Microscope 8200

by Meade

Product Features

• Look At This! Buy this Meade 8200 for a science student, or for an inquisitive kid. It's a starter microscope, but it's definitely not a toy.
• The three high-quality, turret-mounted objective lenses (4X, 10X and 40X) combined with the 10X eyepiece provide magnifications of 40X, 100X and 400X.
• It has a precise, stage-mounted rack-and-pinion focuser, a 6-aperture rotary diaphragm for light control, 5 prepared slides and 5 blank ones, just to get you started.
• It comes with a mirror to reflect ambient lighting, but you can kick up the light level by adding this small LED lamp with an 8" long gooseneck and (14) bright white LEDs. The lamp comes with (3) "AAA" batteries, but it never hurts to have fresh ones at hand.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00004TCX5
• Our recommended age: 8 - 18 years
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #367,940 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Product Description

Teacher Review

The marvels of the microscopic world around us are accessible to children over age 8 through this high-quality microscope made of metal and hard plastic. This model includes three rotating optical glass lenses and a 10x eyepiece for variable magnification power of 40x, 100x, and 400x. A rotating diaphragm and an adjustable small mirror underneath the instrument work to control the lighting, and there is also an additional battery-powered light for direct illumination (requires two AA batteries; not included). The focusing knobs and spring clips to hold slides are easy to use, and a clear direction sheet describes the microscope's use and care. A set of 10 slides is included: five prepared slides and five blank slides for individual experimentation. A microscope is a basic tool of scientific inquiry, and this sturdy, well-built instrument provides an excellent introduction to microbiology for any curious child or young adult. --Marcie Bovetz, mother and former children's librarian

Product Description

Look At This! Buy this Meade 8200 for a science student, or for an inquisitive kid. It's a starter microscope, but it's definitely not a toy. The three high-quality, turret-mounted objective lenses (4X, 10X and 40X) combined with the 10X eyepiece provide magnifications of 40X, 100X and 400X. It has a precise, stage-mounted rack-and-pinion focuser, a 6-aperture rotary diaphragm for light control, 5 prepared slides and 5 blank ones, just to get you started. It comes with a mirror to reflect ambient lighting, but you can kick up the light level by adding this small LED lamp with an 8" long gooseneck and (14) bright white LEDs. The lamp comes with (3) "AAA" batteries, but it never hurts to have fresh ones at hand.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't go into the light ! With a Meade 8200, January 31, 2003

By 

Robert Thomas (La Pine, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Microscope 8200 (Toy)

This could be a very nice item for its intended use. However, a major drawback that would have me express concern to future buyers and recommend against its purchase has been mentioned before in these reviews. The light not only doesn't work, but the batteries fit loose with over 1/4" of play. This was apparently designed by a committee who could not decide whether to wire them in parallel or series because neither is complete. The whole mechanics of the light is dangerous to sell to the intended market as it can result in an 8 to 12 year old attempting to repair and wind up creating an excessive and dangerous amount of heat. Since "only" 40% of the buyers of the Meade 8200 have a problem with a crucial part of the microscope according to these reviews, it equates to a coin toss on receiving a Meade 8200 that is not defective. I would recommend caution to those whose light works and be aware of not leaving it on unattended. If the manufacturer left contacts and tension springs out of mine, et al, there may be workable ones that are inferior also. Since this was a gift for my niece I bought her a small light and a mirror to reflect to the microscope.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't waste your money!, December 27, 2004

By 

Eric Stentzel (Harrisburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microscope 8200 (Toy)

I bought this for my eight-year-old daugher thinking it would be a decent entry-level microscope for her. It turned out to easily be the most disappointing Christmas gift I got.

First of all, it's very cheaply constructed almost entirely of plastic. More importantly though, the focusing knob didn't work at all. Right out of the box there was no way to adjust the focus. It was completely useless. What a disappointment!

(...)

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Careful! Bad design., July 17, 2002

By A Customer

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:1.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Microscope 8200 (Toy)

The components of this microscope that generate the light from batteries started melting in its first application. The batteries got very hot. Upon inspection, the design is flawed. If used around children, be VERY CAREFUL. Meade is generally a very good company, but this item, manufactured in China, is flawed.