Levenhuk LabZZ M101 Microscope

The LabZZ M101 is a real microscope built for a child of about five to nine, and the cheapest instrument we're prepared to sell. It has three objectives on a rotating turret, a two-position 10x to 16x eyepiece angled at 45 degrees, and a magnification range of 40x to 640x in six steps. The lenses are optical polymer rather than glass, which is the main thing that separates it from the Rainbow 2L, and the image at 40x and 100x is clear enough for a first look at onion skin, a hair or the prepared slides in the kit.

Lighting is a single LED under the round 82 mm stage, with adjustable brightness, so it's for slides and transparent samples rather than coins or whole insects. It runs on two AA batteries (not included) and there's no mains option. Focus is one coarse knob and the stage has clips and a six-hole diaphragm disc.

Levenhuk's K50 experiment kit is in the box, with five prepared slides, five blank slides, forceps, a dropper, a microtome and a brine shrimp hatchery, plus a dust cover. Cover slips aren't included, so for wet samples add a slide set that has them.

If the child is eight or older, or you'd like light from above as well as below and a mains adapter, the Rainbow 2L is the better buy for a little more. Our kids' microscope guide compares the two. Available in Azure.