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 -  Sunday, January 27, 2013
Microtome
Reviewed By: George 
A great microtome if you use it correctly! However, after a day of 5 or so slices the blade was getting dirty. Also does anyone know how to get more blades for the razor?

 -  Sunday, December 09, 2012
Great Product!
Reviewed By: Jeff 
I have been using Automatic and Cryo-ultramicrotomes for years(20+). I had seen hand microtomes in university labs, but never used one. Product web research lead me to this product and web-site.Very good service, very friendly folks! I plan to push the capability of this product to be able to use it in the field to test industrial products to find what I need for my final image analysis. Think this design of hand microtome is a great start.

 -  Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Great Value
Reviewed By: Esco 
I think you cannot beat the value of this microtome. If you wanted 200 dollar results you would have gotten a 200 mt. Perfect for students.

 -  Thursday, February 02, 2012
Retiree Hobby
Reviewed By: David Stray 
After poor results using a razor blade freehand, I decided the hand microtome had to produce better samples. For the price, I was willing to give it a try. The results were better - much better, and more consistent, with thin enough sections to stain and view with impressive results. Like anything worthwhile, there is a knack to using it and practice has improved the results. This device will never compete with the professional motor driven microtomes, but is a worthwhile substitute. Another reviewer mentioned that a better quality knife had been supplied, and mine came with such a knife. Let it be known that these knives by definition have to be incredibly sharp to provide the section results desired and should only be used by children under adult supervision. I recommend this microtome as good value for the price as long as perfect sections are not anticipated every time.

 -  Saturday, December 11, 2010
Very nice unit
Reviewed By: Bart 
This is a very nice microtome. The unit I got came with what I feel is a far better knife then the one in the picture it came with a razor knife. The quality is very good and for the price you can’t go wrong. I think these people are great to deal with and a very well run company. Sure is much better than my old homemade one. You will have to practice awhile until you learn to cut very thin specimens. I do use what I feel is a better knife made from a old plane blade.

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-  Wednesday, April 21, 2010 Calibration off by a factor of ten… Reviewed By: Bob Blaylock    Not a full review yet, as I still have yet to master the use of this device, or to make enough use of it to make any judgement of it.   I do, however, have one quibble needing to be voiced.   I was wondering about the calibration of the knob as far as the thickness of slices produced.  It wasn't until after I had made some crude measurements in a number of different ways, that I thought to read the instructions, where I found it claimed that “Each mark on the microtome is a 1 micron increment”.   My own measurements show this to be off by a factor of ten.  Ten rotations of the knob moves it by about five millimeters, so each rotation of the knob moves it by 0.5 of a millimeter, or 500 microns.  There are 50 ticks on the knob to each rotation. 50 ticks to 500 microns means that each tick is ten (10) microns, and not, as the instruction sheet claims, one (1) micron.   It also seems worthy of mention that the included miniature box cutter doesn't really seem to be the right sort of knife to use with this.  I think a full-sized box cutter would work considerably better.  I shall have to try other sorts of blades as well to see what produces the best results.  “Frank” mentions using a straight razor; I've never handled one, but I imagine that it would probably be an excellent sort of knife to use with this device. [Home Science Tools adds: Thanks, Bob, for pointing out that this microtome does measure in 10 micron increments. We will update the product instructions accordingly.]  -  Friday, July 17, 2009 Good Unit Reviewed By: Steve  I bought two of these for my students to use. Not a bad product for students. Good quality, however the clamp freely moves up and down so I found the clamp screw needs to be held down with one hand as the other is cutting. Results were good. Worth the $34.95, but if you are looking for more professional results this one is not for you.  -  Saturday, April 11, 2009 Finally! Reviewed By: Frank  I finally found a microtome that I could afford. This thing is really slick. I am cutting sections on the order of 5 microns using an old straight razor that I purchased for a nominal fee from my barber. I did need to polish the lip around the hole in the glass table to provide a smooth cut for the razor. Otherwise, a great tool.  -  Thursday, February 05, 2009 Must Have Reviewed By: thenaturalist  If you're going to get a slide making kit, you must get this nifty device. You just really want to see the inside of that plant stem, but your kitchen knife keeps crushing the stalk, and ruining your sample. Plus, it can't cut thin enough sections. Solution: Microtome. The only problem with this tiny contraption is, well, it is so convenient, that it will go with you on any walk or field trip.