AmScopeSE400-Y Professional Binocular Stereo Microscope, WF10x and WF15x Eyepieces, 10X and 15X Magnification, 1X Objective, LED Lighting, Boom-Arm Stand, 110V-120V

For $200, this is a fantastic deal. I'm using it for hot air SMD board assembly; and post assembly inspection. The 10X is good enough to see a 402 discrete and 112 LQFP. I also soldered a 200 pin, 1/2 mm pitch header. The 20X is really too much for assembly, unless you are doing some very small parts (maybe a 201 package), but is good for very close up inspection work. I personally would have preferred the 5X loops over the 20X. A 5X would offer a wider field of view yet have enough magnification to do most SMD assembly (the higher the magnification, the less of the board you'll see in the eyepieces). With the 10X I can only see about 1/2 of the 112 LQFP package in the eyepieces. As noted, the base is not the most sturdy I've worked with, but it does appear to be adequate (just don't try to use the head at a right angle to the base or spin the base around backwards so that the length is pointing away from the head). You want the length of the base aligned with the arm where the microscope head mounts.The only real complaint I have about the microscope is the height of the stand. It is about 1" too short for me to place my PCB pre-heater under the head (an Aoyue model 853A) and still have adequate height to focus the image. I had to sit the microscope on a 1" board to get the extra height needed. The optics are good, the lighting is adequate, and the controls are easy enough to use. I've had no issue with the image bouncing around while soldering components. The manual is pretty minimal but, as noted by others, really isn't needed.

the field of view is TINY. I only use the 10X lenses for microelectronics work, the 15X is too small. If buying for electronics work I suggest the 5X and 10X models.

10X & 15X are the only usable magnifications on this scope. 5X does not give you a field of view advantage over 10X and 20X is like looking through a pinhole. Many of these scopes will come with lower pieces misaligned due to the fact that they are held in by screws without thread locker, if you see double-image most of all yours is misaligned. I had to return first one , but second one came good an I am very happy with it.

I use this scope every single day for professional pcba rework. The 10x works well for 99% of what I need. 20x is great for real close inspection but almost never needed for general rework. The optics are very good and I've yet to see issue with clarity from solder Flux fumes. Where this setup is so minimal ( no boom arm ) it really can fit on most desk spaces. The only upgrade I'd like for this scope is more depth of field. It can focus on something about 2 inches tall (up) from the surface it rests on (shared work surface) . If it could focus on something 3 inches above, that would be sooo much better. Still, you can hardly go wrong with this scope at this price.

The Only problem I have is I should have bought this Years ago. Makes working on SMD boards a lot easier.

Totally GREAT! Mine even had the 20 power. So now I've got 10--15--20 power. Very clear and lots of clearance for my soldering irons.