Alberto is correct. The one you linked to is the same old chinese junk with black finish.
The one Alberto linked to is similar to the Gem Oro models and has a real darkfield. This is a really important point. And the optics are probably otherwise very similar.
Brunel is a reputable merchandiser who will stand behind the product from a QC point of view which can be a problem on far east scopes.
However none of the ones you have referenced have a proper dark field. Ask the Gem A if the 699 scope has a flippable dark field. If it does it is the same as a Gem Oro and should be OK to buy. You can't tell from the pictures they have in their "catalog" .
You should buy the one Alberto pointed to even if you have to pay a bunch of customs and shipping. It is the 2nd lowest priced one with a proper dark field. The GemOro 1030 is a little cheaper at about $300.
All those cheaper scopes have a very bad darkfield that cannot flip between bright field and dark field The dark field reflector is very inefficient. (compared to the gem oro type or gemolite) The "dark field" is junk.
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm Posts: 21602 Location: San Francisco
I think you can get a darkfield Krüss for the high end of your budget. http://www.kruess.com/gemmology/product ... croscopes/ My first scope was a Krüss convertible horizontal/vertical scope. I'm not sure what the cost is now of this model, but I bet there is a simple vertical darkfield they would be happy to ship to UK. The scope dissembled and you can use it in a darkfield mode or in an immersion mode.
Meiji scopes are of very excellent quality. They do have a gemological base too which is not bad. It has adequate reflective efficiency to get enough light into a stone in dark field mode. But I don't know whether they have a flip lever to switch between dark field and bright field. Also I think you will find them to be priced way beyond the range you mentioned.
The ones I have worked with were all bought a long time ago and I don't know what they are selling now. The image quality on them is close to as good as it gets.
I ran across this. This is exactly what you DON'T want to buy. It has a so called dark field illuminator. (a dark field condensor is something on a compound microscope for primarily biological use and for working at much higher magnifications than what is done in Gemology.)
Notice that there is a darkfield stop flipping knob next to the well. THAT is what you want. Don't buy one without it. Also don't let anyone talk you into an LED illuminated scope unless all you do is grade diamonds. LEDs are not white light they are bluish light and not suitable for examining the color of colored gemstones nor fancy diamonds.
This also has the flip darkfield, its the cheapest one that does and is available for as little as $250 or it used to be. Might have gone up. Notice the flip knob in front of the well. Much more complicated than those "dark field condensors" that don't work very well.
Alberto didn't you try to soup one of those up once upon a time and finally decided they were totally junque?? way back when?
Joined: Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:29 pm Posts: 35 Location: United Kingdom
Kalt is about the only thing from German i can remember, means cold.
Goulash is like a stew, its been my internet name for years now lol. Nothing much really.
I spoke to someone at Gem A about their microscope, they said it has a baffle. Forgot to ask about QC, but will go in monday to see about it. 12 month guarantee, but they are manufactured in China.
Also said they are the ones they let students use, but unsure if thats a good or bad thing.
There was a very bad joke about cold goulash my Viennese father use to tell.
It needs more than a baffle. You want the baffle to be able to be flipped out of the way to make bright field available.
The Meiji scopes don't have the flippable baffles but they do have real dark field illuminators. If the scope wont flip between BF and DF you don't want it. With the possible exception of a Meiji.
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