I use this for checking gold ore samples in the field as well as general looking at the microscopic world.
The LED light is great but I did have one problem. I left it on and the next time I tried to use it the light would not work.... dead batteries. Unfortunately the batteries cost near $5 each times 3= $15.
All is not lost however. The Rite Aid (Pharmacy) had hearing aid batteries that, while not the same type as the listed required batteries, were the same physical size but were 1.4 volts instead of 1.5. I did not feel that this would be an issue and decided to try it. They worked just fine and were $16 for 24 of them, so about $.67 each. Much better and I now have 8 changes in case I forget to turn it off again.
The replacement type I found was Size 312, hearing aid batteries. Carson MM-200 Carson Micromax LED 60X-100X LED Lighted Pocket Microscope
The Carson MM-200 is a fantastic bit of equipment. The size is just slightly larger than what the photo shows on the product page. It is TINY!! The product quality, however, is excellent. It has a great LED lamp, and I haven't had it long enough to comment on the battery life. It is WAY better than the previous ones I have owned with regular little bulbs which gives everything an orange hue, or the LED ones which are flimsy as heck.
I use it for various things: from checking out small bug-things on plants to fine details on stamps or even just my arm (for a laugh!). It really is quite versatile and has great magnification!
Now for the bad. It is TINY!!! The knobs are a bit fiddly specially when you're using one hand and need to adjust the focus. The other pocket scopes I have tried usually have a larger gripping area and larger dials. Hopefully it will loosen up with some use.
Other than its size (which I do very much like for convenience, but is a bit fiddly), it is a great scope.
A good alternative, for those with waning coordination, might be a pocket USB microscope, or even one of the larger varieties from Carson!
I bought this for checking edges on barber's razors, also known as straight razors. I sharpen them and use them for shaving. The scope is a pain to focus as other reviewers have mentioned and in my opinion the optics are inferior. There is a learning curve with using the tool because of the inverted image and the difficulty in focusing while maintaining the view of the object. Once that is overcome the optical quality falls short. A 30x eye loupe from Widget Supply was a far better investment for my purposes. You pays your money and you takes your chances. In this instance I ended up a loser. So for me it was a waste of money. Your mileage may vary.
We gave the Carson MM-200 Micromax Lighted Pocket Microscope as a gift for our 7 yr. old granddaughter. After opening the present, she was delighted in looking at cat hair, different fabrics, etc. The lighted field of vision is remarkably bright and she had no problem in focusing the microscope. Wonderful product.
Let me begin by saying, I love this microscope. For the money it is well worth it. I will always be an inquisitive person and this tool makes the world that much more fascinating.
The light is very bright but the entire unit has enough weight to make it easy to keep track of. Having said that, if you have large hands, like I do, the controls can be a bit difficult to deal with at first. I found myself losing my subject from moving the microscope around while trying to operate the focus and enlarge controls. Once they get a little loosened up and you get more comfortable with them, this problem subsides.
This product coupled with Wikipedia has really opened up my amateur entomology endeavors. Just what I need, another distraction. Thanks Carson!
At this price I wasn't really expecting to get a really high quality tool but I was pleasantly surprised. This thing gives a crystal clear picture of anything you want to look at up close. I used it to clearly read the microprint on a $20 bill and my driver license and discovered that the RGB subpixels on my Samsung LCD TV have an interesting zigzag pattern on them, among other things. I think the LED must have some ultraviolet output as everything seems to have bright white fluorescing specks on it.
I also like the size of it; it's smaller than I expected. It really is a pocket microscope. One drawback to the small size is that it doesn't use AAA batteries, like the description mistakenly claims. It uses the less common and more expensive small button-type batteries. The box claims it uses SG3 (#392) batteries but the instruction sheet says SG7 (#392) whereas the included batteries have SR41 printed on them... so there seems to be a lot of confusion about the battery type. I haven't used it very much yet so I can't comment on battery life but the LED seems very bright so I wouldn't be surprised if it drains the little things pretty quickly.
The zoom and focus knobs are nice and tight to prevent unintentional slippage but not so tight that they're difficult to turn. Overall, I'm very pleased with this item and would definitely recommend it. - Science - Educational Toy - Educational - Illuminated'
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