I wanted to get my niece into science as I feel girls need to be exposed to this to develop an appreciation for it early in life where they may pick up on the interest later on in life. I settled on a microscope as it's a perfect way to engage her in science and biology.

The unit's build is great, it's quite sturdy but not to the level of the heavy-duty units that I remember using in school. I can appreciate that it isn't super heavy as this is for a 12 year old who might not want to have trouble picking it up and storing it away. The unit can be used with the traditional scope or the screen. Screen is great to have while sharing and explaining what it is we see together. It is clear and you can change brightness levels to your liking. It comes with a pack of slides and cover slips. I only wish they included iodine with the unit. It comes with a nice looking case to store it in.

I admit, I did relive my youth and had loads of fun while showing my niece all sorts of fascinating things under the scope. We started with the usual onion skin cells and checked out pond water with phytoplankton and zooplankton. Generally, a quality microscope would cost over $1000, so I feel this is a quality investment into her education.