmScope BS-C6-A Microscope Slides, Single Depression, Single Concave, Pack of 6 to go with it.It has a tiny petri dish, but no agar. You can get EZ BioResearch Bacteria Science Kit (II): Prepoured LB-Agar Plates And CottonSwabs for growing bacteria. Eventually, you'll probably want to make your own, but if you've just gotten it your child is going to want to dive right in, so pre-poured is the way to go.I included cell phone pictures of a feather and kosher salt lit from above and blood cells from underneath for a clue to clarity.

Excellent set/kit for your young scientists. My only complaint is that the base where you place your slide doesn't move in a horizontal plane which obligates you to move the slides around until they come into view. Other than that is an excellent set and is solidly built. It doesn't feel like a toy at all; it's heavy cast metal with authentic lenses which are adjustable/replaceable. I'm sure it will last you years.

I am exceptionally pleased with this item, which captivated my daughter's attention all Christmas Day.To begin, the microscope has great build quality, a nice heavy feel that wont go skating around the table when switching lenses with a handle built into the frame for extra stability.There are two led light sources, the usual underneath one and an overhead light, which is great for looking at rocks or the surface of a coin. The brightness of the underneath light is adjustable via a control knob and a variable aperture on the stage.The accessories are too numerable to mention, but there is a great color book, a dust cover, lots of specimens and equipment to set up on your own.What's great is that this microscope is ready to go out the box, even the 3 x AA batteries required for the lights were pre-installed. I'm no expert, but this is a great first microscope and actually felt a little jealous that there was nothing like this around when I was a kid!

I bought this for my scientifically minded grandson for his 9th birthday. We were all wondering why it didn't focus so good, until his dad walked in and asked why no one had put in the eye-piece yet. It was like a magical moment! All four adults and both kids could hardly wait for their turns to explore the new world laying before them on the glass slides. If you know someone who is interested in science, I cannot recommend this enough. It is a wonderful microscope with everything one needs to get, and stay, interested in what lives around us in miniature form .

This is a fantastic set! My son was immediately engaged by it and spent the afternoon looking at everything under the sun. He continues to use it a lot when he finds something he wants to investigate further. Definitely get this set!

Absolutely exactly what we wanted. Well constructed with great learning manual.Our grand daughter is a future scientist! Just what she wanted!

The microscope and accessories are of very good quality. However the instructions for how to assemble and use it are scant. The Usborne book is helpful but not specific to any particular microscope. Otherwise we are very pleased.

We got this for our five year old who is fascinated by science. After doing our research and reading a ton of reviews, we purchased this one. I'm so happy we did! This microscope is no toy, but it's easy enough for her to use. She got the hang of it in minutes, and was happily preparing her own slides in no time (with parental supervision, of course.) I would recommend this microscope to anyone!