SE Mini 45X Brass Microscope w/ Illuminator

by SE

Product Features

• Power 45X, 2 LED Lights, Adjustable Focus
• Requires 3 LR927 (AG7) Batteries (Batteries Included)
• Leather Carrying Pouch Included
• Microscope Size: (1 5/16" extends up to 1 5/8" X 9/16" Dia. Led Light Size: (15/16" X 9/16" Dia.
• Made In China

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B002E0MU70
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
  • #1 in Arts, Crafts & Sewing > Furniture & Accessories > Lighting
  • #1 in Toys & Games > Hobbies > Model Building Kits > Model Building Tools
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (137 customer reviews)

Product Description

45x LED Illuminated Pocket Microscope with Storage Case. Illumination provided by two LEDs. Microscope can be separated from LED Illumination assembly. 1 7/16 inches in length, 1 3/8 inches wide, 9/16 inch in thick. Requires three LR927 batteries, which are included.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome little scope, May 30, 2010

By 

Robert Jordan - See all my reviews

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SE Mini 45X Brass Microscope w/ Illuminator (Misc.)

I'm a biologist and I bought a couple of these to take outside and look at certain parts of plants. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on something that I'd probably end up breaking or losing. So far I'm happy with my choice. The scope is TINY. Smaller than I was expecting, but in a good way. The magnification is nowhere near 45x, probably closer to 20x. That being said, it provides all the magnification I need and the LED light is extremely useful. Durability-wise, it feels a bit flimsy (made of plastic, not metal, made in China) but it's held up to a couple weeks sharing a pocket with a camera and cellphone.


Overall, this is a small, cheap scope. It's definitely worth the money, especially if you're like me and tend to lose and break things.

84 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pleasantly surprised, April 1, 2010

By 

Robert C. Babcock (Sioux Falls, SD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SE Mini 45X Brass Microscope w/ Illuminator (Misc.)

Given the very low price of this 'scope I must say I'm pleasantly surprised! The SE Mini is very, very compact yet clear and powerful. In a lot of ways this is easier to use and more effective than my 10X Belomo loupe that cost nearly ten times as much. Much of this has to do with the very powerful LED illuminators; what a great feature. Powerful light, focused on the precise spot you need it. Okay, this 'scope isn't perfect- for $5 how could it be? I would like to see a little better switch for the light. As it is it sometimes takes a bit of wiggling of the switch to get it to work. I would gladly pay $20 for an identically-designed but more robust version of the SE Mini. For the price it's hard to fault. One final comment: I have no idea how close this comes to 45x magnification. My feeling is that it's maybe half that, perhaps slightly less. It seems that the manufacturers of cheap 'scopes and loupes simply pick a number out of the air. Again, not a big issue for the price.

As an FYI I bought this 'scope to view the edge of a knife blade while sharpening. It works well for that purpose.

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Half good, half bad, September 8, 2010

By 

Ziminy13 (St Petersburg, FL United States) - See all my reviews

= Durability:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: SE Mini 45X Brass Microscope w/ Illuminator (Misc.)

Within the first day of use, the battery cap popped off. It is a screw on and it was as if the threads are too far apart and do not catch on the inner threads. I can tape it into place if I want to use the light. No idea if this was a manufacturing defect or a problem with every product.

If you don't need the light, the actual microscope part is easy to look through and gives great magnification. I can inspect individual specs of pollen on plants and clearly see their shape.

The battery cap problem drove me sufficiently nuts so that after a week I just threw it in a drawer with the batteries and use it only where there is bright light.

It is made from silver plastic. Not metal. Do not expect scientific quality.