Orion VersaGo III Micro-Motion Altazimuth Telescope Mount (White)

I wanted a mount for a small refractor that I could assemble quickly and move easily for those evenings when I want to star gaze without needing to set up a larger telescope. this mount fits the requirements perfectly.It comes well-packaged, and assembles very easily. The only complaint I have is the manual - a poorly photocopied and incomplete set of instructions is not what I would expect for this price. As it is, it didn't take long to figure out what all the parts did (except for one part, which I really think is unused).Two important details that are mentioned in the manual for astronomical use are 1) unscrew the upper arm from the mount and re-attach rotated 60 degrees ( this allows you to point your scope much closer to the zenith) and 2) unscrew the lower part of the mount and rotate it so the azimuth fine adjustment handle is not parallel to the telescope (if you don't do this, the telescope will collide with the azimuth adjustment handle)Three even more important details that are NOT mentioned in the manual are 1) before inserting the main locking bar up through the center of the tripod, put the small silver collar on it, 2) after inserting the main locking bar through the hole in the tripod, attach the split locking ring to the bar, so it won't fall out of the tripod if you remove the head, and 3) after attaching the altitude and azimuth locking levers and tightening them, if you pull the levers vertically (along their shaft) you can change the orientation of the levers so they can be tightened fully without impinging on any other parts.If it is correctly assembled, it is easy to lower the accessory tray, loosen the main locking bar slightly, rotate the accessory tray so it doesn't hold the legs apart, then fold the tripod legs up, leaving the tripod and head attached. that makes transport and setting the mount up again a really simple task.with a short tube refractor, balanced correctly, I find it easy to use the mount without locking either axis. With the axes locked, the fine adjustment knobs are accurate and responsive, with very little backlash.I'm thoroughly enjoying this mount, and will almost certainly put more hours of use into it than any of my larger telescopes!

Orion VersaGo III is basically the Explorer Scientific "Twilight I" mount. Orion simply places a home made sticker on the mount and sells it for much more. Do your research before buying. I ordered both and compared them side to side. You don't want to pay a lot more for a sticker.

I needed a nice heavy duty tripod capable of handling the 18 pound weight of a Barska Blueline 20x/40x 100mm Binocular Telescope and this tripod was just what I was looking for.

Assembly instructions are pretty baffling and you end up with a mystery piece (turns out it's an extra mount for a standard camera tripod, but took me a week on the internet to find out!)

arrived on time. product exactly as described. very satisfied.

Excellent telescope mount.