AmScope SE400-Z Professional Binocular Stereo Microscope, WF10x and WF20x Eyepieces, 10X and 20X Magnification, 1X Objective, LED Lighting, Boom-Arm Stand, 110V-120V

This microscope is very solid and well-built. I knew what the other reviewers had said, but even so, I was surprised at just how heavy the box was when it was delivered. It's very solid -- no "toy" feel whatsoever. No worries about it tipping over or anything. However, I almost dinged them a star on their goofy instruction manual download procedure. Instead of having a printed manual included, they had a pamphlet with instructions to go to their website and enter a password printed on a sticker that's on the outside of the shipping box. And then when you do all of that, you find that the manual doesn't say anything that you couldn't already figure out anyway. I can maybe see not including a printed manual with it, as so many people never bother with reading them anyway so why print it when people can just download it? Plus, you can more easily provide updates and additional data. But why the goofy password? It's not like anything in the manual is secret or proprietary or would be a benefit to anyone who didn't own the microscope. They should just post them all online available for free download with no passwords. I bought this scope to do electronics work -- specifically for tiny surface mount parts. However, if you plan to do electronics, you'll want to get the WF5X eyepieces too -- perhaps you should look at the version of this microscope with the 5X and 10X eyepieces to begin with. The one I bought came with 10X and 20X eyepieces and so I had to buy the 5X eyepieces separate. For moderate size parts, the 5X eyepieces are perfect and for tiny (0201 scale) parts the 10X are perfect. I don't know if I'll ever really use the 20X eyepieces. When I bought my WF5X eyepieces, however, I found a strange discrepancy in the reviews and AmScope product specs for the AmScope WF5X eyepieces. Their spec listed the 5X as having only a 11mm field-of-view, which is ridiculous seeing the 10X has a 20mm field-of-view, though another source listed it as being 18mm. The comments from reviewers were mixed -- some seemed to indicate the AmScope 5X and 10X eyepieces were both about the same field-of-view and another reviewer described a much smaller field-of-view, consistent with a 20mm to 11mm reduction. So with all of the mix of data, I opted instead to purchase OMAX WF5X eyepieces (part CS-X2AEX205C) which are spec'd as having a 20mm field-of-view. They work just fine on this scope (as both are standard 30.5mm diameter eyepieces) and I can confirm the OMAX WF5X eyepieces (that I received) have the indicated 20mm field-of-view. The working range for this scope is great -- no worries of crashing your soldering iron or tools into the scope. And the lighting with the single gooseneck LED light is good. However, I opted to also get their 6W LED dual gooseneck adjustable brightness light to use with it and be able to light things from both directions (to eliminate shadows). I do wish that the base of that dual gooseneck light was about 1/2" (~13mm) shorter than it is. If it were, it could be placed lengthwise on the base of this microscope as the perfect "add-on" without consuming more tabletop space. At least it will fit sideways on the scope's base without falling off. The only change I would really make to the scope is in the arm adjustment. Due to the height of my table and chair, using the scope as it was designed puts it a bit too high for me. So, I flipped the adjustment arm upside down so that I could adjust it at a slight downward angle and make it more comfortable. But if you do that, you have to be careful of not accidentally releasing the lever and crashing the head of the scope into your work. It would have been better if they had designed the arm adjustment slightly differently to where the lock position would already be at a slight downward angle (perhaps 20 degrees from parallel instead of the near 0 degrees that it is?). That would extend the control range significantly and still not risk crashing the scope's head. Maybe I should ding it one star for that? Though once you have it configured to your liking, it doesn't matter much. Prior to this scope, I was using a lighted magnifier in conjunction with reading glasses. But this is such a huge improvement. For the price, it was well worth it to upgrade. I have no regrets over this purchase. UPDATE 14 Aug 2023 : I've done some recent upgrades to my microscope setup and thought I'd share. While the WF5X eyepieces have done well over the years, they do have more of a "tunnel vision" effect with a smaller apparent field of view than the 10x eyepieces. The difference is in the diameter of the lens itself. I happened to come across a couple of blogs discussing this and found mention of an alternate 0.5x objective lens. Strangely, AmScope doesn't sell it and neither does Amazon nor any of the Chinese suppliers. However, this microscope is essentially a rebranded Euromex BE-50 (see euromex[dot]com), and they have both a 0.5x and 2.0x objective lens that fits this microscope perfectly (exact fit). So, I ordered the 0.5x objective lens and have found that it in conjunction with the 10x eyepieces (which is still the same 5x overall magnification) gives a much larger apparent field of view with less "tunnel vision" than the WF5X eyepieces with the original 1.0x objective lens. It also has a slightly larger working distance, at 250mm instead of 230mm. The only suppliers I could find that sold the Euromex objective lens were in the UK and Germany. I got mine from optics-pro in Munich. I also found a better solution for the AmScope 6W gooseneck light. On Aliexpress, you can find essentially the same 6W gooseneck light (in fact, the LED goosenecks are interchangeable) that bolts onto the upright post of the back of the microscope and gets it completely out of the way. I have switched to it and like how it has freed up the area on the base of the scope for placing things while working. Unfortunately, though, Amazon doesn't carry it either. The same Aliexpress sellers that have the other 6W gooseneck light also have WF10/22 eyepieces (and maybe even WF10/23) with the same 30.5mm attachment diameter that can improve the field of view even more. And they have a variety of cameras with the same 30.5mm attachment that fits the eyepiece socket of this microscope. I got the 55MP version. While it's not useful for soldering, it does facilitate circuit reverse engineering, as it's easier to glance between a monitor and your paper where you are taking notes than looking through the scope. Though it's too bad this isn't a trinocular scope to where you can leave the camera attached all the time. And one other find was that the "large dollar" (like Morgan and Eisenhower silver dollars) round plastic coin storage tubes with screw tops that hold 25 coins are perfect for storing the eyepieces of this microscope. Those storage tubes are 38.5mm diameter by 59.4mm deep, which is deep enough for the longer WF5X eyepieces that are about 56mm long.

