I Got a New MICROSCOPE! | Andonstar AD249S-M | Let's TEST It!
This new AD249S-M Microscope was very kindly sent over to me by Andonstar. I already purchased the AD407 microscope by Andonstar a couple of years ago, and I love it!
Is it worth upgrading to the 249S?
I'll give you my thoughts, as rubbish as they are, and give it a little test in this video by soldering a micro USB port. How exciting.
Steve
Link to the AD249S-M
UK Amazon: amzn.to/3LaoB1c
US Amazon: amzn.to/3U9rP9g
PS. I'm not an expert in repairs at all. I do this for fun, and it may not be the best or safest way to go about repairing broken stuff. I'm pretty good at melting plastic though. Please don't copy me - I'm an idiot.
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Links are affiliated where possible to help support the channel. Nice.
Been wondering about this microscope. Looks like it's more adjustable as well. I think I'll buy one. Thanks for your review!
Damn. Steve (as well)! I‘m also subbed to your channel. Nice that you‘re supporting smaller channels. Although Steve has grown A LOT over the past couple of months.
Thanks Steve. Andonstar make great 'scopes. If you've got the room for this one, it'll be well worth it. 👍
@@Gaborsk1 but notice now he bigger, Dave doesn't get a look in now. Feel like he got used then discarded. Poor Dave
@@Gaborsk1 Thanks for the support! Steve makes great videos, but I guess that's to be expected since he's a Steve!
Back to you, Steve
I think that negative reviews are still valid, you know? Because someone might watch this and think "ah, I believe the negative is not that bad... I could enjoy that, even if this person didn't so much". Plus, it shows that it is an honest review. If the cons are not a problem, the person will know what to expect.
Get your very own AD249S-M here: UK amzn.to/3LaoB1c US amzn.to/3U9rP9g But only if you want to, obviously.
Oh I want to, maybe when the leccy bills go back down. {sigh}
The bigger one has more jelly like image effect while the subject moving, in my opinion I love your older one better. Love your videos, so SOLID.
Yeah the image wobble really was noticeable.
He didn't say solid after soldering all those USB pins!!!
The clarity looks better on the old one I think .
Bought the 246 directly from their website. It's the one with the smaller screen and I think it's the perfect size, same mounting. It was 200$ exactly, plus another 50 for customs. Payment was through paypal, it left China in under 24 hours, after another 24 hours was already in my country (Romania) where it spent a whole month (argh!) awaiting customs. It arrived a few days ago and I'm amazed. I never had a microscope so it opens up a whole new world for me. But, I'm a picky boy, yet I can't honestly fault it. Lots of small details that make it a quality feel. No sharp edges, no google translate manual. The only niggle is the small focus jams on the A and D lenses (PS. actually that went away after I completely turned the two screws). The L one feels smooth. For me, it has already payed for itself, as it helped me bridge a broken flat flexible circuit on my abandoned Vive VR controller. Although it's main use is gonna be modelling and miniature painting (I have really bad eyes). Biology slides were actually cool. I'd rate it an honest 4.5 stars out of 5 and a must-buy.
great addition. i made my own, got an old 7 inch tablet with otg support, and a stand with a usb microscope. and mounted them together. of course not a professional, but not bad. it works
For image quality i like your old one better, the new has weird overly saturated colours and some sort of soft focus effect(which might be adjustable) but it seems to be higher resolution, the older one seems to be true to life colour saturation and without that soft focus effect. But ultimately id watch anything you upload, love the content!
Just bought the 7 inch not long ago. Absolutely love it.
your honesty is refreshing
Absolutely love your channel Steve, keep up the amazing work ❤️
I'm a recent subscriber, your videos encouraged me to get back into electronics repairs. I just bought a Mustool G1200 microscope, it's probably the best scope/monitor under $70. I've caught up on about 10 videos or so now, can't wait for more!
Looks a nice bit of kit Steve. Good upgrade from your previous one!
Really appretiate the honest review. That’s rare these days. Thanks for the content.
Much appreciate your honesty!
Respect for not caving into sponsor crap.
