My First Lab Microscope Review
A child’s curiosity can be almost insatiable. What better way to let them get up close with their world than a My First Lab microscope? My First Lab is a family-owned company focusing on promoting STEM learning and providing quality, affordable scientific products for kids. Their products have received a seal of excellence and have been featured on ABC 7 News’ Education Spotlight. Their microscopes are made with top quality optics for clear viewing and electric LED lights for the best detail. Clear user guides provide step by step instructions.
My First Lab Microscope is a Powered by Mom Holiday Gift Guide pick. Check out our Gift Guide HERE.
We got to play with the Smartphone Inspector, the WOW Scope, and the Duo-Scope Starter kit.
The Smartphone Inspector
The Smartphone Inspector really blew me away. It seems a bit bulky at first and I had to remove my phone cover in order for it to sit flush against my phone, but it takes your phone’s camera and magnifies it 60 times! My phone’s auto-focus did just fine through the lens and the clarity was incredible. There is a coin battery operated light attached if you need some extra light which has a regular LED light and an Ultraviolet LED. The ultraviolet light is great if you want to examine fluorescent minerals like Amber or detect real currency.
The kids love being able to take my phone around and look at all the things up close like yeast, my mineral collection, and the slides that came with the other microscopes. This would be super fun to take with you when you’re out at the park! It has its own little bag to keep it clean and pack it away. It’s small enough to fit anywhere and it adapts to any smartphone camera.
The WOW Scope
The WOW or world of wonder microscope feels super high-tech and fancy, but it withstood the 7, 4, and 1 year old no problem! Pop two AA batteries in the bottom to run the two lights, one above and one below, so you can view traditional slides OR 3D objects! It includes a slide with 2 specimens and a solid card with three 3D objects. There is also a carrying case for both.
It comes with two sets of eyepieces for different magnification levels. You can get up to 50x total magnification. The eyepieces just slide in and out of each white base and can be independently adjusted. The dial on the side raises and lowers the glass optics smoothly and easily.
It is recommended for ages 7+ but my 4-year-old had no problem working it and loved looking at the crystal clear images of the feather and sand. He does often forget to shut the light off after playing but so far we’ve had no issues as the LED lamps should last practically forever and they do not take a heavy toll on the batteries.
The Duo Scope Starter Kit
The Duo Scope Starter Kit is a brilliant introduction to the sciences for kids. It was specifically designed with elementary and middle school-aged kids in mind. Known as the “Duo” because it too has two lights, the light above is for solid 3D objects and the one below is for viewing slides. It takes three AA batteries that are not included. It has a single removable eyepiece that is 10x and a cap to keep dust out when the eyepiece is not in. The rotating objectives allow for viewing at 40x, 100x, and 400x. The kit has 40 accessories including a magnifying glass, plastic pipet, graduated cylinder, specimen slicer (had to look up what this one was!), 3 prepared slides, 8 blank slides with cover strips and labels, tweezers, brine shrimp egg vial, yeast specimen, 3 empty specimen vials, a hatchery, and an experiment guide.
It is recommended for ages 8+ and the guide is written towards that level or a bit older. My younger two still thoroughly enjoyed it just as much as the WOW Scope. The guide details proper handling, using the microscope, and hatching and growing the brine shrimp and yeast in the hatchery. Again, the optics are super clear and the lighting sure beats those microscopes with the mirror to direct the light. This microscope even has and dial in the slide base to control how much light comes up from below. My oldest liked this one the best with the single viewing eyepiece and rotating optics.
Overall
I had just as much fun as the kids using these microscopes. They really are high-quality equipment but very durable and easy to use. The starter kit got us off to the right start and the WOW scope and Duo Scope got us up close to some very cool things. The Smartphone Investigator is great for exploring on the go and the kids spend way more time at the dining room table with the microscopes than in front of the TV now which is extra great! I cannot recommend My First Lab highly enough for anyone with a love of science or for sparking that love of science for their child.
Be sure to check back next week for a chance to WIN your very own WOW Scope!
And do not forget to check out the rest of the Holiday Gift Guide!
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I learned that the company is located in Manassas, Virginia.
This is a very nice and exploratory scientific gift to have children waiting what to look at next. The review is most excellent and thanks for sharing it with us.
I like the hands on learning the microscope gives. It’s like a sneaky way to have a kid learn and have fun.
I like tah you can view both solid 3d pieces and slides. I love that your 4 year old was able to handle it to as i have a 4 year old who has an older sibling so this should be great for both
How much fun is this! My children would go crazy over having a microscope. I used to have one as a child and the little light never seemed to be enough. This seems so much better now!
