This is my first telescope purchase, made after eight months of researching and saving my birthday and Christmas money.  

I read several books that came highly recommended from different sources, and they pointed toward a Dobsonian-mounted Reflector such as this.  Only after mounting my binoculars to a camera tripod did I understand the importance of a sturdy mount such as this Dob.  The stability and low cost have both lived up to expectations, such that the image wiggles very little as I learn how to approach the eyepiece.

I had a $300 budget, but when I saw that the XT4.5 was a foot shorter than the XT6, I realized that the shorter would fit in the trunk of my car while the latter would not.  It turns out that this portability has been a great asset.

The most rewarding moment came when I went to my first “star party.”  I compared my views to those in a 10 Dob and a 14 Dob.  The resultant images were not too different.  Yes, deep sky objects were brighter, but I watched as they dismantled their huge heavy scopes for about 20 minutes and loaded them on dollies, while I was ready to go in the five minutes it took to replace the lens caps and store the eyepieces.  I left feeling so pleased that I had made a good decision in my purchase.

I cannot stress enough how portability outstrips the desire to get the biggest scope you can afford.  The fact that I didnt have much to spend was a blessing in disguise because Im now adding eyepieces and filters as I go.

I put nine instead of ten on this review because it fits my telescopic needs perfectly but Your Mileage May Vary.  I started off with binoculars and the constantly wiggling images turned me off quickly.  This XT4.5 has renewed my interest in this hobby and now been a pleasure to share with my kids.

Oh, Anacortes did a great job shipping to me quickly and I had no troubles there.  Again YMMV.

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:56 PM

Ive had this scope one year.  I own many good telescopes and this one gets the most use.  Why?
- Carry handle and 17lb weight make it super portable with instant set up
- Cool down is only 15 minutes
- Great views; outperforms my ShortTube 80-like scope on almost all targets; enough aperture to make many objects intereesting
- Comes with 2 good EPs that cover low power and medium high power viewing.
- Well designed; stable, easy to use
The only real con I can think of is the movements are stiff out of the box - this is easily and cheaply fixed.

In summary, the XT4.5 is a well designed scope capable of being either a great second telescope for the advanced amateur or a terrific first scope for the budding astronomer.  And it costs $200 complete.

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:46 PM

Ive had this scope for about a year and a half now.  I bought it as a grab and go scope.  I find myself using much more than my other scopes.  It is easy to use and setup.  It weighs only 17 pounds and can be moved around readily with the handle on its tube.  It cools down in less than a half hour.  I use a small plastic lawn table to bring it up to a comfortable height. Even on the table it is very stable. It gives beautiful views of all objects. I use it to view all objects.  It does well with higher power views of the planets and moon and is great for splitting double stars.  The focuser has developed some image shift but it is tolerable. It is easy to collimate and holds mirror adjustment well.  At only $200 it has got to be one of the best bargains out there today.

From: | Created on: 10/16/2009 1:48:42 PM