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Andy O
Andy O's Stats
- Review Count1
- Helpfulness Votes23
- First ReviewNovember 24, 2010
- Last ReviewNovember 24, 2010
- Featured Reviews1
- Average Rating5
Reviews Comments
- Review Comment Count0
- Helpfulness Votes0
- First Review CommentNone
- Last Review CommentNone
- Featured Review Comments0
Andy O's Reviews
Looking to expand your viewing power? The XT10i mirror gathers 56% more light than the XT8i, allowing you to view fainter objects. As with the XT8i, this telescope allows you to locate more than 14,000 celestial objects with the push of a button.
Andy O
I bought my SkyQuest XT10i in January 2010. It was my third Dobsonian telescope. With those instruments I often had trouble finding deep sky objects. I was looking for a better quality telescope and one that would make the search easier. The XT10i does that and in many ways surpasses my earlier scopes. Assembly was not difficult if you've assembled things before. The directions are reasonably good, all of the parts fit together the way they were supposed to, and there were no missing parts. I have used the scope to observe Mars and Jupiter and have seen more detail on those planets than I ever did before. But my main interest is deep sky objects and that is where this scope really excels. Pros: High quality optics, materials, and construction. Large (9 x 50), easy to align finder scope. Very easy to collimate with three spring- loaded thumbscrews. Comes with two pretty good plossl eyepieces at 25 and 10mm. Good quality focuser that accommodates both 1.25" and 2" eyepieces. Very easy to move and quick to set up. The greatest benefit of the scope to me is the IntelliScope Computerized Object Locator. Alignment is very easy and involves aiming the scope at two alignment stars. I've found that if this is done carefully using stars that are widely separated in the sky, it's possible to subsequently move from object to object without switching out the high power eyepiece. Another benefit is that the computer has preprogrammed tours for each month of the year. So even if I haven't prepared for an evening's observing I can view an assortment of interesting objects. Cons: The telescope tube is not balanced on the mount. It relies on a kind of brake to hold it steady in the altitude direction. Then again I added the optional cooling fan which adds weight to the mirror end. Also, the altitude encoder is vulnerable to damage while assembling the scope in the dark. I find that the carrying case, controller holster, and LaserMate telescope collimator to be indispensable accessories. Based on the combination of quality optics and a computerized locator that works well, I highly recommend this telescope.
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