I was interested in the more expensive model, but settled on this one. No one would ship to my APO adress was the only reason. I need up settling for this scope instead. I'm using this for soldering and inspecting smd components. This thing is great and I don't regret it one bit. I've found the 10x lenses are perfect for what I've been doing. It's so much easier to solder these small components and find loose and dry solder joints. I highly recommend it, I don't think you will be disappointed. The price is very reasonable for the quality you get. Everything is solid and looks like very good quality. The optics are crystal clear with no distortion that I can see. I was a bit concerned about the Led not being bright enough, but it works great and I like the flexible shaft for pointing the light where I need it. The working space is great and I can comfortably look through it for an hour or more without much fatigue. This is by far one of the most useful components in my lab next to my Hakko soldering station. Worth every penny. I am using this in England and plugged it right into 220v, it works great with no problems at all with dual voltage.

I haven't had this long, but some initial impressions: --Easy to set up although the directions are pretty worthless. You also receive a little wrench that doesn't seem to be needed and doesn't fit anything. --Nice clear images and good depth of field. Not a terribly wide field compared to others I've used, but the others didn't allow the work to be so far from the objective lens so maybe that's the difference. --Changing from 10x to 20x is inconvenient, but I doubt I'll use anything but the 10x anyway. Zoom would be nice but can't be expected at this price. --The LED light is not bad. I like how it can be positioned where you want it. Seems to be bright enough the little I've used it. --A few inches more height on the post would have been nice, but I can put a board underneath if need be. --I'm pretty tall and the ergonomics of the thing are great for me. No slouching over needed and the eyepiece angle is just right. This may not be the case for a shorter person. When set to focus at the tabletop, the eyepiece is 17" above the tabletop. Of course, you have 9" of clearance under the objective so lots of room to work. --I suspect this is some kind of clone. Nowhere on the unit or the instructions does it list a manufacturer or model number. There is a serial number (?) on the bottom, but that's it. The pictures Amazon displays shows a label (Amscope) on the front of the unit but mine doesn't have that. It may be a refurbished unit. Given that the optics seem fine and there isn't a lot to go wrong, I'm going to keep it. However, this isn't the first thing I've gotten from Amazon that seems to be a clone. There is a surprisingly complex power supply for the LED, but I can fix that if it fails.....

Fast delivery from Am scope, Very nicely built smooth rack and pinion adjustment knob, got strong points and minor weak points, strong point the base is massive and heavy looks like you could drive a truck over it, weak points the adjusting knobs made of plastic , nice that they give a cover with it to keep it from the dust ,the ac cord is thick and strong looks like a PC ac cord easy to replace if need be if your into modern SMT electronic you really need this or stamp collection its also a blessing for older eyes reading printed font number 2 on prescription drugs etc..the focusing distance is perfect to hold your welding pencil ..

easy usage no problems

Exactement ce que je cherchais : une bino avec tête décalée, un éclairage orientable et surtout une garde importante entre l'objet et l'optique. Cette bino est destinée à l'aide pour la soudure des circuits électroniques type CMS. Il fallait donc une garde importante pour manipuler le fer à souder, ce qui n'est pas le cas des binos destinées aux sciences naturelles. En plus, le champ couvert est satisfaisant et la qualité excellente.

This instrument surpasses all of my expectations. It was easy to assemble too. The image quality is very good! The only thing it lacks for me is that the integrated light is not dimmable. However, this is not a criticism! It is just something I think could be useful to have. All in all, this is a great instrument, especially for the price. Well made too. Delivery : it arrived well within the specified time and was well packed. All in all, I am very pleased.

5 stars