Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat quality, low cost, star gazing.
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2023
Unless you buy a computerized telescope for a lot of money there's no getting around the fact you'll need to invest a little time learning about things like Right Ascension and Declination. I won't go into the things you need to know to view the planets and other astronomical objects, just do your homework on that first. To view objects you need to set the ez-finder up correctly, it's very easy to do, but you need to invest the time to understand that task. Once done you can sight any star with it and even the 10mm eyepiece will have it in view.
I'll just address a few nuts and bolts impressions of this scope, from an engineer's perspective. It's an excellent price for a well made item. The main tube that houses the primary and secondary mirrors is metal and sturdy. The equatorial mount is metal and solid. The tripod is lightweight with aluminum legs and offers plenty of support. Overall I felt it was built well, the RA and DEC fine adjustments worked perfectly. The parts that matter most are the eyepieces and mirrors, I've looked at the moon, Jupiter ( with moons), Mars, and Sirius so far and they look great. I appreciate that Orion makes this product, they did a good job.
Years ago I bought a large 8" Dobsonian for my daughter, that was a mistake in that it was too big to manage, although it delivered great views. This scope is compact, light-weight, and easy to transport. Kids tend to lose interest if you make something a burden, so I would recommend keeping it simple, but still giving them the challenge of learning how it all works. This is a great scope for that. Since my kids are grown now it's still perfect for my wife and I ( and friends) to easily take it out and get some wonderful views of the night sky and all the infinite beauty out there.
I've attached 2 pictures I took of the moon using the included cellphone bracket. Nice little addition to snap a few cool images.
TL;DR
Excellent quality telescope for the money, compact, light-weight, for any level user willing to invest a modicum of time to learn some basics :)
PS: Orion, update your manual. It is missing things like how to use the phone adapter and what the screws are for on the main tube bands on top (like that knurled aluminum knob? Users shouldn't have to search the web all over for things like that, it's your product, document it well). Have someone proof-read and verify your docs, they are fine overall, but do have some errors and omissions.