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Apertura AD6 Dobsonian Review: Editor’s Choice
The Apertura AD6 is an excellent telescope, but for the price, you might be better off with a 6” f/5 tabletop telescope or saving up for a bit more for the AD8 or another 8” model with greater capabilities.
Celestron StarSense Explorer 150mm tabletop Dobsonian Review: Partially Recommended Scope
The Celestron StarSense Explorer 150mm Dobsonian is certainly a well-made and fairly affordable telescope, but it’s debatable whether it’s worth paying a premium for the bundled StarSense Explorer technology despite its simplicity and benefits.
Celestron StarSense Explorer 114mm Tabletop Dobsonian Review: Recommended Telescope
The Celestron StarSense Explorer 114mm Dobsonian is a nifty little telescope, but for the price, it’s not worth trading off the capabilities offered by a greater aperture in exchange for the StarSense Explorer technology.
Celestron CGX 925 SCT Review: Recommended Scope
The Celestron CGX 925 SCT is a powerful and versatile telescope package for visual and astrophotography use, featuring a large-aperture Schmidt-Cassegrain optical tube paired with Celestron’s CGX equatorial mount.
Celestron CGX 800 8″ EdgeHD Review: Recommended Scope
The Celestron CGX 800 EdgeHD is an excellent visual or astrophotography setup, though it’s rather complex and may be intimidating if you’re not familiar with telescopes and astrophotography.
Orion StarSeeker IV 130mm GoTo Review: Partially Recommended
The Orion StarSeeker IV 130mm is well-designed, but with performance and features more in line with a scope priced at a couple hundred bucks less.
Celestron CPC 925 XLT GPS Review: Recommended Telescope
The Celestron CPC 925 GPS is a highly dependable telescope that offers extensive capabilities in an easy-to-use and reasonably portable package. However, depending on your specific objectives, there might be more attractive telescope options available.
Losmandy G-11 Mount Review: Recommended Product
The Losmandy G11 is considered a premium-tier German equatorial mount, and it’s designed with exacting specifications that cater to the needs of serious astrophotographers, as well as anyone looking for a top-quality heavy-duty equatorial mount.
Meade Polaris 114 Reflector Review: Not Recommended
The Meade Polaris 114 is unacceptably flawed optically, and its other design features don’t deliver much value for the price - look elsewhere for a quality first scope.
Explore Scientific AR127 Refractor Review: Not Recommended OTA
The Explore Scientific AR127 is a good mid-sized achromatic refractor, though it’s nowhere near as versatile as a more expensive ED doublet or triplet on account of its chromatic aberration.
Explore Scientific AR152 Refractor Review: Not Recommended OTA
The Explore Scientific AR152 certainly delivers if you want a big, fast f/ratio achromatic refractor, although why exactly you’d purchase such a thing is a different question given the compromises involved.
Meade Polaris 90 Review: Partially Recommended
The Meade Polaris 90 is acceptable, but extremely limited in capabilities and rather poorly constructed - you can do a lot better for the price.
Meade Polaris 127 Review: Not Recommended Scope
The Meade Polaris 127 suffers from unacceptable optical flaws, its mount is complicated and wobbly, and its accessories are nothing to get too excited about—we highly recommend you explore other options for a quality first telescope.
Unistellar eVscope eQuinox Review: Not Recommended
The Unistellar eVscope eQuinox is an extremely misleading product with capabilities that are neither innovative nor remotely capable of justifying its price tag or marketing claims.
SarBlue Mak70 Telescope Review: Recommended Scope
The SarBlue Mak70 is limited to the brightest objects in the night sky, but it sure does a fantastic job on the handful of things you can see with it, especially for such an affordable and convenient instrument.
Celestron CPC 925 EdgeHD Review: Not Recommended
The Celestron CPC 925 EdgeHD is well-made, but it’s less compact or versatile than an equatorially-mounted configuration while offering few of the astrophotography capabilities which would make the EdgeHD worth buying over the regular C9.25 XLT version.
Meade 8″ LX200 ACF Review: Not Recommended
The Meade 8” LX200 ACF might be worth considering if it was sold for half price, but it offers little in the way of features or value to justify the outrageous markup compared to its competition or really to justify its own existence at all.
