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.....

Amscope SE400-Z: Received a day earlier than expected. It assembles in minutes. Instructions are basic but don't need much. The base is sturdy. It came with the 10X eye pieces installed. It works great for circuit boards with surface mounted parts and tiny silk screen text. The 20X were in bags. The single gooseneck light works fine, good white light. It came with a plastic cover to keep the head clean. Very nice and just what I needed. Lots of room to work -- a little less than 9 inches as I set it up for initial check-out. For circuit board rework the 10X makes things close -- nice for inspection. I read what Donna W. wrote -- very informative. It was suggested to buy a 0.5X objective to get 5X overall for rework but to not buy the eye piece lens as the objective will give a better view. I just ordered from GT Vision in the UK -- GXM-0.5X. Will see how that works. For now, the 10X will work. I don't know when I would use the 20X eye pieces. Update: ordered the 0.5x objective on 2023.12.14 and received it on2023.12.21 (GXM-0.5X slide-in objective for C2-D microscope). Fits perfectly and with a total 5X works better than the 1.0x objective/10X eyepiece. I can still see details on and between pads but see more parts making assembly easier. Cost: 40.50 Sterling, about 35 Sterling shipping.

For $200, this is a fantastic deal. I'm using it for hot air SMD board assembly; and post assembly inspection. The 10X is good enough to see a 402 discrete and 112 LQFP. I also soldered a 200 pin, 1/2 mm pitch header. The 20X is really too much for assembly, unless you are doing some very small parts (maybe a 201 package), but is good for very close up inspection work. I personally would have preferred the 5X loops over the 20X. A 5X would offer a wider field of view yet have enough magnification to do most SMD assembly (the higher the magnification, the less of the board you'll see in the eyepieces). With the 10X I can only see about 1/2 of the 112 LQFP package in the eyepieces. As noted, the base is not the most sturdy I've worked with, but it does appear to be adequate (just don't try to use the head at a right angle to the base or spin the base around backwards so that the length is pointing away from the head). You want the length of the base aligned with the arm where the microscope head mounts. The only real complaint I have about the microscope is the height of the stand. It is about 1" too short for me to place my PCB pre-heater under the head (an Aoyue model 853A) and still have adequate height to focus the image. I had to sit the microscope on a 1" board to get the extra height needed. The optics are good, the lighting is adequate, and the controls are easy enough to use. I've had no issue with the image bouncing around while soldering components. The manual is pretty minimal but, as noted by others, really isn't needed.

So. This microscope is pretty decent. However it has some drawbacks. Pros Inexpensive. I paid $180 USD for mine on sale. Ideally you pay less due to the cons I list. Proper mirrored microscope. No camera sensor, no delay. Bi-ocular/stereo. Able to tell depth of field. Comes with a bag to cover the scope while it is not in use. It works well. However should of had a draw string of some sort so you can seal it off at the end. I use a draw string at the end to do that with. Left eye pieces focus can be individually adjusted. Say for a camera in that eye. However if you're looking through both. You need to ensure both are focused in correctly. Else it could lead to eye strain. Cons Little to no upgrade path. Mainly due to the rectangular objective. No 0.5 objective lens (to my knowledge) No Barlow lens due to the rectangular objective size. A Barlow lens increases your FOV, so you get more working area while looking down the scope. This is a major con. 20x lenses are useless as others say. I've only used the 10x ones. Need a 3D print to adapt a ring light to the objective. The base is by far the worst. If you move the scope too far to the left or right. The microscope falls over. The base limits your working angles. Meaning if the board you're working on is big. You're bumping it into the base and cant get to the area you want to work on. You're constantly trying to find a different angle to get what you need to work on in frame of the objective. I'm trying to find a different way to mount mine. The built in goose-neck light always seems to be in the way. Your hand is either blocking light from it, or its too bright causing glare from the board you're working on. I'm always moving mine around. It is bright though. Since its only stereo, you have no camera port. You can adapt something to fit on the left eye piece. However then you lose that eye piece/depth of field. Another con would be Amscopes support is abysmal. I contacted them about eye strain I was having. I bought a microscope to avoid this. Prior I was using jewelers glasses for magnification and it was giving me headaches. This scope was initially doing that to me. However it seems my eyes have gotten used to it. Amscope support took forever to get back to me. When they did they recommend I buy new silicone eye pieces. I did not. At first I thought it was the "collimation" of my objective lens. I tried talking to Amscope about that in the support emails but they seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. "KainkaLabs" on YouTube talks about how he had to adjust the collimation on his, else he was also getting eye strain. However I did not do this and my eyes have seemed to get used to the scope. My issue could of also been that my left eye piece was out of focus since I did not initially realize you can adjust it individually. All in all would I recommend this scope? For the right price, yes. Ideally around $150 USD. I paid $180, and with all the cons I described I would not of paid that if I knew I would of had these issues. It is a good beginner scope. If you have any issues, it can easily be exchanged or refunded through Amazon. You can get better, more up-gradable Tri-ocular scopes from Aliexpress. However if you have a issue, it is not as easily returnable. That was the main reason why I went with this scope. Having a microscope is definitely a game changer. I have been able to solder 0402 resistors, and work with 30awg kynar wire for xbox 360 modding.

