BeaverLab Darwin MX Pro is terrible
Unfortunately, this microscope has been a major disappointment.
I bought it because it promised that it would be easier to focus than other microscopes. I bought two because I thought a non-technical person could help my granddaughter use the microscope to discover the amazing world around them. That one has never been taken from the box. With shipping, the two microscopes cost more than $600 US.
Although there are various problems, the primary problems are inaccuracy in focus and difficulty using the app to view objects on a computer monitor. This microscope requires much more patience and time to use than a normal microscope.
PROBLEMS OF INACCURATE FOCUS:
Particularly at magnifications over 100, a stage must be level, stable, and easily adjustable in very small increments. This stage is not. The list of problems here includes:
- The stage is vertically adjustable with knobs on both sides. I expect that either knob would raise the level stage; instead, one knob will first move one side of the stage, until both sides begin to move. That means one side of the stage will be farther from the lens than the other. If you use both knobs simultaneously and exactly in unison, both sides move. Good luck achieving unison at 2200 or 800 magnifications.
- The visible materials used for gearing and movement are plastic or silicone. They are not rigid, so very smooth movement is not possible. The stage moves in jerks. The jerks are small, but at high magnifications they are giant.
When I questioned BeaverLab about this problem, they said they had to compromise between accuracy and portability by using lighter materials. Maybe, but the parts used to adjust the focus are small and would be light if they were made of light metal. At the price of the microscope, that should have been possible.
In addition, the way I focus on something at high magnification is to start at the lowest magnification, increase to the next higher, and then to the highest. If the optics are correctly aligned, as you increase magnification you will be aligned close to the center of the lower magnification, so you bring the image into focus and make a small adjustment to center the subject in the field. These optics are not correctly aligned. As I change magnification, I must still find the subject with a much wider (and more difficult) search on my flexible stage. This microscope requires much more work than a normal microscope to find and focus on a subject.
PROBLEMS USING A COMPUTER SCREEN:
BeaverLab has chosen to use a third party app to use the computer screen to see the object and to photograph the image. The app uses inaccurate or incorrect and confusing vocabulary to describe features and actions. There is no manual or help file to help you, although BeaverLab tells you to use a non-existent help file. You cannot capture images directly to your computer; instead, the microscope must be attached to a phone, which you can learn only by writing BeaverLab.
MISCELLANEOUS PROBLEMS:
Problems obtaining information about progress of a project are common with crowd funding problems, but this project has more than its share of those problems. Despite the fairly high cost of the product, the quality control was terrible, and not because they were rushing to complete the product. The magnifications printed on the rotating holder of the lower lenses are wrong: they proudly state magnifications of 100, 1600 and 2200, but BeaverLab advertised and claims that the magnifications are 100, 800 and 2200. There are controls for light and filters, but the labels are reversed. This company claims a successful history of making microscopes and telescopes, which require accuracy, but their actual work is sloppy at best.
Clearly, I regret buying the microscopes and would not trust the company with another product until I could see the finished product to make sure it meets the specifications.