My First Lab Microscope MFL-02 Reviews

• Great Value.

  
  By AARJHZA19RT09 on 2002-02-09
  I am a chemistry professor and I was sceptical that a microscope for under $100 could be any good at all since I had several of them when I was a kid that were marginal at best. Often buying a kid a microscope or telescope that is marginal can result in turning them off rather than sparking their interest, I have and use microscopes in my lab that cost from $1000 to $10000 and so I know what a good optical system looks like. This little microscope was an amazing value. There is not much plastic and the optical quality is quite acceptable. The built in light works very well. How they can make a microscope this good for under $100 is amazing to me since you couldn't even buy one objective for most instruments they sell to labs for this price. I strongly urge anyone to not spend less than this on a microscope and go for this one! The only small criticism is that they could have had a few more slides in the box or some diatomaceous earth to keep the kids busy until summer when we can collect pond water etc.
  
  

• Great Value

  
  By A2XAC5WVER3WZF on 2002-09-19
  After testing a cheaper "kid's" microscope for my nephew, we ended up returning that one to purchase this one. My husband, a biology teacher, likes the design and features on this model. We also purchased a slide preparation kit from a science supply company, however the 5 prepared slides included with the scope were enough to get us started. From our own experience, we agree with the chemistry teacher - buying a cheaper scope (which claimed to have higher magnification)would have only led to frustration for the child when he attempted to view the slides. Everything on this scope was clear. This was a good value for the money.
  
  

• Excellent quality

  
  By AXNHGDKNFVWE on 2004-10-14
  This was purchased for my son's 13th birthday. I had looked at microscopes in the $25-50 range, figuring it would get beat up quickly, so why spend very much. A store had one of those cheaper ones set up, and I was very disappointed in the brightness and distortion at the edges, and it felt cheap. So, I jumped up another notch and purchased the My First Lab microscope for 90 bucks. For about twice the price, this thing is 100 times better! It is very bright and completely free of distortion. The eyepiece is easy to look into with a wide field (compared to some where it was impossible to hold your head still enough to peep through). We've looked a all sorts of things, but the most fun is to put a few leaves and a sprinkle of dirt into some water, let it sit a few days, and then look at a drop under the scope. Little critters swimming everywhere! My kids can't get enough of it.
  
  
  
  
  

• Best "Toy" we ever bought!

  
  By A2PXDLS0FD9YVD on 2004-01-11
  After pouring over dozens of microscopes to possibly buy our 8-year-old daughter for Christmas, we found this one with the few, but good, reviews on Amazon. We were not disappointed. I know nothing about chemistry and have never used a microscope. We had this out of the box and running smoothly within 10 minutes. The instructions are very simple and the quality is exceptional. I have heard that poor quality plastic microscopes often dissuade children from pursuing science because they are so frustrating and disappointing. This one is great. It comes with five slides that show up really well. They are fascinating to look at and we spent all day gathering other items to look at. Our daughter likes science even more, and now she's anxious to take the microscope to class to show her friends. She's used it many times since Christmas and hasn't grown tired of it. I think she'll enjoy it even more when summer arrives. Some of the slides, such as frog's blood or mosquito head parts, sound gross, but they actually are unexpectedly pretty and colorful. Although it is supposed to be for children age 11 and up, our 8-year-old had no problems with it. The microscope is sturdy, nonfussy, and should hold up fine with any older child that wouldn't knock it off a table. I have never rated a toy higher than this one. Highly recommended!
  
  

• worth the money!

  
  By on 2003-11-28
  My 10 and 8 year old daughters have no trouble operating this durable, easy to use microscope. And the magnification is excellent!! They are forever looking at whatever they can find in the house, from ladybugs to onion skins. It uses a light bulb instead of a mirror, and even at 400X it is very clear. I was worried about the amount of cash I was spending on what was to be just an educational "toy", but was NOT disappointed! This will be useful for a very long time.
  
  
• Excellent Product!
  By A5RG5NIGQ83LC on 2007-09-06
  This microscope was a great fit for our small private school; we bought 2 of them and they leave our former econo-models in the dust. The microscope is sturdy and well built and has weight to it so it's not sliding around. While there aren't separate "coarse and fine" adjustment knobs, the adjustments are sensitive enough to easily focus as needed. It comes with 5 premade slides and a dust cover. Only thing I'd add would be some basic cleaning (lens) paper and a catalog for replacements or accessories; for example, light bulbs.
  But for high school Biology, we couldn't be happier with our "find". Try finding a decent microscope that's more than $20-30, but less than $150! This one fills the gap nicely.
  
  
• no frills robust
  By on 2004-07-03
  I bought this recently and am happy with it. Several points:

  1. It arrived promptly, but padding was on three sides of the
  box, with one side unpadded, so that shipping wasn't perfect.

  2. The box only has a US address, and does not mention
  "Made in China" which can be found only on the bottom of
  the microscope.

  3. There were only five slides, and 2 page handout (manual),
  I would have expected a better manual and explanations
  if it was meant to be use as a toy by new comers.

  4. (...).

