BRESSERJunior Stereo Microscope 20x

Excellent product - gives a sharp and clear image. Perfect for its intended task and very good value for money.

For reasons that will soon be obvious, this is a comparative review which features both this microscope and also an equivalent model made by Apex. The Apex Examiner Microscope Both are stereoscopic and even a cursory examination shows that both must have been made in the same facility by the same manufacturer using slightly different design specs. Both have a good build quality. Price-wise they're not too dissimilar. There are two main differences between them and a third minor difference. Which you opt for is a case of which design you prefer but in reality there is probably just one major factor to consider.The Bresser has eyepieces mounted on virtually upright tubes whereas the Apex has them at an angle which may well suit those who use their 'scopes whilst sitting and who don't like to lean forwards over the instrument. That latter stand. however, can make it easier to manipulate whatever object you are viewing as you can more easily look down and make adjustments rather than having to move your position more completely to look around the upper body.The Bresser has a securely fastened battery compartment where there is no risk of the cover becoming dislodged. (Note: the manual says you have to remove 4 small screws to gain access to the battery compartment. You don't - there are 6, of which two are both very small and don't actually seem necessary). The Apex has a clip on and clip off compartment cover which seems secure.In both 'scopes, once opened, the battery compartments have room for 2xAA batteries BUT the wiring and associated switch controller is fully exposed, ready to be damaged by any clumsy or accidental mis-handling. I suspect that any problems might arise when removing batteries as you need to use a fingernail to prise them free and your hand could slip. However, to be fair, the wiring doesn't flop about and the ease of removing the cover for the Apex makes it less likely that you'll leave batteries in place if storing and not using the 'scope for a long time.One other warning - make sure you remove the two eyepieces when turning the scope upside down to open the battery compartments of either 'scope. Otherwise the eyepieces will fall to the floor. This is mentioned in the manual.Usability of both instruments is good. In fact they're identical in this respect as both mechanisms, lighting system etc. are also identical.The image quality of both is good and is certainly perfectly adequate for children and beginners. There was no evidence of visual aberration nor of any dirt or foreign objects inside the lens mounts or mechanisms. The lens system incorporates 2 widefield eyepieces with 10x magnification and 2 objectives giving 2x magnification. Ease of adjustability for both 'scopes to suit different faces and spacings between eyes is excellent.As for the third less important differences - the Bresser comes with a moderately interesting but cheaply-packaged set of small stone-types. To be honest, a handful of gravel or tiny pebbles would be massively more interesting. I found that item to be a bit on the tatty side. The Apex comes with a basic kit for preparing specimens. It's not best quality, but is perfectly usable. Perhaps of more interest is the small (but rather fragile) Petri-style dish for examining wet specimens or (most fascinating for young children) pond life. Personally, I feel that a smaller and better quality dish would be best for the latter as the field of view is such that it could be tricky to track and observe a particularly energetic daphnia specimen!!!However, the comparisons in this respect don't end there: the lift-out viewing platform on the Bresser is white on one side and black on the other. That can be especially useful when observing pale or white objects. The Apex lift-out platform is white on both sides BUT, as can be seen in the photo of the bases, it also has a small area on one side which COULD be used for observing that frantically swerving daphnia. (I'll add a little tip about them at the end)Although Apex seem to have the better selection of extras, in reality it would be neither expensive nor difficult to equip yourself with a much better selection so as to develop your skills with specimen preparation.So - on balance, which is the better of the two? There's no definitive answer, but I suggest that you need to consider the positioning of the eyepieces to decide which you prefer. Do you want upright or angled? That is probably the fundamental decider as the other considerations are relatively minor when considering two otherwise identical instruments.If you want to check out a couple of other items which might well be useful additions for yourself or as an 'extra' if you're buying for a child, here are two good starting points ... Fossil Collection Kit - Contains 15 Genuine Fossils! Naturetrails: Rocks and Fossils (Usborne Nature Trail) --------------------------------------------------------Now for that tip about observing water daphnia or 'water fleas' as they are sometimes described.If you have or can gather a sample of pond water that is green with floating algae, put some of the daphnia into it and let them have a good guzzle for a few hours or a day. Then carefully spoon a few out and transfer into clean pond water. Then immediately view them under the microscope. Their digestive system will now be naturally stained green by the algae they have ingested whilst the rest of them, including their tiny beating heart, is a healthy pink.

First the bad bits... the unit I received wasn't branded "Bresser" and came in plain packaging without the giftbox and with a separate jiffy bag bundle of rocks rather than a selection of polished fossils etc in a display box.The rest, however, is all upside: the optical quality is surprisingly good and you can adjust each eyepiece to your prescription. The illumination is very good (2x AA batteries) and the rock sample set is rather interesting with a flowchart to identify your lumps of stone and a detailed explaination of the features of each type of rock. Finally, and unexpectedly, it came with a dust cover.So if you're looking for a cheap microscope for electrical inspection and repair (as I and a previous reviewer), or for a budding geologist then this is an unbeatable deal. After putting our budding geologist to bed my wife and I spent 20 mins watching sweat slowly ooze out of the skin pores on our fingertips. Fastinating - just don't buy this one as a cute present...

Okay, so I'm not exactly the Bresser Junior's target audience, having missed the age range by a good couple of decades, but I purchased the Bresser Junior Stereo Microscope for electronics work. With similar - okay, identical - microscopes costing at least £10 more, and in some cases hundreds of pounds more, I figured I'd take a punt on the budget end.First, the downsides. The build quality is poor, and the optics aren't the best. In particular, dirt has come into contact with the inner lenses during manufacturing and it can't be cleaned off - although you can shift it around a bit with a rocket blower or similar. If you're expecting a lab-quality picture, look elsewhere - and add a zero onto the end of your budget while you're at it.The upsides: for the price, the image is remarkably clear and large. Don't be put off by the kid in the picture: the eyepieces are adjustable from child-friendly head sizes to people with eyes further apart than me. If you can't make this microscope work for your head, the chances are you can't buy hats and glasses either. Focusing is easy, and the stereo eyepieces produce a pleasing three-dimensional image. The included LED light is also bright, and is quite happy running from a pair of AA batteries for an age without noticeable dimming.The oddsides: the stand includes a grip-bar for the focus adjustment, which has a kick-stop at the bottom to prevent kids from mashing the lenses down on the object they're observing. Sadly, the kick-stop means that the microscope can't focus through the removable stage - meaning you can't sit the microscope on top of objects larger than will fit on the stage, making it awkward for electronics use. Thankfully, it's easy to remove the grip-bar and its kick-stop and replace it with a strip of rubber - 3.3mm thick, no more, no less - and gain the ability to focus through the stage.TL;DR: It's cheap, it's cheerful, and if you don't mind a bit of warranty-voiding modification can be easily adjusted to make a brilliant addition to an electronics workbench.

Magnification appears to be 10x as per the eye pieces (see illustration) rather than 20x. However don't let that put you off. The magnification (whatever it is) coupled with good sharp optics, is very useful and makes the microscope versatile and easy to use. In any case, magnification is a big step up from a jeweller's eye glass or loupe.The microscope is well made, useful to have in the house and I suggest a better bet than the more normal higher magnification ones aimed at children.