Sky-Watcher 8″ FlexTube GoTo Dobsonian Review: Recommended Scope
The Sky-Watcher 8” FlexTube GoTo Dobsonian is a nice scope, but being sandwiched between manual and GoTo 10” and 12” scopes in price makes it kind of an odd sacrifice compared to a larger aperture instrument with more capabilities, motorized or not.
Sky-Watcher 10″ FlexTube GoTo Dobsonian Review: Recommended Scope
The Sky-Watcher 10” FlexTube GoTo Dobsonian offers a flexible computerized/manual scope in a fairly compact package, though as is typical with Sky-Watcher the provided features and accessories are otherwise extremely basic.
Sky-Watcher 14″ FlexTube GoTo Dobsonian Review: Recommended Scope
The Sky-Watcher 14” FlexTube GoTo is a big scope packed with performance, though it may be harder to justify over a cheaper 12” or more capable 16” scope.
Meade 8″ LX90 ACF Review: Partially Recommended Scope
For those looking for a lightweight and portable telescope with good optics, the Meade 8” LX90 ACF is worth considering if no alternative 8” Schmidt-Cassegrain configuration is available, but other telescopes are simply a better deal for the money and often have more capabilities.
Vixen R130SF/Porta II Telescope Review: Partially Recommended
The Vixen R130SF is an excellent telescope, but it’s extremely expensive compared to similar telescopes and lacking in value for its price range.
Celestron CPC 1100 GPS Telescope Review: Recommended Scope
The Celestron CPC 1100 GPS is a great scope, though it’s definitely bulky compared to other optic and mount options for its aperture.
Celestron CPC 800 EdgeHD Telescope Review: Not Recommended
The Celestron CPC 800 EdgeHD is a decent telescope, but it is less compact than the NexStar Evolution design and the EdgeHD optics are not particularly useful in this telescope configuration.
Apertura 6″ f/9 Ritchey-Chretien Review: Recommended OTA
Apertura’s 6” Ritchey-Chretien is a nice scope for galaxy imaging, but isn’t ideal for beginners.
Celestron Advanced VX 11″ SCT Telescope Review: Partially Recommended
The Celestron Advanced VX 11" SCT is great for visual astronomy and planetary imaging, despite the fact that it doesn’t really compete in price with other options.
Celestron CGEM II 1100 11″ SCT Telescope Review: Recommended Scope
The Celestron CGEM 1100 11" SCT is great for visual astronomy and planetary imaging, despite the fact that it doesn’t really compete in price with other options.
Celestron CGEM II 800 8″ SCT Review: Partially Recommended
The Celestron CGEM II 800 8" SCT is an acceptable astrophotography telescope, though you may prefer the EdgeHD version and/or a better mount for the job, and this package is completely pointless for visual astronomy compared to a bigger or cheaper instrument.
Celestron Astro Fi 90 Telescope Review: Partially Recommended
The Celestron Astro Fi 90 is well-designed but lacks performance for its high price tag or compared to the other telescopes from the Astro Fi lineup.
Celestron Advanced VX 6″ Newtonian Review: Not Recommended
The Celestron Advanced VX 6” Newtonian is a mediocre choice for imaging due to the limitations of its 1.25” focuser and the Advanced VX mount, and it’s hardly a convenient or affordable visual observation setup
Celestron NexStar Evolution 8″ EdgeHD Review: Recommended Scope
The Celestron NexStar Evolution 8” EdgeHD/StarSense is a fantastic telescope, but offers few advantages over the regular NexStar Evolution 8 to make it worth the additional cost.
Celestron Advanced VX 9.25″ EdgeHD Review: Not Recommended
The Celestron Advanced VX 9.25” EdgeHD is under-mounted and pretty much useless for deep-sky imaging, while providing no advantages over the regular C9.25 XLT for other purposes.
Celestron EdgeHD 9.25 Review: Recommended OTA
Celestron’s EdgeHD 9.25 is a great scope for visual astronomy and imaging, albeit at a rather high price and with limited use cases.
Celestron Advanced VX 8” EdgeHD Review: Partially Recommended
The Celestron Advanced VX 8” EdgeHD is under-mounted for most astrophotography and overkill for visual observation, though it’s very good for the latter.
