Microscope for stylus inspection

You need 150X minimum, 200X is much better and seems to be the standard. You also need the expertise to know what you are looking at. The stylus on your BPS is an ellipsoid, so if it is a perfect cone, you have a problem, but there is no way to tell with 30X magnification. It is really good for checking your stylus for dirt and buildup though.

Anyone agree or disagree?

I've looked at styli with special stereoscopes designed for the task. With my untrained eye, I could not really see wear that my ears clearly said was there. The dealer with the scope also pronounced healthy cartridges that I thought were clearly worn (or had other problems like the elastomer in the suspension going bad, etc.).

The short of this is that one's ears are clearly superior to any visual inspection short of something exotic (like a scanning electron microscope).

Larryi: I'm just worried that I may be using a stylus that is causing damage to my records.
I purchased a used record the seller claimed was "mint -" which had significant groove damage (crispy crackling) on both of the final (inner) tracks.
The seller said he was using a better cartridge/turntable which had been professionally set up.
I agree you have to trust your ears but when the damage is done it's done.
I'm pretty confident that what I'm seeing though my budget scope is a healthy "needle".
Thanks to both for the input.