Microscope for Kids Science Kit, Beginner's Microscope Kit Blue/White with LED 80X 200x and 450x Magnification Science Toy, Educational Toy Birthday Gift for Boys & Girls

I got this for my kids, ages 8 and 7, to help foster their interest in biology. For a low cost, this microscope was a great gateway for them to start understanding things on a more cellular level.What stands out about this product.1.) The three magnification levels. All worked great. My kids got a kick out of seeing what they were observing in specimens get larger and more specific. While this is designed simply as a childrens’ toy, it’s a little more complex than any simple microscope.2.) The bright light made viewing very easy.3.) Ease of use. My kids not only enjoyed checking out specimens, but thought it was hilarious to put their stickers in the zoom and see what they looked like magnified. (Give kids an idea and they’ll run with it, right?) Favorite thing to check out yet: a bit of cat hair. The kids thought the strands looked “really cool” zoomed in at 200x.As advertised, the kit comes with extra slides and other tools to retrieve and set up specimens for viewing.Definitely recommend this product.

The microscope is poorly built, does not come with any instructions how to use it (or the tools that come with it) and care for it. At this price point I do not expect of supremely high build materials (its made of plastic, mostly), but I at least expect to be well built and durable. It was not - the knob that moves the slide mount to adjust focus jammed within minutes of use and wobbles a lot - making focusing difficult and frustrating. Not something a kid will want to do.Mine did not even come with the 9 slides the description mentions (it came with 4 blanks and 1 prepared). There are no instructions on how to attach the phone to the microscope, or even what phones will work with the provided mount. One of the worst purchases I've ever made.

The microscope is very a great price for a nice looking and sturdy piece. It is small and light enough for a small child to handle. It is very cute miniature version of a microscope with a lift adjuster, four color filters to examine your specimens, 3 objectives lens, and the eye piece moves in a 360 degree. I appreciate the included auxiliary tools which made it even cooler to use the microscope. The item does use 3 AA batteries that is not included. It does a good time magnifying item. The item is recommended for ages 8 years or older. It makes for a great gift or a nice decorate item in a room.

It’s a cheap plastic microscope. If you expect much at this price then you’re going to be disappointed. It met my expectations. I bought it to use as a prop and it actually works perfectly for that purpose. If you want a toy for your child who is interested in microbiology, and aren’t ready to invest in a real microscope it’ll probably be perfect. Much else and I think you’ll want to look for something at least twice the price of this fella.

I was actually pretty disappointed. I realize now that all the reviews are from people who gave this as a gift, and yeah, any kid is going to be excited about a microscope no matter the quality. However, actually *using* it was another story.My husband, myself, and my son all tried focusing on a leaf with all 3 magnification settings, but none of us were able to be super successful. You could sort of see the veins, but the rest was just a blur of green and it was extremely easy to knock it out of focus. I attempted to use some feather fibers on a slide as well as the included pre-prepped slide it came with, with the same issue of not being able to dial in clarity. It was just way too blurry to see anything other than what you could perceive with the naked eye regardless of what magnification you use. Another big issue is the table the slide sits on is extremely unstable and even nudging the magnification dial even just extremely slightly, would alter the table to a strong degree so whatever you are looking at shifts so much that if it is small like the piece of pine on the prepared slide, it disappears from view entirely and it's extremely hard to find it again and go through the process of losing it again as you try to focus on it. 400x magnification is what is needed to see cells, and one of the magnifications is 450x, but there were definitely no cells in sight.I will say that this could be a fun starter toy for kindergartners, but certainly NOT a good learning toy for older grades. The supplies it comes with are plastic and extremely dull so I feel it would be safe for smaller children in case anyone is wondering about that. I could easily stab my hand multiple times with the "scalpel" and it didn't hurt more than stabbing myself with the corner of a LEGO.For that, I will at least give it 2 stars as an exciting toy for a young child, but if you are looking for a microscope to use for real science study for 1st grade and up, I would suggest finding something else.

The microscope itself is pretty decent, and we love the phone attachment which make it easier for multiple people to see at once. However, its hard to adjust the focus. Once you find the object in the lens, you have to adjust the focus by turning the black knobs which raises and lowers the platform. The problem is that if you turn it one direction, and then turn it the opposite direction (as if you are bringing the object into focus, pass the optimal point, and then try to go back to it) the knobs catch and it changes the pitch of the platform angeling it downward so the object is no longer in front of the lens. Then you have to correct the platform, find the object again and try to focus it again without losing sight of the object. I will try lubricating the knobs to see if that helps, but it seems like a design flaw to me.