Celestron Advanced VX 8 Newtonian Review: Partially Recommended
The Celestron Advanced VX 8” Newtonian is an acceptable quality telescope, but an overall poor choice for astrophotography or visual observing, and will frustrate users who attempt to do either.
Celestron Advanced VX 6″ Refractor Review: Not Recommended
The Celestron Advanced VX 6” Refractor is not a particularly good telescope for any purpose, despite its elegance and well-built mechanics.
Celestron Advanced VX 6″ SCT Review: Recommended Scope
The Celestron Advanced VX 6” SCT is a jack of all trades, master of none - in contrast to Celestron’s often under-mounted and low-quality beginner telescopes, the Advanced VX 6” SCT package is an almost absurd inverse.
Celestron Advanced VX 700 Maksutov Review: Recommended Scope
The Celestron Advanced VX 700 Maksutov is a superb planetary instrument, but its specialized nature and high price constrain its usefulness.
Celestron PowerSeeker 60AZ Review: Not Recommended
The Celestron PowerSeeker 60AZ is a classic example of a “department store telescope” which should be avoided like the plague.
Celestron NexStar Evolution 9.25″ Review: Partially Recommended
The Celestron NexStar Evolution 9.25 isn’t terrible, but is arguably just a bit too big for its own good - and for its mount.
Solomark Polaris 130mm EQ Review: Not Recommended
The Solomark Polaris 130mm EQ has acceptable optics, but is weighed down (albeit only figuratively) by a poor design, mediocre accessories, and its rather high price tag.
Celestron Advanced VX 9.25″ SCT Review: Recommended Scope
The Celestron Advanced VX 9.25” SCT package isn’t for everyone, but it’s a great setup for visual use and planetary imaging.
Orion SkyScanner BL102 Review: Partially Recommended
The Orion SkyScanner B102 is an overpriced instrument with mediocre performance at best, seemingly brought in as a last-minute substitution for out-of-stock gear and kept ever since.
Orion SkyScanner BL135mm Review: Partially Recommended
The Orion SkyScanner B135 isn’t the worst, but suffers from serious mechanical shortcomings and poor-quality included accessories, making it less-than-ideal for the price.
Gskyer 130mm EQ Telescope Review – Recommended Scope
The Gskyer 130mm EQ Reflector provides decent value for the money and an overall pleasant observing experience, though as usual, we don’t love the choice of the equatorial mount and slender tripod - especially for beginners.
Explore Scientific 10″ Hybrid Truss Tube Dobsonian Review: Recommended Scope
The Explore Scientific 10” Hybrid Dobsonian is a dream come true for tinkerers - a huge amount of aperture in a compact package with a sleek, all-metal mechanical design and a low price tag. But for those who just want a ready-to-use setup out of the box, an 8” or 10” standard Dob is probably a better pick.
Celestron CPC 800 GPS SCT Review: Recommended Scope
The Celestron CPC 800 is a big, bulky, and somewhat outdated telescope, but it’s jam-packed with features and will last a lifetime.
Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P Review: Editor’s Choice
The Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 150P provides excellent value, portability, and capability all at a stunningly low price for a beginner telescope.
Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 130P Review: Recommended Scope
The Sky-Watcher Virtuoso GTi 130P is a computerized version of the popular Heritage 130P and an equally excellent choice for beginners - but the 150P version is only a bit more expensive and a lot more capable!
Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 114 AZ Review – Not Recommended
The Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 114AZ Reflector not only doesn’t really need the StarSense Explorer technology, but it has compromised optics and a mediocre mount at best, all at a rather inflated price.
Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80 AZ Review – Partially Recommended
The Celestron StarSense Explorer LT 80 AZ isn’t bad, but the StarSense Explorer Technology has no functional purpose with such a small telescope that has little in the way of capabilities beyond viewing the Moon and planets anyway.
Celestron C6 XLT Review: Recommended OTA
Celestron’s C6 XLT is one of the best Schmidt-Cassegrains in Celestron’s lineup and arguably the most versatile. It’s a travel scope, planet killer, astrograph, and works well for deep-sky viewing too.
Celestron EdgeHD 8 Review: Recommended OTA
Celestron’s EdgeHD 8 is an even more versatile telescope than the original C8, with a design great for almost every type of astronomical viewing or imaging.