I like that it has an Ultraviolet LED Light.
Having a microscope opens up a whole new world for our children. They are able to see
and examine things that the naked eye doesn’t allow.
This is awesome! I never thought of growing brine shrimp. There are so many things my sons 8 and 10 would love to look at under a microscope.
Oh my, I didn’t even know they have this!
It would make for a great gift!!
Had a microscope years & years ago. Always amazed me what things looked like under it.
Love it comes with a starter kit. Both of my grandsons would love this.
This looks like so much fun for the kids and they would love it ..they would look at bugs or something that crawls with it
This is really cool. What a great learning tool for my grand kids.
I think every kid should have one. I remember mine as a kid and it was no where as sophisticated as this one.
I think this is great to get kids involved in the world around them. I like the LED lights and the phone magnifier is pretty ingenious!
This is so neat, I love how it comes with slides for you to look at before you do your own exploring, I love that this has an LED light on it as well so it’s brighter.
Ooh! I’d love to look at our pond water! There are all sorts of “critters” in it…amoebas, paramecium, etc…. Thanks and God Bless! ILuvTheEucharist @ aol dot com
I love that it can be portable. My youngest would love to look at leaves and bugs with a microscope.
I love the LED light feature, and that it magnifies up to 60 times. This would be a perfect addition to our homeschool. I love toys that are fun and educational.
I really like toys that are fun as well as educational. Who knows?..Maybe this will spark a future scientist! What a great way to get a child to explore their surroundings. Love it.
These look very well made and loads of fun learning will be taking place 🙂 my kids and I are big into all different kinds of science.
My grandson would love this microscope. They love looking at bugs with this.
I like the electric LED lights for the best detail
looks like a great learning tool.kids would love it and it may help them like stuff like this.
I love things that make learning fun. I think that my son would have fun with this microscope.
My granddaughter loves science! This would make a great Christmas gift for her! Thanks! ☺☺
I think it’s fabulous for kids, such a good way to begin learning about basic science.
i know my kids will have so much fun with this
It s really cool it’s run on batteries so you can take to other locations like a park, marsh, etc easily. I think the UV light was cool to look at. I have 7 grandkids from ages 2 to 17 and any one of them would love to work this microscope. out of 6 kids, our family has never had one but even our senior in HS would love this. She’s very into science and bio tech.
i love that these pieces are for numerous age groups to learn and play with and my fav is the mobile one
I like that this microscope is made by makers of medical grade scientific equipment. It looks well-made and sturdy enough for children to use. I think my 2 granddaughters (sisters) would enjoy examining various specimens with it.
I really like the mobile feature. I accidently broke our microscope, so this would be nice ..
I love the eyepieces change out so easy for change in magnification
the magnification slides out and it can be used with your smartphone, how cool is that?!?!?!
I like that it includes a slide with 2 specimens and a solid card with three 3D objects.
Sounds awesome! My son is very interested in science & would love this.
IT WOULD BE FUN TO USE WITH MY GRANDSON, I’VE ALWAYS WANTED ONE.
this would be awesome for our son. he would have so much fun with it.
I love how it magnifies 60 times.
I like how these products will get kids excited about science. It’s so important and fun!
My oldest son who is 8 years old would absolutely love these microscopes! He loves science! The microscope would make a great gift for him! Thank you!
My niece loves science & would be so excited to get this microscope.
This seems like a great starter microscope for my daughter. She LOVES science and I want to encourage that! Also, the Smartphone Inspector looks like a great tool!!
I love how durable this microscope is and that it is a gift that will get your kids’ brains working while they are having some fun.
I remember my first microscope I got when I was a kid.. Was so excited..
I am happy to learn that the microscope uses high quality optics instead of just regular plastic or glass.
This microscope looks super cool. To have one at home will be awesome. My nephew will have lots of fun with this.
We have a family very interested in science, and I know my kids as well as myself would love to have a microscope. I had one years agao and it was stolen, so to have another one would be nice.
Magnifies 60 times! Think any age would enjoy this, even me!
I like that it has an ultraviolet light as well as LED. My nieces would enjoy looking at all kinds of things with this.
I think that Alysia would love this. She says that she wants to be a geologist. She’s 8 years old!
I like that the Wow scope lets you view both traditional slides lit from below and 3D objects lit from above.
My kids love science so they would absolutely love this.
I love these educational toys.
My daughter would love this.
That is so cool. Teach them the value of science young that is so great.
This sounds really interesting. I also want to check out the phone inspector, we always have a phone when out.
Wow this looks awesome. It is so much fun and it is the perfect size for kids. Love it
It may be recommended for kids, but I think I would love that thing just as much as my kid! I used to love microscopes in school. I’m glad Mini has actually asked for one.
