Got it for nephews. Don’t know f hey actually used it or not. It looked fine.

My grandsons both wanted one of these. They were so excited and jumping up and down. They are 6&4. Cannot wait to get pictures of them using it. They are getting used to their binoculars first which they love.

Does not work well. Cannot see through it well unless it is a real clear day and you take it outside.

National Geographic is a respected brand. Our family has been longtime subscribers to the National Geographic magazines for both kids and adults. We own dozens of their Reader and Kids series books. My son's favorite movie is Great Migrations. I've even been to the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C.

So, I bought this National Geographic Explorer Telescope and Microscope kit in November 2013, with confidence based on my years of customer satisfaction with the brand.

What a big mistake. This is an expensive toy, not a scientific tool for the young learner of ages 10+. Shame on National Geographic for putting their trusted name on such a poor-quality product. All I can figure is that this is a licensing deal gone really wrong. At the time I bought this telescope, there were no reviews posted to guide my decision. My consumer purchase was completely driven by my trust in the National Geographic brand. In this instance, my trust was badly misplaced.

This telescope was originally priced at more than 150 dollars before being reduced to the 87 dollars I paid. It's now below 60 dollars. Even at that price, it's just not worth it. National Geographic should pull this product off the market.

My apologies to all the people who bought telescopes after I had already determined that this item was a hunk of junk. I should have posted a more timely review to warn you. Let me fix that mistake now: Potential buyers - beware! This so-called telescope and microscope kit is a huge waste of money.

The telescope doesn't work. We have tried numerous times we can't see anything with it

Good.

I bought this set for my son's 10th birthday to get him interested in the micro and macro world around him.
He is still in the process of figuring out how everything works and his curiosity has definitely been triggered so in this regard the item is a success.

The build quality is decent but toy like, so would not recommend it for beginning adults. But if you have a kid and want to get him interested in science it is OK. Keep in mind that there is adult supervision needed in the process of setting up and using both the microscope and telescope. But if you are willing to spend the time with the child teaching him that there is a lot more to see without having to leave the house or playing computer games he MIGHT thank you later when he grows up.

In the end it is just a toy, but it has the potential to spark something great. When you find out that the kid is interested and ready for the next step only then upgrade to more expensive equipment.

Nephew loved it.