Explore Scientific ED80 Essentials Review: Partially Recommended
Explore Scientific’s ED80 Essentials Triplet refractor is one of many small apochromatic refractors meant for astrophotographers in a crowded market. However, it’s not exactly the best for a number of unfortunate reasons which would be easy for the manufacturer to fix.
Sky-Watcher Skymax 150 Review: Recommended OTA
Sky-Watcher’s Skymax 150 optical tube is a great scope for planetary imaging or viewing, or as a more general-purpose “grab n’ go” or travel scope - though for the former, some caveats exist.
Sky-Watcher Skymax 127 Review: Partially Recommended OTA
Sky-Watcher’s Skymax 127 is a great “grab n’ go” or travel telescope, though it’s a bit limited compared to a slightly larger aperture offering and has some rather strange design flaws.
Sky-Watcher 8″ Flextube Review: Recommended Scope
The Sky-Watcher 8” FlexTube is great for those who place a premium on compactness, but the collapsible tube has some compromises - both in cost and usability.
Celestron NexStar 90SLT Review: Partially Recommended
The Celestron NexStar 90SLT is a bizarre combination of convenient and inconvenient features which make very little sense as a purchase when put together as a package, and we’d recommend getting something else.
Apertura DT8 Review: Recommended Scope
The Apertura DT8 is one of the nicer beginner scopes available and at a great price, though this price does come with some concessions on accessories.
Celestron Inspire 100AZ Review: Partially Recommended
The Celestron Inspire 100AZ is supposed to be designed for beginners, and for the most part lives up to those expectations pretty well, though it still struggles to deliver on value compared to a Dobsonian.
Sky-Watcher Heritage 150p Review: Editor’s Choice
The Sky-Watcher Heritage 150P is essentially a scaled-up version of the beloved 130P, with similar features and drawbacks - with a key difference of a significant uptick in aperture.
Apertura AD12 Dobsonian Review: Editor’s Choice
The Apertura AD12 is a big scope that’s ideal for a big house and/or a big vehicle, but it also provides big, bold, bright, and beautiful views of the night sky.
Zhumell Z130 Telescope Review : Recommended Scope
The Zhumell Z130 is one of the best beginner telescopes available, though we of course have some inevitable nitpicks. If you can afford it, a full-sized 6” Dobsonian might be a bit better, but we like the Z130 nonetheless.
Zhumell Z114 Telescope Review: Recommended Scope
The Zhumell Z114 is one of our favorite beginner telescopes. It has little in the way of compromises in its optics or mechanical quality.
Celestron Astro-Fi 130 Review – Recommended Scope
Celestron’s Astro-Fi 130 is part of the company’s latest attempts to make GoTo telescopes and stargazing as accessible as possible to newbie stargazers, and completely succeeds with only a few minor drawbacks.
Orion AstroView 6 EQ Reviewed – Recommended Scope
For those who must have an equatorially mounted telescope, the Orion AstroView 6 used to be a solid budget pick. Unfortunately, after the 2022 revision to the scope, that's no longer the case.
Orion Starblast 90 Review – Not Recommended
Orion’s StarBlast 90 represents the latest in a series of cheap, shoddy products meant to cash in on Orion’s brand reputation, and is a scope you should avoid no matter the price.
Celestron 127EQ PowerSeeker Review – Not Recommended
Celestron’s PowerSeeker 127EQ is so bad that we’re genuinely baffled as to who in the world would’ve given this product a green light for manufacturing.
Celestron’s PowerSeeker 50AZ Reviewed – Not Recommended
The PowerSeeker 50AZ is little more than a cheap toy designed to lure novices in based on Celestron’s brand reputation.
Meade Lightbridge Mini (82, 114, 130) Reviewed
Unfortunately, all Meade Lightbridge Mini series telescopes were discontinued in 2019.
Meade Infinity 90AZ Review – Recommended Product
Product permanently discontinued by Meade after the acquisition by Orion. The following review was published before the discontinuation.
Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 Telescope Review: Recommended Scope
The Orion SkyQuest XT4.5 is a bit of an oddball in the SkyQuest Dobsonian line as well as the world of tabletop Dobsonians, but it is a great first telescope, albeit a little small in aperture and expensive compared to its competitors.
