This microscope is very solid and well-built. I knew what the other reviewers had said, but even so, I was surprised at just how heavy the box was when it was delivered. It's very solid -- no "toy" feel whatsoever. No worries about it tipping over or anything.
However, I almost dinged them a star on their goofy instruction manual download procedure. Instead of having a printed manual included, they had a pamphlet with instructions to go to their website and enter a password printed on a sticker that's on the outside of the shipping box. And then when you do all of that, you find that the manual doesn't say anything that you couldn't already figure out anyway.
I can maybe see not including a printed manual with it, as so many people never bother with reading them anyway so why print it when people can just download it? Plus, you can more easily provide updates and additional data. But why the goofy password? It's not like anything in the manual is secret or proprietary or would be a benefit to anyone who didn't own the microscope. They should just post them all online available for free download with no passwords.
I bought this scope to do electronics work -- specifically for tiny surface mount parts. However, if you plan to do electronics, you'll want to get the WF5X eyepieces too -- perhaps you should look at the version of this microscope with the 5X and 10X eyepieces to begin with. The one I bought came with 10X and 20X eyepieces and so I had to buy the 5X eyepieces separate. For moderate size parts, the 5X eyepieces are perfect and for tiny (0201 scale) parts the 10X are perfect. I don't know if I'll ever really use the 20X eyepieces.
When I bought my WF5X eyepieces, however, I found a strange discrepancy in the reviews and AmScope product specs for the AmScope WF5X eyepieces. Their spec listed the 5X as having only a 11mm field-of-view, which is ridiculous seeing the 10X has a 20mm field-of-view, though another source listed it as being 18mm. The comments from reviewers were mixed -- some seemed to indicate the AmScope 5X and 10X eyepieces were both about the same field-of-view and another reviewer described a much smaller field-of-view, consistent with a 20mm to 11mm reduction.
So with all of the mix of data, I opted instead to purchase OMAX WF5X eyepieces (part CS-X2AEX205C) which are spec'd as having a 20mm field-of-view. They work just fine on this scope (as both are standard 30.5mm diameter eyepieces) and I can confirm the OMAX WF5X eyepieces (that I received) have the indicated 20mm field-of-view.
The working range for this scope is great -- no worries of crashing your soldering iron or tools into the scope. And the lighting with the single gooseneck LED light is good. However, I opted to also get their 6W LED dual gooseneck adjustable brightness light to use with it and be able to light things from both directions (to eliminate shadows). I do wish that the base of that dual gooseneck light was about 1/2" (~13mm) shorter than it is. If it were, it could be placed lengthwise on the base of this microscope as the perfect "add-on" without consuming more tabletop space. At least it will fit sideways on the scope's base without falling off.
The only change I would really make to the scope is in the arm adjustment. Due to the height of my table and chair, using the scope as it was designed puts it a bit too high for me. So, I flipped the adjustment arm upside down so that I could adjust it at a slight downward angle and make it more comfortable. But if you do that, you have to be careful of not accidentally releasing the lever and crashing the head of the scope into your work.
It would have been better if they had designed the arm adjustment slightly differently to where the lock position would already be at a slight downward angle (perhaps 20 degrees from parallel instead of the near 0 degrees that it is?). That would extend the control range significantly and still not risk crashing the scope's head. Maybe I should ding it one star for that? Though once you have it configured to your liking, it doesn't matter much.
Prior to this scope, I was using a lighted magnifier in conjunction with reading glasses. But this is such a huge improvement. For the price, it was well worth it to upgrade. I have no regrets over this purchase.
UPDATE 14 Aug 2023 : I've done some recent upgrades to my microscope setup and thought I'd share. While the WF5X eyepieces have done well over the years, they do have more of a "tunnel vision" effect with a smaller apparent field of view than the 10x eyepieces. The difference is in the diameter of the lens itself.
I happened to come across a couple of blogs discussing this and found mention of an alternate 0.5x objective lens. Strangely, AmScope doesn't sell it and neither does Amazon nor any of the Chinese suppliers. However, this microscope is essentially a rebranded Euromex BE-50 (see euromex[dot]com), and they have both a 0.5x and 2.0x objective lens that fits this microscope perfectly (exact fit).