He has natural pie face responses only comedians wish they could pull off convincingly, I'm subbing!❤
Love you mate, literally really enjoy your vids and respect your opinion. I bought the old one not long after subbing to you, absolutely love it and from watching this vid I was saying to myself 'I'm pretty sure he will say if you have the old one it's not worth upgrading and if you don't own one buy the new one' and you pretty much did. Glad that you've got a freebie let's hope more companies send you stuff as I for one bought it based on your usage. Nice dude
Glad you got a new one
Love your honesty!
This is the first time I have ever seen one of your videos And I've got complement you I on how well produced this video is. Your timing and music are so perfectly in sink with one another. I thoroughly enjoyed it, start to finish, and your dry humor is very funny and charming. Thank you
He's well worth subbing to.
Solid
Almost skipped this but watched another video you did with this unit. Wow. It’s impressive
Honest reviews are always helpful, I try and do that with my own figure reviews and people always seem to like it! I'm not in the market for one of these myself (I'm really bad at this kind of thing these days) but if I were then you and My Mate Vince would be the people to trust for honesty. Cheers!
Lol, “Nice” at 2:39. Thanks for this review
Your videos are so relaxing.
I would say that was a solid review Steve, appreciate your honesty as it would have been easy to say the new one was the dogs danglies because you got sent it for free. I own your "old" microscope & I also found that with the supplied stand it was to close to the work area but you can clamp the lens to the mount much further up just below the red ring. This allows you to still be able to use the focus but you have much more room to work. Would love one of those articulating stands.
I’d bet that Andonstar has sold a lot of the AD407 microscopes because of your videos. I bought an AD407 Pro about two weeks ago after watching you and it’s been amazing. I’m able to see much better than my Optivisor. I wish it had warmer colored LEDs because these blueish, cool temperature LEDs are awful for our eyes and certainly give me eye strain if I don’t block them with the LCD while using it. Seems like every manufacturer is on a mission to burn the macula out of everyone’s eyes ever since the “white” LEDs came down in price back around 2005. I have been using my Andonstar 407 for electronics repair, fixing eyeglasses as well as filing and polishing Hot Wheels diecast car axles to prepare them for racing. The 407 is quite good for the model hobby; price is low enough to be affordable while giving a high quality image with the ability to record video or still images. Your own videos proved the image quality to me and convinced me to buy this model. I’d sure like to try the AD2495 to see if it makes a difference, especially when needing to work with tools under it, but the 407 is working quite nicely for me so far.
Thats a nice scope. I have a Tomlov 10" scope and its the same thing, same base , with very few small differences. You are right its big... but it does do a decent job for some applications. Great review Steve.
Thanks Ron! Yeah, a little too big for my cramped workspace, but I can see it'd be perfect for others. 👍
Good video. I wonder if it's like getting a bigger phone screen. At 1st you think..."yeah mines plenty big" but after iv had a new big phone screen a week, I'd never go back to the old one. Keep up the great work Stez 👍
I cracked up with the bit on Adonstar at the tail. "He's an idiot!" Perfect. I can 100% relate. Solid review. And a new subscriber to boot. Keep up the excellent work!
Every lab needs two. If one breaks, it’s not like you can throw it up on itself and see what’s wrong to fix it in some kind of magnifying inception…
Very good point! 😬
watching from my iPad, the original display looked more crisp from what I saw. It seemed the new camera, while having the larger display didn’t correlate into a sharper image imho. In any case, loved the video Steve! Cheers from Oregon :)
I like your honesty.
Nice review, it looks nice, i have an andonstar too. An earlier model, its great for what it is, it has helped immeasurably when it comes to fixing electronics, it really does get close up and the image is more than clear to do what you need to do. Mine has an annoying trait, and that's when you switch the unit off the time freezes, and will only resume when you turn it on again. It's not very handy when it comes to taking camera footage over for editing as the timestamps are hard to marry up when you are using other devices to record too unless you take the time out to continually change the date / time every time you use it. It would be wonderful if they resolved that and had a model with a microphone and video out too :)... Its not a negative review, its a non biased review which we really appreciate so thanks. It's nice that you were open, honest and upfront, and that people can make a more informed decision because of it. It also serves to the manufacturer to listen to whats being said in order to improve their product. I for one, dont think they are bad at all, a few tweaks and this could easily be the best affordable miroscopes out there.
