MEADE 20087 DS-2080AT-LNT 80MM Altazimuth Refractor Telescope

by Meade

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 32 x 16 x 13 inches ; 19.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 21 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000RGC0FK
• Item model number: 20087
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,946 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 17, 2003

Product Description

80MM Altazimuth Refractor Telescope

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Plastic, plastic, plastic Stay Away From This Telescope, February 5, 2008

By 

Free Thinker "Use your brain" - See all my reviews

This review is from: MEADE 20087 DS-2080AT-LNT 80MM Altazimuth Refractor Telescope (Electronics)

We used our telescope for about 10 minutes. The plastic rack and pinion focuser stripped and the telescope is useless. This is a $300 piece of lightweight, plastic junk. Buy nothing until you find out the telescope has an all metal focuser.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Better hold on to the receipt!, March 1, 2010

By 

benstl (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: MEADE 20087 DS-2080AT-LNT 80MM Altazimuth Refractor Telescope (Electronics)

I wish I had listened to the other reviewer on this scope, my experience was almost identical. I was excited to try out my first real telescope, assembled it all and adjusted the viewfinder, and that night I took it out for a spin. I looked at Mars for a bit, and was somewhat disappointed at the quality of the mount - even with the declination and RA locks cranked tight, the scope can still wiggle around just enough to be frustrating. No big deal; I can live with that and still enjoy having a telescope.

It being a 10 degree night, I headed back in before too long. Upon setting the tripod down inside, one of the legs immediately collapsed and I had to catch the telescope to keep it from falling over. I tried to extend the leg back out and again tighten the dinky plastic clamp, but no luck. Cheap design and shoddy manufacturing ensured I would not be moving that clamp without snapping it in half. I retracted all three legs to level the tripod, cursed the thing, and decided I would try again the next day.

The last thing I did was to turn the focus knob in some; it just seemed proper to retract the focusing tube for storage. Rather, I tried to turn the focus knob in but it just wiggled up and down. All the teeth (plastic, as the other reviewer mentioned) had sheared off.

All of this is crushing enough to a guy full of excitement about his new telescope, but the kind folks at Meade weren't done raining on my parade just yet. I called them the next day, and was ever so happy to find their customer service is as good as their product quality. That is to say; if Meade could make their customer service representatives out of cheap plastic, they would. I gently and politely explained my story, and the gentleman informed me that since I didn't have my receipt (oops), I should try and sell my telescope for parts.

Wow.

Dinky, dinky, dinky. Let's just say I won't be buying my next telescope (or any telescope, ever) from the caring folks at Meade.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Scope, June 26, 2008

By 

John K. Macgrath (Nevada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: MEADE 20087 DS-2080AT-LNT 80MM Altazimuth Refractor Telescope (Electronics)

Good quality scope! I'm still learning how to operate the onboard computer. I've ordered a Barlow lens kit for more magnification. I want to take this out to the desert when the smoke clears from the California fires.