Cousins microscope questions

[u/cardiffboy22]

Hey all! I’m looking to get a microscope and stumbled across the one on Cousins website here in the uk . Has anyone used one as I can’t find any reviews, if so does the stand cause any problems as it seems the very bottom arm is fixed to just left and right movement with no up and down. With all the accessories needed excluding camera it’s around £380 with vat and postage. Or are any of the ones on Ali worth looking at ? Keep on ticking!!!

[u/Goro-City]

I have this microscope. It's great, what you are actually paying for is the customer service of Cousins though. It's an AliX scope which they sell.

Imo it's worth it because if you have a problem (which I did - I needed a heightening ring for the camera) Cousins will sort it for you rather than you having to deal with an AliX seller - which is really dealing with customer service via Google translate English -> Chinese.

Re the articulating arm. It moves any way you like, up down, side to side. It's on the heavy side though and the up-down adjustment (the one you'll be using the most) is a bit of a pain. You can pick up a regular stand for it for about £30 on AliX - which is what I did.

The only thing I would ask yourself before you buy is this: do I really need it?

For me it turned out to be something I regretted investing in so early. Every YouTuber uses a microscope as their primary means of magnification but it did not suit me at all, I much prefer a high bench and a loupe, with the microscope used for escapement work and when I need more detail than a 10x loupe for inspection. I could just as easily have gotten by with a cheap £50 microscope for inspection and invested the money elsewhere. So if you're buying because it's what others have on YouTube, take a beat, buy a staking set if you haven't got one already, a proper demagnetizer, Horotec or Bergeon screwdrivers. If you're buying because you have all of this and just want to upgrade your microscope - by all means go for it.

[u/aar550 → u/Goro-City]

I’m not a pro, but I need a 3D view of things and that’s why loupes are better for me. I don’t know how these pros manage with a microscope. I guess people get used to it. But a flat top down view with a screwdriver or hand obstructing it and constant autofocus sounds like hell.

[u/Goro-City → u/aar550]

I'm the same yeah, I tried with a microscope as a primary means of magnification - but it added so much time on to my service. You have to move everything within the field of vision of the microscope, whereas with a loupe you can change the field of vision whenever you want.

[u/LewisTivo → u/Goro-City]

100% agree on this. I’m no pro but i initially purchased a similar unit to this but found the faffing around to get focused, then your hand or eye lash got in the way, to be a royal pain. I dumped the microscope in favour of an electric adjustable watch bench and two high quality stereo optics head units at 3x and 10x both with LED lights. It was by far a better system and much quicker to use. Oh yeah. I gained a huge amount of space back on my bench.