Products > Other Equipment & Products
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:
--- Quote from: Reformatt on February 07, 2019, 03:10:58 am ---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.
--- End quote ---
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.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version