Customer Reviews

My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope

As a physician, I have a great deal of experience with microscopes. The optics on this scope are quite good for the price, and although some parts of the scope are of cheaper quality(such as the battery compartment), they put the money where it counts. Intuitive design, and surprising illumination at high magnification(400x). As a bonus, this scope also features above-stage illumination, which allows examination of opaque objects such as insects- making the scope easier to use for younger kids who cannot prepare traditional slides. Finally, included supplies such as dust cover(!), scalpel, probe, prepared slides, well slide, stain, cover glasses,small petri dish, lens paper and test tube allow the budding scientist to set up a home "lab". Excellent for ages 8-13

Let's cut to the chase: If you're looking for an inexpensive microscope for younger children, the Duo-Scope would be very difficult to beat for features, quality, and cost.

After reviewing several sources on inexpensive microscopes, I took a chance for Christmas on this less documented model. I'm glad I did.

PROS:

* Solid construction. Despite its light weight, it feels like a coherent whole and has no rattling pieces. The objective lenses click nicely into place and the mechanics have a silky feel when operated. This model considerably betters the microscope I had as a child growing up in the Sixties, so some items ARE better made today than yesteryear.

* Smooth focusing wheels that don't clunk through the mechanism's gearing.

* Permanent, bright light sources from two separate LED bulbs. Far better than mirrored scopes.

* A pointer in the optic field--a nice addition to a low cost scope.

* A plethora of accessories including four prepared slides, six blank slides (including concave/well), slide covers, stains, tweezers, scalpel, lens wipes, vinyl dust cover, and more--just about anything you would need to get started on a basic level (except for three AA batteries).

* A detailed manual of a higher quality than most will expect, especially considering the microscope's country of origin.

CONS:

* Made in China.

* The upper and lower lights cannot both be turned on at the same time for maximum illumination of semi-translucent objects.

* When using the highest power objective, the optic field is still too dim.

* Users can ram the highest power objective into the slide without realizing it, breaking slide covers and possibly damaging the objective (This is a problem on most inexpensive scopes. The stage does have some give, though, so while slide covers may break, it's doubtful slides will.)

* Though the ocular appears to be on a swivel base, it's not, making it less convenient for two people to share the microscope.

* The diaphragm, which controls the amount of light reaching the stage, doesn't appear to make much difference on most of its settings.

*No secondary fine-focus knobs. (However, this won't be missed because the scope's macro-focusing mechanism is smooth enough to compensate if given a light touch.)

All things considered, the cons are minor.

Some have said this microscope is mostly plastic, but that may not be the case. The main upright portion that features the focusing rail of the scope is definitely a powder-coated metal. Considering that this part is the one that truly matters for overall integrity of the microscope, I'd have to say that this makes the scope an even better deal for the money.

All the positives of this entry-level microscope make for a very good purchase that should last for several years. It's also a great deal for parents testing the waters to see if their children would enjoy owning a microscope. Better to invest in an inexpensive, but good quality, scope than to pay hundreds more and end up with something that gathers dust on the shelf.

The box recommends this scope for children 10 and up, but with parental instruction and supervision, children a few years younger would enjoy it, too. (Steer clear of the scalpel that comes included, though!)

A worthy product that would be a fine gift to a budding scientist.

After receiving a 28-piece microscope kit for Christmas that had a plastic scope that broke within 5 minutes, we were in a dilemma: Our son decided he really wanted a microscope, but we didn't want to get burned again. After much research, a science teacher at my school said she bought this for her child. She said the quality was great and that it does things some of the scopes in her high school lab didn't do. We bought it for our son's birthday and it's a huge hit! It is made of very durable materials, is easy to use, and is an extremely high quality for the price. My sons are 7 and 9 and we've had a blast with it! The fact that it's a duo allows you to view slides and objects they pick up around the house. The were amazed when we put different types of print under it to see the difference. I bought a book that Amazon recommended to go with it, and the box of extra slides they listed, and I see us having hours of educational fun. If you don't get a book of experiments and activities, you might run out of ideas quicker. With the great bargain you're getting on the scope, another $10 on a book isn't a huge deal. We haven't used any of the slide-making tools that came with it, but there's a nice bag of goodies. This is a great product that will allow the family to enjoy together and learn in the process. I seriously see this as something we'll use through high school, and will help immensly when the dreaded science projects start being assigned! Don't spend any more money than this. It's just not necessary! From personal experience, research before buying anything cheaper. You'll be compromising on quality and possibly trying to explain to your child why his Christmas present needs to go in the trash.

