OMAX 40X-2000X Lab LED Binocular Compound Microscope with Double Layer Mechanical Stage and Coaxial Coarse/Fine Focusing Knob

• Total magnification: 40X-80X-100X-200X-400X-800X-1000X-2000X; Eyepieces: wide field WF10X and WF20X; Objectives: achromatic DIN 4X, 10X, 40X(S), 100X(S, Oil); Viewing head: 45 degrees inclined 360 degrees swiveling binocular; Sliding adjustable interpupillary distance: 2-3/16inch ~ 2-15/16inch(55~75mm); Ocular diopter adjustable on both eyetubes
• Nosepiece: revolving quadruple; Stage: double layer X-Y mechanical stage with scales, size: 4-1/2inchx 4-15/16inch (115mm x 125mm), translation range: 2-13/16inch x 1-3/16inch (70mm x 30mm); Stage upward moving lock protects objectives and slides
• Condenser: NA1.25 Abbe condenser with iris diaphragm; Illumination: transmitted (lower) LED light, intensity adjustable; Focus: Coaxial coarse and fine knobs on both sides
• Full solid metal frame construction with stain resistant enamel finish; Power supply: AC/DC adapter, 7.5V/7.5W (UL approved) - Input: 100-240V
• 5-year warranty against manufacturing defects

This OMAX binocular biological compound microscope offers eight magnifications between 40X and 2000X. The lab microscope comes with a 45° inclined 360° swiveling binocular sliding viewing head, two pairs of widefield eyepieces with adjustable diopter on oculars, four achromatic objectives, stain-resistant double layer mechanical stage with scales, coarse & fine focusing on both sides, NA 1.25 Abbe condenser with iris diaphragm and variable intensity LED transmitted illumination system. This type of microscope is perfect for home school, teaching, demonstration, clinical examination, laboratories and advanced applications. It is easy to mount an electronic eyepiece (digital microscope camera) for capturing images and live video on computer. It can also be added a darkfield condenser to switch a brightfield microscope to a darkfield microscope.

                                

By Krish

I posted some days earlier that the microscope that was shipped to me had a defect: It had a broken Head piece thumb screw. This made the headpiece wobbly. Instead of shipping the product back, I wrote to MicroscopeNet and they immediately responded apologizing for the error. They also sent me a brand new head piece Thumb screw by UPS Express delivery. I am so happy with the product as well as the service. Now, I am seriously considering purchasing the eyepiece USB camera that allows one to connect to a laptop to view whats on the slide. Additionally, I will also be purchasing a Dissection binocular microscope from this vendor in the near future. I am a University Professor and I use microscopes regularly. This product is good for a starter kit for a student interested in Biology or just about anyone with an interest in observing organisms/ tissue sections under the microscope. I bought this for my daughter who is getting interested in Veterinary Sciences (she has not completed High School yet). I would say this is very good value for the price!

By mikez104

I bought this for my daughter for her birthday and was not disappointed. I researched many different units in the $200 price range. It was between the OMAX and the Amscope. I was looking for a scope that would go to 2000x and had a mechanical stage. They both had those features. I ended up going with the OMAX because the light was LED. I did not want the possibility of my daughter (9) being burned by the heat of the tungsten bulb on the Amscope.

I was not sorry with my choice. This thing is awesome. The lenses all work very well. the eye pieces are easy to swap and work very well. The iris that meters the light works as it should. The only thing I wish this had was a little more sensitivity on the fine focus. When you get up to 2000x, it is very touchy but still works fine.

My daughter and I took a piece of rock from my marine aquarium and rubbed it with a brush into some water. We made a slide from that and found so many creatures! It has been many years since my high school biology classes but we identified some of the critters. I then took a web cam and made a video of what we think was a nematode. The quality is not great as I was just holding the webcam up to th eyepiece. I have uploaded to amazon and you can also see it on youtube. Cool stuff! I zoom in a little more about half way through the video.

This is really a great unit. I would not hesitate to buy.

By Seymour M. Pelton

Let me preface this by saying, prior to purchasing this Microscope the last one I looked through was almost 70 years ago when I was in high school. I wanted a present for my Grandchildren and I thought this would be a good one. When the Microscope came I kept seeing a shadow which seemed to be right under the eyepiece, though the slide containing what I was looking at was clear and distinct where this shadow (for want of another word) was not interfering. I contacted customer service by e-mail and was surprised by the prompt and courteous answer. I explained what I was seeing and over a few e-mails rapidly back and forth of things for me to try we decided to have it sent back. I was sent an R.M.A and it was shipped back at their expense and when they found nothing wrong they paid for its return to me. As you might guess I still saw this same shadow. At this point my Grandchildren visited me and I had them look through the Microscope. They said there was no shadow and the resolution was incredible. My son believes that my cataracts are reflecting back onto the eyepiece and causing this shadow, so it turns out that the problem was mine to begin with and not theirs. I offered to reimburse them for the shipping charges since it was not any fault of the product, but they would not accept it saying that it was their responsibility to solve all our customer's concerns. So you can see why I give this company 5 stars, I am very happy with the way I was treated especially since it was not their problem and I have some happy Grandchildren.

