[US] Mantis Stereo Vision BONANZA - $800 + shipping - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 03, 2025, 02:42:24 am
content: Imagine to be a little ant and walk around the board and look at the pins and solder joints just by moving your head naturally..It is very difficult to describe the "3Dness" of a Mantis without having tried it out. Sorry I tried...Kind of magic, but it is real and it works very well...Just for reference... this is the Elite (successor of this model) ... but the concept is the same:It served me well, always a true joy to use it!The only people disappointed with the Mantis are the Leica S9D gang IMHO... yes... Leica costs like a new car....Year after year I collected piece by piece from ebay a nice Mantis system:- Mantis engineering stereoscope- x2 , x4 , x6 , x8 lenses- some useless GU4 incandescent light bulbs- dessicant- bench clampsome caveats:- one light glass diffuser is broken- it is the 220VAC variant (but I suggest to not use the embedded GU4 lights anyway)- the x8 lens has a tiny imperfection/damage on the surface (as all other used x8 in ebay, since often this lens bump into the target due to the small focus distance....). The image is still sharp and clear... as expected.I dare to say the above do not present a problem for real life use.A cheap goose neck IKEA LED lamp is far superior in my experience than the retarded integrated lights...Reason for selling: I do not use it as much as I did it in the past... just want reclaim some space in the lab.more pics herehttps://mantis.zucca.me/more documents and3d light hack by thm_wfiles here:https://mantis.doc.zucca.me/Price:$800+ shipping to you (price based on recent sold Mantis in ebay). Yes it is a good deal (as always with me)!Open to trade gear... just let me know...It will be maniacally good packaged for you, do not worry.

author: KungFuJosh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 03, 2025, 10:44:16 pm
content: I must resist! I don't have room either.

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 05, 2025, 03:19:58 am
content: Yes.... I understand you very very well.You are not alone.Beside that... the faces of the people looking at the mantis without knowing what the heck it is... it's priceless....99% believed it was an xray machine, and after I asked if they want to see their fingers bones.... again another priceless face....

author: the Chris
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2025, 03:42:54 am
content: I've had a chance to work with one of these over a decade ago. If you do a lot of SMD repairs / soldering, this thing is a blessing even compared to working with a stereo microscope like the usual Olympus SZ you find everywhere. The relief to keep the head away from any eyepieces and the three-dimensional impression of the projected image are easily worth the money, if you ask me.

author: Zucca
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 05, 2025, 04:07:21 am
content: YES!and the only thing missing in my set is the x6 SLWDIt is THE lens for board rework.I still painfully remember being the second higher bidder in an ebay auction.... for a SLWD.... I still wake up in the middle of the night screaming for rage.... I effing lost it for a couple of $$.PS: it also happen ebay sellers just overlook that lens.... and they state x6 thinking it is just another regular lens.... so always check the pictures... if you see the big x6 SLWD lens.... bid on it... look up how much it costs...

author: H.O
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2025, 10:39:49 am
content: Yeah, I stumbled across an original Mantis years ago, got it cheap(ish) with x2 and x4 lenses.Its main mirror has some weird damages/artifacts (have thought about sending it out for resurfacing) and the housing is a bit banged up but its still very much usable. I've been on the look for a x6 SLWD ever since but prices are usually >5x what I paid for the setup, I can't justify that.I retrofitted mine with LED lamps, works great. No heat, no fan but mine have a 12V supply or transformer in the lower section of the arm IIRC.It's a great device!

author: jfiresto
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 05, 2025, 11:07:24 am
content: Quote from: Zucca on October 05, 2025, 04:07:21 amI know the feeling. Somehow, I managed to be the second highest bidder for a microscope part, for a half dozen ebay auctions in a row, but the seventh bid took. I suppose that shows a sort of "optimum" bidding if you have the patience.