Microscopes For Kids.

Every budding young scientist deserves a fully operational and working microscope that will last him or her through to senior secondary school. To make it easy for parents and hobbyists, we have selected the following microscopes from our range as the best for kids, students, young scientists and hobbyists based on the following criteria:

Optics
Above all else, we considered the quality of the images you will get with each kids' microscope. We have chosen only instruments with glass optics and their own light source so the quality of the image is sharp. We also looked for controls and software that allow you to fine-tune the image. All are true microscopes, not toys.

Durable Construction
While a microscope needs to be handled with care and protected from dust, we have selected microscopes that have sturdy metal housing without plastic pieces that can be easily broken.

Ease of Use
A beginner microscope needs to be easily set up, used and manipulated by small fingers. All the microscopes selected take only a few minutes to learn the basics.

Flexibility
Most kids don’t really know how they will use their microscope until they road test it, so each of the selected microscopes offer a wide range of options including, in the case of traditional microscopes, the ability to add a digital eye-piece so images can be stored on a computer, shared and printed. Not all experiments take place on the kitchen table so we have selected a range of models that allow portability and can be taken to a wide range of locations easily.

Fun
This is the χ factor and one of the reasons we have included a range of digital microscopes on the list. A digital microscope does not have an eyepiece but uses a monitor to view objects. This is usually a computer, though they may have their own monitors, and we have included a fully portable digital microscope on our list. The ability to involve friends and family in the viewing and experiments adds to the enjoyment, and capturing still and video images makes science come alive, allowing the student or hobbyist to easily develop their own scientific journal.

We have chosen the top seven that we would recommend for students and given them a score for each of the criteria and an overall rating.

Model	Optics/Specification	Construction	Ease of use	Flexibility	Fun	Overall Rating
TLI XSP4-Duo	Introductory Level offering three magnifications 40X, 100X and 400X Disc diaphram condensor. Dual top and bottom illumination makes it suitable for viewing both slides and larger specimens.	Very sturdy microscope for the price, with LED lighting. However best to be placed in a carry box to transport it.	Suitable for students who have reached a level where they can concentrate and are patient in manipulating the focus.	Extremely versatile. Both slides and macro objects can be viewed and it has a battery option that means it can be taken outside	Images cannot be taken, stored or shared, so this is more for exploring than sharing and fun.	Good solid microscope for kids from Year 5 upwards.
TLI-700	Introductory stereo optics (3 dimensional) with 20X magnfication. Ideal for viewing larger specimens such as fossils, rocks, leaves and insects.	Very sturdy microscope for the price. This model uses external light source, making it less prone to damage.	Suitable for all students with a simple, easy to use focusing mechanism.	Limited to 20X magnification and viewing macro objects. Requires external lighting.	Images cannot be taken, stored or shared, so this is more for exploring than sharing and fun.	Good solid microscope for kids from Year 5 upwards.
TLI-XTX3	Intermediate stereo optics (3 dimensional) with 20X and 40X magnfication. Top and bottom light sources enhance the operation of this microscope.	Very sturdy microscope, however care is required to ensure light globes are not damaged.	Suitable for older students. Adjustable magnification with simple, easy to use focusing mechanism. Requires selection of lighting.	20X and 40X magnification. Ideal for viewing macro objects.	Images cannot be taken, stored or shared, so this is more for exploring than sharing and fun.	Good solid microscope for kids from Year 8 upwards.
TLI USB Scope 2MP	2 MP (adjustable) with quality glass lenses. Can be used with, or without stand.	Very light and portable and not a lot can happen to it unless it is handled roughly or its optics deliberately interfered with.	Suitable for all students with basic computer skills. Requires them to connect via USB and use software to view, capture images and video.	Needs to be attached to a computer for use and is suitable mainly for macro objects such as insects, rocks, leaves etc, but can be used to view microscope slides.	Images can be taken, stored and shared easily, Can be used in a range of creative projects in art, writing and science	Good value for money and easily able to be used by kids who are 8 years old upwards
TLI mTech 5MP	Better quality images than the TLI USB Scope 2MP because of its higher resolution (5 MP). Can be used with, or without stand.	Light and portable with a better quality and better constructed stand than the TLI USB 2MP	Suitable for all students with basic computer skills. Requires them to connect via USB and use software to view, capture images and video.	Needs to be attached to a computer for use and is suitable mainly for macro objects such as insects, rocks, leaves etc, but can be used to view microscope slides.	Images can be taken, stored and shared easily, Can be used in a range of creative projects in art, writing and science	Terrific value for money if you can afford the few extra dollars for a better quality USB scope.
TLI iMicro	WiFi 0.3 MP with quality glass lenses. Can be used with iPad or Android tablets.	Very light and portable and not a lot can happen to it unless it is handled roughly or its optics deliberately interfered with.	Suitable for all students with iPads, or Android. Requires them to connect via WiFi and use software to view, capture images and video.	Needs to be connected to an iPad, or Android and is suitable mainly for macro objects such as insects, rocks, leaves etc, but can be used to view microscope slides.	Images can be taken, stored and shared easily, Can be used in a range of creative projects in art, writing and science	More expensive than its USB counterparts, but great for those students who love their iPads.
TLI mTech LCD	High resolution images (5 MP), with quality glass lenses, provide excellent image quality. The LC display means that this microscope can be used on its own.	Ultra portable with LCD, micro SD card. Robust but more vulnerable to damage than the other USB models due to its display, battery and keypad.	Suitable for all students. Can be used without a computer, although computer skills are useful to upload and manage images.	Our most flexible unit with the ability to be used as stand alone, connected to computer, or TV monitor.	Images can be taken, stored on SD Card and shared easily, Can be used in a range of creative projects in art, writing and science	More expensive than its USB counterparts, but great for those students who wish to do field work and examine specimens that are difficult to bring home.