Great comparison Steve, appreciate the honest and real-world review. Let me know if you need a new home for either of your 'scopes. 😉
you have a good way off explaining things
Best Jumpcut in the history of Jumpcuts!
Thank you for your honest opinion :)
Love the review! Can I ask what flux you use please :)
I got the 246S after watching some of your videos. Love your work, great content. The 7 inch screen is perfect honestly.
Podrías a poyarme de cual es el modelo de OTRO MICROSCOPIO PEQUEÑO donde hace la comparación por favor , gracias saludos.
I asked for and received an AD407 for my birthday based on your videos.
Nice review.
I got the 8.4" from another 'brand' but identical in every which way, buttons, ports, arms, lights, etc. I've been happy with it so far.
The new one wobbles like crazy.
I am personally going to solder where I game on my PC setup, but I have everything covered before I solder (monitor covers, solder mat, fume extractor, etc...). For space after use, I am just going to have to install some wall mounted bookshelves to put it up there when not in use. It is really big. I got mine today, so I am excited to start working on some easy projects to keep the ball rolling.
Hey steve, Question.. Where do you buy your flux? I seem to have trouble to find flux in a syringe
Solid review 👍
😁 thanks TM!
Really appreciate you being honest there! Perhaps Andonstar less so, but honesty is always good. I got the same microscope your old (maybe still current) one is, the AD407. Honestly, it's really good for all my little quick jobbies, fixing Gameboy cartridges or a controller as a friend threw it against a wall, does kinda suck space wise you're definitely right. Great idea you had with yours to mod it to go higher, i might have to steal that idea! Other than space its a great little microscope.
Yeah, I still love the AD407. It's never let me down. The articulated arm on the stand makes a big difference, you should definitely do it! 👍
I have the AD208 and even that works great; spacewise a little less indeed, but otherwise a great bargain!
@@nicmate2543 just mount it on the end of the lens instead of the top, which the documentation says. You can find videos and pictures online. I've done that since I got it. It works perfectly
@@StezStixFix what articulated arm did you used for the modding?
It's still a massive win for them to show their microscope. ex: I just checked their prices and their website because of this video.
Still use the Andonstar A1 with my 21" screen. Eye hand coordination is lets say a learningcurve when the screen is in front of you and you still want to look to you solderiron. Nice screen I prefer the small one.
maybe you'd notice a bigger difference if you compared it to your old old without the mod. but yeah I do agree with your final closing comments. I had a budget amscope off Amazon, and it was tiny but worked well for my setup. managed to get a bigger scope with boom arm etc. and I swear I have had to change my setup just to suit the scope. (but I can't grumble too much as I only paid £80 for it. ) keep up the good work. ps what's your old scope on the new stand like. I imagine that might be the best.
Heck yeah awesome,, I'd like to get me one someday. Would like to get in to working on things again
Good to see you was gifted a new AD249S-M Microscope there Steve how good of them was that 👍
What a treat to have an unexpected midweek upload! 😃
Nice scope
Great review! I am still on cheapest microscope with 640x480 px and it done the job, I can imagine how is this awesome :)
Ooh it’s the same as mine! Although I have the smaller screen version, it’s flipping awesome
Yeah, they are cracking microscopes. Although mine didn't record any audio, so it was a pain to sync up the videos when editing. Does yours? 🤔
@@StezStixFix no… it recorded a soundtrack of very low static 😅 and yeah, syncing was a ballache. I might get in touch with them, hopefully it can be fixed with a firmware update
@@StezStixFix I guess it's time to make a led blinking thing with some sound. Some kind of clapperboard 😂 Arduino, buzzer, battery and a led should do fine👍
@@StezStixFix oh… I got a response from them .. “Well, indeed. Part of the effect of the mainboard controlling the recording function is very poor. Our current new model has withdrawn this function, I hope you understand.”
SOLID! Just like walls in Might & Magic.
Excelente vídeo wish you well
Lol thanks for the honest review Cap'n!
😁 Thanks Chris!
Hey Steve, I hope you'd make a video about the "Frankenstein modification"... Like how did you install it and what type of arm you used etc.
