This microscope was made by the skilled London instrument makers William and Samuel Jones in the late eighteenth century. The Jones brothers made a number of popular microscope models including the Improved and Most Improved brass compound microscopes, two of which are illustrated below.

The Most Improved microscope incorporated all of the then-modern features found on compound microscopes of the period including a substage condenser lens. This microscope employed a large square limb attached to a compass joint located at the top of a sturdy cylindrical base with solid tripod feet for support. The stage, mirror, and condenser were all mounted on independent rack and pinion gears that allowed separate adjustments of these components. Objectives were attached by means of a wheel at the base of the microscope tube, allowing for easy interchangeability. The microscope performed well considering the lack of achromatic lenses to reduce aberrations. Scanning the entire surface of samples or microslides was very easy with this microscope because it was equipped with full aquatic motion.

This microscope was rather expensive and cost significantly more then its nearest competitor, the Cuff microscope. For this reason, many scientists did not have complete trust in all of the new developments on the Most Improved microscope and continued to use the cheaper, but quite satisfactory Cuff microscope.

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