My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope
by C & A Scientific
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List Price: Our Price: $62.10 Availability: Usually ships in 1-3 weeks Buy Used: from $60.00 (click here) Category: Toy See more product details |
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Toys and Games Reviews of My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope
Customer Review: Much better than your typical "toy" microsope but with flaws
Summary: 3 Stars
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'll write more on the Celestron when we've had a chance to play more with it.
Customer Review: Not just a toy...
Summary: 5 Stars
About who might enjoy using it:
This toy was purchased for my eight year old daughter who is very curious about the natural world and she loves using it. She's looked at plant matter, insects, foodstuffs, plastics, paper and even things like hairbands and stickers - anything that will fit on the stage and under the objectives. I was suprised that my nine year old daughter, who is more interested in the material world, began to use it as well. My son, who is 5, also likes to look through the monocular but he needs help to position and focus objects. My husband and I enjoy using it as well. As an aside, it assisted me with determining that one of my children had a case of pediculosis (head lice). I had no previous experience with head lice, and seeing that little critter under the 'scope allowed me to confirm the cause of her itching and begin home treatment immediately (but I am not recommending this as a substitute for proper medical care).
About the microscope itself:
I am very pleased with the quality for the price. I'm also impressed that it has both transmission (look thru transparent or translucent objects) and reflectance (look at three-dimensional detail) modes. The objectives give clear, sharp images and the magnification range is very good for recreational/educational purposes. The LED light source is bright and lasts a long time even when powered by regular alkaline batteries (3 AA). It is lightweight and portable and while not very small (~12" high), it's robust enough to survive camping trips or time at the cottage. The kit comes with four prepared slides that got my children interested right away. They have since learned how to prepare their own slides with the blank slides provided. The only issue that could be considered a drawback is that the distance between the stage and the objectives is not very big, so it is difficult to look at thicker/larger objects such as fingers, pens etc. It also requires some manual dexterity and patience when positioning objects for viewing.
The reason I say it's not just a toy is because it has become like a routinely used appliance in our home. It resides in a common area and is available for use whenever someone has something interesting to look at. And even I am surprised at how many mundane things there are in our home that become very interesting up close!
Customer Review: Pay a little more for a beginner scope and get quality
Summary: 5 Stars
I have purchased (and returned) several microscopes from Toys R US for my 10 year old son. We still have one we paid $30 for, and it has a cheap lens, a cheap light and is made from flimsy plastic. My son never really enjoyed using it because it wasn't clear or easy to use (light was bad, lens was cheap and always dirty). He really pressed us for a new one, and I vowed not to buy another cheap microscope just to appease him. I saw some other microscopes in the $30-50 range, but the ratings on them were pretty bad. Then, I came across this microscope and saw it had almost all 5 star reviews.
Let me tell you that this microscope is AWESOME. My son can easily use it. It has bright dual LED lighting. It has quality lenses and is easy to focus. It is durable. I have never seen my son more excited about anything.
The criticism I read about the mircroscope and my comments are as follows:
1. It doesn't have a mirror so you must use the lights: has anyone ever successfully used a mirror to ably illuminate a slide? These lights are LED and are better than most any mirrored light. The batteries will last forever.
2. The upper and lower lights can't be turned on at the same time. Somewhat of a concern, but chances are, if you illuminate it from below and the subject is to thick, you'll only need the top light anyway because the light from below won't penetrate the specimen. Having an upper light is spectacular, because many only have a light underneath. The upper light allows you to view just about anything that will fit without having to dissect it into a wafer thin specimen so that the light can shine thru from underneath.
3. The highest magnification requires more light than is available. What I think happens here is that the shaft holding the lens is long, and the upper light gets blocked by this shaft due to the angle of the light. So, it wouldn't matter if it were the brighest light out there because it is blocked by the shaft. This alone should not cause you to bypass this microscope, as you can shine light from another source if you really wanted to.
This may be called "My First Lab", but it can easily be used for many years. You shouldn't have any doubt about this product.
Customer Review: Excellent Microscope for the price.
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Customer Review: AMAZING Product at a FANTASTIC Price
Summary: 5 Stars
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.