Microscopes- high school models

[Parrothead]

I'm trying to read up on microscopes. It is like someone telling me how the inside of practically any electronic item works. My eyes start to glaze over and eventually I fall asleep. I would like a microscope I can use like a flash light. Turn it on and it works.

 

Then I swear my eye caught something about oil immersion. That sounds dangerous for an expensive piece of equipment.

 

Can I get the simpleton's version of the history and use of a compound microscope and 2-4 recommendations to check out. I might be wiling to spend $300 if it will get dd through high school and maybe something she can take to college with her. (Do they take their own microscopes?)

 

ETA: if they take their own microscope to college or university, I'd be willing to put more money toward the initial purchase to avoid going through this hunt again in 4 years.

[amsunshine]

Hehe -- I'm searching for a microscope, too. Not sure yet which one we will get, but here are the features I think we want and the reasons why:

 

1. LED or fluorescent illumination: both of these run cooler than incandescent -- important when observing live specimens, i.e. paramecia, so they don't get cooked. Sometimes you can get a cordless option with LED, too, which would be nice, although not essential.

 

2. DIN objectives: important in case you ever need to replace an objective in the future (standard sizing)

 

3. parfocal, parcentered optics: important so that the slide stays centered and coarsely focused when switching between powers.

 

4. Either an integrated mechanical stage or a mechanical attachment: makes it much easier to scan a slide, esp. at higher powers.

 

5. 100x oil immersion objective: This is the one thing I still can't make up my mind about. Apparently, this is really only needed in AP Bio coursework. From what I've read, it can be tricky to use, but it doesn't sound too difficult to me. Alternatively, from what I've read, a 40x objective (giving you a 400x max magnification) should be more than sufficient for work through high school.

 

6. Separate coarse and fine focusing controls: I've read that when the controls are all on one knob, they can sometimes be tempermental and the fine focuser doesn't work as well. I have no personal experience with this, but am just going on anecdotal evidence.

 

6. A good warranty: Home Science tools has lifetime warranties on their microscopes. This is really attractive. However, I've also looked at some cheaper alternatives by AmScope on Amazon that have 5 year warranties, and pretty decent reviews.

 

So, here are the ones I've narrowed it down to:

 

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/home-1000x-microscope/p/MI-4100DXL/

 

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/home-advanced-led-microscope/p/MI-4100LMS/

 

or maybe this one:

 

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/home-led-microscope/p/MI-4100LST/

 

with a mechanical stage attachment:

 

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/mechanical-stage/p/MI-MESTAGE/

 

 

I've also looked at this one on Amazon (I would add a mechanical stage attachment to it):

 

http://www.amazon.com/AmScope-40x-1000x-Cordless-Biological-Microscope/dp/B004UOR2XU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=13EHGRQAQ5UOR&coliid=I3B9QOOU09QY5R

 

 

I have no idea if college students generally take their own microscopes to college, but if they do, I would probably go for one with a 100x oil immersion objective like the first one I linked. Hope that helps a little.

[Miss Marple]

I think it would be a rare college that would require a microscope for an undergraduate. None of my boys have had to purchase one. I purchased a beautiful older scope on eBay years ago. It was from a medical laboratory. It is binocular which I love and has excellent components. I purchased it for about $200 (with shipping). It is supposedly worth well over $1,000. We used it a lot, but now it is just sitting in the closet. Purchase a decent scope, but don't spend a fortune.

[Arcadia]

ETA: if they take their own microscope to college or university, I'd be willing to put more money toward the initial purchase to avoid going through this hunt again in 4 years.

 

No one have to bring a microscope to college :) The student labs would have sufficient to go round while the research labs usually have the high end ones that are too costly to buy.

[Parrothead]

Thanks everyone. The not bringing it to college is helpful.

[Walking-Iris]

I don't think a single person I knew in college brought their own microscope. Any student going into fields needing regular microscope work and even those kids who aren't are using the ones in the labs.

[amsunshine]

I wanted to post an update on my thoughts on microscopes. I think I've come up with a good "middle ground" option: We won't get one with a 100x oil objective for now. However, I want to be able to have the option of putting in a 100x objective in the future for high school if we want/need it. I just need to make sure I get a microscope that has a 1.25 abbe condenser and iris diaphragm already on it. So, this is the one we'll be getting: http://www.hometrainingtools.com/home-advanced-led-microscope/p/MI-4100LMS/ It has everything we'll probably need, and if we decide to get a 100x oil objective for further studies, like this one: http://www.hometrainingtools.com/objective-lens-100xr-din/p/MI-OBJ100/, we can use it in place of the 4x objective. Now, all I have to do is wait for an HST sale. :laugh: Hope this helps someone trying to decide between either a 400x or 1000x scope.

[Parrothead]

Thanks.

[CritterMom]

I think I would ask how interested they are in science? My DD LOVES science. At 12 years old, she is so advanced beyond what books I can find for her. The textbooks/resources that we use for science are good for knowledge, but it's hard to satisfy that curiosity and urge for her learn more. We bought her a microscope for Christmas and I've found that she is learning things that she wouldn't typically learn in the classes we have. She finds things and sticks them under the microscope. But at her age she isn't just looking at how neat it looks, she's analyzing things, looking at the differences, etc. We bought the "AmScope 40X-2000X Biological Binocular Compound Microscope with Mechanical Stage". Amscope also has several types of boxes with prepared slides in them. They are expensive but it's very interesting. I also bought her a kit and book that teaches her how to make her own dry and wet slides.

[Parrothead]

I went with the first one amsunshine linked in post 2. It is great that right now it is on sale. Otherwise I couldn't afford it.

[amsunshine]

I went with the first one amsunshine linked in post 2. It is great that right now it is on sale. Otherwise I couldn't afford it.

 

 

Yay! Don't forget to post your review about it.