TOMLOV1000X Error Coin Microscope with 4.3" LCD Screen, USB Digital Microscope with LED Fill Lights, Metal Stand, PC View, Photo/Video, SD Card Included, Windows Compatible, DM4S

I will preference my review with my qualifications. I have dual degrees in biology and chemistry. I'm also an amateur astronomer, maintaining many telescopes in an astronomy club. I've built telescopes and I own a lab grade, true 1000x microscope. I know a bit about optics.First, the claim of any of these digital microscopes of reaching 1000x is marketing nonsense. I own a microscope, and have used others in the lab at 1000x. The multi-lens, Plano objective, required to reach (and resolve an image) at 1000x requires oil immersion with a special oil. My advise to people is usually, when you see a microscope or telescope that advertises high magnification, don't buy.I needed a simple magnification system for jewelry, to see inclusions and hallmarks, without spending a lot. My microscope isn't the right type for this. I chose the Tomlov because of the gooseneck lamps and many good reviews.I'm blown away. First, the maximum usable magnification is possibly around 150-200x (I'll measure and do the math to add to the review). That's the magnification I need and most likely more than enough for 99.9% of people.I was very surprised at the quality of the images. There's no vignetting. The image was clear and flat across the entire screen. It was steady, well-lit. I appreciated being able to adjust the brightness of the objective led's and gooseneck led's separately. The base is metal and stabilizes the scope.The microscope is intuitive. I never looked at the instructions. I screwed the scope into the base, tightened down the retainer, plugged in the usb, and, put my old mine cut (OMC) diamond under it. The colors were true and I could see through it. The whole image was as clear as a bell. I can move the gooseneck lamps to illuminate different angles, which enables me to see jewelry hallmarks, which tell me assay information, like year made, metal purity, city of assay. These marks are tough to see in a loupe and even tougher to photograph. I photographed them easily on my windows computer.You simply plug the provided data micro USB cable, into the microscope head and computer, then use the camera app on the computer. If you plug the dual cable into a 5v USB recharger and then into the base, I'll power both sets of lights. If it doesn't work, switch to the other mini plug on the dual cable. To use without the computer just use the dual mini USB cable, plugged into the scope and base, then into a 5v USB outlet (or charge).The rack and pinion height adjustment is adequate, but needs frequent tightening. The focus adjustment works smoothly. The height and focus stay put after adjustment. The optics easily magnified the inclusions in a sapphire ring that were impossible to see with a 30x lighted loupe. I'll post photos tomorrow.The scope was less than $50. It has features that match many stereo microscopes costing $200. It's not perfect, but at this price I would have been happy if it it did half as much. It was a pleasant surprise and deserves a 5 stars.I've updated the review with several photos. The scope is hooked up to the computer. I've imaged my 1/2 carat OMC diamond. I took photos at the least magnification, mid magnification, and the highest I could use with good magnification. That circle you see on the highest magnification is through the stone, showing the bottom point (called a cutlet). Over 100 years ago they flattened those points. This diamond has a small cutlet that I'm sure is around 1/4mm. The ring is 18k gold.The second set of photos are of a sapphire and diamond ring. I went from least magnified to as much as I could to photograph inclusions in one very small area of the sapphire. All real, natural sapphires (ie. mined and not lab grown) will have inclusions. The photo shows these inclusions, which are too small to really resolve, but for my purposes, is more than enough. It shows that this sapphire is indeed a natural sapphire. The hallmarks are English. They tell me that this ring is 18k gold, that it was assayed in Birmingham, England in 1992.If you want a scope to do more than this, than you'll have to invest in a true geological stereo microscope. A good one will cost anywhere from $500-4000.

I am 74 and needed a hobby which my wife and I could do together. We had an accumulation (not a real collection) of old coins we started to organize and research. The hand held magnifying glass just didn't cut it so I began looking on Amazon for a better solution.We are new to the game and didn't want to over spend on a new hobby. I saw this product and thought it would meet our needs at a price we could afford. I ordered one and tried it out as soon as it came in. It works great, is easy to set up and use and is capable of taking photos of the coins. However, the height of the adjustable support brace for the camera was too short to view the entire coin or photograph it.I contacted the Companies product support department and explained the situation and asked if they could produce a longer one for me. The department emailed me back the next day apologizing for the inconvenience and asked for a copy of my amazon purchase receipt saying they have a longer brace and would send it to me. It took a few days to arrive because it came from China but it solved the problem.But wait, there is more to the story. Imagine my surprise when I received another package this week. It was another adapter which attaches between the support base and the adjust brace holding the camera. This expanded my field of view even more. Now I can use the first base to make a really close-up inspection and photo. I can add the base extension adapter to increase my field of view. I can use the longer camera brace for more viewing area or I can combine the base extension and longer camera adjustment support together.I am extremely satisfied with the quality of the product, the price, and the extra effort the company went to in satisfying my request. You can't go wrong with this product and company.

Can't complain much for the price. The two adjustable lights won't stay where you put them, and a taller telescoping stand would be very nice. Otherwise works well plugged into laptop, good clear image, pretty good range of magnification examining coins

Perfect for my daycare! Easy to use for the little ones as no slides are needed. Just place the object under the scope and the kids can see beautiful, up close images of nature, insects and more! The screen is a good size and so far after almost a year, and used daily, it has held up! Great quality, perfect for any classroom.

I use this to inspect my fountain pen nibs when I polish them. It's very effective, especially for older eyes.While the whole screen is 4-3/4" wide x 3-1/2" high, the actual viewing area is 3-5/8" wide and 2" high. That isn't very big but it's big enough for my purposes. It comes with a memory card so you can record. The stand is aluminum and very sturdy. You can raise and lower the microscope portion, or remove it from the stand entirely.There is a light in the end of the scope, plus two lights on the stand. It comes with a cord that has a standard USB connector on one end that connects to the power source, from which two separate cords are attached: one USB-C for the microscope and one micro-USB that plugs into the base to power the lights. These cords are only about 3' long so if you want longer ones you'll have to supply them. The scope charges up and retains the charge, while the lights must be connected to the power source in order to function.In most situations you really need the two lights on the stand to see the subject if it's lying on the base, although full sunny daylight is pretty good. If you remove the scope from the base you might be able to see fine without the base lights.

Cannot complain. This microscope does what it claims and hasn't failed me yet and I've had it for almost a year with just about daily use. For the price too, well worth it. Good starter to play with before upgrading