Plastic cover slips?

[Josephus Miller]

Hello!

I recently discovered plastic cover slips for sale, such as here: https://www.amazon.com/Raylabcon-20-40- ... C88&sr=8-3 or here: https://www.carolina.com/microscope-sli ... _632898.pr

Does anyone have any experience with these? They can’t be as good as standard glass cover slips. Or can they?

Anyway, I’ve ordered the Amazon flavor so I can report back when I try them. Just curious what to expect.

Thanks!

[jackieone]

I'm curious about those, also.

The glass ones are very delicate!

[Tom Jones]

Uh, NO!

Do you use plastic lensed objectives? Or eyepieces? Why spend good money for nice objectives then stick cheap plastic between them and the specimen?

Plastic coverslips are made for schools where the kids don't yet have the dexterity to use glass coverslips without breaking them.

If you're reasonably careful, glass coverslips can be cleaned and reused several times. They're relatively cheap anyway.

[Josephus Miller]

I think Tom Jones is right, unfortunately. The Amazon ones are basically useless--they aren't even totally flat. Save your money.

My kids do use microscopes and I sometimes worry about them breaking coverslips and cutting themselves, so I wanted to investigate. (They haven't broken any yet, but a parent worries...) If there is a solution, these aren't it.

[Topcode]

In all honesty, I think the risk of breakage isn't as big as some people say. Effectively all of the cover slips that I have broken have been during preparing for reuse, basically cleaning them. So as they are often in a paper towel when they break, oh no, I throw it in the trash, and no harm caused. And even then, if you are worried about your kids, you can clean the cover slips for them. The other problem that I have run into is occasionally dropping them on the floor, but they don't tend to actually break from that, so as long as you just stand still, and recover them, no issue.

[apochronaut]

In all honesty, I think the risk of breakage isn't as big as some people say. Effectively all of the cover slips that I have broken have been during preparing for reuse, basically cleaning them. So as they are often in a paper towel when they break, oh no, I throw it in the trash, and no harm caused. And even then, if you are worried about your kids, you can clean the cover slips for them. The other problem that I have run into is occasionally dropping them on the floor, but they don't tend to actually break from that, so as long as you just stand still, and recover them, no issue.

+1 Those cheap quite firm folded napkins like the ones that diners use are quite light, lintless and delicate, so are a little easier on cover slips than paper towels. I have handled thousands, dropped many, broken many and cut myself never. I've even tried to cut myself with them and they just crumble, like they were made of sugar.

[Josephus Miller]

Thanks for the responses, all. Honestly, I can’t recall ever breaking a glass cover slip in a dangerous way either, but the existence of the plastic ones made me wonder. You never know with Amazon, but Carolina is a reputable supplier, so I assumed they had a purpose.

Anyway, onward with glass slips!