Microscopes from Aliexpess

[Reformatt]

I've been resisting for a long time getting a decent microscope but my eyes are starting to fail me a bit as I age. I'm struggling now on the small stuff, and looking to doing something a bit smaller in the future. I was about to take the plunge on an Amscope but I found some sellers on Aliexpress who sell almost identical setups at much cheaper pricing. It appears on face value they're all the same microscopes just rebadged by each individual seller. Some of the sellers I've noted are Luckyzoom, Hayear, Eakins, Koppage etc. I guess the question I'm asking is what the build quality like compared to an Amscope? Is it worth spending the extra on a Amscope to ensure I'm not getting some factory reject?

Here is one scope. Costs $877 with barlow lens, stand etc. The Amscope is well over $1000, and that's pretty much bare bones. The killer is freight to Australia.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/HD-14MP-HDMI-Industry-Microscope-Camera-3-5X-90X-50-50-Split-Simul-Focal-Microscope-Double/32699141888.html?spm=2114.search0604.3.222.785041bc100HQl&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_1_10065_10068_10130_10547_319_317_10548_10696_453_10084_454_10083_10618_10307_537_536_10131_10132_10902_10133_10059_10884_10887_321_322_10103,searchweb201603_6,ppcSwitch_0&algo_expid=98183f91-476d-4962-a2d0-97f4c814e39a-34&algo_pvid=98183f91-476d-4962-a2d0-97f4c814e39a&transAbTest=ae803_4

[salavat]

Just to confirm - do you really need high end microscope?
If it is for trivial SMD soldering/desoldering, take a look at Andonstar 301 or 302. 301, at 125 USD delivered price is a steal (though during 11.11 sale you could get one for circa 100 USD). Connected to my 24" 2K (between HD and 4K resolution) display it provides just amazing picture.

[techman-001]

Why not something of decent quality, but second hand like this ?

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/STEREO-BINOCULAR-MICROSCOPE-SDZ-AL-KYOWA-OPTICAL/292945319225?hash=item4434e6d539:g:COwAAOSwYV5cVqOq:rk:50:pf:0

I have a Olympus binocular 20 - 40+ which is perfect for SMT, I bought the microscope on ebay and later the stand also on ebay. It's perfect for this job and my 64 year old eyes. I paid about $450 all up for my setup. Depth of vision is also important as you need room to solder and also see what you're doing.

Personally I wouldn't touch anything other than Olympus, Lica, Nikon and other old and trusted quality names. They're better second hand than all the pretty junk coming out of China and India in my opinion.

I have my doubts about 'amscope', too many models, plus a friend bought one and described it as poor optics and a bit wobbly. Perhaps he had a cheap model, but then it's so hard to tell from online pics.

Don't rush into this purchase, research SMT binocular microscopes  to death first, and avoid cheap USB webcam junk.

Just my 2c

[Doctorandus_P]

I have bougt an Ali scope and it has a sticker on it which says "Amscope".
I'm also slowly getting older and I'm very happy with my stereo microscope.

After 2 months I already forgot what I paid for it. Probably somwhere between EUR 300 and EUR400 inclusive shipping.
When my Microscope arrived, there was a reasonable amount of additional cost for taxes. (I explicitly did not select DHL).
Be carefull with DHL. DHL has "in house customs service" and if you're unlucky they make you pay trhough your nose.
DHL has excellent service regarding to speed and reliability, but the "free shipping" may turn out to not be so cheap after all.
Multiple people have vented their frustrations about DHL here on the forum.

The scope you selected has lots of included options.
Do you really need the exra camera?
Do you really need the big boom stand?

I bought mine with a simple  table stand "just to get started", but also because I do not have room for the large horizontal bars sticking out on the back side. (Beware, these "table stands" come in 2 different lengths. With a 0.5x Barlow lens you need the long pipe on the stand) I'm also pretty handy with mechanical stuff, and I know I can make a better stand if I want to, but what I have now is adequate.

I did buy 2 barlow lenses with it. The 2x barlow lens is useless for electonics work, it simply magnifies too much, But it does let me look at very small things, which I like.
The 0.5x barlow lens is a bit of a mixed blessing. I like the work distance, but my desk is already relatively high and I have to sit with a very straigth back and stretched neck to get my eyes high enough to look into the eyepieces. I think I would have prefered a 0.7x Barlow lens. But these are sold separately for around EUR 35 so that's no big deal.

If you are on a tight budget you can buy just the "microscope head" without any stand at all, and also without the height adjustment part.
This way you can get it aroun EUR 80 cheaper still.

I've also wondered about the differences / similarities of Amscope / Lucky Zoom and a few others.
I bought mine in the "Amscope store" and it looks very similar to:
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/Zoom-Microscope-AmScope-Supplies-7X-45X-Stereo-Trinocular-Microscope-With-14-Pillar-Stand/1907947_32460377597.html

I have only one microscope, and therefore I can not compare it with the other brands.

