Microscopes are a fun way to encourage and develop students’ flair for the sciences and technology. With the highly magnified, close up view of their environment, they get to see, practically, all they are taught in class and appreciate the significance of life beyond perception. The right microscope for students should be compact, lightweight, have decent magnifying power, and should be very easy to handle.
Best Microscopes for Students
Below, we take a look at our top five microscopes for students on the market based on their specified features to help you make the right choice for the next generation of geniuses.
1. AmScope M150C-I Student Biological Compound Microscope
This outstanding microscope from AmScope comes with an impressive 40x to 1000x magnification range and a 360º rotation monocular head. It sports a solid build, comes with LED illumination, and is easy to operate. It is the ideal starter kit for science students to get introduced to the microscopic world, without breaking the bank.
- Simple, monocular design with high magnification.
- Durable design and easy operation.
- LED illumination and focus controls.
2. My First Lab Duo-Scope Microscope – MFL-06
The MFL-06 makes a name for itself as an award-winning microscope for STEM education and packs the functions of a stereo and compound microscope into one. It comes with a host of accessories and is very easy to operate. Its fully coated optics yield the best images and an impressive 4x to 400x magnification.
- Great for STEM education with 2-in-1 microscopic function.
- Comes with a host of accessories and is easy to operate.
- Great image quality and magnification.
3. OMAX 40X-2000X Lab LED Binocular Microscope
To give students a more real-life feel of the microscopic world, this microscope stands as the ideal gadget with an impressive 40x to 2000x magnification range. It sports binocular eyepieces for viewing comfort, a large mechanical stage for specimen adaptability, and LED illumination. It also comes with a durable metal frame that is very easy to maintain and includes a host of accessories to get started right away.
- High magnification and good handleability.
- Coarse and fine focus control and binocular vision.
- LED illumination, a durable frame, and extra accessories.
4. Swift SW350T Trinocular Compound Lab Microscope
This powerful gadget from SWIFT is a research-grade microscope to give students state-of-the-art microscopic viewing. It comes with a very high 40x to 2500x magnification, a dedicated camera for image and video capture, and is built for user convenience. It comes with LED illumination, a large mechanical stage, and is easily adjustable to suit different users.
- Very high magnification and trinocular vision.
- LED illumination and focus control.
- Camera compatible and adaptable to different sample profiles.
5. TELMU Dual Cordless Compound Monocular Microscope
The TELMU compound microscope features a simple design, impressive 40x to 1000x magnification, and a monocular viewing head. It comes with two illumination modes; translucent and opaque, and features a solid chassis for great stability. It also comes with a number of great accessories including a smartphone adapter to enable image and video capturing.
- Decent magnification and monocular vision.
- Dual LED magnification and sturdy design.
- Comes with extra accessories and smartphone support.
Students’ Microscopes Buying Guide
With the right microscope, you can nurture students’ flair for science and give them a practical feel of the microscopic world. It is also a great medium for them to develop critical thinking skills through curiosity, experimentation, and observation. Choosing the right microscope for students requires you consider a number of factors we will now look at.
Our buying guide reviews the best microscopes for students on the market based on their specified features, giving you a basis to compare them and make an informed choice quickly.
Magnification; Compound vs. Stereo Microscopes
The first factor to consider is the microscope’s design based on the magnification. As the primary purpose of any microscope is to achieve high magnification, it measures how large the specimen appears through the eyepiece. The magnification range you choose depends on the type of specimens you’ll be viewing.
In terms of magnification, microscopes are classified as compound and stereo microscopes. Stereo microscopes are used for low-power viewing purposes like dissecting, viewing insects, rocks, plant samples, etc. Compound microscopes, on the other hand, come with magnifications typically over 400x and are used for viewing microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, plant cells, etc.
Many student microscopes come with variable magnification that overlaps the range of both stereo and compound microscopes making them ideal for different activities.
Size and Weight
When buying a student microscope, the size and weight of the unit is another important factor to consider. Compact, lightweight units will be easy to carry around, to say the next science fair at school. Heavier microscopes will be more difficult to move around. Also, smaller models usually feature LED illumination that runs on AA batteries, unlike the larger models that will usually come with an adapter that plugs into a mains supply.
Camera Support
The microscopic world is a wonder to look at and chances are you’ll want to capture images and record videos. Instead of struggling with manually using a camera or smartphone over the eyepieces, you can go for microscopes that are built to support these devices.
These microscopes either come with built-in cameras that connect externally to a computer or mobile device or come with a dedicated port to which you can attach an external camera.
Digital cameras offer unrivaled convenience as you won’t need to strain your eyes looking through the eyepiece but can see all the action on a much larger computer screen.