|
A number of years ago I bought my first microscope. At that time I was told I'd have to spend $10,000 or more to get what I needed to do live blood research. Ouch. "If you're serious, you should only buy German - like a Zeiss", was another remark.
Then there was the $26,000+ "wonder-scope" for live blood and dry layer work from a group selling to the medical profession with "patented" technology. Side by side, our basic clinic microscope priced under $5,000 actually performs much better and delivers a far superior image. The only wonder about those more expensive scopes is that people actually buy them.
Some dealers have told me they tire of taking calls from folks wanting to do "darkfield" blood work, without any conception of their equipment needs or even how microscopes do what they do.
Then there are other dealers that take advantage of this. I've heard some say things like, "model x is really only a student scope, you should move into the mid-line model y for the clinical rigor, it will hold up better." (Needless to say, dealer margins are also better.) The reality in this case was that the "student" model was just on the low end of the cost spectrum and in reality it's built like a tank and quite sufficient for the average clinic. The mechanical aspect of a microscope is very important, being built like a tank is good, especially if you're going to be traveling with it. But when all is said and done, it's the optics, the light, and the video that deliver the image. For live blood work, moving to a mid-line model is often though to be the wrong thing to do, as far as value for your dollar is concerned.
Let me give you an example. In the Olympus line of scopes, the model BX-41 is classified as a mid-line scope. It does live blood phase contrast microscopy very well. However, the lighting capability is usually insufficient for quality darkfield. Hence, for a living blood application, it is overpriced and under-powered. For darkfield, a top-line Olympus BX-51 is required, but then that means adding more premium to the cost.
How to overcome this? Know your application, optics, mechanics, and be creative. I discovered that the Olympus optics are of exceptional quality. Side by side, against similar Zeiss objectives (which some use as a benchmark), it is impossible to tell the difference.
Now that I have superior optics at a good price, do I need to go to excessive price levels for a microscope? Not if I don't want to. With a solid entry level clinic scope, I can get a great price, and with some creative modifications, have an upgrade path to empower it to do everything for live blood viewing that the most expensive scopes can do at half the cost.
Some people forget that the microscope used for live blood work in an educational framework is NOT a diagnostic tool. It's a tool to observe the qualitative properties of an individuals underlying biological terrain. It is a primary tool for education. If a $5,000 microscope gives the same functional information as a $15,000+ scope, why spend the extra money? This is just one perspective. With the money that is saved, the clinic can acquire additional equipment that compliments the microscope work and expands the clinic's abilities.
In the microscope dealer business, it often seems that the objective is to get you into the higher priced microscopes - after all, more money is made when something costs more. At one time older factory delivered Olympus CH-30 microscopes did not do 100x phase contrast microscopy very well. If you wanted to do it, you'd have to move into the mid-line scope, at about a $2-3000 premium. The entry level and mid-line scopes are both incapable of effective darkfield, so if you wanted to do that, voila, you'd be into the top-line systems.
How did I solve this dilemma? Through the tool & die of some custom parts. This makes it possible to get into a solid low cost scope, adapt it as needed to equal the performance of a mid-line scope, and adapt it further to equal the performance of a top-line scope. The result - amazing value.
But what if you really want to spend the money and buy a Zeiss, OK, we'll get you one. Have a specific application or desire for a top of the line Olympus? No problem. Want a Meiji? Well we could sell you one of those too, but we won't, they just don't seem to have the optics compared to the Olympus, and for our money, we want better performance. How about a scope from China or Russia? We could sell you either of these but some of those models seem to be cheaply made and you have to really watch the quality control. Also, they don't have the best optical quality. There was one dealer in the past that tended to use this to their advantage. They would use inferior systems to sell you on higher priced models. They'd tell you that you must have darkfield in order to see things clearly in live blood. They'd compare low quality (what I would call unacceptable quality) phase contrast to high quality darkfield to make their point. In reality the only point being made to those in the know is these resellers are using creative marketing. Some might say deceptive.
When you are looking to save money it is often true that you get what you pay for. I tell "shoppers" that are looking for the cheapest scope that yes they can find scopes that are less expensive - but cheaper is the operative word. There are some brands you definitely do NOT want if you want a high quality image and a finely engineered piece of equipment that will last you a lifetime.
There are many things to consider when buying a microscope for live blood and dry layer work. Biomedx has been selling into this marketplace since 1994 and has point specific knowledge about the work and practice management involved.
It really is important before you pluck down good money on a system, to investigate all of your options. I have seen too many people make rash decisions, and later come to regret their haste.
Biomedx is an Olympus OEM as well as a direct line dealer for Hitachi, Qioptic, Chiu and others. We do not mark up our microscope prices beyond standard dealer retail pricing. In some cases, prices are less. This is in sharp contrast to what we have seen others do in this area. Prices and markups can reach exorbitant levels.
If you've read this far, you're probably in the market for a microscope. Please continue to look over this material, gather your questions, and give us a call.
|
|
