My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope

My 8 year old daughter LOVES this microscope!-- It is easy to use and really makes her feel "scientific"-- surprisingly sturdy and is rather heavy-- my daughter said she is glad she got a "real" microscope rather than a toy. One little area for improvement, the highest resolution is a little fuzzy-- but could be user error as well. All in all-- well worth the money!

Hi,
I read several reviews about this Microscope prior to purchase, and I have not been let down by the reviewers.

My kids range in age from 3-11. The two younder kids (6 and 3)only have viewing rights. They were able to view several slides and show interest, but a little young for the duo-scope.
The intended targets were 9 and 11 years old, and they have had a great time using the microscope. The few prepared slides are a good way to get them started, and the kids have been good at getting additional "subjects" under the scope. I have no concerns with the 9 and 11 year olds using the microscope without an adult present.

Some reviewers complained about the light source not being ample, to this I must disagree. The two light sources on this microscope are more than ample. Either the manufacturer corrected this issue, or there may have been an issue with that customer's unit. In addition, as the LED lights work on battery, there is no cord for the kids to trip over, nor is it a requirement to have close to an outlet.

Most reviewers noted there is only one focal knob (no secondary fine focus knob), and they reported this single knob worked quite well. I too agree the single focus knob works well. It is smooth and the kids and adults have had no issue with focus on any of the three magnification levels. (40x,100x,400x).

I did a fair amount of searching online for a microscope. I did not want a "toy" and I did not want to spend a lot of money as my home is not a research lab,... not yet :-). I am quite satisfied with "My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope." It has only seen about 45 days of service at my home, but I expect it will last a long time.

Summary items:
** Solid construction.
** Good range of magnification settings.
** smooth focus knob.
** Excellent light sources.
** The kids really enjoy it.

The only item I have taken away from the kids so far is the scalpel.

Cons:
** The longest objective can be lowered enough to touch the slide.
** Not many prepared slides come with the duo-scope.

I gave this microscope to my 6 year old nephew and he loved it. The single focus nob is adequate, however when the microscope is selected to 400 power the focus is tricky (adult help required). If the scope had a fine adjustment nob it would be a five star product.

One other observation is that the scope diaphragm doesn't seem to change the light level (from below). This is a minor nit.

For the price this is a very good value and I would recommend it to anyone who has a young scientist looking for a starter microscope.

I was looking for a kid friendly microscope that could actually teach my nephew about science without looking rinky-dink. Read the reviews, sent it for christmas, heard he liked it better than his eyeclops night vision glasses, which I find says alot about the product! Don't know how it's holding up, but so far so good! Impressive for an almost 8 year old boy!

Very high quality and easy to use. My 7 year old operated it with ease. Clarity is remarkable for the price.