Carson Pocket Micro 20x-60x LED Pocket Microscope Handheld STEM Toy (MM-450)

Great microscope...definitely a Best Buy specially for the price. It’s simple to use and good quality optics.. for the money it’s great quality. The built in light is bright enough to make the maximum magnification useful without it it would be dark. It is very compact and light so you can take it on trails or for work.. As with most microscopes in this price the image is inverted(upside down). Overall super happy with it the kids really like it..

We got this for our son to use while he’s playing outside. Really neat and fun tool that fits in your pocket. Would recommend!

I read a lot of reviews to determine which microscope powers should suit my purposes, and the answers people provided were correct: 20x to 60x. I also read quite a few reviews stating this microscope did not work and the reviewers "couldn't see anything", but there were enough counter- arguments to convince me to go ahead and purchase the Carson PocketMicro 20x- 60x. I can add to those asserting it DOES work. What is most difficult is getting the microscope on the object and focused. When I put the microscope over the center of where I thought the object was, sometimes I did not see anything. I had to reposition the microscope sometimes several times until getting a "hit". Moving the microscope to try to capture the object to view was challenging at times (and in the OPPOSITE direction that I thought I should move) and I had to experiment with the zoom and focus. Sometimes I experimented too much, losing focus of the object. It can be frustrating not knowing which way to turn the zoom and the focus, and I think a bigger lens would help solve this problem, as well as enable more people to realize (or realize sooner) that it does work. The lens could be much larger and the microscope still pocket-sized! I did not like that the required AA battery was not included. I'd rather pay 50 cents or $1.00 more for the alkaline battery to be included - no one wants to receive the PocketMicro and not be able to try it right away because s/he doesn't happen to have the right size or type of battery readily available.I found that putting the object to be viewed on a piece of cardboard, centering the PocketMicro lens over the object, and then slowly moving the cardboard (instead of the microscope) made it quicker/easier to "find" the object where it can be viewed with the small lens. I think the compact nature of the microscope also resulted in capturing (reflecting) some of my eyelashes! So, if this happens, you need to reposition your eye. If you wear eyeglasses and are concerned that you won't be able to use this microscope, you don't need to have your glasses on - the zoom should compensate for your vision deficiency!I hesitated several times before deciding to order this microcrope, and I do not regret my decision. I've been using it on various things out of curiosity "just to see". It is worth the price and, I suspect, works better than a kids' (toy) microscope at two or three times the cost.

The whole family has stood in line behind my 7 year old to look at things up close and personal. It has great clarity for such a small microscope and it is really cool to see skin, leaves, blankets, and wood under the microscope without having to take a sample and put it on a glass, etc.

So much fun for your tiny adventurers and scientists! Great quality for the price, very affordable. Literally fits in your pocket. Remember this is only a 20x-60x magnification microscope, so it’s not going to be comparable to a regular microscope but works well, focuses nicely, excellent for on the go observations and learning. My kindergarten is in love and always on the hunt for things to look at with it!

Quality lenses but very difficult to zero in on buds to see if they are ready! Once i did get it to focus you can steady your eye on the outer lens very small view.. best off with a jewelers loop .. only reason I got this is because my batteries died in mine and wanted to try something different.

I was in the search for a microscope to look at various microorganisms in my aquariums. I stumbled upon this and saw many reviews saying to just get a loupe.So, I purchased this microscope and a JARLINK 30x 60x loupe to compare.The microscope has MUCH better magnification. The proclaimed 60x magnification on the loupe is a load of crap. The microscope on 20x magnification zooms in more than the loupe with 60x magnification.In terms of clarity, they're both great but the microscope remains clear even with higher magnification.The loupe does have its advantages though. It's, MUCH easier to use. You just put the lens directly on top of whatever you're looking at and you'll see it. On the other hand, it's a lot trickier with the microscope. The lens is positioned pretty high up and far away from the contact surface (of what you're trying to look at), so trying to line them up can be very frustrating. Your hands have to be still so that when you adjust the magnification you don't lose what you're looking at. Not to mention the image is reversed, so you have to remember right = left, up = down, etc... very hard to control at first, but I got better and better at it and it's quite manageable now.Also, the loupe has MUCH brighter LED lights. This makes the loupe a lot better at viewing through transparent surfaces like through glass/plastic with bad/no lighting.I am impressed by both. The loupe is amazing for its ease of use, but the proclaimed magnification is a lie. If you want to see something very tiny in better detail and don't mind spending half a minute trying to locate & adjust the magnification, then the microscope is better.