Flextube 200 Dobsonian 8-inch Collapsible Large Aperture Telescope – Portable, Easy to Use, Perfect for Beginners (S11700)

I have never owned or operated a telescope before but I began looking for a beginner scope for over a year now. Upon several reviews and forum ratings, I originally went with the Celestron 127EQ (Big Mistake) So I immediately returned it. Not only was the mount hard to maneuver but darn near impossible to collimate. So I started my search over and the term Dobsonian (Type of Mount) kept popping up from amateur astronomers. So naturally I being researching and came across this magnificent scope!! Not only is The dobsonain mount easy to maneuver, lock and keep track/move with the sky. It's easy to assemble!! (All needed tools are in the box) Now to the scope it self.. When you first unbox the unit you can immediately tell it is very well crafted.. (no cheap plastic bits) The 2" focuser is very smooth (it does come with a 1.25" adapter) and the x2 - 1.25" plossl lens it comes with are very decent quality (only wish it came with a Barlow lens) The finder Scope is excellent quailty and accurate as well I was skeptical about the whole collapsible thing, but it transitions very smoothly making it much easier to store and carry. So very glad I went this way. Plus it keeps the primary mirror and secondary mirror in completely different tubes.. (Just in case you drop a tool or 2 down the tube it doesn't bust up your primary mirror.) After my horror story with the 127EQ I bit the bullet and purchased a hotech 2"/1.25" laser crosshair collimator..seriously collimation is a snap (2 mins Max) ...A must have !! After every is ready to go and it's all collimated.. And you finally sit down..on a clear night.. And look through the lens for the first time at the moon (HDTV has Nothing on this scope) it's beautiful, everything you wished for..(even in the city) My 3.5 year old son and my wife are also always wanting to use the scope.. I am seriously considering buy 2 more. So if you are on the fence of buying a scope.. STOP and get down and press Buy Now!! You won't regret it.. I know my family and I don't..

I purchased this after getting a cheap scope with an unstable tripod. Reading the reviews the Dobsonian mounts were easy to use and great for the backyard. The telescope arrived in two boxes like described and I had already watched YouTube videos on assembling. It really was easy and anyone who has assembled furniture can figure it out. The telescope was also updated based on some of the feedback from other customers. Mine came with a 90 degree finder scope. The main OTA can accept both 1.25” and 2” lenses. The altitude movement was very smooth, however the azimuth movement was sticky. There is a modification for the scope where you install a 12” lazy Susan bearing between the two circular base pieces and I highly recommend it. The lazy Susan will make the azimuth adjustments very smooth and easy. I also removed the 3 feet that came with the telescope and replaced them with 4 x 2.5” locking casters making it much easier to move the scope to the backyard. The scope is a star hopper so you need a basic understanding of the night sky. I took an Astronomy class almost three decades ago. That and a sky application for the phone helped me pick out Jupiter and Saturn. Even in the suburbs with a light pollution of 5 I am able to see the two gas giants easily. You don’t have to wait for astronomical twilight to fade before taking in Jupiter. Once I got my bearings I went for my first nebula and found the Lagoon. It was really a matter of practice with this scope and hopping. If you are looking for a scope to find stuff for you then go for the go to version. The lenses are ok for beginning with. They are both 1.25” but the kit lacks a Barlow. I borrowed the 2x Barlow from the cheap kit, but you can really tell the difference in lenses quality. A zoom lens would also be a good addition to someone buying this kit. I got the laser collimator and moon filter offered by Amazon as a package. The collimator is necessary and I recommend watching a video on how to align your mirrors. I have not found use of the moon filter yet. Here I would recommend a good quality Barlow or Zoom lens. I also wished Amazon carried a light shield for the open truss. You can find one from another reseller and for the backyard with lots of stray light, I’d recommend one. The last thing I’d recommend is a good set of star charts and Left turn at Orion to help you search the night sky.

If you’re looking for tons of practice collimating telescopes but none of the reward of a clear image of the night sky, this is the telescope for you. I’ve owned this scope for about a month and a half now and I haven’t gotten one single clear image out of it. I’ve tried everything: collimating it countless times, checking the alignment of my collimating laser, buying a NEW laser in hopes that I hadn’t wasted $700 on a bunk telescope. I’ve heard people online say that length from the primary mirror that the secondary mirror snaps to is too close or too far to get a clear image and that you have to tweak this or that, none of which has made any difference for me. Either I’m using it COMPLETELY wrong, which I don’t find terribly likely, or it’s just extremely user-unfriendly. Either way, it has earned every bit of one star in my experience.

