Customer Reviews

Meade 20218 NG-70SM 70mm Altazimuth Refractor Telescope

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I must say this is a big improvement over my last telescope. I was eager to put it together. After I got the box open and the stand together, I mounted the scope. the azimuth mount feels more like an equatorial mount with out the weights and cables. The dials are easy to use and they provide slow precise movement for tracking objects. I noticed the lenses (they are not cheep) inside nice protective cases along with a nice lens accessory tray between the legs of the stand. I can't wait until the weather clears so I can take this outside.

70 MM aperture, steel leg tripod with accessory tray, azimuth mount for ease of control, and a great pair of lenses plus software for finding those stars.


what else could you ask for besides a starry night.

We purchased this telescope to give to our grandsons who live outside the country. On delivery to them we discovered that the switch on the red dot viewfinder was broken. On contacting Meade, they immediately agreed to send us a new part. We are delighted with the quality of the telescope and attribute the broken switch to shipping. With the replacement part, we will be very, very satisfied. A good telescope for the beginning astronomer at a most reasonable price, with a company that stands behind its product.

I purchased this telescope & a mini R/C helicopter while on a 'get-away weekend' with my partner. Of course, these items were for BOTH the 4 children we share & me! Sadly, the helicopter (like all R/C toys & young children) only lasted a few charges before it wobbled & stopped flying- however- the telescope has been a great addition to our family!

Overall, assembly was intuitive & simple- the balance of the refracting tube on the tripod is perfect for using the azimuth slow motion knobs to get & keep objects in view. The optical lenses, mirrors & eyepieces are of amazingly high quality and the level of visual detail is incredibly sharp, especially when considering the low price for this 'beginner' telescope. Although many parts are plastic, the fit & finish is outstanding, controls are well placed & user friendly and the red dot viewfinder is easy to use. Everything aligned well right out the box & everyone from the age of 7 to 70 was impressed with the visual clarity, ease of use & stability of the telescope on the tripod. Because the whole assembly is lightweight, my 7 year old was dragging it around the driveway & parking area to get the 'perfect view' of many stars!

Bad news/Good News! There were multiple items missing/broken when opened. A quick call to the Meade Customer Service line (800)626-3233 created an Order#, the representative verified that all of the missing/broken items were available & offered to ship them out immediately. Keep a copy of your purchase receipt- I'm still not sure if they'll be willing to ship my parts without it! My bad- don't let it be yours too!

More Good News! [...] is a veritable cornucopia of interesting sites & products. Although I found the website moderately annoying to navigate (I ended up with over 8 'open' pages, not to mention countless tabs on each page) I was able to locate everything I was looking for. As a novice, I want to learn all about our new 'family' telescope- there's lots of great information available. I wanted to know if there were additional products that would enahnce our 'little, beginner' - yes, there are several excellent & reasonably priced- products that really add value & functionality to this high precision instrument! There are astromony 'clubs'/forums to join, articles to read, etc...

Downside? NONE! However, I do dream of a 'bundle pack' for the newbie (like me & my family!). 4 really useful items, packaged together at a price lower than the initial investment of the telescope would be fantastic. Not a negative, just one man's opinion who wants MORE good stuff to use with this outstanding instrument.

The NG-70SM has exceeded all of my expectations: assembly, fit & finish, user controls, balance, stability, ruggedness, magnification & visual clarity & detail.

The Meade 20218 NG-70SM 70MM Altazimuth Refractor Telescope is a telescope for beginners and this is why I bought it. First for me to learn how to use a telescope and then how to apply it for sky watching, that would be learning the basic in astromony, reading basic star charts, learning the basic vocabulary of star gazing etc.. Second it is for my grand son who is five years old.

The Scope was very easy to assemble (there was a delay explained below). For the money it is a very good looking telescope. The stand or tri-pod is sturdy. Controlling the motion of up and down and side to side is easy, but does take some practice. Using the view finder is straight forward.

Once assembled it was easy to point it at the moon and view it, first time for me, up close. I have only used the least powerful lens and it was amazing. My grand son took a look and he said it was a planet. I am sure he is still digesting the information gotten from using the telescope.

The telescope came with an instructional dvd, and other basic software on it, a Autostar Suite, and a Moon chart. I found it very useful, for instance it showed me how to install the view finder and calibrate it.

The one item that delayed me in using the scope was the view finder that came with the on and off switch broken, I called the Meade service number and it was replaced within the week, really about three days. The Meade serive desk was Very professional and helpful.

We bought this for our son's 25th birthday. He's had it about 3 weeks & really enjoys it. In the future he may want something more powerful with more bells & whistles, but he's very pleased with this one. He said it's easy to set up & the "tip sheet" is quite handy to learn about the capabilities of the the telescope.

Purchased this item as a housewarming gift for friends that purchased a home with a view over SF Bay. They wanted to be able to view sailing regattas on the bay. They love it. Said it was the perfect gift.

Bought this telescope for my 9 year old daughter for Christmas. Easy to assemble, arrived Christmas Eve! She loves going outside and checking out the moon and the planets. The iphone app I purchased aides in her enjoyment. Telescope is sturdy and light enough for her to carry. Magnification isn't bad, you get what you pay for. For the price, it was perfect.

We had purchased another brand telescope for our 10 yr old grandaughter but had to return it because the quality was horrible. We ordered this one and it is fabulous. The quality of this one is superb and my grandaughter loves it.

What a great scope for only $60. I don't know how long this price will last, but if you are in the market for an excellent starter scope, I highly recommend the NG-70SM. The build quality is higher than expected. With a metal optical tube, a heavier than expected mount, and a decent metal tripod. Overall weight of this scope is light enough to easily be your go-to stargazing device. The eyepieces aren't something to sing about, but they are decent for a scope at this price point. I suspect I will be ordering some plossl ep's in the near future, and a 2x barlow lens. The focus and slow motion knobs are plastic. On the Focus, it feels great actually. But the slow motion knobs leave something to be desired. They are somewhat twitchy, and I think the plastic has something to do with that.

Pros:
Metal optical tube
Nice optical lens
Sturdy mount and Tripod
Crisp views out of the box

Neutral:
Semi decent eye pieces. Not bad, but not great.

Cons:
Plastic tray does not fold well with tripod.
slow motion controls can be a little twitchy, but there is a way to adjust the tension.
slow motion controls can be hard to reach, but a little muscle memory and practice makes them easier to grab while looking through the EP.

Well made product for the money. Easy assembly, and set up. We puchased this for my 5 year old daughter to "look at the moon and stars", and she loves it! Great beginner scope for kids. Thanks Amazon!