Best Microscopes 2022

If your child has been interested in the study of natural sciences since early childhood, then try to support his hobby. There are many lawyers and economists, but there are few scientists in Our Country, and not only in Our Country. Maybe the child will not become a scientific luminary, however, his keen interest and craving for knowledge will definitely help in life. A microscope would be a good gift. Today, this device is available not only in laboratories. Good models for children are inexpensive, and they give a decent picture. KP has compiled a selection of the best baby microscopes available for sale in 2021.

Top 10 rating according to KP

Editor’s Choice

1. LEVENHUK Rainbow 50L PLUS

Five color schemes of this model of a microscope for a child are available for sale. All are pretty bright and pretty. Supplied in a quality case. Rich equipment: a set of anatomical sections of plants, jars with marine organisms, tweezers, two-fold Barlow lens, tweezers, batteries, power supply. Monocular – where the researcher looks, rotates 360 degrees. Convenient for group work. It is bad that the standard eyepiece has a landing diameter less than the width of the micro eyepiece. Therefore, it can be used comfortably only with a Barlow lens. Otherwise it will hang out. Immediately there are three lenses in the turret. To focus, you need to rotate the handle of the object stage and its position will change vertically. This is standard practice in these models. It’s good that the manufacturer did not stint on the steel focusing mechanism. It is more reliable than plastic counterparts. The table is illuminated from above and below by LEDs. You can adjust the brightness.

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2. Micromed 100-900x

The microscope is delivered in a good plastic case. Everything you need to get out of the box and start experiments has already been added to the kit: reagents, tools. There is an instruction in . The tripod is made of metal, and the optics, despite the price, are made of glass. The handles are tight, but this is rather a plus, since it will not be possible to knock down the focus with a careless movement. Filters are built into the aperture disk under the stage, which rotates to better match the illumination. The battery compartment is opened by unscrewing the screws, so have a small screwdriver ready. The lighting here is combined: a mirror plus an incandescent lamp. The electrical source is built into the back of the lamp. An interesting decision worth commending.

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3. BRESSER National Geographic 300x-1200x

Two well-known brands have teamed up and produce good samples of optical instruments. Among them is a microscope for a child, worthy of mention in the ranking of the best. On the box is an indication of age – from six years. All packaged in two neat boxes. In the first, the device itself is already assembled and ready for use. In the second set for research: five bottles of different sizes, pipette, spatula, scalpel, tweezers, glass for samples. The device is small, the base is cast from metal. This is a big plus for durability. Made in Germany, by the way. The mirror, like the models above, contains a lamp on the back. Only here it is LED, which is more convenient. There is even a spare included. In summary, we note that this is a high-quality sample of a microscope for schoolchildren, with which you can immerse yourself in the microcosm. Only there is an important caveat: the device is difficult to get into sharpness. Do not leave your child alone with the device. Help me figure out how to focus, otherwise the tool will end up on a dusty shelf.

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What other microscopes are worth paying attention to

4. LEVENHUK LabZZ M101

At the beginning of our review of the best microscopes for children in 2021, we talked about the more expensive model of this company. This one is three times cheaper. The kit also includes a box with samples and incubators with unicellular organisms, suspension bottles, tweezers and a pipette. There is no case, but for such a price it is expected. But put a dust cover. The microscope is completely made of plastic. Build quality. Largely due to the minimization of moving parts. Only the eyepiece and the object stage rotate here – the move is smooth. Everything else is monolithic. The eyepiece has a variable magnification. That is, by rotating it, you can change the magnification from 10x to 16x. The revolver has three lenses of standard magnification for this manufacturer: 4x, 10x, 40x. Lenses can be removed to, for example, clean from dust, but change will not work. The diameter is non-standard, these are not sold in stores. Illumination is only lower. But you can adjust its intensity. Food from finger batteries.

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5. Edu Toys MS907

The design of this microscope directly says that it was made for a child, and not for experiments. For example, they sell it in a multi-colored box, and inside there is a multi-colored printing with a description of the experiments. The device itself is made of plastic, painted to look like metal. The coating is of good quality, visually it seems that it is really steel. A mirror is installed at the bottom, which, if necessary, can be turned upside down and used as a backlight. In early models they used a lamp, but then they changed to an LED. However, past variations of the model are also on sale in 2021. The lamp is powered by a coin cell battery. Includes a dozen clear glass slides. There are sample boxes. There are small flasks and a Petri dish for preparations. The performance of everything is toy. We recommend buying this microscope only for primary school students. For middle school age, it will seem toy and frivolous.

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6. National Geographic 40-640x

Please note that a similar device, only in a different color, is under the Brasser Junior brand. The manufacturer is the same, just different positioning exclusively at the marketing level. However, the version under the title of a well-known magazine has an adapter for a smartphone included. Of course, you can always assemble it yourself from cardboard, glue and a couple of rubber bands. Or buy. But you must admit that it is more pleasant when the thing is already ready for use out of the box. The kit here is rich, however, all the tools are miniature, reminiscent of children’s toys from a dollhouse. However, you can use everything for its intended purpose – understanding the world in the game. There are test tubes, tweezers, a magnifying glass, a container for growing bacteria. We put a few samples, a spare lamp and batteries. The case is made of durable plastic, so the model is very light. Lenses are the simplest, consisting of only one lens. You can’t open them up and change them.

