Telescope & Gear Reviews

Celestron’s Inspire 100AZ offers beginner-friendly optics and smart accessories, but the plastic focuser holds it back from being a top choice among entry-level refractors.

The Meade Infinity 90mm is a budget-friendly refractor known for strong planetary and lunar performance, a sturdy tripod, and beginner-friendly features.

The Meade Infinity 80 is a lightweight, affordable refractor aimed at beginners. It balances portability and usability, but its small aperture limits high-power and deep-sky performance.

Celestron’s NexStar Evolution 6 prioritizes advanced mount technology and convenience features, but its modest 6” aperture limits raw optical performance.

The NexStar Evolution 8 EdgeHD integrates Celestron’s premium optics with StarSense auto-alignment and a modern computerized mount. While costly, it offers a near-complete observing platform with portability and upgradability.

A closer look at the Celestron PowerSeeker 114EQ — a telescope with solid optics held back by a shaky mount and weak accessories.

An overview of the Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ — a budget Bird-Jones reflector with shaky optical design and low-quality accessories that often frustrates beginners.

A look at the Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 — a unique beginner Dobsonian with a long optical tube, strong planetary performance, and unusual ergonomics that won’t suit everyone.

A look at the SkyWatcher 8″ Dobsonian — a classic entry in the world of beginner-friendly reflectors, with excellent optics but basic accessories and some mount compromises.

The Celestron CPC 1100 GPS is a powerhouse Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope that delivers amazing views — but its weight, price, and bulk make it best suited for experienced observers.

A classic 8″ Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope with excellent optics but a mount that struggles with stability and limited included accessories.

A versatile Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope that delivers excellent planetary performance, but requires upgrades for deep-sky viewing and long-exposure astrophotography.

A research-based look at the Celestron NexStar 4SE — a compact, automated telescope that shines on planets and the Moon, but has clear limits for deep-sky observing and astrophotography.

A research-based look at the Celestron NexStar 5SE — a compact 5″ GoTo telescope that shines on planets and the Moon, but comes with power quirks and some deep-sky limitations.

Research-based overview of the Sky-Watcher Heritage 130P FlexTube Dobsonian, highlighting its portable collapsible design, capable optics, and beginner-friendly operation.

Research-based overview of the Zhumell Z8 Deluxe Dobsonian, highlighting its strong optical design, premium included accessories, and thoughtful usability features.

Research-based overview of the Orion SkyQuest XT10 Dobsonian telescope, highlighting its optical strengths and budget-driven compromises.

Research-based review of the Orion SkyQuest XT8 — a powerful and affordable 8-inch Dobsonian for serious beginners.

Research-based review of the SkyWatcher 6" Traditional Dobsonian — a highly recommended all-rounder for beginners and intermediates.

Research-based review of the popular Celestron FirstScope tabletop Dobsonian for beginners.

Research-based review of the Meade Infinity 70, one of the most recommended budget telescopes.

Research-based review of the Meade Infinity 70, one of the most recommended budget telescopes.

Research-based review of the SkyWatcher 6" Traditional Dobsonian — a highly recommended all-rounder for beginners and intermediates.

If technology and ease of use is your vibe, than StarSense Explorer DX 102AZ is worth exploring.

The StarSense Explorer DX 130AZ promises semi-automated sky tours, but its flimsy plastic mount, average optics, and cheap accessories reveal it’s still very much a beginner’s telescope.

The StarSense Explorer App is what saves LT 80AZ from the abyss of Celestron's overpriced beginner models.

The William Optics ZenithStar 61 is a lightweight ED doublet refractor tailored for beginner astrophotographers, offering wide fields and solid mechanics at a great value.

The William Optics ZenithStar 73 is a compact ED doublet refractor designed for wide-field astrophotography, offering solid mechanics, quality optics, and excellent value. While it needs a field flattener for best imaging results, its portability and build make it a favorite among beginner and intermediate astrophotographers.

The William Optics ZenithStar 81 is a high-quality ED doublet refractor that balances affordability and performance, offering sharp wide-field imaging with solid mechanics, though it’s heavier and slower than its smaller siblings.

The Celestron NexStar Evolution 9.25” is a great scope bundled with a great mount and tripod - though it’s less portable than it may appear at first.

The Celestron NexStar 127SLT isn’t a terrible scope, but is limited for deep-sky viewing and fairly expensive.

The Radian 75mm Petzval is a compact astrograph refractor with excellent optics and a flat, fast f/5.4 field ideal for astrophotography. While essentially a rebranded Askar FRA400, it still delivers superb imaging performance—though at a higher price point than its clones.

The Explore Scientific ED80 Essentials Triplet is a poor choice for most astrophotography work compared to competing telescopes.

Whether you use a DSLR or a cooled dedicated astronomy camera, the Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED is a high-quality, compact, and capable telescope ideal for deep-sky astrophotography and a superb instrument for visual use as well.

The Sky-Watcher Evostar 80ED (formerly the ProED 80) is an excellent visual and astrophotography telescope, though not the fastest f/ratio or widest field option out there.

Achieving a middle ground between portability and price, the Sky-Watcher 12” FlexTube Dobsonian is a good choice for those interested in a large and capable telescope without a premium price tag.

The Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 130P is a fantastic beginner or “Grab n’ go” telescope, though we do recommend the larger 150P which only costs a bit more too.

The Unistellar eVscope is a product built largely on marketing hype and the laziness of its target demographic, providing lackluster images built on misleading promises and using components that cost roughly one-tenth to buy yourself as what Unistellar tricks you into purchasing.

Like the smaller BL102, Orion’s SkyScanner BL135 is a generic, low-quality imported product that uses the good reputation of the SkyScanner 100mm reflector and 80mm refractor in an attempt to sell an inferior telescope without anyone noticing.

Like the smaller RedCat 51, the William Optics RedCat 71 is a high-quality imaging refractor that combines the best aspects of telephoto lenses and traditional astronomical refracting telescopes into a high-quality, well-arranged, and easy-to-use package.

The Sky-Watcher Flextube 250P, otherwise known as the 10” Collapsible, is a great scope with a slightly more compact form factor than traditional, solid-tubed Dobsonians of its size.

Orion’s SkyScanner BL102 takes advantage of brand and product line name confusion, poor availability of alternatives, and the assumption that most Dobsonians are good telescopes to sell.

Celestron’s StarSense Explorer 10” Dobsonian is the larger of the two StarSense Explorer 10” Dobs, and the better deal of the two.

Celestron StarSense Explorer 8” Dobsonian is a good scope, and works exactly as advertised. However, do consider the value for the money.

The Orion SkyLine 6" is one of the best 6" Dobsonians out there.

The SkyLine 8 is a great scope, and comes with more features and accessories out of the box compared to the more basic 8” scopes sold at lower price tags.

The Radian Raptor 61 is sold for $1,000 and is advertised as a revolutionary telescope. In reality, it is merely a rebadged copy of the SharpStar 61EDPH.

The William Optics RedCat 51 is, to some, barely a telescope at all. In many ways, this telescope has more in common with a telephoto lens than a traditional refracting telescope.