I bought one of these for my 10 year old. I was very pleased with this purchase. This microscope is well made, durable, and contains quality optics. It is as good of a microscope as you would find in a high school lab. With the upper light you can zoom in on coins, seeds, etc. with clarity. It makes a perfect birthday gift.

I did a lot of searching for a microscope for my 7-year old daughter. I almost bought a USB scope but glad I didn't. I'm pretty impressed with this one. Focus is firm and very smooth. Optics are sound and the upper and lower lights make this very versatile. LED lights are easy on the batteries and no cord is needed to operate. The high power is not usable from above but this is stated in the manual. The slides and include equipment is a nice starter package. My 7-year old is THRILLED with it and I'm pleased with the value for $50. I'm sure we will get many hours of exploration with this scope! The only thing this scope is missing is a good carrying/storage case. The inclusion of that would make this a perfect item!

I have tried other microscopes and was very disappointed with the results. This microscope however is great! The price is very reasonable, it is very sturdy, and it is easy to adjust to view your specimens. The eye piece takes a little getting used to, if you put your eye too close you will see your eyelashes when you blink. I found that using my thumb and forefinger to make a circle then resting it over the top of the eye piece and then resting my eye on my hand with the rest of my fingers on the eye piece tube works well. Now, I can look through the eye piece without getting to close. I love being able to view the specimens with the above light and the below light which allows you to see different aspects of the specimen. I have found that using the above light shows a lot more detail of the specimens, it really makes the specimens sort of come to life. I ordered pre-made slides which one is of an ant and when I look at it with the above light it is amazing. Even hair looks amazing. I am very happy with my purchase and can't wait to share it with the kids.

Also the microscope comes with the following accessories:
5 Blank Slides
4 Prepared Slides
1 Concavity Slide
Slide Labels
Cover glass
Plastic Dropper
2 Bottles of non-toxis "stain" - (which is actually food color 1 red & 1 blue)
Forceps
Lens Paper - (which is a pad of approx. 50 sheets)
Test Tube
Petri Dish - (which is small, the size of an Eisenhower dollar coin)
Straight Teasing Needle
Cotton Swab on a long thin stick
Long thin stick with no cotton

I purchased this as a gift for my 9 year old son. He likes it, and finds it fun exploring the microscopic world. This thing seemed pretty much durable, and could hold up to some beating. I see no good reason for a microscope manufacturer to not put lights on both the top and bottom of a platform, as I find it to be a real necessity to see anything down there. So I thought, it's great that this product has that feature.

The only thing I didn't like about this is that, we can't get the highest magnification to work. I don't know why. I didn't bother that much to figure out what was wrong. My son is pretty much happy with what he can view so far, but we're probably missing a lot for not seeing things on the highest magnification.

If your choice is between this and plastic toy microscopes, this is definitely the way to go. The optics are pretty good and the idea of having the light at the top to use it as a dissecting scope is good in principle. It is well built, and would probably last a long time. The LED light is powered by batteries, which makes it easy to carry it around. You have the option of switching an eyepiece for one that can be connected to a computer, so you could actually "project" the specimen to your computer (NOTE: the digital eyepiece is NOT included, but it has a standard size, removable eyepiece, so you have the option using a digital one).

