MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Hi all,

Curious to know what Amscope’s reputation is like? I am a beginner interested in a biological microscope with 100* oil immersion and high illumination dark field and phase contrast. Their prices seem low but I’m curious to know what their reputation is vs some of the bigger manufacturers and indeed the likes of Radical India on the other end of the spectrum.

With thanks,

Hugh

I bought two (lower end) microscopes from them and I am very happy with them. They brand and sell microscopes made in China to high standards. It's a company that markets a range of microscope utilities as well. The customer service is good (I used it). Return policy is good. I would recommend them.

My first microscope was an Amscope M149 that came bundled with an eyepiece camera. My one complaint is that the LED began to flicker which was annoying. My other complaint is not about the microscope: I wanted a mechanical stage. I went through 3 of them that failed because it is possible to run the gear off of the end of the gear path. That prompted me to buy a microscope with a built-in mechanical stage.

I love the camera and its software. It is a very low resolution camera. The software has more features than I'll probably ever use. What I like best is the ability to capture both an image and a video. I use it with my new scope. I'm looking at upgrading to a camera with higher resolution.

Good customer service.

Thanks for the feedback, it sounds promising.

Any thoughts on this model from the AmScope website:

40X-1000X Infinity-corrected Darkfield Microscope with LED Koehler Illumination and 1.2MP Low-noise Camera

https://www.amscope.com/40x-1000x-infin ... ece-1.html

The critical piece of missing info appears to be the LED strength.

Thanks,

Hugh

I have nothing to offer regarding that microscope. More knowledgeable forum members may be able provide some insight.

Amscope is a bit of a mixed bag. I suspect that their customer service is probably better on their introductory stuff since that's what they sell the most of. I've heard less flattering things in different contexts, but it's hard to get a sense of what's typical.

That model is probably not bad, though for 1600 bucks you should be able to get something a bit more deluxe with better-corrected objectives used.

Thanks Scarodactyl. Any suggestions?

Bw,

Hugh

I've never owned an AmScope and just hear things from previous/current owners. Look at the reviews in Amazon. Most of the problem seem to be mechanical. The build quality does not seem the best. If you are in the US, there are so many used microscope options, but used options have their pitfalls too, like cleanliness, dried up lubricant and stiff/hard to work controls. Here is an example of what is available. An America Optical 110 microscope which was the backbone of what was used in US hospital and college labs.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/American-Optic ... Swq3he3MNL

Personally, I would be very careful with eBay, buying something you don't know much about. I once bought a little piece of wood from someone on eBay not knowing it was a small part of a stereoscope, thinking It was the whole thing.

Personally, I would rather take my chances with an older used scope from a well known maker than buy an AmScope or other inexpensive Chinese made scope. All of my microscopes came from eBay and there have been lemons but the majority have been great value for the money spent. If you get a bad one, they can be returned for full refund including shipping. Have a look at Oliver (the owner of this forum) and his recommendations for buying a microscope. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uy3NFIqs2s and view this one too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZeZtmBUh20

hughmort wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 07, 2020 11:22 am

Thanks Scarodactyl. Any suggestions?

Bw,

Hugh

You could get a pretty tricked out Nikon labophot, including a phase contrast condenser (these also have a darkfield stop as one of the filters). For instance this scope might be a decent starting point, especially if you put in a lower offer.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353071235953
It'd still need objectives, plus hardware to hook up a camera. But the savings leave a lot of room for that.

An Olympus BH2, or Zeiss standard, would also be classic options. Americsn Optical and Bausch and Lomb also made some nice compound scopes that are often thoroughly underpriced.

I bought a Amscope stereo trinocular ' it was one of their $375 models with zoom focus. It has been excellent for what I do. Good optics 'good as I will ever need. I know good optics having own Takahashi Telescopes ' Zeiss Binos ect/ Their support has been good also. They are a good buy.

AmScope is not a manufacturer nor designer of microscopes. It just buys them from various Chinese manufacturers. As such it doesn't make much sense to talk about "Amscope Quality" one way or the other, except inasmuch as it makes sense to talk about "Chinese Microscope Quality." There is a lot of variety in both.

The AmScope microscopes we see around most commonly, using the 160mm standard, all seem to be cut from the same optical cloth. They represent a good deal and decent quality at that level. Actually, it's the same quality and deal that you get from other importers, like Swift and OMAX (actually AmScope and OMAX are two divisions of the same company). But those aren't the only scopes AmScope sells. They also have a number of scopes up the food chain, from varying manufacturers and at varying quality. Some of the factories that they buy from are the same factories that make microscopes for top-shelf brands, and have the competence to make very good stuff indeed when that is their goal.

You can get all kinds of things from AmScope, from the most basic to pretty good medium quality microscopes. However, we probably shouldn't talk about the brand itself having good or bad build quality or optics. A bad (or good) review of the mechanics or optics of one AmScope microscope don't mean anything about another--they may well come from completely different makers with very different design and manufacturing parameters.

The 670 model is an outstanding, robust and professional microscope, weighing in at about 20lbs. The led lighting is 3 watts which is very bright. You will love the 30mm Eyepieces and the image clarity ordered by this scope. The 670 is the infinite version of the finite 660 which I own. They are excellent scopes.
Greg