I have a bad track record for going off the deep end about something every Christmas. This year it was microscopes. We had bought a disappointing microscope several years ago from a well known learning resources company and I did not want to repeat that.I asked a friend who is a middle school biology teacher what to look for in a microscope for casual, elementary to middle-school kid use. She said she had something she used at school that was perfect and she would get the name for me. In the meantime she said 400x is plenty and only having coarse adjustment (vs coarse and fine) was enough. I ordered this one, and then she got back to me with the name of the one she uses at school, which is a ken-a-vision prepscope 2. Too late to cancel the order on this one, I ordered the ken-a-vision and figured I would return this one.The Ken-a-Vision was awesome. Sharp, clear images - very easy to adjust - and an adjustable light. However, the light went wonky after 2 days and wouldn't come on very bright, or would come on bright all of a sudden and unexpectedly. I decided to just return it and give this one a go - but I am glad to have had the experience because it gave me an idea of how a "good" microscope functions, and don't think I have used one of those since high school biology!I also ordered a box of the AmScope prepared slides, the 25 slide box, so I know I have nice, correctly prepared specimens to work with.The images with the duo scope are not as clear as the ken-a-vision - however the clarity is not too far off, and the cost is less than half. Honestly it is probably as good at 40 and 100x, only really falling short at 400x. It is easy to focus although the picture can go a little funny if you press down on the stage while adjusting a slide. Not sure if that was the case with the ken-a-vision. I have seen in one comment that this stage has a little "give" so that if your kid raises it into the objective, the slide will break but not the objective - maybe this is what those reviews mean. Yes, the stage has a little give.The 3D function of the scope (using the top lighting) works decently well, although it gives you a very narrow field of vision. The most interesting thing I have looked at with it (so far) has been a spider leg.We have in the meantime acquired the I Explore stereo microscope which only magnifies to 20x but gives a much wider field of vision - we have really, really had a great time with that one and I highly recommend it as a quick and dirty way to look at just about anything you can think of. (Seriously - I think my kids are getting annoyed with how much fun I am having with it)I have found that if I take a hint from the I Explore and place a white piece of paper under the specimen on the Duo Scope while using the top lighting, the image looks a lot better - you may need to play with the background color to get the most from the 3D function of the Duo Scope (just using different colors of paper, nothing too fancy, although I may laminate a small square of white paper for long term use)One review mentions the duo scope having a pointer in the field of vision - that seems to have have been cut from this model at this time. I can't say this is something I feel strongly about.The scope also does not have a rotatable head which is supposed to make sharing easier - another thing I don't have strong feelings about. The scope is so light it is no big deal to turn the whole thing (OR just get up out of your chair and don't be so lazy!)One shortcoming in this scope that does bother me a little is the inability to adjust the brightness of the light. It is REALLY bright. Your eye will get used to it but it would be nice if they could either make it adjustable or just tone it down a hair. It would also be nice if this scope could plug in while at home, for non battery use.Overall - very nice for the price. I wouldn't expect your kid to cure cancer using this but they will be able to get a pretty nice view of a lot of different things. For not a lot of money (watch for price fluctuations and open box deals) you could pick up one of these and the I Explore and have a really nice little microscope corner in your home.

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.

I read quite a few reviews on microscopes because we wanted to get my 8 year old one for Christmas. We bought one at Toys R Us but when I read the reviews on it they were all 1 stars. After finding a website that reviewed them this was the second best one that was recommended and was cheaper than the top one so I figured it would be a good purchase. We took the one back to Toys R Us and I quickly ordered this one. It was about 25 dollars more than the toys r us one but I am so GLAD we upgraded to this one. This thing is really cool. It has 2 light settings. One for clear/transparent objects and another for solid objects. I could not be happier and I love messing with this thing as well. My daughter likes it as well. We found an earwig and we were able to zoom in on it and look at the legs and antennae and see the tiny hairs and appendages. Since we live in a cold climate we have not found any ponds but there is one close by where we live and we will be going to get some water when the weather warms. The products seems durable and the tray is easy to move up and down to get focused. I do like that it is battery powered so it can be taken on the move. After using this with my daughter for 2 days I can't find anything I do not like about it. It comes with a one year warranty which is nice.Pros: Fun, objects are clear if focused, easy to use, durableCons: No educational booksSo if you are looking for an educational tool that is fun and interesting buy this now. If you are looking for a cheap item that is more of a toy then get something cheaper. I'd say this is more for the kid that likes science. For the value this one can't be beat.