High Power Microscopes are Most Popular

• For children, hobbyists and general use, high power microscopes are most popular as one can see the truly “invisible” things like blood cells, amoebas and bacteria.
• If you are shopping for a child, DO NOT purchase a plastic toy microscope, as it will do nothing but frustrate you and/or your child. Real microscopes, with metal frames and glass optics are what you want but are rarely found in stores. When shopping for children, look for a company that provides slides and support material with the microscope so your child will have some direction in using and enjoying the instrument.
• High power microscopes go up to 1000x and have a light under the specimen. The light on a high power microscope must pass through the specimen for you to see an image. You would not look at a coin with a high power microscope as you would only see a black circle on a white background. For most high power applications, a maximum magnification of 400x is sufficient. Microscopes that advertise 1600x or anything above 1000x are a waste of time. These microscopes will not have good resolution, and there is no sample that needs to be viewed above 1000x. More magnification is NOT always better!
• Purchase a model with a built-in light source. Models with mirrors can be hard to use and are not commonly sold today.
• There are no manufacturers of microscopes in the USA today. The best “economy” models are made in China. Some very good products come from China, but be careful as there are also some very poorly built instruments. During my time spent as a school teacher I looked at many brands and the ones I have listed below I can highly recommend. National Optical is a company based out of San Antonio, TX and they have quality instruments. Richter Optica is a brand manufactured in China, but QAd in the USA and provides quality optics at a value price. Microscope World is a dealer that carries these products and provides excellent customer service and technical support. This company also carries Swift Optical microscopes, a brand that has been around a long time and are popular in many schools across the US.

For Ages 5-12 Model 102 (about $83)

The 102 is a basic starter microscope. This microscope has magnification of 40x, 100x, and 400x. The microscope has only a coarse focus knob, no fine focus. The microscope is compact in size and has an LED illuminator that is a cordless microscope and includes recharger and rechargeable batteries. The cordless microscope can be run off the recharger. There is a 5 year warranty on this model. Shop for model 102 here.

For Ages 5-12 Model 102-Kit (about $99)

This is a basic starter microscope with 40x, 100x, and 400x magnification. The microscope has only a coarse focus knob, and no fine focus. Compact and size, with LED illumination, this is a cordless microscope that includes a recharger. The microscope can operate plugged in with the recharger or with the rechargeable batteries. The kit includes your choice of a slide kit. The microscope has a 5 year warranty. Shop for model 102-Kit here.

For Ages 9-12 Model MDS1 (about $200)

The MDS1 is used most often in middle schools. The frame is metal and the microscope has glass optics. This microscope has a carrying handle that most don’t have. The microscope has a 10x eyepiece with total magnification of 40x, 100x, 400x. This microscope is mid size (about 13″ tall) and has an LED illuminator. It is a cordless microscope and includes recharger and rechargeable batteries. The cordless microscope can be run off the recharger. Richter Optica offers a 5 year warranty on this model. Shop for this model here.

For Ages 10 – Adult Model HS-1M (about $249)

The HS-1M is a high school model that has a cool LED light (cordless rechargeable microscope) and the option to add a mechanical stage. The head rotates 360°. Magnification of 40x, 100x, 400x. Richter Optica offers a 5 year warranty on this microscope. Shop for this model here.

For Ages 10 – Adult Model HS-3M (about $385 – $495)

The HS-3M is a step above the microscope shown above and includes a built-in mechanical stage. The objectives are slightly more advanced and there is an option for 1000x magnification. The HS-3M is popular in middle school and high school biology classes. Many adults use this model as well (animal breeders, etc.) This microscope has an all metal frame, glass optics and a bright LED light which is cool and will not harm specimens. (Hot lights can kill specimens such as protozoans that may be swimming around on your microscope slide.) The microscope is available with 40x, 100x and 400x magnification (HS-3M-3), or 40x, 100x, 400x and 1000x magnification. Richter Optica offers a 5 year warranty on this model. Shop for the 400x model here (HS-3M-3) or shop for the 1000x model here (HS-3M).

For Ages 10 – Adult Swift Optical Model M3-B (about $574)

This microscope is different from most in that it allows for both low power (dissection) and high power with the same microscope. Use the 20x macro objective with the top LED light to view rocks and larger objects that will not allow light to pass through them. The stage adjusts to fit larger objects under the microscope. When ready to view slides simply adjust the stage and make sure the bottom light is on. 40x, 100x, 400x magnification for viewing all microscope slides. The microscope includes rechargeable batteries and a recharger – cordless operation can be nice with small kids running around. Swift offers a lifetime warranty on this model. Shop for this model here.

For Ages 16 – Adult Model HS-3B (about $615 – $660)

There is typically a price jump when you move from a monocular to a binocular microscope. But the HS-3B keeps this price jump fairly low. The previous models have one eyepiece, while the HS-3B has a binocular (two eyepieces) head. This microscope has a built-in mechanical stage and is available with either 40x, 100x, 400x or an option for including 1000x magnification. The light is (cool) LED. Richter Optica offers a 5 year warranty on this microscope. Shop for the binocular microscope 40x, 100x, 400x here (HS-3B-3) or shop for the 1000x model (HS-3B) here.

For Ages 16 – Adult Model UX-1 Plan Achromat Microscope (about $985)

The Richter Optica UX-1 is similar to the HS-3B shown above, with the main difference being that it comes with Plan Achromat objective lenses. Plan Achromat objectives are corrected for the curvature of the lens and provide a clear crisp image across the entire field of view (whereas when using a standard Achromat objective, the very outer edges of the circular image you view through the microscope will be slightly out of focus). The microscope is available as either binocular (2 eyepieces), or trinocular (2 eyepieces + camera port). Magnification is 40x, 100x, 400x, 1000x, LED lamp and a lifetime warranty. This microscope is appealing because it is more of an advanced microscope that can also be used cordless. This microscope has a 5 year warranty. Shop for this model here.

Adult Model Panthera E2 Binocular Microscope (about $1,118)

The binocular Panthera E2 microscope has plan UC optics and was designed for higher educational training. The microscope is available with 40x, 100x, 400x objectives with the option for 1000x. The microscope has both fine and coarse focusing and LED illumination. The Abbe condenser has a slot where a darkfield or phase contrast slider can be added. Shop for the Panthera E2 microscope here.

Adult Model RB20 Lab Microscope (about $1,205)

The RB20 laboratory microscope has Infinity Corrected Optics and is available in a binocular or trinocular model which means that it provides binocular vision plus a third tube where you can place a camera. Research quality, four powers of 40x, 100x, 400x, 1000x, LED lamp with dimmer, coaxial coarse and fine focusing. For the price, this is a very fine instrument. This microscope has a 5 year warranty. Shop for the binocular RB20B here, or the trinocular RB20T here.

You may want to view the other Microscope Buyer’s Guides here:

• Low Power Stereo Microscope Buyer’s Guide
• Digital High Power Compound Microscope Buyer’s Guide
• Digital Low Power Stereo Microscope Buyer’s Guide

Learn more about evaluating microscope quality here.