Orion 180mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope Review: Recommended OTA
Those who are interested in having a small, light, and portable planetary setup without having to use a Barlow lens or a long telescope should definitely consider the Orion 180mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Telescope, especially if they are looking for high-quality optics and a small central obstruction.
Zhumell Z100 Telescope Reviewed: Editor’s Choice
The Zhumell Z100 is one of the cheapest decent telescopes you can buy, and great for users of any skill level.
Orion StarBlast II 4.5 EQ Reviewed: Recommended Telescope
If you don’t mind the slight inconvenience and increased complexity of using an equatorial mount, Orion’s StarBlast II is certainly a great choice for the beginning astronomer or a serious enthusiast looking for a smaller and more lightweight instrument to complement a larger telescope.
Meade’s Infinity 80AZ Telescope Reviewed – Recommended Product
Product permanently discontinued by Meade after the acquisition by Orion. The following review was published before the discontinuation.
Explore Scientific ED127 Essential Reviewed: Recommended OTA
The Explore Scientific ED Essentials 127ED isn’t the best imaging telescope out there but provides excellent views at the eyepiece and is a serviceable, if heavy, astrograph too.
Sky-Watcher Evostar 80ED Review: Recommended OTA
The Sky-Watcher Evostar 80ED is an excellent telescope for visual astronomy as well as astrophotography without breaking the bank or requiring a bulky and expensive mount to be used.
Orion ED80 Review: Partially Recommended OTA
A decent ED doublet refractor, the Orion ED80 is great optically but its mediocre mechanics make it a harder sell than some competing instruments, particularly for imaging use.
Celestron PowerSeeker 70EQ Reviewed – Not Recommended
The Celestron PowerSeeker 70EQ has a decent mount and optics, but lacks enough aperture or good enough accessories for us to recommend it.
Celestron C9.25 XLT Reviewed: Highly Recommended!
While certainly a bit of a niche telescope (as with any Schmidt-Cassegrain) the Celestron C9.25 XLT is probably the best SCT on the market and has outstanding optical performance.
Orion StarSeeker IV 150mm GoTo Reflector Telescope Review
The Orion StarSeeker IV 150mm has some unique features - and some unique flaws. It's a decent instrument, but not for everyone.
Celestron Powerseeker 114AZ Review – Not Recommended
Celestron’s Powerseeker line once again fails to deliver with their 114AZ model. We’d recommend steering clear of this one.
Meade Infinity 102AZ Reviewed – Recommended Scope
Product permanently discontinued by Meade after the acquisition by Orion. The following review was published before the discontinuation.
Celestron C11 XLT Review: Recommended OTA
The Celestron C11 XLT is a big scope with huge capabilities. However, it’s not for everyone.
Celestron ExploraScope 114AZ Review – Not Recommended
Celestron’s ExploraScope 114EQ is plagued by poor design all around - we’d recommend steering clear.
Celestron SkyProdigy 130 Review – Not Recommended
Celestron’s SkyProdigy 130 seems innovative, but is a technological failure commanding an overly high price and dramatically overpromising its capabilities.
Celestron Advanced VX 8″ SCT Reviewed: Recommended Scope
The Celestron Advanced VX 8 is one of the best telescopes in their Advanced VX series of telescope and mount bundles, thanks to its relatively modest weight and bulk, decent portability, and acceptable amount of astrophotography capability.
Celestron C8 XLT Review: Recommended OTA
While certainly a bit of a niche telescope (as with any Schmidt-Cassegrain) the Celestron C8 XLT is probably the best SCT on the market and has outstanding optical performance.
Orion Apex 127mm Maksutov-Cassegrain Reviewed: Partially Recommended OTA
The Orion Apex 127 Maksutov-Cassegrain telescope is a great choice for astronomers on the go who want a lightweight, portable scope for viewing bright targets, though it doesn’t offer the best value for the money.
Orion FunScope 76mm Reviewed – Partially Recommended
You won’t find too many bells and whistles on the FunScope, but what you will find is a small, portable, easy-to-use telescope, ready to explore the skies.
Orion 8” f/4 Astrograph Telescope Reviewed: Recommended OTA
The Orion 8” f/4 Newtonian Reflector Astrograph is a decent imaging telescope and provides great views at the eyepiece as well.
