Good Scope?

[Joe Henry]

Hello all, how is this fella here for observing insects, etc? How about the price? Reconditioned, 175.00 shipped? Thanks....https://www.midwestbioservicecompany.co ... -stereo-3/

[dtsh]

Hello all, how is this fella here for observing insects, etc? How about the price? Reconditioned, 175.00 shipped? Thanks....https://www.midwestbioservicecompany.co ... -stereo-3/

That is effectively the same as what I have and I have been very pleased with it. That is the "M" model according to the dial on the changer, which offered 5 selectable magnifications, add in a 2x barlow and a pair of 15x eyepieces (AO Cat.147, B&L 15x UWF) and the full effective range goes from 7x to 80x. I mostly look at tabanids, but whatever shows up in my traps tends to get examined; the traps are fairly selective and target tabanids.

The prisms in the head have a history of coming loose from rough impacts, so make sure the images align when viewing. That one is equipped with the transilluminating base too, which allows lighting from below with a rotatable mirror as well as overhead.
I've occasionally seen them sell cheaper, but I think that's a reasonable price for one in good shape.

I don't use the barlow very often, but much of what I am looking at are in the realm of 3-15mm

[dtsh]

As pictures serve better than words, I've quickly whipped up a few.
viewtopic.php?p=118133#p118133

viewtopic.php?p=118134#p118134

[apochronaut]

Since the microscope is being sold by a service company, one would think there is a guarantee, so a guaranteed Cycloptic at that price is a guaranteed deal.
There is another deal, a big deal being made about the roof prism mounting cement giving way on those but most of that is related to the condition of untested ebay stuff and people that base their opinions on donated stuff. For those commenting such : why do you think they are being hawked on ebay untested or being donated to charity? Is it because they are damaged goods and unuseable or because they are in mint condition and working like a charm ! There were hundreds of thousands of Cycloptics sold and of course after 50 years some break but probably most of them are still in use and working perfectly. Absolutely great stereo microscope and in good working condition at 175.00 with the transillumination base , hard to beat.

[imkap]

I'm going to slip into your thread

This one looks nice, I like that it has a high base so you can fit a good light below... Not sure about the price though as I'd have to pay the 25% import tax too... Kyowa should be good?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234399474143

[apochronaut]

I'm going to slip into your thread

This one looks nice, I like that it has a high base so you can fit a good light below... Not sure about the price though as I'd have to pay the 25% import tax too... Kyowa should be good?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234399474143

That one also looks great as well. Kyowa are well thought out instruments. I don't know how the base is configured on that one but usually they are made to take an external lamp, sometimes proprietary.
The Cycloptic base is designed to take an AO Starlite lamp with it's long nose that fits in a port bouncing off an understage reflector. A rechargeable led flashlight would work well as a substitute. Cycloptics are apochromatic too, and infinity corrected which allows for the insertion of a photo tube, which sometimes show up for sale.
Shipping from the UK to N.A. for anything over a small packet has been exorbitant for many years. Parcel Force have to be the world's most expensive shipping. I am not sure how well the ebay global shipping program from the U.K. has solved that. From the U.S. to Canada global shipping for small parcels is a rip but Pitney Bowes(global sjipping program) has reduced shipping on large items.

[imkap]

Shipping from the UK to N.A....

Shipping is actually not expensive 12£, the problem is when bidding it is hard to offer a competitive price against anyone not paying the 25% vat... This price is actually ok now, but I think it will go higher... I'll wait for one from the EU

[apochronaut]

So, ebay global shipping from the u.k. has tackled Parcel Force's absurd prices. That's what happened here , where the g.s.p. price is sometimes less than half the price of U.S.P.S. and even with customs fees added in, it ends up cheaper than U.S.P.S. without customs fees.
I used to buy the occasional musical instrument from the U.K. More often than not the Parcel Force shipping price was more than the instrument

About 2 years ago I seriously considered buying a cased, complete Baker Interference Microscope from the U.K. It would have been just around $300.00, purchase price. The shipping was more than that, so I abandoned the purchase.. Glad that the g.s.p. is working in the U.K. now.

[imkap]

I remember 15-20 years ago when I bought my first item on ebay express shipping from US was 35$. It was some preamplifier weighting 1kg. Now you can't find that kind of price which is a shame as US market usually has great prices...

[apochronaut]

I once shipped a 4 piece set of drums with hardware and cymbals from Utah to Ontario for 29.00. Seven years later , I enquired about shipping one floor tom by Parcel Force from the U.K. to Ontario and the price was 150.00.

[imkap]

I bought the Kyowa... Looks good on pictures, we'll see...