Customer Reviews

Orion SkyQuest XT10 Classic Dobsonian Telescope

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

That's right, I own an Orion XT6, XT8, and XT10. I use them for leading seminars. I seem to buy a new one each year. So far I have always kept the previous one. I can probably compare them as well as anyone. They are all sitting side by side in my shed. For the purpose of this review I will compare the XT8 & XT10.

REASONS TO PURCHASE THE XT10
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Larger aperture. Yes, it makes a big difference. It was worth the money to take a step up in size. Some views that were beyond the grasp of my 6, and only located with my 8, are now easy to see in my 10.

REASONS TO PURCHASE THE XT8
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Money. There is a jump in cost. Both the 8 and 10 are powerful enough to do serious astronomy. Both are good scopes. Both should last for years. There is always a bigger scope out there for a few more dollars. One must draw the line somewhere.

Weight. In my mind the 8" is the largest of the truly inexpensive, portable dobs and the smallest of the large aperture light buckets. The 6" is a wonderful scope. I don't intend to let go of it, but I wouldn't call it a large aperture scope. The 10" is a light bucket, but I wouldn't call it easily portable. The 8" is both. I have the strength to move my 10", but noticed that I wasn't using it as much. Then I purchased a garden cart to haul it around in, and now I use it several times a week. It wasn't that I couldn't pick it up, it was just awkward and I was worried that I was going to break it.

BOTTOM LINE
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If you have the money and don't need to lug it around a lot, get the 10". I'm glad I did.

If the cost is prohibitive or you need to move it around a lot, get the 8". All three are excellent scopes.

If you lead regular astronomy seminars and need some good quality dobs so you can create teams of three or four students per scope, get them all! That's what I did, until my wife tells me that one of them must go.

I am very pleased with this telescope.
---Assembly of the base took about 15 minutes using the included tool. The tube is held to the base by two sturdy springs which makes it easy to separate and carry. The assembled scope can be carried by the handle on the base, but the scope's size makes it a bit cumbersome. The tube and base are both solidly constructed and the motion is smooth.
---The optics are wonderful. There is no color fringing and the image is sharp from edge to edge. The large aperture enables me to see a clear view of craters on the moon's shadow side, even when it is half full and daytime. A crescent moon in the evening is a great view. I've seen nebula, star clusters and galaxies. I'm no expert, but the limit of apparent magnitude so far has been around 5 or 6. I expect the view to be better in the winter when the sky isn't as hazy. (I live in the Midwest and it's summer). The included 25 mm eyepiece yields a nice wide and bright view. I use it to find objects, then switch to a 12.5 or 6 mm (from an extra Zhumell eyepiece set) if I want to look closer.
---The finder is great. Once you get it sighted in, just look through the finder and put the dot on what you want to see. It has windage and elevation dials just like on a rifle. You don't even have to put your eye in a particular place for it to work.
---I'm glad I didn't get a computerized scope. I feel my money was better spent on the large aperture instead of motorized controls and a heavy tripod. This scope is very quick to set up and makes it easy to look here and there on a whim. Tracking objects as they move is not difficult, but if you're using a 6 or 4 mm eyepiece you have to stay on it or its gone. This scope comes with software that shows what is visible from your location now or any other time, and has a searchable object database. This is one of the best buys I''ve made in a long time.

This is the first product review I've ever written. After my first viewing session, I felt compelled to share my experience with potential purchasers of the Orion XT10. Assembly was fairly straight forward with well written instructions. This scope is great for someone new to star gazing like myself. It only took me a few minutes to find my first target, Saturn. I was amazed to not only see the rings but to also see two moons with the low magnification 25mm eyepiece supplied with the telescope. I look foward to viewing with higher powered eyepieces, I have an 15mm and 5mm on order. My only regret with this purchase is that I didn't make it sooner. This scope is awesome.

I bought the Orion Skyquest XT10 Classic Dob about a month ago. The bottom line is that I HIGHLY recommend this scope for beginners and possibly even more advanced users. Assembly was a bit intimidating until after I finished, but looking back on it it was basically just bolting the pieces of the mount together. I've never owned a telescope before this, but image quality seems on par with the few other scopes of similar size that I've looked through. I'm very happy with the construction quality.

Collimating this scope is something you should do or have done to it in order to get the best image quality possible. I bought a laser collimator and an autocollimator. Collimating the scope slightly improved image quality although the manual says it's collimated at the factory and you don't have to. You may want to find someone experienced to do the collimation because many people are intimidated by the process and the tools are a bit pricey compared to the scope.

Orion seems to have the philosophy of putting as much image quality and durability into a scope as they possibly can while keeping their scopes as affordable as possible. With that philosophy in mind, this scope is a "bare-bones" scope with few frills. I've already spent about 4 times the price of the scope on add-ons. (Mostly in eyepieces/oculars.) The good news is that you CAN build on what this scope provides.

Probably my only complaints on this scope are the rotational bearing and the lack of quick-release bolts for the springs. The scope does not rotate super smoothly because of the bearing. However, do-it-yourselfers can replace the bearing. And, it's really only a minor annoyance that shows up only at very high magnification. Removing the springs that attach the scope to its base is annoyingly difficult, but again this is a minor annoyance. I just don't take it apart. Its 50 lbs. is still light enough that I can throw the whole thing over my shoulder and carry it where I need to. It's small enough that you can transport it in most cars if you remove the springs and separate the base from the scope.

