AmScope B120C Series Student & Professional LED Binocular Compound Microscope - 40X-2500X Magnification - Features Siedentopf Head & 3D Mechanical Stage

I bought this for my daughter to encourage her love of science. As a quick background, I have an extensive background in optics including years of amateur astronomy and photography. As a result, I know good glass, and I detest cheap optics. To say that I am impressed with this microscope would do a disservice to the word, "impressed". It is very solid, the optics are clear and bright, and it worked 100% out of the box. It's better than the microscopes they have at the local high school, and most importantly, she loves using it so much that we've found her getting up early to use it before school, and this is a kid that doesn't get up early for ANYTHING! I will say that for our uses, the 100x objective was of little use (at least not for now), so I bought an additional 2x objective which lets her use the scope for looking at coins, bills, and other larger objects. You'll need an external light source for this, but that's easily obtained. We'll graduate to the 100x objective eventually, but for now, we're thrilled with the new setup, and you know what? The fact that we could swap objectives is a HUGE benefit that we wouldn't get with a cheaper microscope. If I have anything negative to say, it would be that the box contained no manual. Figuring I could just download it, I went to the website where it told me to find the Customer Information Sheet, which I did. It told me to enter the code, and if there wasn't a code, I probably bought it from Amazon (which I did), and that there would be a code on the box. I entered every damn code I could find and none of them worked. Finally, in a fit of frustration, I entered the model number, and the manual popped right up. Why I have to enter a code to get a manual is beyond me, but hopefully that will help someone else. Honestly, we didn't really need the manual, but it's always nice to have. The light is very bright and can be dimmed with the dial on the side. The controls are very precise and work great. I wish they were metal instead of plastic, but if plastic knobs gets me optics like this for the price I paid, well then plastic knobs it is! Yes, I could have bought this for less elsewhere, but I went through Amazon because if there was a problem, I knew that Amazon would have just swapped it or let me return it with ease. My daughter and I have spent hours together looking at everything we could think of through her microscope. She's excited about science, is thrilled to have a real instrument, and can't wait to use it every day. Who knows? Maybe this will help mold her into a world-renound microbiologist or forensic scientist. As far as I'm concerned, it was money well spent.

I have yet to use this microscope but it appears to be a very solid built device. The reason for this review, even it I have not used the microscope, is to bring up the topic of documentation. There wasn't any. At least none for this unit. What I received was "Information & Instructions Model SME-F8BH Binocular Microscope" which is almost this unit but with the Chinese model number, almost. This appears to be for the 2000x model not the 2500x. Expecting the correct manual on the CD did not pan out either, it only contained the program and documentation for the computer connection. Going to the website AMSCOPE did not help either, because the Chinese model number did not prove valid and there was no actual model number on the unit! Eventually using a Google search, and I found others with the same problem, I eventually found out it is Model B120-E1 (its found labeled on the plain cardboard box but not mentioned in the invoice) and confirmed this was the actual US Model number. The website did not have a PDF for this model either. So why the 5 stars, with all of the effort required to just get documentation? When I called the company and talked to customer service they resolved all of my problem within 5 minutes (that is including the hold time!). The gentleman was extremely polite helpful and exact. He indicated that the manual for this unit was in the process of being written but he had a final draft that he would send me (which I received in less than a minute for model B120 series). He also told me that there is no fuse for the light, it is an LED, so ignore the one that came with unit. So assuming the optics are good I will leave it at 5 stars. But for anyone else having this documentation problem, I thought this would help. The manual was brief but covered the basics. 25 March 2014 Update So based on the documentation and use of the scope, I can now review this product . All mechanical aspects of the scope work smoothly and correctly. The light is sufficient for backlighting object or slices of object. The optics are clear and not blurred. Although I did have a little trouble with the 2500x configuration since it is an oil-immersion setup getting the focus correct. But with going back to the manual and a little internet help that issue was resolved. The computer interface has not been used very much and is a little cumbersome. I can see why a tri-optical arrangement would be very useful in a lab setting. less adjusting the focus when you switch from eyeball to computer. This is not a negative with regard to this unit as the intent was not to provide the tri feature, but the binocular. Never the less it is a nice touch to have it available for use. With the documentation and use of the scope my rating remains at 5 stars.

I purchased my AmScope B120C-E1 in 2013. I am very satisfied with this microscope. I originally purchased it for my daughter since she is working to become a physician. At the time I did not know that I too would be the one using it. I am working my way to be in the dental profession and at the time I am taking microbiology at my local college. Well, a week ago my light was out and I tested the components and the transformer went bad. I still have the 5 year warranty and I ended up contacting the company. I explained to them that I tested the equipment and I also send them my finding. Note: I am very familiar with electronics and I now how to test them. What I ended up sending them was a note with what was wrong and the tolerance. I asked them that if they could send me the parts and I can installed it myself and how much. There answer was $6 for the shipping because it was under warranty for 5 years; I received the parts withing 3 business days. They actually sent me and upgraded base with everything that I needed. The only thing that I did was: unscrew the 4 screws that hold the base together, removed the ground wire screw and the L.E.D connector. Put everything back together and done. It took me about 5 minutes tops. Tested it and it work like new. Thank you Aaron for the parts and great customer service. This is a good company with great customer service. I recommend them and their product. Note. I have read some reviews saying that the microscope is not good and that it doesn't come with instruction. There are plenty of videos online that can help you get there, and your incompetence should not be reflected on the product rating. The bottom line is.....this is a great product for the price... great for beginners and college students alike... have patience and have fun... it will be a rewarding experience.

Great scope for the buck, good images at 1000x, haven’t tried the oil immersion yet. The 5MP camera works well. It’s being used to teach a seven year old and four year old and they handle it well, focusing and moving the stage. I can see it as a decent quality lab scope or classroom scope at any level K-grad school, depending upon application. The slide holder on the stage is a weak point, it’s chintzy and slips easily over the slide rather than holding it securely in place. This little thing that really could be better done drops its rating a star. It’s manageable but disappointing.

Excellent microscope even for a novice. Just started doing fecals on my animals and so easy to adjust, can even take pics thru the lens

I bought this to do fecal exams at home for my goats and well it does the job perfectly. It feels like a very good quality microscope. I was scared it could get easily damaged but it was also packaged really well so that did not become an issue. It also comes with a plastic cover to store it. The light is adjustable, like most microscopes, but the light is so bright I actually had to keep it fairly dim because it would hurt my eyes. The image quality is great however and it brings two pairs of eye pieces and it even brought a small bottle of immersion oil i case you need it. Overall a great purchase and not that expensive compared to other microscopes.

If you want a microscope that goes well beyond the basic toy-level units yet isn’t priced like a professional research instrument, this model hits that middle ground. It gives you an expanded 40X–2500X magnification range with achromatic optics that let you see everything from plant cells to bacteria in vivid detail. The six magnification steps (40X, 100X, 250X, 400X, 1000X, 2500X) make it versatile for cover slip work and deeper exploration.

I liked the scope but the 40x objective seemed a little cloudy. There was also what looked like a spec of plastic in the scope head which caused a large black dot when viewing through the camera. You could see it while viewing through the eye pieces but wasn’t quite as bad but I bought the scope specifically to view with my daughter and make videos so we could learn about the various micro organisms we found. And the large black dot was very annoying. the black dot on the right side is in the scope.