[Universal] This style of scope gives the largest aperture I could handle by myself without spending a lot of money. I had none of the problems people reported with the earlier version. Everything works well without any modifications needed. Set up is easy enough, but there are a number of loose parts to keep track of. I think it will work well for the kind of use I will give it- I camp out on a hilltop and leave my scope set up all night. This is not a scope that you would take outside for a brief viewing. The set up is too cumbersome for that.

The mass-produced, tube Dobs can be a little bit cheaper and require little set-up, but you would need to step down in size if you transport it and use it by yourself. The premium Dobs set up quickly and are light enough to let you get a bigger scope, but the cost is higher than I was willing to pay. This Explore Scientific is a big scope at a realistic price.

[14.05 lb] This telescope it’s just great. I’m a beginner and after several weeks of research; I take the choice to buy this and brin it to my country, Colombia, so can you imagine all the things I had to have in mind...first than nothing It’s huge !!! Second it’s beautiful; I’m a industrial designer and the high end of this product it’s a great, the materials and the details look so nice. The assembly was easy, the up and down system/design is soft, and keep the balance; the only thing maybe you have to do, it’s to re- install the white pieces where the traction happen... this because the employees maybe made an a fast installation and they look crooked, so maybe you have to remove them and put them back correctly ... one of the screw was no deeply, so this generate a track in the tread, very important check this ! The base is very nice and gives an strong support, easy to turn. The super plossl piece it’s nice, I was watching Jupiter and it’s clear ... I buy two more eye pieces ... Meadle 4.5 mm and Orion 8 mm they work nice with the dobsobian. I make a base for moving with 4 wheels because it’s a little heavy. The laser point works fine, you just have to make a set up for a correctly point correctly. I really recommend this telescope, you will not disappointed for the price and the product... easy to assembly, easy to use, easy to love it !! Clear skies !!

[Handle] The Explore Scientific AR102 is an excellent intermediate scope. The 102mm glass catches a lot of light and provides a great deal of detail with a low Dawes limit. The controls are smooth and solid. Because of its' long focal length, a more substantial mount would be useful to prevent some wobbling during adjustments. I would definitely buy this scope again.

[Black / Silver] This picture was taken with a Canon 40D with a T2 adaptor, no other optics used. Minimal processing.

[Latch] This is my first scope and am very happy with it. Not a fan of how the base assembles but it is sturdy after I applied glue to the joints. Tool-less mirror collimating is very handy. The red dot finder works well but kind of wish the brightness could go down a bit more. Unless you’re pointing at the moon, you can’t see anything but the dot in the viewfinder. Views are clear and after a little practice, easy to point and get on target. Looking forward to many nights observing with it.

[Latch] This is a big light great telescope, arrived intact with very nice packaging, didn't had any issues with movement but counterweights is essential, collimation was very easy using laser colimator, focuser is smooth and able to hold my heavy explore scientific 30mm, replace the red dot finder with terlad , every thing worked just fine , only problem was small aluminium shaving pieces were everywhere, need to clean it good before first use.

[Latch] Perfect and solidly built, all metal. I actually bought this for an ETX125 OTA and it fits perfectly.

[Universal] The telescope works great the images I see in it are the best I have seen ever . It is easy to assemble and not real heavy the only thing that I would do is make the instructions a little easier to understand when assembling the telescope

[Latch] Great product, fit and finish are good. Bought for Celestron C6 SCT. Fits it like a glove. Handle-piggyback mount/rail is outstanding. Makes it easy to mount too. All metal construction and all attachments clear the tube rings. Nice and thick felt on rings. Even has a steel plate attached to the dovetail bar so when you mount it theres no marking up the aluminum dovetail bar. For anyone piggybacking a camera (or ?) the piggyback mounting rail is a real winner, especially when compaired to the one Celestron makes for this scope. Simple hex-head 1/4 20 bolt fit right in from below and locks bolt head into place, no twisting no tools needed to add anyting ti the mount.

[Handle] Love This Scope,It Gives Great Planetary Views,and Some Deep Space Objects Like The Orion Nebula and Star Clusters Are Amazing,Very Little Fringing Or Chromatic Aberration Around Bright Objects,But If You Want To Image,I Suggest a Stronger Mount,But For Visual,It Works Great