SOLOMARKAnti-Vibration Suppression Pads Telescope Mounts

I am using these on the Celestron Nextar 8se. I was debating how much of the wobble they would remove and if this cheaper version would be adequate. I would say they are, especially for the price!The wobble is not completely removed, but it never will be. However, even in grass they chop off time for the telescope to stabilize. I would recommend spending the 23 bucks to find out.Tips for less wobble (especially for SCT and the 8se):*When screwing in the triangular lens holder, turn as tight as possible, then left the legs to allow expansion, then repeat until it won't tighten more. This maximizes the stability.*Only extend legs out 10" max, less if you can comfortably look at your desired target for that night at that height.*Place pads under legs once extended and then level.*Touch focus knob with two fingers only.*Test different balance points a few millimeters apart when mounting the OTA to the mount. All of these points should be near the balance point (find this point indoors by setting the dovetail rail on a pencil and marking the balance point). Being a few mm away from this on either side removes gear slop but is still good on the motors.Good luck!

Normally I DIY this stuff but these had a unique design and at less than half the price of the Celestron pads, figured Id give them a shot. They work so well, and have become a very important part of my scope (6" SCT on a goto mount, 33 pounds, total). The difference in vibration is night and day, hardly shakes and when there is, it settles after only 2-3 jiggles (technical term :-). I tried them with my Dobsonian which worked fine but they wanted to slide around under the feet of the base due to the hard center platform of the pad. Oh yeah, the pads I received had a red circle around them rather than the pictured pink; personally, I don't care, its dark out, LOL, but some people do!! Love these!!!

I purchased these pads for use with a Celestron 130 reflector that my wife gave me as a gift. The scope and tripod weigh just 18 pounds so vibration was a bit of a problem, particularly at higher magnifications. The pads didn't eliminate the vibration associated with moving and focusing the scope, but it resolves much more quickly. Well worth the money.

They worked much better than I expected. Not only did they shorten the time a vibration lasted, they limited how much vibration occured when I adjusted focus on my scope, and I could get a nice sharp focus much quicker.

These appear to be overseas knock-offs of the Celestron pads. They're mostly hard plastic with a little bit of something (silicon?) in between. Maybe absorbs a little bit, but not much in my experience. You're better off just adding a little ballast to your tripod or saving up for something better.

These anti-vibration pads are a fantastic addition to any scope with a tripod mount. My father has a set of the Celestron anti-vibration pads, and I was able to closely compare the two sets.I am fairly confident that the Celestron pads and these Solomark pads are made in the same factory and simply branded differently. Aside from color, these pads are of similar weight and material, and are indistinguishable otherwise. I find that they also have the exact same performance - I've used both sets while performing some amateur astrophotography with a DSLR and the pictures taken using either set are equally clear. All in all, I'm glad I opted for these after reading the other reviews instead of the more expensive alternatives.

I do a lot of my viewing from my wood deck and/or cement patio. My telescope tends to show more shaking than I would like. This may be in part because I should get a better tripod and mount. Although the weight of my scope is well under (about 1/2) the advertised limits of the mount system. In any case I had hoped these pads would change all that. They didn't help on the deck so I tried them on cement. Still no discernable improvement. I understand these have worked for some, but not here.

Functional depending on type of tripod legs used for. Seem best suited for smaller leg end support which fit well into center of pad. Just as useful as higher priced items for vibration suppression. Recommend especially for motorized or computer telescope drives as well as wind, focus vibration etc.