My son loves anything science so this would be an amazing gift for him!
This product great for the kids to discover Science and nature.
Those look great. I have my own microscope at home, but I don’t let the kids use it unattended because it’s fragile and expensive and I’m afraid they’d damage it. It would be cool for them to have their own “real” microscope to play around with. 400X is more than enough.
My kids would LOVE this! They are so into Science right now!
I remember how much I loved my microscope when I was a kid! My kids should love this!
I love that the WOW microscope seems very easy to use. My nieces are 4 and 9, and I’m glad that your 4-year old was able to use it with no problems.
My granddaughter will be eight years old in January and would love this microscope and I love that it takes a phone’s camera and magnifies it 60 times. That’s pretty impressive 🙂
I liked that it comes with light to it.
My grand babies would love this to investigate things
My grandkids are all really interested in science and I like how durable and sturdy these microscopes are. Also nice that it can be used by younger kids.
I think the whole family would enjoy this microscope. Which is a big plus because kids learn a lot better when parents get involved.
My sister’s former co-worker’s daughter would enjoy looking at interesting things.
I love the LED lamps! That is a great idea for a product used by a child. Good to know the image quality was good on a feather and sand. I think my daughter would love using this so much!!
My son loves science he is even on an special class this would be so awesome for him
Not just for kids. This is super for anyone who wants to see the micro world out there in depth
A very nice Microscope for kids. I that it uses light to better see the slides and its durable for young children. Not cheap looking like the kid’s Microscope of my day.
Both look super fun!! I think you learn so much from seeing things up close and personal! Kids don’t believe you if you tell them everything is made of cells….until they can see them. Whole new ball game!
i think these are wonderful for the kids that love to learn new things while having fun both my boys love microscopes
Cool! I love how it can hookup to a smartphone
Wow so many great features love how it’s educational and fun
My granddaughters would love this. They like anything about science.
I can’t wait ti get one for my grandson! He would have so much fun learning and seeing things in 3-D under the microscope. I had one growing up and I used to look at hair, plants and anything that would fit on a slide. I was totally amazed!
First of all…I LOVE that you also have a mineral collection. Mine includes phosphorescent minerals so the black light would be fantastic on the Smartphone Inspector. It looks convenient and easy to use. And the microscope…what a great setup and design. I think I just found my grandchildrens’ Christmas present!
My kids would have so much fun with this microscope! They would love to at bugs, leaves, flowers, and pretty much anything they can fit on a slide! 🙂
I absolutely love the scope you put on your phone. My 10 year old would love this!
I like that it has a light for easier viewing. I learned you can use it with your smartphone.
I have always been facanated with science and anything to do with it. Now my Grandson is into Science now, he will love this gift. Great review Love the entire Blog
Perfect for my young man!!! His curiosity has turned to a love of science. Love the features!
Interesting to see this product! I like the design!
I love educational gifts. I happen to know a few little scientists that would be happy to unwrap this on Christmas morning. Thanks for the great gift idea!
I love this! This is the type of gift that I prefer to give my children. It’s educational, fun, and expands their world. And it’s fun to use alongside them!
WOW! Amazing! My grandchildren are excited about science. With this microscope the possibilities are endless.
This is awesome. I love the magnification of this scope. My grandchildren love science so they would really enjoy this. I love educational toys for the kids. Thank you so much for sharing this great gift idea. God Bless
I learned that it has 2 sets of eyepieces. My grandson would love to examine things with this microscope.
I like that it uses an LED light for low battery consumption. I *really* like that it’s capable of looking at 3D objects.
I would love to have this to instill a love of science in my grandson.
I love that you can incorporate your smart phone with the Lab. Great that a great age difference can enjoy this.
My daughter would love any of these! She has a little cheap one that you can’t see much with and any of these would be an upgrade!
my little niece wants to be a scientist this would be great
This scope is pretty amazing on what it can do. I know my granddaughter will enjoy this, being able to see what inside the flowers she picks.
@tisonlyme143
My grand son would love this. He has a inquisitive mind. I love that these are very durable and easy to use for kids
my son would love this. It would be great to look at leaves, plants and bugs
I’m extremely interested in the smartphone inspector. My nephew and I could look at all sorts of things with that.
This would be a great gift for My son. He loves science.
It’s so good to know more about these various products; one of these would be perfect for my older grandson and I’ve looked at them for him before. Thanks!
I remember the microscope I had when I was growing up. So much fun to look at things. I like the lens for the phone.
These are exactly the kind sir of toys you want school age kids to have
This is really very nice. Its a microscope that my grandson would really like.