[Nusa]

It appears on face value they're all the same microscopes just rebadged by each individual seller. Some of the sellers I've noted are Luckyzoom, Hayear, Eakins, Koppage etc.

Some of those names are more known than others, but they're probably all getting their product from common sources, which is why they all look so similar. Probably here: https://amadascope.en.made-in-china.com/ , which appears to be a superset of what everyone else has available.
It might be worth asking them for a quote directly, although shipping might still be a killer.

Amscope has a leg up on the others because they have a US warehouse, which means they can deliver quickly to North America. Perhaps elsewhere too, but I'm less aware of that.

[cowana]

I bought a stereo microscope from LuckyZoom via Aliexpress.

Trinocular, 3.5x to 90x zoom (7x to 45x extended via Barlow lenses), single boom arm, ring light, shipping via DHL.

Can't remember how much I paid, but it was excellent value compared to the alternatives. I'm very happy with the quality and performance - I'd definitely recommend LuckyZoom to anyone. From the fact the box had LuckyZoom printing all over it, I think they're more than just a reseller - they do some degree of branding.

The only issue was the scope I received cannot do simultaneous stereo and camera feed as advertised (instead there is a slider which blocks out one eye) - but as I've never used the camera port, that's not an issue. One to watch if that feature is important to you though.

[Nusa]

Trinocular = three ports are present, 2 eyepiece and 1 camera. No promise you can use them all at once.
Simulfocal = all ports are simultaneously usable.
You want to see BOTH keywords if you care about those features.

A lot of people don't actually need either of those features. You can set up a camera to temporarily replace one eyepiece if you need the occasional picture.

[twospoons]

I bought an Eakins one, binocular zoom with 2 barlow lenses.
I'm surprised how good it is, especially given the price. Way better than my previous experience with Chinese microscopes, which usually suffered from poor contrast. I've used Meiji scopes at work (japanese), which are excellent, but the Eakins scope seems pretty close in performance.

[Doctorandus_P]

My amscope branded ( Few postst back) came in a brown box with lots of tape.
It had fitting polystyene moulded halves for protection, but no branding on the box, and it was about EUR 100 more expensive than the Lucky Zoom.

Mine does also have the 3rd port for a camera (that was about EUR 10 extra) and it also has the pin to flip between the left eye and the camera.
I would not want it another way.
When all three ports are on simultaneously, the amount of light is devided between those ports.
The three simultaneous ports are only really usefull for Youtube video-ers and education.
I can't look both through the eye pieces and a monitor at the same time, and the 3 simultaneous ports also make it more expensive.

[jfiresto]

...When all three ports are on simultaneously, the amount of light is divided between those ports.
The three simultaneous ports are only really useful for Youtube video-ers and education.
I can't look both through the eye pieces and a monitor at the same time, and the 3 simultaneous ports also make it more expensive.

+1 to most of that.

I should point out that people often want a 50/50 beam splitter so that they can simultaneously use the main eyepieces as the viewfinder while taking pictures and videos. That can be convenient. Even more important is to have the camera's focus and view match the focus and view through the eyepieces – especially the focus. That alone saves a lot of time and trouble.

[Reformatt]

Thanks for all the replies. I ended up going with a scope from FYSCOPE.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-3-5X-90X-Double-Boon-Stand-Simul-Focal-Stereo-Zoom-Microscope-14MP-camera-144pcs/32802304276.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.df774c4dKoFINb

Very happy with the quality and image. Haven't had a chance to play with the camera too much as yet. It's quite a bit cheaper than the Amscope of similar specs. I've already used it a few times on some BGA rework on phones etc. Only hassle is that the 0.5x Barlow means it has to be up quite high overall. In fact it's at the end of the pole and I need to jack it up a bit higher on the bench. Might order a 0.7x Barlow and see how that goes.

[jfiresto]

Looks good, although I wonder if the web page designer was paid by the bullet point, as perhaps half seem redundant.

One thing I would do is spring for some 10X/22 or 10X/23 adjustable, high eye-point eyepieces. I think you will appreciate the wider field of view. I wouldn't go too wide: at some some point you may get vignetting or discover why FYSCOPE supplied 10X/20 eyepieces.

[Reformatt]

Having been using my bare eyes, or my mag lamp for years, the addition of this microscope has made what used to be difficult much easier. I opted for the boom stand etc not so much because I needed it, but because I can afford it, and I hate buying cheaper stuff only to find later on I should've spent more and got the extra features. I'm new to the world of microscopes, so the tweaks you can do down the track (such as the suggested eyepieces) would certainly merit further experimentation.