So, I ordered the 0.5x objective lens and have found that it in conjunction with the 10x eyepieces (which is still the same 5x overall magnification) gives a much larger apparent field of view with less "tunnel vision" than the WF5X eyepieces with the original 1.0x objective lens. It also has a slightly larger working distance, at 250mm instead of 230mm.
The only suppliers I could find that sold the Euromex objective lens were in the UK and Germany. I got mine from optics-pro in Munich.
I also found a better solution for the AmScope 6W gooseneck light. On Aliexpress, you can find essentially the same 6W gooseneck light (in fact, the LED goosenecks are interchangeable) that bolts onto the upright post of the back of the microscope and gets it completely out of the way. I have switched to it and like how it has freed up the area on the base of the scope for placing things while working. Unfortunately, though, Amazon doesn't carry it either.
The same Aliexpress sellers that have the other 6W gooseneck light also have WF10/22 eyepieces (and maybe even WF10/23) with the same 30.5mm attachment diameter that can improve the field of view even more. And they have a variety of cameras with the same 30.5mm attachment that fits the eyepiece socket of this microscope. I got the 55MP version. While it's not useful for soldering, it does facilitate circuit reverse engineering, as it's easier to glance between a monitor and your paper where you are taking notes than looking through the scope. Though it's too bad this isn't a trinocular scope to where you can leave the camera attached all the time.
And one other find was that the "large dollar" (like Morgan and Eisenhower silver dollars) round plastic coin storage tubes with screw tops that hold 25 coins are perfect for storing the eyepieces of this microscope. Those storage tubes are 38.5mm diameter by 59.4mm deep, which is deep enough for the longer WF5X eyepieces that are about 56mm long.
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This Item  AmScope SE400-Z Professional Binocular Stereo Microscope, WF10x and WF20x Eyepieces, 10X and 20X Magnification, 1X Objective, LED Lighting, Boom-Arm Stand, 110V-120V | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $228.34 | $243.99 | $318.13 | $169.50 | $217.99 | $299.00 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Oct 22 | Get it Oct 23 - 30 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Oct 22 | Get it as soon as Thursday, Oct 24 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Oct 22 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Oct 22 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | Pattern Professional | AmScope | Pattern Professional | Vision Scientific Inc. | Pattern Professional | Kaisi® Tools |
| max magnification | — | 10 multiplier x | 20 multiplier x | 40 multiplier x | 45 multiplier x | — |
| light source type | LED | LED | LED | LED | LED | LED |
| power source | Corded Electric | Corded Electric | Corded Electric | Corded Electric | Corded Electric | Corded Electric |
| real angle of view | — | 30 degrees | 30 degrees | 45 degrees | 45 degrees | 45 degrees |
| objective lens | 1X. | 1X. | 1X. | Achromatic | Achromatic | multi-coated |
| material | Steel | Metal | Steel | Aluminum, Glass | Metal | Alloy Steel |
| voltage | 220 volts | 120 volts | 120 volts | 110 volts | 240 volts | 12 volts |
From the manufacturer
AmScope SE400-Z Professional Binocular Stereo Microscope
Description:
This is a binocular 10X & 20X stereo microscope on boom-arm with goose-neck LED light, providing clear sharp images. It comes with a binocular head, widefield eyepieces, a boom-arm stand, and a goose-neck LED light. The 45 degree inclined eye tubes and rubber eyeguards ensure an easy observation. The boom-arm stand allows you to turn the microscope head around two different axis (X and Z). This microscope offers high resolution, widefield of view and extremely large working distance (9"). The flexible goose-neck light shines down onto objects for the observation of surface details and fine structures. This microscope is perfect for circuit board repairing, soldering and dental applications. It is an ideal instrument for dentists, gemologists, collectors and anyone in semiconductor and/or electronic industry.
Features:
- 2 levels of stereo magnification from 10X to 20X
- An LED gooseneck light provides flexible incident illumination for opaque objects.
- A compact boom-stand stereo microscope for microsoldering and inspection.
- The boom arm provides a large range of movement for larger objects.
