Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

First, I received this telescope free for testing and review. I recognize that a review of a free product is something fundamentally different from that of a product for which one has paid, but I do believe that such reviews can be useful when the review process is respected and I've tried to do that here. What you're getting with this order: (1) 900 X 80mm refractor telescope (1) Equatorial mount (1) Stainless steel tripod (4) Eyepieces: 5mm, 10mm, 25mm and Barlow lens -Multiple lens covers -Cleaning cloth -Accessories tray I need to say right up front that I am not an expert on telescopes, in fact, I'm quite new to them. This will show to any experts or enthusiasts reading this review and I apologize for my lack of knowledge. Please know that I'm not trying to misrepresent my skills. What I have done is to speak with a lot of hobbyists and to read several articles about what a beginner like myself should look for in a first telescope. I've taken that information, and I've tried to assess this Gskyer model as a beginner's telescope and my hope is to share my findings with you and that they will prove useful to your own research in some way. Each person I've asked and every article I've read has stated that there is ONE most important factor to consider above all others, the aperture. The aperture is the diameter of the telescope's lens. The general consensus seems to be that purchasing a telescope with an aperture smaller than 80mm is not worth your while. The Gskyer has an 80mm aperture, making it appropriate for inclusion in your first telescope decision. Bigger is better but gets more expensive of course. The next thing to consider should be the focal length. This is the distance from the focal point of a telescope to the lens/mirror. As the focal length increases, objects will look bigger when you view. I didn't get the same type of "minimum acceptable focal length" advice from my research that I did regarding the aperture, but I did find a few charts that showed 900mm to be an appropriate size. You'll notice a recurring theme as I go here that the Gskyer either just meets or slightly exceeds the minimum standards for a telescope worth purchasing, which to me means that it merits consideration from shoppers seeking a beginner's telescope in the budget price range. There are much cheaper telescopes than this one, but few if any of those will meet the minimum standards that experts strongly suggest. Magnification is something that beginner's like me often mistake for being the most important factor. According to my research, this is absolutely not so. Most scopes are capable of great magnification, but with a "too small" aperture, this would be wasted. Magnification is easy to figure once you've learned the formula. You simply divide the focal length, in this case the 900mm of the Gskyer by the eyepiece. This Gskyer comes with 3 eyepieces sized 5mm, 10mm and 25mm. Applying this formula then it has 3 magnifications: 900mm/5mm= 180X 900mm/10mm= 90X 900mm/25mm=36X In addition, the telescope includes a 3X Barlow lens. This is a lens that fits between the mirror and the eyepiece and is said to then triple the magnifications mentioned above. I have not yet used the Barlow but wanted to mention its inclusion and purpose. Equatorial mount: The Gskyer has an equatorial mount as well as slow motions which allow you to follow an object across the sky (newbies may be shocked at how quickly a spotted object moves out of the field of view, I certainly was). There is also a counterweight used here. These are all functions that I'm just learning how to use, and know very little about. I think it's simply important to let shoppers know that they're included. Tripod: Stainless steel and feels heavy duty. It is level which is important. It includes a snap-on accessories tray that I absolutely love. I'm a guy who loses small pieces easily and I am quite happy to have this tray to store all the eyepieces and lens covers not in use. Finder scope: This is a small scope on the side of the tube that let's you more easily find an object in the sky. You put that object in the crosshairs and then in theory, that object will be in the scopes eyepiece ready to view. Unfortunately, syncing the finder scope to the telescope takes some fine tuning and I haven't done it yet. You can read about how to do it by simply googling it. It seems it's better done during the day on fixed land objects. It's on my to do list. I've been told you want a 25 or greater on the finder scope and this one is a 24, again firght near the minimum. I get the sense that this one is very entry level, more so than the rest of the scope. Assembly: Obviously, the telescope does not arrive assembled, so there is work to do. Keep in mind here that I am a neophyte and so I had no experience with assembly and even more daunting, I didn't know the names of the pieces even and so had to totally rely on the provided instructions. When I looked at the instructions, I felt quite intimidated as they were simply color photos with very brief written directions that often referenced parts I did not know. The good news is that it was pretty easy to complete the entire process with these instructions. In fact, there was never a point where I felt I needed to seek help. I'm not saying I wasn't ever temporarily frustrated, but the reason it was fairly easy was that there aren't a lot of parts that look alike so even when you don't know what it is, it is easily located. A couple of tips based on my experience: -The slow motion cables have to be mounted with the screw going into the only notch on the post. There is nothing mentioned about this so you'll be tempted just to slide the cable fitting all the way on. This doesn't work as it will not turn the gear. When the screw is in the notch the gear turns easily. -The tube can roll inside the two rings that contain it until they are tightened. Pay attention to how the spotting scope and the adjustment knobs line up once you've mounted it. The Gskyer logo gives a hint too. -The adjustment screw that moves the scope up and down benefits from some WD-40, or at least mine did. Function: I've used it to get beautiful, clear views of the moon. It's staggering actually to see the detail. I've also used it to see the rings of Saturn which I found particularly rewarding. I have a lot to learn, but this scope is of sufficient quality to make these experiences meaningful and that seems quite important when picking out a beginning scope. It must be of a high enough quality to encourage use. Any negatives?: -Finder scope is the one aspect that seems not to meet or exceed minimum standards for a beginner's scope. Bottom line: I want to reiterate that I am a complete beginner, and hope that this review will be of some use to other beginners considering this telescope. This is a well built telescope that meets the "must have" standards found in my research for beginner telescopes. I've enjoyed its use for several weeks now and am continuing to learn its more complicated features. I believe it merits consideration from shoppers seeking an entry level telescope that will be of meaningful use to its owner and of a high enough quality to merit frequent and continued use.