Thoughts about this microscope

[Micromich]

I would like to ask about your opinion about this particular brand and microscope. It is from a hungarian brand than seems to be practicaly no-name (albeit few foreign shops offer them on their sites) and I am a little bit skeptic about a possible purchase. On the page it seems perfect and meets almost all of my requirements, but there is something fishy about it for the price.

http://www.tavcso.hu/index.php?o=termek ... T-LED&n=en

I am from Slovakia (Eastern EU) so buying an american recognized brands like Amscope or Omex is out of the question. And I find european brands to be far to pricy for beginners (Nicon, Zeiss etc.) or too "basic" for 800€ mark (Euromex, Optika etc.). I would like to find something for max 800 and it should meet requirements of this hungarian model.

Could you please be so kind and offer an insight or thoughts about this brand?

Thank you

[billbillt]

Hi and welcome... I will hazard a guess with my limited knowledge... It looks to be a standard type and probably made in China... I am sure the quality is on par with Amscope.. You could contact the seller and ask for country of origin.... It will be great for microscopy as a hobby...

BillT

[JimT]

I agree with Bill. I think you will not be disappointed. Make sure the seller has a return policy in case there is something not right.

Good luck

[lorez]

If the price for this scope is in the $500 range it's probably as good as you are going to get. I would expect some elements to be a bit on the cheap side and you may see some issues with durability. Very often the weakest aspect of these scopes is the plastic base pan where the illuminator is mounted. These scopes have been around long enough to have a reputation and for the price they are not doing too badly.

If you are a beginner you will probably be happy with this scope and get a lot of good times using it.

lorez

[75RR]

Hi Welcome.

Perhaps if you give us some idea of your experience and what you hope to use the microscope for it would be easier to advise you.

[Micromich]

Thank your all for your answers.

My on hand microscope experience is quite short. I started (long time ago) with Bresser BIOLUX NV 20-1280x I got from grandma. We had a lot of fun together but an accident saw it that I couldn't use it anymore. I saw it as a chance to go for a big upgrade, I researched for a long time and basically mapped all of the European market.

Basically I am still beginner and I need microscope just for basic observations (I would like to get a carrier as biologist, and before I go to college, I want to gain some basic experience), but with a possibility to upgrade in future.

P.S.: they were so nice to send me an instruction manual for this model (even thought some informations don't match, like number of objectives, but I thing this is just a matter of configuration). I haven't had time to study it, but I will get to it in a few hours.

[75RR]

Looked up your Bresser BIOLUX NV 20-1280x: https://www.bresser.de/en/Microscopes-M ... scope.html

I am going to suggest that you have sufficient experience (I am assuming you used the Bresser for a few months) to go second hand with one of the big four - Leitz/Leica, Nikon, Olympus and Zeiss. I am referring to their old 160 tube length models. A lot of us here at Microbehunter have them. They are better value for money than a new in a box chinese clone but you do need some experience to feel comfortable with one.

Have a look at this article:
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/art ... oscope.pdf

Then have a look at this website: http://www.usedmicroscopes.co.uk/zeiss.html

I have mentioned these microscopes before so let me state that I have no connection with Brunel

There are also Leitz/Leica, Wild, Olympus and Nikon used microscopes on the site. (see links on the left)

I showed you the Zeiss page because I think that the two white microscopes at the bottom of the page are very good value for money, even when you allow for shipping.

They are better than your re-branded chinese microscope and cheaper. They are also upgradable.

Brunel is an established firm and should therefore stand by what they sell - basically they will guarantee that the microscopes are working well.

[Micromich]

You have really opened a whole new pespective. Their Nikon Optiphot Binocular model seems like love at first sight, but it lacks a few features (namely trinocular port and LED illumination).




But I added myself into their notification list for a newly arrived used models.
I am playing with an idea to buy Hungarian model, test it for a few days and then send it back if something isn't as expected.

(I must admit, you really boggled my mind with the used models and I can't stop thinking about them )

[wporter]

LED illumination is overrated, at least if one of the main criteria for selecting between a well-built old microscope and a new plastic one. The topic has been discussed on this forum: halogen lamps are cheap & have a better spectrum for some applications, etc. Anyway, you can always modify the older scopes for LED if you want to.

A trinocular head is handy, if it doesn't require a bunch of auxiliary optics to enable an SLR to work with the scope. But there are other ways to take images (afocal, etc) that could work with a binocular head, especially if using a smartphone to image.

Many people on this forum are old-microscope buffs, so would tend to recommend them; some of that is due to "the good ol' days" mentality, but to a large part, derives from experience with a lot of different scopes down through the years: the older scopes are heavier, better engineered, made of better materials, and are more durable, and retain their value for the most part. A side-by-side comparison between a great old scope and a new import would be educational, so if you could arrange that at a microscope vendor that sells both kinds....

