Smithsonian 900x Die-cast Microscope with rugged carrying case

I bought this microscope for my 7 year old daughter. It only took one use before we realized that this scope isn't worth a penny. The lens are very distorted and mostly unfocusable. The light burned out on the first use and it hasn't been used since. The slides are the only thing worth anything in the whole set. Don't waste your money,buy a microscope that your child will actually be able to use.

My son got the Smithsonian microscope for Christmas this year and was so excited. It is a great set. Unfortunately it is very difficult to get the parts out of the case. The bulb blew out & the other one was stuck in the case & broke. That is the only problem with it.

This is a reasonable quality microscope for kit around 8 to 12 years old. This kit is a great value. My kids love using it. Don't expect super high quality optics. I think Discover This carries other microscopes for older kids that are more money. This is perfect for my kids at this age. I will look at stepping up to another more advanced microscope from this site once they get older. Great site.

My husband and I purchased this microscope for our daughter for Christmas and were very disappointed in the product. When I telephoned to request return information I was told that this product was not intented to be utilized as a microscope,but instead as a toy to get children used to the idea of handling a microscope. In my opinion (as a scientist myself),this company should discontinue this particular line of scopes and replace it with a real scope. We should be encouraging our children to be real scientists,looking at nature with quality equipment,not junk.