DS wants a microscope for Christmas

[TheAlias]

I don't suppose this is the best place to put it but I thought I might find people who know their stuff!

So he's seen one in Argos for £20. I had something similar as a child and it was rubbish. Can anyone recommend something that will work properly without costing the earth? Please?

I'd like to know the answer to this as well. The toy ones are usually crap with dire colour fringing and unstable stages making focus awful. Anybody?

Look for Apex microscopes. The 'learner' model is about £50 on amazon and also gets good reviews.

I always wanted my own microscope since childhood and finally bought one a couple of years ago! I got the 'Apex practitioner' which is excellent but is a little more expensive and costs about £100.

As a science teacher I would avoid anything toyish as the magnification will be lousy. You get what you pay for with microscopes. We get ours through school equipment suppliers but I'll go and have a look around and come back with some suggestions...

Ok, I would agree with Guinevere in that less than £50 would buy a poor quality microscope and apex do look good.

this microscope does seem well reviewed and is on a discount. Might be ok?

or this one

or here is the apex

Yes, I'd decided I definitely wasn't buying a toy but didn't want to spend more than £40/50 for something that might be a bit of a passing whim (but also his main present!)

I'd been looking at that first one. It seems like a very good buy if it's as good as the reviews say. OTOH if it sounds too good to be true....

Some things to ponder anyway. Thank you.

TBH I would buy a second hand one on ebay
for £50-£100 you could pick up something solid and proper like this
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Biological-Microscope-with-Digital-Eyepiece-Free-Extras-in-Carrying-Case-50P-/201219425569?pt=UK_Collectables_Scientific_MJ&hash=item2ed99cc521

DH has bought a couple on there (why does he need 4 I keep asking myself)

We're getting DS one of these digiscopes which I originally saw in a teaching resources catalogue. It's a microscope and digital camera combined so you can see and record images on the computer.

Strangely, I'm now looking forward to the next time he gets Head Lice .

the digiscope has awful lag ....

I remember that was the first thing my parents did when I had headlice as a kid

Its worth spending the money on a microscope as the cheaper versions are just not worth it.
I picked up a couple of sets of prepared slides for about £15 on amazon for my friend's son last year and these are definitely worth getting.