Mike Pelton

By Leaf

Our microscope arrived on time and well packaged. It came with a sheet with an address to download a pdf of the manual. It also came with two links to helpful YouTube videos for setting it up and taking it down. To find these videos you can simply search for the name of the microscope on YouTube. It was easy to set up and right away we were looking at things. I purchased this microscope to use with my children's homeschool studies. I also purchased the Celestron Digital Microscope Imager 44421 so we could all see what was on the screen at the same time. The microscope is easy to use and the controls feel natural. I feel this is a solid piece of equipment for the price. It certainly works just as well as any that I used in school.

    

By Linda

This is a great quality microscope for the price! I am quite impressed! It is perfect for home/student use, and perhaps even a small clinic. Although it is not as durable as the ones we use at my university (which obviously need to be quite durable because of constant use and abuse), it is still a great quality microscope. The stage adjusts smoothly, also the X-Y axis adjustments are much more smooth than the ones at school (which is crucial at 800x and higher). The LED light is much better and clearer than the traditional bulb light which can be a bit yellowish sometimes. The condenser is tight yet smooth for accurate adjustments. This microscope is easy to assemble and the ocular lenses are easy to adjust and change. The dual-sided coarse and fine focus knobs are convenient, allowing for a left or right handed person to adjust the focus more comfortably. This microscope is a great value and I am very pleased with this purchase! :-)

By Tomek

I originally left a 1 star review after I had a bit of an issue with the product I received. However, I am working with a guy named "Andrew" from this company. He's helping me find a resolution. Andrew has been extremely helpful and professional thus far. It seems like this company goes above any beyond to make you happy with your purchase and for that reason I recommend them.

Edit: 05/21/12

My microscope was replaced and I must say I am impressed by the quality. This is not a toy. Comparing this to a $2500 compound Nikon I use at my place of employment, the only difference I see is the brand name.

I'm very happy with my purchase. Feel free to message me or comment here if you have any questions.

By -on 

First: the highest magnification objective lens is oil immersion only. You must put a drop of oil on your slide cover and then lower the lens into the oil to focus on anything. You must NOT do that with the other three lenses.

This is what allows the 2000x mag: light goes through oil instead of unsteady air. It's a fantastic feature at this price. Don't worry though, you can be happy just using the other 3 lenses, which is what I plan on using mostly.

**If you didn't know what oil immersion objective meant-know is the time to research 'microscopy techniques' along with 'microscope slide preparation' and 'cell staining' techniques and 'dark field' vs 'light field'-- illumination'. Basically: this is a 'real' microscope, and you should learn how to operate it in the proper manner to use it at its fullest. With that said, except for the 4th lens they throw in (oil immersion) a little kid could easily figure out all the features. There is supposed to be a slip of paper with address to download a manual-but I didn't see it. There are tons of omax videos on you tube if you need help.

I chose the LED light because: they run cold so it won't kill live pond cells like a hot halogen would. They also last longer.

So, how is this scope? Well it's better than what I used in high school and Chem I in university. It's way better than my 4 cheapie Tasco-style garage sale scopes and my homemade macrobellow system.

Assembly was easy: loosen knob at top to remove top cover. Remove clear cap on underside of head unit. Place head unit on top of scope and re-tighten knob. Pop in the eyepieces: my 20x were **really** tight and hard to install, but it's 40 degrees here and the metal holes that they fit into may have contracted a bit. Just be patient and they'll go in. That's it!! Oh, and plug it in for light.

The objectives are parfocal, meaning when you switch between them you only have refocus using the fine-focus knobs a little. Great feature which makes using it even more of a pleasure. There is a dimmer switch for the LED, and also a diaphragm under the stage-which was half closed when shipped: slide it open for even more light. Again, if you don't know what these terms mean you should start researching 'how to use a microscope'.

Optics appear flat and focused edge-to-edge, which is the opposite of many telescope mirrors I deal with~but that's another story. Each eyepiece spins for diopter adjustment, and the eyepieces slide apart for interpuppillary adjustment. Focus with one eye closed using the focus knobs, then switch eyes and focus that eye buy turning that eyepiece itself. Now open both eyes: both will be focused but you'll have double vision: slide the eyepieces further and closer apart. At some point the double vision goes away and in a snap you get a very wide-field view: a single view. It a little like those 'magic eye' optical illusion posters: once you get it-you get it. But it might take a few minutes of fiddling.