I ordered this scope yesterday, and it was delivered today (go Amazon!, I initially ordered though Celestron, but they lied about having it in stock and also charge more). The packaging was sufficient, no damage to the scope or parts. Assembly was easy and tools are included. Took about 20 minutes to put together. Unlike the picture, the mount was black (which I prefer anyway). The collimation was off a little, but better than I expected - I used a laser collimator to get things aligned to my liking. First light was tonight! M42 and Jupiter looked great. I used low power (30x) and high (250x), and both provided reasonable images. Unfortunately the moon was quite bright and it was windy and cold, so the session was short. So far, I'm impressed with the amount of scope I have for the price. I'll update again as I have the chance to do more observing. - Update on 4/14/2013: Viewing has been good. After a bit more collimation, the scope is performing well and I have no complaints. Except with Celestron - they seem to ignore their customers feedback and have not responded by any of my complaints about their service. I am quite hesitant to purchase any Celestron products in the future based on this.

I spend a few good hours researching what I needed for this telescope. Thankfully, I was given some 2" eyepieces and they're so nice to look through. I spend also spent a few hours learning how to collimate properly and make other adjustments. Everything is dialed in and last night I was able to see the moon like I'd never seen it before. I'd still like to make some modifications to this scope, wheels are going to be a must and maybe some weights to offset the gigantic 2x Barlow I'm using. But, I can't wait until I have a few good nights with a visible planet and some galaxies. I would recommend this thing to anyone that can lift or move 30lbs around. There's still a lot to learn about this big guy, but what I've seen so far is worth the price and I can't wait to see more. I'm not sure what happened with others, but it shipped quickly and safely for me and was a complete shipment of two boxes. I haven't dealt with Celestron's customer support, so I can't speak on that either. I'm thankful I was sent everything I needed and received a complete order.

I previously owned an Orion reflector, and had been used to the quality of their devices. When I stumbled across this Dob on Amazon, I figured there must be a catch. Then,I began investigating. There was no catch, just a nice inexpensive scope, but with a quality stamp behind it. I ordered my device, and it arrived safe and sound the next day. It was extremely easy to assemble(i had already downloaded the manual), and it actually sat two weeks, before I could collimate it. I collimate using a laser collimator, and it took a while(as always for me), but went without too much issue. My screws into the primary mirror were easy, with the second being a little more stiff. But nothing too outrageous. I was sort of, but not too completely surprised to find the mirrors off(both), as that is a lot of shipping, and additionally, even my Orion required collumation out of the box. Once the mirrors were done, I then at the finder scope, which was very straightforward. I then, gazed through the eyepiece, and all was clear. Nice quality view, and not too too bad eyepieces. It is funny, because I also thought about purchasing the 10" traditional dob, as it actually is a bit cheaper than this one. However, the collapsible nature of this scope made the decision for me.. Either one is excellent, however, this seemed to for me better. Overall, great scope at an excellent price!

The scope arrived with a broken set screw on the spotter scope ring but easily replaceable at the local hardware store, and we had purchased a Telrad sight as well, so no worries there. We also purchased a collimation eyepiece and a 2X Barlow. The base was easy to assemble (if you have some more functional tools handy it would be advised, but the tools it shipped with will work). It's solid particle board, and all arrive in nominal condition. The scope tube and mirrors arrived in nominal condition as well, and as soon as the mirrors were collimated, it was useable. Components are of decent grade and manufacture and give the impression that they will last a long time if reasonably cared for. First light was a large, full moon and it was very sharp. The kids approved and I may be turning my oldest into a junior astronomer. Jupiter has been next, and again, not disappointed. Crisp clear views. Mirrors and lenses appear to be of decent quality. Pros: Easy to assemble, very good viewing once collimated, spotting scope is of decent quality, takes little space in the house, adapters for eyepieces are fairly universal. Cons: None really. Could have been bigger. :P Extra: Telrad won't mount easily, may need riser plate. Am going to custom build a mount for mine.

This product generally works very well and is a good telescope. My issues with it arise in other areas. Shipping takes quite a while and assembly is not the easiest thing in the world. The tools they provide are poor and not optimal for the screws they give you to assemble the product. I actually damaged mine in the process of trying to assemble it because of this and after contacting customer support, they seemed to have ignored me after I sent them pictures that they requested. All in all, good product, poor everything else.