However, it has some considerable flaws. You can't really regulate the intensity of the light (changing the diaphragm setting has very little effect). The light is too bright. Unless your slide is very dense, it feels like someone is shining a flashlight directly into your eyes.

It would be nice to have a choice between mirror and light, so you are not always dependent on batteries, and you have at least one option to regulate the light going through.

The stage can be moved up beyond the point where it touches the objectives, which can break the slide and eventually damage the lenses.

The stage can't be moved sideways, so it is hard to explore different parts of the slide. But this is something that is typical of budget microscopes.

When you set it to use the top light to use it as a dissecting scope, you have very little depth of field. This is not surprising, as this is really an optical microscope. It works OK if you use it to examine pretty flat objects, like coins, but not that well if you try to see objects with more curvature like, for example, sea shells.

The bottomline, if your choice is between this microscope and plastic, toy microscopes, this one is a much better value. However, it seems that if you spend a little over $100, you can get a microscope that kids can use at least through high school, and maybe through college.

Update - We returned this microscope and ordered the Celestron 44104 for around $55 more (through Amazon), and we are very happy with that decision. While the First Lab Duo feels like an "introduction to non-toy microscopes", the Celeston feels like a very good entry-level scientific microscope. Better features, better optics, and in general several notches above in quality. I wrote a more detailed review under that item.

Purchased the first one for my Daughter for her Birthday last month. She was pretty excited when we unboxed
it. During setup of the first slide, the unit seemed pretty sturdy and well made for a low $$ plastic scope
(I have an old metal Tasco scope in a higher price bracket and it's quality is outstanding for a 4 decades old unit).
At first we thought that the slides were defective due to a blotch that appeared while viewing the first one,
but after the second slide went into place, we realized that the lens was dirty (or so we thought). After cleaning
both sides of the removable 10X piece, the blotch was still there. If there was some way to ignore it, the quality
of the optics (for the $60 price point) would have been acceptable. But having a permanent fuzzy blotch/blob directly in
the center of the field of view was beyond annoying. I have to believe that it was a defect in the internal mirror
system. After receiving the SECOND unit days after filing for a replacement, I am certain that defect is a consistent
factory defect. 2 scopes with nearly identical blotches in the field of vision? If it been to one side or the other,
it would have been a liveable condition. Direct center of field distraction pretty much takes the fun and usefulness out
of this scope. I wish that I could have had one long enough to properly evaluate, but the second scope is going back
for a refund. Hopefully Amazon will pull this item as to not cause any more disappointment to customers. I will have
to either give my Daughter my Tasco (still working great after all these years) or spend a bit more on a better scope.
On to the other scopes reviews to see which will be next.

I am mom. Mom I am. I bought this for my 8 year old twin daughters as a Christmas gift. They did NOT think it was a corny gift either... In fact we have spent hours at a time looking at anything and EVERYTHING...including just last night one of the girls pulled a tooth out and we used a small glob of fun-tack to mount it standing straight up on a slide so we could look at the part that used to be stuck in her gum-line. UNBELIEVABLE!! We actually were able to see the hairlike fibers of the nerves that were up in the root system! I am able with my Kodak camera (set on macro) and hold the lens right against the microscope viewer and take a photo of what we are seeing. A really good photo! We were not able to use the girls Canon cameras because the shape of their camera lens does not allow it to set flat on the microscope viewer.
We also looked a a small dead spider we found lying around the house and viewed the eyes which were actually quite beautiful as they looked like tiny amber/garnet colored stones. We have looked close-up at many things using both the top and bottom lighting thereby viewing both slides and solids.
I sooooo recommend this to anyone with kids...including teachers! The batteries are lasting very long so far. We have not yet changed them. We are looking forward to bringing the microscope to a pond area when it gets warmer and taking samples directly from our surroundings!
I have a great photo of the tooth area with the nerves, but do not see a way to add a photo to this review. If there is a way, please let me know and I will be sure to post it and any other photos we take.