Honestly I would simply contact a sales rep from a reputable company and discuss what kind of budget and projects you have and see what they recommand. That can be a distributor (VWR or fisher scientific for example) or a manufacturer (Nikon, Zeiss and Olympus are quite reputable).

I have a Nikon eclipse 90i in the lab and find it really nice, but I haven’t much experience with other microscope, and depending on what you want to od it might be a bit too much.

I would recommend the Zeiss Axiostar. I have had one for years and it has been a great performer and trouble free. Also the Axiostar is built around a complete system from bright field to Epiflourescence. A good reputable dealer would be to contact nfocus@midrivers.com(Northern Focus Optical, Jim Janoso). 😀

I get no kick back from this dealer by the way, however he is a good friend and an authorized Zeiss Technician 😉