Thanks for not being a sell out
I think both of these are the winner. If you need closer shots on smaller things, the older one is best, but if you need a big area to work on a bigger board, the new one is better. Both are good for their own purpose tho! The old one has a better image quality due to lack of CMOS wobble, but the new one is sharper a tad.
That is pretty big.nice room
great video man, but i would want to know, if i was a consumer of these products, at the slim price increase of 50, is it worth it to get the bigger one or should i hypothetically save my money
Nice review Steve. I agree with you point about the cost. At that price I would pay a little more for an amscope copy, the VEVOR 3.5X-90X Simul-Focal Zoom Trinocular Stereo Microscope with Dual Arm Boom Stand for £373 and not worry about recording videos. Not as portable though!
Don't ever stop saying "nice" I love that, it's signature.
Would love a video on how you modded your older microscope. I quite often find the pillar gets in the way on mine and have coveted the flexibility of yours.
I too got it for review (I think I was the first on youtube: D) as well as had AD407 before. What can I say at the moment when it comes to construction - the AD249S lens is almost entirely made of plastic (inside there is a brass ring with actual glass). Mine jams when adjusting. The base is a bit larger and the stand (now it also moves forward), but it does not solve all the problems of the predecessor and so if you want more space under the microscope, you need to use a different arm. The lenses are mounted with two screws and you will not buy any other, they are custom, only for Andonstar. The recording quality is almost the same as in the AD407 - very good, the resolutions are identical. Thanks to the lenses in the AD249S you can get a lot more space and a larger working area. LCD is also similar, same resolution only bigger. If I had to judge which one is better, then if you do not need a much larger working area, it is better to stay with the AD407. A 7" LCD is more than enough for comfortable work, and the stand still needs to be redone in the new model. The AD249S also has WiFi, which is not working at the moment ... and it can be connected via USB to a PC as a camera, which I remember was not possible with the AD407. You can take a look at my review, but I haven't added English subtitles yet.
Plastic lenses?! ....wow... One of the reasons is cheaper than the older Ad409 ( 10' screen)
@@dsavoy66 To be more precise - plastic is the case of the lens. The lens itself is made of glass and it is mounted on the brass ring. kzhead.info/sun/dslwcr6NnXmmiaM/bejne.html
407 can connect to a monitor/tv via hdmi. The lead comes in the kit.
No PC connection on 407 is a deal breaker to me, but those shi tty plactic cheapish lens on 249 is deal breaker as well😂
Love your shirt!
matter of perspective and circumstances i think, great vid nice review, for your set up the older one seems more practical. If you had a bench set up and a bigger working space then the new one would be more suited.
I don't currently have a digital microscope, just the magnifying glass on my helping hands, so I'll definitely be considering this as long as I can find it in the US.
I do recommend using it for a while and really get a sense of the experience using it and then providing additional thoughts later. You might find new features that you really like or new issues you really hate. Time can make all the difference
I hope this video does better than my recent mini review when I compared the ADSM301 to my old Digilife. KZhead just flat out ignored it and it's currently 10th out of 10. I bought it after seeing your AD407 and was super impressed with the quality.
I subscribe to you and haven't seen that video. Crazy. Stupid Algorithm.
@@adambaranek Not sure why they didn't push it out to more people this time. This is why I always use the subscription feed first to see new videos and then go to home.
I have the same as your old one.. It's a really good microscope and the perfect size.
I'd totally buy that.
Ohhh... a midweek upload. This new microscope quality is certainly better.
Get in! Nice!
Great, honest review! I hope Andonstar don't give you any stick for it... I think you gave a really favourable impression of the product and simply stated it's a little too big for your setup (maybe, unless you start to like it!)
Thanks AFU! You're right, I don't have a great deal of room, so the bigger screen doesn't really suit me. I can see it would work perfectly well for others though! 👍
@@StezStixFix el otro microscopio que hiciste la comparación, que modelo es ??
Oh my microscope cost $90. 7 inch display at 1080 P with recording and all the other stuff. At one time, I was curious about getting a tenants display and having a figure. Now that I’ve seen this review, I may just stick to my 7 inch display for a while. Yes, having more room to work is nice, but being able to move it out of the way as you said is definitely a bonus. It doesn’t take up much space with only a 7 inch screen. Thanks for your review!