  5. I consider the electric light a non-essential, since
  the table lamp also allows lighting from top for
  object not a slide.

  6. I realized later, I paid 10% tax + 10% shipping, so a local
  store might have been a better deal.

  In summary, it is a robust no frills medium power microscope.
  But it cut corners on the manual and essential accessories.

  I am sure every kid who got this as a present will have
  to figure out how to get accessories (and how is he/she
  supposed to know which ones are essential?). Unless they
  use it as a supplement to school work. I wish there was
  more choices in this range (...) on Amazon, since it
  is a convienient place to buy, and I reviews for this
  product convinced me my money was well spent.
  
  

• Great microscope!
  By A226H6JJ7H91JR on 2007-05-14
  I bought six of these for my fifth grade classroom. Great instrument for the money.
  
  
• SWEET!
  By on 2004-04-23
  I got a plastic microscope for (...), (...), and it was a piece of junk. It was all plastic and didn't work properly. We returned that one, and saw this one on Amazon with all of the great reviews, and decided to get it.
  It has very nice picture quality and is all metal. It isn't all that expensive either considering the quality it is. The only downer is that it doesn't have blank slides. It does have some very nice prepared slides though.
  
  
• A good birthday present to improve scientific acumen in your kids
  By A2MR33FRO8783E on 2007-11-05
  This is a very good way of giving your kids a direction towards learning. My kids are 5 yrs and 8 yrs old. They loved the microscope. I also brought prepared slides on Amazon. Now almost every saturday/ Sunday me an my kids see the micro world. We have a drawing-board on which I draw a rough diagram of what we see. We also brought plain glass slides and plastic cover slips from a local store. We routinely dissect plants/ leaves etc. My kids bring back dead insects and we watch their wings, legs (My kids first thought it creepy but started enjoying the unseen)
  
  I recommend this product
  
  
• My 1st Lab Microscope
  By on 2003-12-11
  When I received this microscope, the light bulb was shattered and I had to replace it $3. I think the reason being not enough packing bubble was used. It only surrounded the box on three sides, which left the one side and top and bottom unprotected. I think this is the best microscope for the money, but the packing could have been much better.
  
  
• Exceptional beginner microscope
  By A2BPF9QNAJHB45 on 2005-01-03
  I bought this microscope for my daughter, age 5, to answer her questions relating to how things grow or how people get sick. Explaining bacterial or viral infections and cell mitosis just isn't the same as showing it and giving a point of reference to understand the microscopic world. Now she has that point of reference and her wonder at the microscopic world has just begun.
  
  This microscope came with 5 excellent slides that show plant and animal cells and insect parts.
  
  We looked at salt, rice, sugar, hair, onions cells and root tip cells which further amazed her.
  
  The quality of this microscope is amazing for the price. I used very expensive microscopes in several of my classes (i.e. bacteriology, embryology) and the lenses of this microscope rival the expensive ones. The stage dosn't have a left / right, forward / backward adjusting wheels on it so you have to manually move the slides around. But the price for the quality makes this microscope one of my daughters favorite gifts.
  
  
• Very Fun!!!
  By A14TMKO6K8KFRA on 2004-03-11
  When I recieved this telescope for my Birthday, I was very excited!!!! When I began to use it, I wasn't disapointed at all!!
  This so called "toy" I very good for education and fun, it is also very durable.
  Before I recieved this I got a cheap one from the "Toys R' Us". It claimed to be very high magnified, and to work well.
  I tried it and was very disapointed, there was no metal and when you changed the slide, it didn't change the picture!!
  I immediately returned it.
  This microscope has worked perfectly. It has perfect focus, and some cool prepared slides. If you are looking for a fun, educational, affordable Microscope, This is for you. On this microscope, there is a ton of magnification and there is almost no plastic!!!
  It is perfect for anyone 10+.
  
  
• Very nice instrument!
  By A2J7B5IFAGTDEB on 2007-11-06
  Received in excellent condition, quickly! Grandson loves the microscope and I hope it serves him for many years. For the price the quality was quite unexcpectedly good!
  
  
• Arrived in unusable condition
  By AMLEJGR6ZGAOF on 2005-05-09
  (...) The microscope is metal which I like however it arrived unusable. I can't comment on the optics because I can't see anything through the lens--very disapointing. Amazon on the other hand is great, they are already sending me a replacement. I hope that this was a fluke and that I will be satisfied with the replacement.
  
  
• very cool microscope
  By on 2005-06-15
  I got the microscoe 3 days after i ordered it when i got it was very cool i really hated science but now i love it. It includes 5 slides of stuff like frog blood cotton etc. I thought it included blank tabs and you put your oun stuff on it but you cant this is a great first microscope!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  
• Fantastic scope for beginner or advanced
  By AUQBM8793F3OF on 2006-02-04
  I bought this scope for my granddaughter's Christmas present, and it is impressively built. Unfortunately, right out of the box, the head was loose, (but was fixed by tightening the three deeply recessed set screws with a jeweler's screw driver, even thought at first glance it appeared they were missing.), and to make matters worse, the bulb had blown during a factory test, and not replaced. So, if you are planning on buying one of these, get a spare bulb, which has no part number on it, so I am giving it to you here, and write it down,...15T7/CL/DC. Shop wisely, because these bulbs will range anywhere from $1.50 to $10.00. The microscope was excellent otherwise, and had high quality optics, and great "seeing". The light source is excellent, and is the best I have seen in an affordable microscope. It made me want to buy one for myself! This is definitely the one to buy if you want an affordable microscope, and I would recommend you spend the extra $40.00 or so over the cheaper ones to upgrade to this one.
  
