Orion StarBlast II 4.5 Equatorial Reflector Telescope Kit for Adults - Beginner Astronomy Telescope Kit with Eyepieces, Smartphone Adapter, Tripod

Obviously the Equatorial mount takes a bit of fiddling, but other than that this Telescope is the bomb! Everything else was easy as pie - took it out back and started enjoying the sky. I familiarized myself with MANY telescopes, mounts, eyepieces, and focal lengths before landing on this particular telescope and feel that I got the best. Really liking this!

No problems with the order.Able to get going with the telescope within 1 day !WELL DONE Orion ! Excellent product offered via Amazon !

Great product and customer support. The telescope is simple to assemble out of the box. Online videos to learn how to use it from the company are very helpful, find them on YouTube.

This is a nice starter kit for anyone interested in telescopes who doesn't know where to begin. It arrived mostly collimated and was easy to assemble and use. I strongly recommend finding the Orion videos on line (YouTube) for assembly and how to use the EQ mount. They're much, much clearer than the instructions (which are not bad, but I'm a visual person and like to be shown how rather than read how). Aligning the finder and the scope was easy. I also need to add that customer technical support from Orion isn't very good, so you are better off either looking for resources online or contacting your local astronomy/star gazers club for help if you need it.I've only had it out a few nights, and in my relatively suburban setting there's quite a bit of light pollution, but I have been enjoying seeing Jupiter and its moons. With the 10mm eyepiece and the 2x Barlow (90x magnification), you can barely make out cloud bands as well. I think I'm going to buy a 6.3mm lens to up the magnification to 150x, which should produce a better image and is about the highest usable magnification for this thing.On the whole, it was a good purchase. It's a nice kit and includes some handy tools for the beginner. It also instills a little bit of confidence (i.e., I feel like I could have gotten a bigger and/or more complicated scope if I had had the balls to do it!). I also recommend buying the soft case for it. Yes, it's expensive, but worth it in the end for easy transportation and keeping the tube safe.

I purchased the Orion telescope because I trusted the quality of the product based on the fact that they provide a great deal of information via YouTube, and they are located in the U.S. Before I even bought the scope, I watched both Ken and Vanessa's initial setup multiple times, as well as their video on how to use the scope, so I knew exactly what I was getting, how to set it up, and how to use it.Not five minutes into setup, I noticed one of the 3 bolts used to attach the EQ mount to the tripod was missing the washers. In addition, 2 of the 3 wingnuts were so badly cross-threaded, I had a very difficult time removing them. (see photo.) Luckily, I had a couple of like-sized washers in my workshop, so I moved on with the setup.Once the tripod was connected to the EQ mount and attachment tray was installed, I stood it upright; it was at this point I noticed 2 very large dents in one of the setting circles (see photo.)I stopped the setup and contacted their customer service rep; he assured me I would hear from the appropriate manager in a day or two. After two days passed and silence, I called them back. The same customer service rep said he would make sure my issue was passed on, and that I should hear from someone ASAP. It's been over a week since my initial contact, and I still haven't heard from anyone associated with the company (nor have I received any replacement parts in the mail).In the meantime, I decided to continue setup of the telescope. For one, I needed to find out if there were any other issues with parts; two, I wanted to use my telescope!As for the telescope itself (aside from missing parts and a dented setting circle), I really like using it so far. I spent HOURS watching videos and studying the use of it before taking it out, and I was able to locate Jupiter and Saturn right away (not to mention the moon, which was full the first night I took it out.) I was more than pleased with the optics and detail provided during my initial viewing, and my brief experience of studying the night sky thus far has been pretty surreal. I'm looking forward to exploring so much more moving forward, and I guess I'll just have to accept the fact that my telescope's superficial imperfections make it unique.Would I buy the scope again? Yes, I guess I would. It's a good scope, and I really appreciate Orion's presence on YouTube; the videos REALLY help! But it's disappointing that a company that seems to pride itself on providing support has failed to take care of me in a timely manner, and it's something prospective buyers need to consider.UPDATE: Orion eventually sent me a message via Amazon to let me know I would soon receive a replacement EQ mount, along with a new set of attachment hardware. Yes, I got the mount. No, I did not get the hardware. After contacting them a 3rd time, I finally got everything. Good telescope, yes. Poor quality control and customer service, however.

Package was missing a piece & a replacement was sent in 2 days.. then another 2 days later when package arrived damaged. Customer service was excellent. Easy to assemble & great for beginners. LOve my new Orion telescope!

A great first telescope. I got this for my husband and he loves it. It was a bit tricky to put together though so heads up.

Very nice.