I'm having a weird form of buyer's remorse - that I didn't buy this years ago! * UPDATE * Don't bother buying extra 5x eyepieces - they suck! The field of view shrinks leaving you with the same FOV as the 10x! I do electronics work and have long used magnifying visors (which remain absolutely indispensable for their wide field of view, convenience & portability) and have always meant to get around to buying a binocular microscope. I was to spend about $500 on a slightly fancier Amscope (still a great deal; friends have spent thousands on theirs) but noticed this very inexpensive puppy - with its huge working distance - and the reviews convinced me to give it a shot. Just unpacked it and WOW it's terrific value for money; doesn't feel cheap in the slightest; nice heavy base, the gooseneck LED light is bright and works well (a decent cost compromise compared to a more expensive ring light), the eyepiece comfort and image quality is excellent. Can't see myself ever using the 20x optics; 10x appears ample for SMD work; solder joints on 0402s and QFPs are very clearly visible. Most of all, the working distance is excellent; there's a ton of room for hot air / soldering iron. The relatively narrow field of view you get with microscopes means I'll probably still do a fair amount of soldering with my beloved magnifying visors but this scope looks to be extremely well suited for electronics work and ridiculously good value for less than $200. Highly recommended. Maybe I'll treat myself to a Metcal now :-)

Fantastic microscope. This is the first microscope I own and I believe its great for the following reasons: 1.) Build quality: The microscope is sturdy and everything seems well built. The base is solid and the weight is heavy enough so that the microscope doesn't wiggle or topple. The goose neck arm is flexible yet sturdy and the led emits a good amount of light providing clarity to your object especially in dark environment. 2.) Design: One great features is that this particular design gives you the space you need to place your board or device under the microscope along with having enough distance to use your tools without having the lens get in the way. You can fully adjust the height and zoom to fit your need. 3.) Stereo Lens: The 10x lens is excellent for soldering. The 20x lens doesn't suit my needs. You are able to get a good balance of perspective and detail needed to get the job done with the 10x. I love that this is a Binocular Stereo Microscope at the price you are paying. I definitely see the benefits of going binocular which include less eye fatigue and more convenience (Don't have to be squinting with one eye all the time). Cons: I am not going to knock this product for any cons because I am completely satisfied. However, there are some things to keep in mind... Since the arm is manual you may find it somewhat irritating having to manually adjust height in the middle of a job if you have to move your object on a different position. This is not a con to me because I know there are other AmScope models that have an on the fly adjustable arm that would solve this situation. This particular model shines when you don't have to move your object's height often. Overall, I am very satisfied. I think this is a great entry level Microscope. Obviously you can get a more full featured one if you are willing to pay more. But for the price you are paying you are getting a quality product.