I'll start by saying that I like this scope. It's not some high-end $2-10K planoachromatic trinocular, but it doesn't pretend to be. For roughly $250, it's not a bad deal, in my book. Whether it is preferable to a used older higher-end scope (which also can be had at this price point), I can't say. I think it depends what you're looking for. This is a nice kit for a kid or starter. The scope itself feels well-built. There are some plastic parts, but they don't strike me as shoddy. There also are some nice touches: binoc readings to simplify adjustment, threaded screws to allow swiveling of the head (which, when tightened, secure the head quite nicely). The knobs feel firm, and I had no trouble bringing slides into focus. The objectives are parfocal (meaning that you can change between them without losing focus). I also like that they include an oil immersion objective. [However, if you're unfamiliar with such things do NOT use this objective without the (special) oil and a delicate touch on the (fine) focus knob. Otherwise it can get damaged. Some immersion objectives have retractable lenses, but I doubt this one does --- and I wasn't going to find out the hard way]. A few sample slides were included, but they weren't very thinly sliced. There also is a basic slide-making kit, which notably does not include any fixative. Nor do they include oil for the immersion (100x) objective. I'm not sure if there are import restrictions on such things, but that would have been nice to include. The camera tube is plastic, but not flimsy. However, you cannot store the scope in the foam case with it attached. This means wear and tear on the delicate threading, since it has to be attached/detached each time. Unlike a similar scope I tested a while back, these guys include paired binocular eyepieces (2 x 10x and 2 x 25x). It would have been nice if they included rubber caps too --- so they could be stored on the scope --- but they did not. Another quibble is that the power cord, though USB on one end, has a circular port on the other. This means you have to use their cable rather than one of the uquitous usb-usb ones. My guess is they originally had a wall-wart and swapped it out for one of these. Putting aside my minor complaints about incomplete accessories, etc, they pass quite well when it comes to the important things: the optics are decent and the mechanics work well. My only structural concern is that the base feels quite light, making the whole thing is top heavy. Some ballast would have been nice. I found the included instructions helpful and filled with technical specs. In summary, I recommend this scope --- with the caveat that you'll probably want to get some immersion oil and slide fixative and a few higher-quality sample slides separately. You'll probably also want a decent microtome if you're making your own slides.