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AmScope SE400 Professional Binocular Stereo Microscope
Arlene Moe
SE400Z. Does the job
So. This microscope is pretty decent. However it has some drawbacks.ProsInexpensive. I paid $180 USD for mine on sale. Ideally you pay less due to the cons I list.Proper mirrored microscope. No camera sensor, no delay.Bi-ocular/stereo. Able to tell depth of field.Comes with a bag to cover the scope while it is not in use. It works well. However should of had a draw string of some sort so you can seal it off at the end. I use a draw string at the end to do that with.Left eye pieces focus can be individually adjusted. Say for a camera in that eye. However if you're looking through both. You need to ensure both are focused in correctly. Else it could lead to eye strain.ConsLittle to no upgrade path. Mainly due to the rectangular objective.No 0.5 objective lens (to my knowledge)No Barlow lens due to the rectangular objective size. A Barlow lens increases your FOV, so you get more working area while looking down the scope. This is a major con.20x lenses are useless as others say. I've only used the 10x ones.Need a 3D print to adapt a ring light to the objective.The base is by far the worst. If you move the scope too far to the left or right. The microscope falls over.The base limits your working angles. Meaning if the board you're working on is big. You're bumping it into the base and cant get to the area you want to work on. You're constantly trying to find a different angle to get what you need to work on in frame of the objective. I'm trying to find a different way to mount mine.The built in goose-neck light always seems to be in the way. Your hand is either blocking light from it, or its too bright causing glare from the board you're working on. I'm always moving mine around. It is bright though.Since its only stereo, you have no camera port. You can adapt something to fit on the left eye piece. However then you lose that eye piece/depth of field.Another con would be Amscopes support is abysmal. I contacted them about eye strain I was having. I bought a microscope to avoid this. Prior I was using jewelers glasses for magnification and it was giving me headaches. This scope was initially doing that to me. However it seems my eyes have gotten used to it. Amscope support took forever to get back to me. When they did they recommend I buy new silicone eye pieces. I did not.At first I thought it was the "collimation" of my objective lens. I tried talking to Amscope about that in the support emails but they seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. "KainkaLabs" on YouTube talks about how he had to adjust the collimation on his, else he was also getting eye strain. However I did not do this and my eyes have seemed to get used to the scope. My issue could of also been that my left eye piece was out of focus since I did not initially realize you can adjust it individually.All in all would I recommend this scope? For the right price, yes. Ideally around $150 USD. I paid $180, and with all the cons I described I would not of paid that if I knew I would of had these issues. It is a good beginner scope. If you have any issues, it can easily be exchanged or refunded through Amazon. You can get better, more up-gradable Tri-ocular scopes from Aliexpress. However if you have a issue, it is not as easily returnable. That was the main reason why I went with this scope.Having a microscope is definitely a game changer. I have been able to solder 0402 resistors, and work with 30awg kynar wire for xbox 360 modding.
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Top reviews from other countries
Bryan lewis
Very good quality scope
Reviewed in Canada on February 14, 2020Style: MicroscopeVerified Purchase
magen1
Difficile da usare col 20X ma tra i migliori microscopi da elettronica nella fascia di prezzo.
Reviewed in Italy on January 2, 2020Style: MicroscopeVerified Purchase
magen1
Reviewed in Italy on January 2, 2020
Il montaggio è semplice e non necessita di alcun manuale, in caso di problemi basta guardare la foto del prodotto dell'inserzione per risolvere eventuale enigmi.
La qualità dell'immagine è molto buona per un microscopio "economico" di questa fascia di prezzo e il livello di ingrandimento 10x è già piú che sufficiente per effettuare ogni tipo di intervento di precisione; sostituendo le ottiche con quelle da 20x avremmo si un ingrandimento maggiore ma anche piú difficoltà a mettere e mantenere la messa a fuoco oltre ad avere un campo visivo molto piú ridotto, quasi come guardare attraverso una serratura e questo credo sia un limite imposto da questa fascia di prezzo.
Come anticipato in precedenza, la base (magnetica) del microscopio integra anche un illuminatore led a braccio flessibile ma con presa inglese (UK), fortunatamente pero' in confezione troviamo un adattatore di presa schuko; l'alimentazione è internazionale 100-240V. L'illuminatore ha una luce fissa non dimmerabile.
Tra gli altri accessori in dotazione troviamo i gommini oculari per un maggiore comfort, una chiave a semiluna, un fusibile di scorta (da utilizzare nella presa UK o nella base del microscopio) e un copri microscopio in PVC.
Con un modulo camera USB sarà possibile visualizzare l'ingrandimento direttamente nel PC rinunciando ad un monocolo, sfortunatamente non è incluso con questo modello.
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Andy
Love it. Great for electronics hobby soldering
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 16, 2018Style: MicroscopeVerified Purchase
