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Laser Collimators: The Definitive Buyers’ Guide

Laser collimators are used for aligning the optics of Newtonian reflector telescopes and some catadioptric and Cassegrain telescopes if need be. Laser collimators project a beam of light down your telescope tube and allow you to make sure your optics are aligned by getting light to hit the center of your primary mirror and bounce back perfectly into the focuser.

Laser collimator used by me, on a desk
Howie Glatter Laser, Pic by Zane Landers

Laser collimators are an extremely useful tool for your telescope, and there are different models to choose from based on your budget and requirements. Lasers are best used not on their own but in conjunction with other collimation tools and methods, such as a collimation cap/Cheshire which should always be used to check for coarse secondary mirror alignment before using the laser. Checking your collimation on a defocused star after you use the laser collimator is also always a good idea.

Advantages & Disadvantages of Laser Collimators

Laser collimators are superior to regular Cheshire collimators and collimation caps in that they are much more sensitive to misalignment, making them arguably a must-have if you have a telescope with a focal ratio below f/4.5 or so. They are also easier to use in the dark if you have set up your telescope after dark. Laser collimators, theoretically, should be able to offer near-perfect alignment accuracy just as good as collimating on a defocused star at high magnification.

Laser collimators can be used to collimate Schmidt-Cassegrain, Ritchey-Chretien, and other Cassegrain-type telescopes if you know what you are doing, though these telescopes are best adjusted by collimating on a star, and using a laser with them may not be the most intuitive or affordable option.

Laser collimators are not perfect, however. They are extremely sensitive to mechanical misalignments in your telescope that may not ultimately matter, such as the screws or compression ring in your focuser de-centering or tilting the laser. They can also make you think your secondary mirror is aligned when it’s actually rotated out of alignment and tilted severely, which may be hard to know if you don’t check with a collimation cap or Cheshire first. Lasers can also be rendered nearly useless if the laser itself is not aligned with the barrel of the collimator, which requires adjustment with the laser sitting in some sort of V-block to correct.

Laser collimators also require that you put an accurate center dot on your primary mirror. Without one, they are nearly useless for collimation.

You probably should get a laser collimator if you:

  • Use a reflecting telescope with a focal ratio of f/5 or faster
  • Observe a lot at high magnification
  • Have a sturdy, metal focuser
  • Do astrophotography

You probably won’t want a laser collimator if you:

  • Have a focuser with any play or wobble, such as a plastic rack-and-pinion focuser
  • Use a slow f/ratio reflecting telescope
  • Use a telescope which doesn’t require frequent collimation

Best Laser Collimators: Our Recommendations

1. Best Performance Laser Collimator – Howie Glatter

The Howie Glatter laser collimator is best-in-class, though the price is higher than that of many premium eyepieces.

The Howie Glatter laser collimator offers superb machining accuracy and a laser that is certain to be dead-on from the factory. Numerous alternative lenses, upgrades, and accessories are also available for this collimator. The hybrid 2″/1.25″ version can be used with either size focuser without any difficulties or concerns about decentering with an adapter. However, without a TuBlug, which costs as much as the laser collimator, you do have to look into your focuser to check your primary mirror alignment and then go back down to your adjustment screws instead of being able to check your alignment in real time, which can be a bit of a pain.

2. Farpoint Laser Collimator

The Farpoint laser collimator is suitable for all but the most demanding users and fastest telescopes, with a similar design to the Howie Glatter laser.
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Farpoint Laser Collimator 650nm Red Laser

The Farpoint laser collimator is similar to the Glatter in basic design and advantages. It’s a great collimator and comes in a 1.25”/2” hybrid barrel for use in any size focuser without the need for an adapter. However, compared to the Glatter, it is a little harder to see very small amounts of misalignment, and the family of accessories and other products is not as diverse as what is offered for the Glatter.

The Glatter TuBlug is an extremely useful accessory for the Glatter and Farpoint collimators if you want to be able to collimate without having to go to the back of the telescope for adjustments and then check alignment looking down from the front of the tube. It also amplifies the sensitivity of your laser to miscollimation. However, it’s quite expensive and may induce mechanical misalignment/sagging if your focuser cannot handle it.

3. Hotech SCA Laser Collimator

The Hotech SCA laser is a favorite of many users; however the SCA rubber adapters aren’t for everyone and can be problematic to use in some telescopes.
Hotech Laser

The Hotech SCA laser collimator fits in either a 1.25” or 2” focuser using its proprietary “self-centering” rubber adapters. It also has a built-in 45-degree window, so you can use it even while adjusting screws at the other end of your telescope. However, the SCA rubber adapters can have issues with some telescopes, especially very fast instruments.

4. Best Budget Laser Collimator: Apertura Laser Collimator

The Apertura laser collimator is fairly easy to use and affordable, but often ships with alignment issues that must be fixed before the laser can be used.
Apertura 1.25" Laser Collimator

The Apertura laser collimator uses a 45-degree window like the Hotech SCA laser, though you’ll need to provide your own 1.25” to 2” adapter. This is the same laser that is thrown in with the Apertura AD Dobsonians. It’s a lot less accurate than more expensive lasers due to the lack of a precision 2” adapter, grid lines, and machining tolerances. There’s also a pretty good chance the laser will arrive misaligned with the barrel from the factory, making it useless until you adjust it in a V-block with the (thankfully exposed) hex key screws.

The SVBONY laser collimator suffers from similar quality control issues to the Apertura in that the lasers rarely arrive aligned with the barrel and must be fixed by the user before use.
SVBONY Red Laser Collimator for Newtonian

The SVBONY laser collimator is similar to the Apertura laser in design and lack of precision, though it’s cheaper and does include a tight-fitting 1.25” to 2” adapter by default. Like the Apertura laser, many of these lasers ship misaligned with the barrel, requiring you to adjust the alignment in a V-block. However, the SVBONY laser’s screws are hidden behind rubbery coverings, which you’ll need to poke through and destroy to access the adjustment screws with a hex key.

Zane Augustus

An amateur astronomer and telescope maker from Connecticut who has been featured on TIME magazineNational GeographicLa Vanguardia, and Clarin, The Guardian, The Arizona Daily Star, and Astronomy Technology Today and had won the Stellafane 1st and 3rd place Junior Awards in the 2018 Convention. Zane has owned over 425 telescopes, of which around 400 he has actually gotten to take out under the stars. These range from the stuff we review on TelescopicWatch to homemade or antique telescopes; the oldest he has owned or worked on so far was an Emil Busch refractor made shortly before the outbreak of World War I. Many of these are telescopes that he repaired or built.

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