  
  
• My first Microscope
  By AJ4KZ18DUOFEF on 2005-10-09
  For the cost of this microscope.
  It is a very effective microscope.
  And easy to use.
  
  I use for running fecal's on my goats.
  And will let all other goat raisers.
  Know this is the microscope to get.
  
  
  
• Sooooo happy with this microscope!!!
  By A2Z60PVKWFO3SW on 2006-01-06
  We are using this microscope as amateurs - for general curiousity and eventually for homeschooling - and it has been just wonderful. It is also much easier to use than I remember my high school microscope being 25 years ago.
  
  This scope is easy to focus and use (although I hesitate to let my 6 and 8 year old focus it at 40x due to the risk of cracking a slide), and it has bright lighting, crystal clear images, and sturdy metal construction!!
  
  I initially balked at the price tag, but after the kids received an inexpensive scope that was terribly frustrating for them because they couldn't get a clear image (it had a mirror underneath that you had to move to reflect light), I decided to purchase this one.
  
  This is such a timeless gift. And $100 spread across the next 10 years and three kids is really quite a good value!!
  
  
• Great for Beginners
  By A1CTENLKQ153RW on 2005-04-01
  All Metal construction, decent objective lenses, integrated light source, fine and coarse focus knobs, a small specimen kit, and a very good price all add up to make this an outstanding purchase for the budding scientist.
  
  This microscope would do well in a high school lab or even as a solid backup in an undemanding college lab.
  
  I bought one for a twelve year girl, and she has no idea how to use it, but she's willing to try, especially since we know it will WORK unlike the plastic garbage being sold in the sub-hundred dollar range.
  
  This is a good buy.
  
  
• Poor quality control
  By A2SOC1WAT9B5BN on 2005-10-03
  This appears to be a nice student microscope but arrived without at least three screws that hold the head onto the rest of the microscope. Not especially happy with this for 99 dollars.
  
  
• It's a real microscope
  By A1232BWZHX1PTT on 2006-05-15
  I am a cell biologist and use microscopes daily in the lab. This microscope was purchased for my six year old son as a birthday gift. It gives bright and clear views with three objectives (4x, 10x, 40x), and it is easy to manipulate for a six year old. It has clean simple outlines and a very steady structure. It's a real microscope and great buy at that price.
  
  
• Great Microscope for Kids
  By A3Q2EJW00LTR1F on 2008-01-02
  I ordered this for my son for Christmas. He is thrilled with it. Easy to use and it seems quite sturdy. Works on batteries so it can be used anywhere. Plan to try our rechargeables but have not done so yet. The coolest feature is that this microscope is also lit from the top. That means you can use it as sort of a high-quality magnifying glass, too. You are not limited to looking at things that can go on a slide and be looked "through." You can put a penny or a fingernail or a piece of your sister's hair on there and see it magnified greatly... Which is exactly what we were all doing on Christmas morning.
  
  This included a few slides and an instruction booklet.
  
  
• disappointed
  By A2IA1YJN30F739 on 2008-01-26
  I had the same problem with ShopZeus as another reviewer. We were disappointed in the microscope. It is technically a fine microscope but after you look at the 5 sample slides, what then? There is nothing that can be used to make more slides, you'd have to buy that separately. I hit a dead end trying to return it. There needs to be a number provided by ShopZeus before you can return anything. I emailed asking for this number and never heard back. Amazon replied promptly to my help request and refunded the money but asked that I return the item to ShopZeus. I couldn't find an address for the company on their website, Amazon's website or the box. What a pain. Take a look at Eye-Clops. It was a great hit.
  
  
• Decent first microscope
  By A1HMJCBUY3ZOT8 on 2006-12-13
  We purchased this for my son for his birthday. For a child's microscope, it is a very good value. However, as a child's microscope, it isn't as sturdy as I would hope. The eyepiece had come off relatively soon out of the box. The first time it happened, we were able to screw the piece back in, but the second time it happened, something broke it in. We are still able to use it, but have to balance the eyepiece in the microscope while viewing.
  It comes with a dust cover, which is very handy to keep clean and nice.
  A recommendation is to find a place with extra slides, as this only comes with a few prepared slides and any inquisitive child will lose interest in those quickly (and if there isn't anything new, may lose interest in the microscope itself quickly).
  
  

• Learning Resources Prepared Slides Combination Set, 48 Specimens
• World of the Microscope (Science & Experiments Series)
• Clear Glass Slides - 72 per box
• Clear Glass Plain Microscope Slides, 72 Slides Per Box
• Celestron 44410 Prepared Microscope Slides (25-Piece Set)