The only hassles I had with this scope was the head mount shaft was extremely tight to initially fit (moved freely after I got it all the way in there though), and the supplied power adaptors for the LED lamp and camera had European plugs and no converters supplied. But they're bog standard centre pin positive 12V power supplies (one was 0.5A, the other 1.5A) and I had quite a few of these floating around my junk box from old modems etc anyway.

What boggles the mind is I saw a video of a guy walking through a Shenzhen arcade (looked like the SimLim centre up in Singapore but doing more electronics repair than selling computer parts) and there were rows and rows of people with hot air stations doing BGA rework, but no microscopes! They must have very good eyes!! Incredible.

[jfiresto]

... What boggles the mind is I saw a video of a guy walking through a Shenzhen arcade ... and there were rows and rows of people with hot air stations doing BGA rework, but no microscopes! They must have very good eyes!!...

How many of them had gray hair? I was o.k. with SMD work until my visual accommodation began to lessen in my 40s.

[dreamcat4]

In terms of AmScope, going from the wording written on their own website (lat time i checked), the SM745NTP head is supposed to be the best one they do.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/142002549856

However I am also very interested if that same exact head is being sold under other brand names / model names. Or within certain packages (including the stand, lenses etc.) which could make it easier to purchase at a reasonable price.

The other product I have been interested in is this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253656768266

Because it's been given good review for the usability online by someone. The idea being that the dental gooseneck one is much lighter and easier to move about on the desk. So it's just so much more handy and less hassles to setup and use. Making less effort than moving around some big heavy thing on a huge boom arm. (which itself needs balancing or bolting down in a fixed location, so cannot be repositioned or moved from place to place).

So if anyone else here knows anything more about these ones... please let us know! Thanks.

[jfiresto]

I am reasonably sure the SM745NTP is a Greenough design. Amscope also sells a line of common main objective (CMO) microscopes which I expect they consider their best. Best in many regards, but not all: for some things, the older, simpler Greenough design has its advantages.

I am intrigued by the goose neck mount but I bet it will not support a much heavier or taller microscope than shown.

[Deepak]

Amscope has a leg up on the others because they have a US warehouse, which means they can deliver quickly to North America. Perhaps elsewhere too, but I'm less aware of that.

Not only can they deliver faster, but they also actually provide support. I ordered one of the Amscope boom setups a few years ago, and when it arrived with a messed up magnification gear they were very quick to send a replacement and give me a return label for the head. Not the whole thing... they only asked me to send the damaged part back. The boom is also pretty stable in my opinion. I can put it into all sorts of eccentric positions, even with the boom fully extended and it doesn't get the shakes.



Certainly, my table adds more vibration to the system than the scope apparatus. The biggest downfall has to be working distance (~4-5 inches). You can lean a soldering iron in there but it's not going to be comfortable. Image quality is acceptable - I haven't looked at a test pattern through the thing, mainly because I haven't had a reason to as there's no noticeable aberration or distortion. A Zeiss or a Nikon might have better image quality, but I'm not using it to shoot covers for Vogue, so any benefit would be on the margins for my usage. FWIW the quality is better than most DSLR kit lenses I've seen.

If I was planning on saving my nickels I'd put it into a Mantis-fund instead of binocular microscopes from more expensive brands that have similar working distance limitations.

[Axk]

twospoons, the Easkins scope you've got is it link #1 (with a camera port) or #2 (without a camera port) below?:

1) https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000013736134.html

2) https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32845641676.html

[twospoons]

I bought the one without a camera port. I didn't have a need for the third port.
The kit I got also had the x2 and x0.5 Barlow lenses. The x0.5 Barlow is useful for increasing the working distance - which makes it much easier to get tools in there when working on PCBs.

[highpower]

0.3X Barlow lens cuts magnification by 0.7X and increases the working distance to a maximum of 287mm (11.3in) with SM and/or SW series stereo microscopes.
I find this works best by setting up my scope at a comfortable height on the workbench with the scope extended out over the front edge of the bench. Placing another work surface in front of the bench but below the height of the bench gives me even more room to work with under the scope. Makes it easier to get a look at the underside of chips when viewing a PCB from the edge for example.

[Nusa]

The barlow lens trades working height for magnification range. So that's the first consideration. The typical setup with no barlow (1.0x) gives a 7x-45x magnification range. With a 0.5 barlow, it's 3.5x-22.5x range, which still covers most electronics needs. Going the other way (2.0x) you get a 14x-90x range, which is useful for science but the bottom end is too high for general electronics.

However, your choices also affect the user dimensions. That increased working distance also means either you have to sit taller or the working surface has to be lower than before. So chair height, table height, head height. It's a serious comfort issue that will depend on the individual, so there is not a universal best choice. The 6'6" (2 m) guy is going to have a completely different experience than the 5'2"(158 cm) girl.

Generically, most of the people I know are using 1.0x, 0.5x, or 0.7x barlows. Note that magnification can also be adjusted by changing the eyepieces.