The Microscope Site: Top 10 Microscope Buying Tips

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Top 10 Microscope Buying Tips

Before buying a microscope, consider the following tips and guidelines:

1. Never buy a microscope from a department store, nature/science store or toy store. These are ALWAYS of poor quality and will end up not being used or in the trash.



2. Spend a minimum of $200 for a quality beginner student-hobbyist microscope.



3. Make sure there are no plastic parts. This is particularly important for the microscope frame, focusing system, and screw fasteners.



4. Buy a microscope that adheres to the DIN standard, otherwise forget about trying to replace a lens, lamp or other microscope part.



5. Get a microscope with separate coarse and fine focus adjustments. Avoid microscopes with a single "intermediate" focus or just with a coarse focus adjustment.



6. Stay away from tungsten (incandescent) lighting systems. Fluorescent illumination is great for most hobbyist and student use.
   
   If you are purchasing a binocular microscope, halogen lighting is preferred because of its brightness. Halogen lighting is also preferred in medical and research microscopes. In this case, get a microscope with a dimmer, which decreases the heat also.



7. At a minimum, look for glass achromatic lenses. These will serve you well for most student, school, and hobbyist applications.
   
   The next grade up are semi-plan lenses. Plan optics are the best, but are quite expensive and best suited for professional applications.



8. Purchase a microscope with a slip clutch, which will allow the focus knob to slip (turn in place) without damaging the microscope focus system. This is a must for schools.



9. Consider a microscope with a mechanical stage. This is usually optional on student microscopes, and standard on medical and laboratory microscopes.



10. Lastly, consider a microscope with an iris diaphragm instead of a disk diaphragm. An iris diaphragm makes it much easier to adjust while using the microscope.