Microscope for yeast banking
  • ThymThym
    Posts: 121,594
    there has been some talk about yeast culturing and the topic of lab hardware came up. Specifically, stir plates, centrifuges and microscopes have be most discussed.

    I thought we could use a thread to talk about some options when it comes to home yeast banking microscope needs.

    I'm far from an expert in this, so I'm inviting the community to chime in here.

    to me something like this would be a good choice:

    image
    http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=681854&Q=&is=REG&A=details
    it's about $200 and has an easy to see LCD display.
    The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
  • ThymThym
    Posts: 121,594
    The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
  • jeepinjeepinjeepinjeepin
    Posts: 18,099
    Without clicking the links I'd say probably not to the LCD screen and no to the monocular. What you really want is a binocular microscope. I've had the discussion on magnification before but can't remember the specifics. I think 400x is the breakpoint where you have to get into expensive oil immersion optics to get a quality image.
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  • jeepinjeepinjeepinjeepin
    Posts: 18,099
    Buying new isn't going to be your best option on a microscope. When looking at Nikon, Zeiss, and others the price tag can reach 4 figures pretty quick. I've seen a few on Craigslist and eBay for sale by former medical students and such. Those were still a bit $high for me. University surplus would be the winner. That's probably a tough market to find though.
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  • ThymThym
    Posts: 121,594
    for periodic, short term use, what advantage does a binocular microscope have over a monocular one?
    The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny
  • jeepinjeepinjeepinjeepin
    Posts: 18,099
    I would think they would be more natural to use. If I found a deal on a quality monocular with 400x magnification I'd still be tempted.
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  • BenvarineBenvarine
    Posts: 1,606
    I've looked on eBay for used ones before. You can find some decent prices from time to time.
  • ThymThym
    Posts: 121,594
    any recommendations on brand / specs to look for? what about price points? whats good / not so good?
    The only thing between me and a train wreck is blind luck..... - Kenny