[CaptainKirk]

I would like to ask about your opinion about this particular brand and microscope. It is from a hungarian brand than seems to be practicaly no-name (albeit few foreign shops offer them on their sites) and I am a little bit skeptic about a possible purchase. On the page it seems perfect and meets almost all of my requirements, but there is something fishy about it for the price.

http://www.tavcso.hu/index.php?o=termek ... T-LED&n=en

I am from Slovakia (Eastern EU) so buying an american recognized brands like Amscope or Omex is out of the question. And I find european brands to be far to pricy for beginners (Nicon, Zeiss etc.) or too "basic" for 800€ mark (Euromex, Optika etc.). I would like to find something for max 800 and it should meet requirements of this hungarian model.

Could you please be so kind and offer an insight or thoughts about this brand?

Thank you

It's definitely Chinese made, just re-branded. Why is buying Amscope or Omax out of question?

[mrsonchus]

Looked up your Bresser BIOLUX NV 20-1280x: https://www.bresser.de/en/Microscopes-M ... scope.html

I am going to suggest that you have sufficient experience (I am assuming you used the Bresser for a few months) to go second hand with one of the big four - Leitz/Leica, Nikon, Olympus and Zeiss. I am referring to their old 160 tube length models. A lot of us here at Microbehunter have them. They are better value for money than a new in a box chinese clone but you do need some experience to feel comfortable with one.

Have a look at this article:
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/art ... oscope.pdf

Then have a look at this website: http://www.usedmicroscopes.co.uk/zeiss.html

I have mentioned these microscopes before so let me state that I have no connection with Brunel

There are also Leitz/Leica, Wild, Olympus and Nikon used microscopes on the site. (see links on the left)

I showed you the Zeiss page because I think that the two white microscopes at the bottom of the page are very good value for money, even when you allow for shipping.

They are better than your re-branded chinese microscope and cheaper. They are also upgradable.

Brunel is an established firm and should therefore stand by what they sell - basically they will guarantee that the microscopes are working well.

I can definitely verify the legitimacy of Brunel also, as I have been buying equipment of all kinds, from histological stains etc to my brand-new 'SP200' (Chinese) 'scope (now sold-on) up to my current (also used purchase) Leitz Orthoplan, also my stereo-zoom was bought (used) from them. If you can speak to either Helen - the technical director, or Alan - the owner - you will certainly receive very good advice - they are a totally trustworthy company in my considerable experience of buying from them...

Good luck.

[Micromich]

Could anybody here please tell me, how often does Brunel add new used microscopes to their websites? They only told me they would send email with notification.

[mrsonchus]

Could anybody here please tell me, how often does Brunel add new used microscopes to their websites? They only told me they would send email with notification.

Hi, in answer to your question I'd say, with a lot of experience, "not often". When they do add some they tend to come in 'batches' - I think it's just a matter of them having the time to catalogue and list them to be honest.

Don't bother waiting for their e-mails, they are awful at e-mail resonse I have always found. The very best way is to telephone them ans ask to speak to either Helen or Alan, and if you do get hold of one of them they'll certainly be happy enough to talk to you - they are very helpful and friendly folk at Brunel, just very, very busy. The not only sell 'scopes but run courses, attend shows all around the World etc.

Having said that, the ladies that answer the 'phones are also very helpful and do actually have knowledge of the stock and what it all does - they are not the type of folk to fob-you-off with an unhelpful response over the 'phone.

Give them a ring, they are very good via the telephone, unlike so many companies. Rubbish at e-mail, great on the 'phone!

Good luck.

John B.

[Micromich]

So you recommend to contact them with my specifications on scope, and not to wait until the right one finds its way into the shop?

[mrsonchus]

Most definitely my friend, they really are most approachable - they're not like most companies that will simply say the equivalent of "if it's not on the shelves we haven't got one".
Of course keep checking their used equipment sections - I look at it every day - you never know what's going to appear.

John B.

[Micromich]

Ok, thank you
Now I only have to find some model or atleast a brand of used microscopes, so I could know what to sought after.

Do you have any recommendations on brands (mostly from Big 4) or even models of used scopes, that are considered of very high quality? I see that many on this forum are very fond of Olympus BH2.

[mrsonchus]

Funnily enough I just took delivery (this morning) of such a used 'scope in perfectly good condition. A Leitz SM-Lux, for a very reasonable price indeed.

They're definitely out there - but some prior experience and knowledge is a big advantage when buying 'on your own' a used 'scope. This has been discussed many times on this forum and you'll find a lot of posts, many very recent ones, giving you a lot of very useful advice if you perform a forum search here.

Good luck!