Celestron PowerSeeker 80EQ Review: Partially Recommended
Celestron’s PowerSeeker 80EQ is probably the best product in the entire PowerSeeker line. However, it still suffers from a number of weaknesses and shortcomings, mostly due to the fact that Celestron seems to insist on marketing it as capable of absurd 675x power and terrestrial observing.
Orion StarBlast 6 Tabletop Telescope Reviewed – Recommended Scope
The Orion StarBlast 6 is big for a tabletop scope, but offers the same quality as regular 6” Dobsonians albeit with a wider field of view.
Celestron 114 LCM Computerized Telescope Review – Not Recommended
The Celestron 114LCM is a complete rip-off, with a low-quality mount and optics that are below what has been considered acceptable for decades. Buying one is likely to lead to frustration and potentially even quitting the hobby.
Explore Scientific AR102 Reviewed
The Explore Scientific AR102 is a decent telescope, though as an achromatic refractor it’s limited in utility as well as overall value for the money.
Meade Polaris 130mm Telescope Review – Recommended Product
Product permanently discontinued by Meade after the acquisition by Orion. The following review was published before the discontinuation.
Celestron Astromaster 114EQ Review – Not Recommended
The Celestron AstroMaster 114EQ works, but its poor optics, confusing mount and awful accessories make it a terrible scope for the price.
Celestron Omni XLT 150 Review – Recommended Scope
Celestron’s Omni XLT 150 is a good choice for beginners who want a quality, medium-aperture telescope that isn’t a Dobsonian or a tabletop scope.
Meade Infinity 70mm AZ Telescope Review – Partially Recommended
The Meade Infinity 70AZ is decent but suffers from the typical pitfalls of such a cheap and small aperture instrument.
Celestron NexStar 8SE Telescope Review – Recommended Scope
If you can afford the high price and don’t mind the tediousness of aligning a GoTo system and collimating a Schmidt-Cassegrain, the Celestron NexStar 8SE is for you.
Meade ETX125-AT GoTo Telescope Review – Partially Recommended
The Meade ETX-125 AT is a rather niche use instrument optimized solely for the Moon, planets, and double stars - as well as portability - and it’s a great scope for the job if you are okay with its limitations.
Celestron Astromaster 76EQ Telescope Review – Partially Recommended
The Celestron AstroMaster 76EQ isn’t a terrible telescope, but given its poor value and poor accessories we’d recommend shopping for something else.
Celestron AstroMaster 130EQ Review – Not Recommended
The Celestron AstroMaster 130 is widely advertised and praised as one of the better beginner telescopes out there, but it suffers from several shortcomings that tend to make it infuriating to use out of the box.
Celestron PowerSeeker 114EQ Review – Not Recommended
Celestron’s PowerSeeker 114EQ, like all of its siblings in the PowerSeeker line, are unusable scopes which we don’t recommend to beginners. However, the 114EQ is a little better than the other PowerSeekers.
Orion StarBlast 4.5 Astro Reflector Reviewed – Editor’s Choice
The Orion StarBlast 4.5 Astro is an excellent beginner scope or “grab n’ go” complement to a larger instrument, and is sold at a remarkably low price.
Orion SpaceProbe 130ST EQ Telescope Review: Recommended Scope
While Dobsonians tend to be recommended to beginners, Orion’s SpaceProbe 130ST promises to deliver decent views with the promise of astrophotography down the road. It’s not a bad scope, but it’s of little practical benefit compared to just buying a Dobsonian.
Meade ETX-90 AT Telescope Review – Partially Recommended
The Meade ETX-90 is a nice telescope, but it lacks the performance or features to justify its price tag, nearly double that of its competitors.
Celestron NexStar 130SLT Review: Partially Recommended
The NexStar 130SLT works, but its mediocre and outdated mounting isn’t exactly the best option for the price.
Celestron NexStar 4SE Review: Partially Recommended
While small GoTo telescopes aren’t the most useful instruments for beginners interested in astronomy, the Celestron NexStar 4SE is not a terrible package.
NexStar 127SLT Telescope Review – Partially Recommended
The NexStar 127SLT isn’t bad, but comes with serious limitations that make it a questionable proposition in value.