@StezStixFix Love your channel, as an amateur fixy guy myself, your content is inspiring and your fixes somehow always seems to work out, can't always say the same myself! Can you do a vid please on how you modified your original microscope? Im looking to get mine higher and thinking microphone boom arm type thing but not sure how to attach to the microscope tube...... Would appreciate some insight into your setup.
I’m getting one after your review. My mate has a 407 and I always found the screen to be a bit too small for my liking. Love the channel. Not sure why Dave didn’t get more screen time though. He’s not a fan of the product? And why no song!?
The image seems crisper on the old one, is the new one setup with the same format/compression? old at 3:38 vs new at 4:23
The two may not look that different for you but the newer one definitely is a lot crisper and cleaner on the video.... which does also somewhat exacerbate any jiggle. Given the higher center of mass, perhaps an even wider base would be a good tweak?
I snagged the 7inch screen version of this scope on sale. Thanks for the review or else I would have probably splurged on the 9 inch screen.
I bought the same multimeter you use - would love to see a tutorial on how to use it to test different components
Nice work Steve. =)
Thanks Frederick! 👍
Very nice video. A question please; How do I download photo-files from my Adonstar 209 to my computer? Nothing explained in manual... Tx!
Hah nice! Your videos are really bangers! Not always but most of the time. :D
I can't afford your fancy-pants Andonstar microscope. I have a 10inch TomLov with the giraffe neck. I am pretty happy with it. Your new microscope is very nice. I hope it gives you years of joy destroying HDMI connector pads...lol. Great content as always! Thanks for sharing.
I have a Cyberdyne system 101. The CPU is a neural net processor. A learning computer.
From what I'm seeing in researching the ad407 (which your old one appears to be) has an aluminum focus ring and the new one may not which could be a con. In the US the smaller ad246s is much less expensive with the 7in. screen than the ad407. I'm trying to get into microsolder repair on a bit of a budget until I can afford a nicer microscope and hopefully the ad246s will bridge the gap for now. How's the focusing compare with your old one? Is it less smooth?
Any thoughts on these microscopes with a screen as opposed to the traditional binocular microscopes like the AmScope SE400? They are close to being the same price.
Honest revision, yes Sir! I''m not swaping my Andonstar for this one. Mine is the same as yours, because you hipnotized me to buy one. 😁 No, really, I thank you for showing me your first Andonstar because I like it very much. You are an inspiration, Steve!
Sabes cual es el MODELO DEL OTRO MICROSCOPIO DONDE LO UTILIZA PARA LA COMPARACIÓN?
@@riquelmeneymar5515 Era el andonstar ad407 3d
Your soldering skills improved massively. You should definitely try a stero-microscope not one with a screen. You will be impressed how much of a difference you will see in image- & soldering-quality :)
I'm revisiting this video after a year now, as I wish to upgrade my current setup. I'm using a USB microscope with stand, attached to a tablet. I like the idea of the Andonstar models, as they appear to have good reviews. I wouldn't mind trying the stereo type, binocular ones you mentioned. Any particular brand or model you'd recommend?
How good does the scope do fine pitch components to see how close the fine pitch pins can get on the scope? also it should have an HDMI output port to connect to a bigger TV monitor right? What scope lens would you need for fine pitch pins components X2000 or X4000?
Another quality vid mate. Looked like a flag in the wind.. What's your other scope called? Looking to buy one but I'm no professional 😂
You know what else is solid? The screen on that new microscope lol😂
What do you use for cleaning the leftover flux?
love your older one.
Good stuff, I recently got my first microscope, a Tomlov DM201 pro. I expect the video quality will be pretty much the same on all models as camera technology is so good and cheap nowadays. I agree that the main issue with these things, for the purposes that we use them for anyway, is lack of space (or being very aware OF the space) as im swing hot air guns and soldering irons under there. Slight wobble too, i dont think anything can be done about that nor is it really an issue? Anyway, enjoying your vids, learning a lot! im a newbie so trying to soak up as much as i can!
> camera technology is so good and cheap nowadays no way... image sensors are still pretty different in size and size affects final image quality a lot. Bigger sensor - more expensive the rig (for cameras, for microscopes, for everything)