Life span of a microscope

[I_love_pink]

Hello everyone,

I don’t recall seeing this discussed (and i couldn’t find it in a search) so hopefully I’m not covering old territory. This question is for the pros who have been working for 5+ years.

How many years can one expect to get out of a microscope? I am about to purchase a secondhand opmi 99, but as you know, even secondhand they are still a big expenditure.

The current owner acknowledged the things that are likely to need replacing - bulbs, switches, fan - and she admits that she’s had one that conked out completely. (Not the one she’s selling me, she assured me!)

Can the seasoned professionals give me an idea of how reliable the opmi 99 is? I know no one knows for sure, but are they a safe bet even when they’ve already got a few years on them (and perhaps a few more than that!!!)

I appreciate your input. Thanks!

[James_W_Walker_VII]

the short answer is, they last a lifetime.

As far as things that can require attention, The lightbulbs are as easy as a light bulb to replace, next up, sometimes the part the light plugs into needs replacing, or maybe the fan, but that is just a wire clip and twist job. The light box power supply can burn out, just like a computer, and is just as easy to replace. Seriously, if you know any computer kid, he can swap out a burned out power supply in one of these. How do I know? I have done, or had done all these repairs in the past 15 years. It is worth noting, that the scope that stays in my office has required zero service, while it is the travel scopes that get beat up.

the expensive items on these to replace, or fix, are the parts that are least likely to break in normal use. the optics, the metal parts, and such are built to last.

I have rigs I have taken all around the world, and other than the TSA gorrillas destroying one looking for drugs, ($7,000 damage) I have never had any trouble with one that could not be fixed with a small amount of time and parts that cost from $20 to $100.

On the other hand, I should point out that Zeiss charges $150 per hour to fix these items for you. I say, stick to your local computer, and electronics guy. He will do a good job, and will charge you less.

[I_love_pink]

That’s great advice, thanks!