Delivery: I just joined amazon prime as a guest and this was the first thing I bought. It arrived (to Detroit) in less than 48 hours. It came with all the accessories listed and a nice cover too. It comes with a green filter in case you get chromatic flaring: but that's why the scope doesn't cost **literally** 15x more (at a minimum).

I love this microscope, and wished I had bought it earlier. A hearty 5 stars!!!

By Inspector Gadget

I have a B.S. in Biology from 1977. I have never used my degree for anything except as a hobby. I have a small goldfish pond about 10 ft X 5 ft. I took a pond water sample and found a couple of protozoan in the slides that I made. A picture of one of them is shown in "customer's pictures" for this microscope here on Amazon. I have only had the microscope for a week but am enjoying it very much so far. I plan to use it mostly for medical study and bacteria cultures, but haven't started that yet.

The mechanical stage is very good for referencing objects on your slides. It is smooth and precision. The Oil Immersion lens is excellent on this scope. The focusing is also smooth and precision. I took the picture shown for this product at Amazon with a digital camera 12.1 mp by holding the lens against the eyepiece and snapping a picture. It works pretty good and takes decent videos too. It is hard to align the lenses perfectly by hand, so I will make a plastic adapter that will keep them both centered.

I reviewed several microscopes before purchasing this one, and I have not been disappointed. It is better than the ones we used in high school and college. I would recommend purchasing this microscope. I purchased through Amazon and the microscope arrived in about a week and a half. It ships from Canada through UPS.

By A Billy T

My 8-year-old son wants to be a marine biologist, and got a fishtank for his birthday. We're moving away from mindless toys and getting him things he can use to explore the world. When given the choice between a telescope and microscope he wanted a microscope so that he could see the microbes living in the tank with his fish.

This was going to be my first microscope purchase, and I wanted to get something that was not a toy, but would serve him now and far into the future (read "high school"). I did a lot a research, and decided to go with this OMAX LED (won't heat up and cook the slides or burn the boy) binocular (much more comfortable for viewing) microscope. This microscope definitely delivers the goods! All the pieces were secure in its styrofoam packing case and once put together, everything worked perfectly. It is true that there is not much of a manual, but I really did not need one to put the microscope together and only needed to view the YouTube video once to really understand the features. The microscope is solid and heavy, and the eyepieces more than survived some excitement-induced clumsiness on the part of my son (he dropped one...twice). You MUST purchase glass slides and glass covers (I made sure to do so), and you might consider also purchasing iodine and a couple of other stains (pay attention, Amazon...I had to get the stains somewhere else!), but within 20 minutes we were looking at onion cells, plant cells from leaves from houseplants, and other cool stuff.

From looking online at various pictures of various things, we'll be able to see most of the things we want at 400-1000x magnification (onion cells were clearly visible at 200x), but the extremely high (and much lower) power will give us a ton of flexibility. Once the other stains get here, we'll be able to look at those fish tank microbes, blood and other cells—just about anything.

If I'm going to plop down my hard earned money, I better get what I pay for. This microscope is definitely delivers the goods, and I'm looking forward to years of looking at the invisible world with my son.

By brewstergalVT

I'm a homebrewer and I was looking for a microscope with which I could count yeast cells and check yeast viability. I didn't want to spend $500+ on a hobby microscope and my husband found this one for me! The image on 400x is great for counting cells with my hemocytometer (which I bought somewhere else) and it's very handy having the 20x eyepieces so that I can get an even better look at the yeast without having to deal with the oil objective lens (which works fine but is a little bit of a hassle to use and clean, BTW the immersion oil is included with the microscope). This is perfect for the nerdy homebrewer like myself. The image is just as good as the microscope used at a local brewpub here (which is a heavy duty college type microscope).

Only 2 very minor complaints:
First, you have to assemble the microscope (which is simple) by attaching the top eyepiece section to the base but the hole for the thumb screw that you use to screw the two together was poorly drilled (but then it's an inexpensive microscope). Once together it seems fine but the screw does stick out such that you wouldn't want someone using your microscope without knowing that this screw should not be touched.
Second, while the instructions downloaded were generally fine, the instructions for interpupillary adjustment (3.3, page 5) read 'hold the left and right eyepiece tubes and slide the tubes in and out' when it should read ' hold eyepiece tubes and move them apart or closer together'.

This is a great microscope for homebrewers. Great images for under $200 - well worth the money!! Just don't forget to get a hemocytometer or at the very least some slides and cover glass. So much fun for so little money!!