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7. Celestron 44320

This brand used to produce many microscopes, including for children. This model is designed for students. In general, the company obviously decided to focus on serious devices, so in 2021 a small lineup of their devices remained in stores. However, this is a fairly popular model. It is made of plastic, but the optics, fortunately, are made of glass. The backlight here is combined, in other words, two bulbs – above and below. Thanks to this, it can be used not only for biological research, but also to examine, for example, small parts, coins, banknotes. There is also a mirror to redirect the light beam. The body also has a built-in light diffuser that helps reduce the intensity for better viewing of details. Its main difference from colleagues in the same price segment is the camera. It has mediocre quality for our 2021. But it’s still better than nothing. The picture is displayed on the screen via USB. You just need to install the software from the disk first. It is very simple.

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8. Eastcolight 8009

We cannot call this product a microscope in the full sense of the word. Let’s immediately define that this is an educational toy in the form of a microscope for a child. The product is often sold in children’s stores. Its price attracts. The set here is not as rich as that of competitors. Just one insect wing, a couple of plastic slides and stickers for labeling preparations. It is made entirely of plastic. If you decide to buy such a device for a child, then prepare in advance several images that you can consider. And then hand over a present, the child looks at a lonely wing for five minutes and gives up. Life hack: take literally everything loose that is in the kitchen: sugar, coffee, matches. All this can be seen in relatively detail in the local eyepiece, although the magnification is not gigantic.

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9. Science Fun Leeuwenhoek World

Once upon a time, the Dutch merchant Livenhoek discovered the microworld by simply looking through polished glass into a dirty drop of water. Today, numerous optical instruments are named after him. The assembly of this model of the microscope is of high quality, but in some places you can see the bumps that remained during the grinding of the metal. They do not affect the quality of work, just visual perfectionists can shake their heads. We praise the manufacturer for a detailed manual with experiments. Book in , which lists 77 household experiments. The case is steel, only some details, such as the case around the LEDs or the lens plating made of plastic. However, the material is solid. The manufacturer puts a set of preparations, glasses and other regular parts in the kit. Interestingly, there is even a sterile scalpel and a dissecting needle.

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10. LOMO Mikmed 5.0

Three components of the microscope are placed in the box, from which even a child can easily assemble a functioning device. Note that there is no eyepiece to look into. All information is displayed on the computer screen. Optical zoom up to 300x. Adjustment of provisions occurs thanks to brackets. They are easy to screw on and off. Focus is adjusted by a special ring. There is even a microphone through which you can record your observations. Yes, the local camera takes not only photos, but also videos. There is a special remote control with a button to take a photo and a LED regulator. The backlight lights up when the device is connected to a computer, no batteries are needed. On the computer, you first need to install the program that comes on the CD-ROM (if you find a drive) in the kit. The interface is quite simple and understandable.

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How to choose a microscope

We talked about the best models of microscopes for children presented in 2021. The teacher of the natural science circle advised KP readers on the rules for choosing a device Yuri Vlasov.

What is the device made of?

The main part of the body is called the frame. An object stage is attached to it – it can be taken out separately, or be built into the lower part. It has clamps that fix the object of study. Observation takes place through the eyepiece. Most of the time he is alone. But it is more convenient double or triple. The latter is designed to install a camera in a free cell. The lens is responsible for the magnification, which consists of several lenses.

What do the numbers mean

The eyepiece and lens have their own magnifications. Traditionally, they are indicated on the body. To find out the actual increase, you need to multiply these two numbers. For example, if the lens says 20x and the eyepiece says 10x, then the microscope will zoom in 200x.

Top or bottom lighting

From the bottom, the object is examined in transmitted light. This is used in biological research. Of the minuses – you need to make a translucent cut of the object under study. And this needs to be learned. Although many manufacturers of microscopes for children put a handy blade in the box.

The most reliable lighting option is a mirror. You direct a beam of natural light at it, and it reflects back onto the object. Some models have LED lighting. It is powerful and at the same time unpretentious to power sources – batteries or a socket, depending on the model. However, with it, eyes get tired faster, and another one visually changes the color of the object. Halogen lighting is built into expensive models, but devices with it are much more expensive. Plus they get hot.

The top light allows you to apply reflected light. It is convenient to examine objects with it: banknotes, coins, details. It can also be used in amateur biological experiments. For example, when studying insects.

What are the types of microscopes for schoolchildren

Biological. They study tissues, smears, unicellular and other living matter. The magnification range in such microscopes for children is from 40x to 1200x. They are also called educational. Considering bacteria and viruses with such a zoom will not work, but this is hardly necessary for a child.

Instrumental. They study microcircuits, details, roughly speaking, everything inanimate. They have an increase in the region of 100-300 times, since this is enough. Sometimes there are two lenses, as well as eyepieces. This is necessary to get a picture of a three-dimensional object. For example, jewelry stone.

USB. They don’t have their own eyepiece. It connects to the computer and the picture goes to the screen. Technology is great for today’s kids. The increase here on average does not exceed 20-30 times. But there is a digital zoom 200-1000x. But the image will get worse as you get closer, because the resolution of the camera is not high. For studies of living matter, they are poorly suited.

Electronic and scanning microscopes for professional laboratories.