Date:Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2018

Review:Please don't buy this until they fix the transmitted light problem. As other reviewers have noted (and I should have heeded), the illuminator in the base, which is used for viewing microscope slides, is painfully bright and not well diffused. It is simply UNUSABLE for slides as shipped. The reflected light mode (i.e., looking at solid objects using the top light) is OK. The quick and dirty solution to the problem is to put a couple of layers of tissue paper under the ground glass diffuser in the base. This reduces the light level and diffuses the light so you can look at slides. This is a somewhat messy solution, since there is still no control over light intensity. The manufacturer should, at minimum, use a ground glass diffuser that both reduces the light and diffuses it adequately. An intensity control for the lights would be highly desirable. Until they fix this, don't buy. Read more

Date:Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2018

Review:Highly disappointed as this was obviously a returned item sold as new...it is missing the 10 slide covers much needed for our biology curriculum to study our own specimens. The bottle of brine shrimp eggs was almost empty. And it was apparent the lens had been used as the were already installed and their empty little baggies included in the box. We live in a very rural area so running into a large town to track down slide covers is definitely not a walk in the park. After looking at and reading many reviews, I chose this one because it had all the little necessary items included. I, and my students, are highly discouraged by the trust factor. You pay for new, and get used. If this had come with everything promised, this rating would be quite the opposite because viewing the prepared slides and the few larger specimens we’ve looked at has been fantastic. Read more

Date:Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2016

Review:Your browser does not support HTML5 video. National Geographic Dual Microscope has surprisingly clear lens for an inexpensive microscope. The microscope has 10x and 25x lens that are easy to exchange. You simply pull to remove the lens and the next lens slides in. The distance between the two heads is adjustable, but this does not have a Diopter adjustment. You do have the Coarse Focus knob to adjust the distance from the specimen you're viewing. You have two different light sources, one from above your field of view and one below the stage that shines through the condenser lens (glass circular piece). The condenser lens comes out easily, so make sure to be careful when unboxing. Depending on what you are viewing the light source from below may still be too bright to see details. We found that if you take a small piece of wax paper and place under the glass piece it diffuses the light more and makes the specimen easier to see. There are many slides that come in a plastic case and most are already setup for viewing. (Examples: onion skin, fungi, earthworm cross section, etc.) The earthworm slide is one I would recommend diffusing more with the wax paper to see the individual layers of intestine and epidermis. This set also comes with a vile of Brine Shrimp eggs and a hatchery. The instructions to hatch the eggs are in the instruction manual. It's quite simple to make the saltwater using bottled water and salt without iodine. The eggs are supposed to hatch 24-48hrs later, but we were unable to see any hatch after waiting four full days. After research, there are many factors that could cause the eggs to not hatch, such as water was too cold, too many eggs, etc. You are instructed to place the hatchery in a window sill and it has been cold outside. With the shallow water for the eggs I fear the water may have gotten too cold. I will start the hatching process over very soon. The microscope is battery-operated and requires 2 AA batteries that are not included. Otherwise, this is a near complete starter kit for a teenager who is interested in science. I have a 7 and 6 yr old that enjoy looking through the microscope with our help. They love to find things when outside and bring in to get a closer look! Thanks for watching! Read more

Date:Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2018

Review:This little microscope would be great for beginners. The booklet that comes with it is mostly about viewing slides, but it really is better at the 20X magnification with top lighting for viewing solid objects. I put a stem of Coleus flowers under it, and I could see the pollen in the anthers and the pollen stuck to the stigma lobes. You can examine tiny flowers whole or parts of larger flowers. Small insects and leaf margins are other good specimens. I think it would work well for looking at algae and some pondwater organisms. It will not show you much detail on protozoa, but there could be a lot to see. NOTE: The directions give no warning that the diffuser glass at the base is not fastened down or that it needs to be placed with the frosted side down. There is no direction to remove the objective lenses before you turn it upside down to put in the batteries, but there should be. The objectives can fall out during this operation. To view slides, you need to change the objectives. This microscope is marginal for viewing slides mainly because its magnification is limited to 50X. The onion skin slide that comes with it was good, but the cells in many of the others are too small to see. Some of the slides have debris as well as the specimen, but they are much better than the pretend slides that come with toy microscopes. I compared the slides from this kit to my collection of slides purchased through a major educational supplier. All in all, it is quite worthwhile for use at the 20X magnification. It is plastic so it will have to be treated with care. Read more

Date:Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2017

Review:Really useful product, I bought for my kids. Similar products on the market offer 20x magnification only, and this microscope has two set of lens, one for 20x magnification and the other for 50x. The 50x magnification is a great thing when observing very small objects with the microscope. Two types of lights (below and above) gives a wide range of observation types. Below light helps better observation of transparent objects. Included prepared objects (e.g. brine shrimp eggs or crystals) also helps the user experience. Lenses physically can be set that fits to any kids and adults' eyes. Good product, I am fully satisfied with it, so are my kids. G. Szekendy Budapest, Hungary Read more

Date:Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 27, 2018

Review:I'm pleased with the colour 3D view of my own Kidney Stones... better out than in, I can tell you. You can see the crystalline nature of the stones... perfect straight-line edges of the slow growing calcium oxalate. Initially, I wanted a Stereo Microscope, with a fairly low magnification, say 50X to 100X, to view the Stylus (Needle) from my Vinyl Recorder Player, to make sure it's very clean. A nice carrying case would have been a welcome addition... for an additional £5, say. I will be lending the Microscope to a neighbour's 15-year old daughter, as she wants a biology-related career... I hope the microscope inspires her. Read more

Date:Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 9, 2019

Review:Overall disappointed. The kids cannot see properly through the dual lenses and have to close one eye to see (what is the point of having dual lenses). Also, the unused slides come with circular clear covers in order to secure the specimen, however the circular covers cannot be held in position (i.e. they move all the time so the specimen leak everywhere). The instructions book does not explain clearly to the kids how to use the microscope, the main part of the booklet is about history of microscopes. Finally, batteries are needed for this product and at this price, I would have expected to see batteries in the box. I do not recommend this product Read more

Date:Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 12, 2018

Review:This was bought as a Christmas present so has yet be used. I have examined it quite closely and it appears well made; the focussing adjustment is easy and the image is clear and sharp; the change of magnification is simplicity itself, take one eyepiece out and pop in another. Read more

Date:Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2018

Review:This microscope is absolutely wonderful. It’s a birthday present for my grandson and he was overjoyed with his present, the magnification takes you too an other world 10/10. Read more