Also, because Orion is trying to provide a great scope for the price, they don't give you much in the way of eye pieces. Really, they shouldn't bother including the 25mm eyepiece. I think they "throw it in" just to give new owners "something" to make the scope functional. The eyepiece is of good quality. However, there are better eyepieces that are not that expensive, and the included eyepiece is not threaded for attaching filters.

I bought a 31mm Nagler, which is about as large and heavy as any eyepiece gets and the scope supports its weight without a problem. One great thing about this scope is that it accepts 2" eyepieces. I've gotten spectacular views of the moon with the 3.7mm Ethos which is 325X on this scope and also a heavy eyepiece.

Moon viewing REQUIRES a polarizing filter which cannot be attached to the ocular/eyepiece that comes with it. Viewing the moon for any length of time without a filter is almost painful because of its brightness. I highly advise an adjustable polarizer as this lets you dim it the exact amount you want.

The single speed Crayford focuser was something I wasn't happy with. It was possible to focus exactly with this focuser, but I almost immediately decided to upgrade to Orion's Dual Speed focuser which makes precision focusing noticeably easier. Replacing the focuser was easy and demonstrates one of several ways that this great scope can be made even better. The original focuser wasn't bad like a rack and pinion focuser can be. I'm sure it was chosen to keep costs down on this scope, and some people may be happy with the stock focuser.

I've done all my viewing from light polluted skys and have seen the Andromeda Galaxy, Orion's nebula, the Pleiades, M2, Jupiter and its moons, Saturn at sunrise, as well some spectacular views of the moon. My star hopping ability has gone from none to knowing the patch of sky that I could see last month rather well.

After a month however, for several reasons I've decided to go ahead and upgrade to their 12 inch go-to scope (which is a huge price difference). I find myself often unsure whether I'm having trouble finding objects due to the scope being pointed at the wrong spot or because of all the light pollution. I wonder if they couldn't have included manual setting circles into the scope somehow without significantly raising the price; that might have made it a bit more certain on how acurately I'm pointing the scope. Also, I like to view many things at 300X or higher and I have to manually move the scope about every 5 to 10 seconds to keep what I'm looking at in view at such high magnification. I expect the go-to to help keep things in view for 10 or 20 minutes without any manual adjustment. Also, I'm starting to really want some help finding things although I'm getting good at star hopping and recognizing many of this month's constellations. But last night light pollution was so bad that hardly any stars could be seen with the naked eye other than those directly over-head. The stars are much brighter when looking through the scope, so a go-to scope would help get the scope pointed at the right spot when there are no stars available to hop with. Also, I find myself looking at what I think is Uranus or the Hatley commet and seeing nothing but "stars". I know these objects should appear pretty small, but it leaves me unsure if I'm seeing them or an actual star. At least having the go-to scope pointed at the right spot would eliminate the possibility that I'm not even looking at the right patch of sky.

Also, I'm looking forward to the higher resolution and luminance of the 12 inch, as I'm learning that bigger is always better in telescopes. Unfortunately, they don't make the 12 inch in the Classic Dobsonian version. Part of the reason is probably the spring problem; the 12 inch is too heavy to move assembled. The scope has to be separated from the mount to move it and the springs don't have a quick release on the Classics. A slight redesign or even a do-it-yourself modification could solve this, but Orion only makes the 12 inch in electric versions. It should also be noted the 12 inch may be too large to put in many cars like the 10 inch.

Even though I've decided I want a go-to scope, I think I may still like having a non-electric around. Once I learn the sky a little better and know what to look for, what CAN be seen with all the light pollution, and where to find it, the go-to feature may not be all that useful and the price is twice that of the Classic scope. Having a scope that automatically keeps itself pointed at the same spot is going to be VERY nice, but it's not THAT hard to move the scope manually as much as every five seconds when viewing at high magnification. And, it would probably be made much easier to manually track by installing a $25 lazy-susan bearing. So, it may be difficult for a lot of people to justify double the price for a go-to scope.

I don't see the point in the Intelliscope with its digital setting circles (although the Intelliscopes have been around for a long time and the go-tos are new); I recommend either going with the price of the Classic and star hop or get the go-to and not need digital setting circles PLUS have the advantage of automatic tracking.

This scope is big enough that you will probably want a viewing chair to sit in while using it.

Over all, this is a great scope with plenty of room to make it an even better scope.

Dobson Newtonian reflectors are probably the simplest telescopes in existence, so that's to their credit. I have this 10" model and I love it. It was simple to set up and collimation is not something you will have to spend hours poring over, unless you are just really anally retentive. So the good news is that, for the money, you cannot buy more telescope than you are getting with this particular system. The bad news is as follows: if you are a small-car owner, prepare to live alone, because anytime the telescope is with you, no one else will be able to ride in the car with you. You cannot get the tube through the trunk's rear-seat opening in a small car, and I drive a Sentra, which is renowned for being one of the largest of the small cars you can buy. The tube will go in the back seat, and the base will have to ride in the passenger seat, because it also is designed in such a way that it will not fit in the trunk. So get rid of the wife. Get rid of the kids. Dobbie likes to stretch his legs out, when he rides. The other bad news is that you WILL have to take a trip down to Lowe's to buy some a rod of PVC tubing and some flexible but strong plastic hose, in order to build a make-shift handle to carry the tube around with. The alternative is that every time you want to move the tube anywhere, you'll have to take the plastic dust cover off the end so that you have something to grip, and that's just inconvenient. So you have to have SOME mechanical aptitude in order to move this sucker around. Fortunately, in spite of the fact that I have almost no mechanical aptitude whatsoever, I was able to make the handle from scratch by explaining to the Lowe's sales person what I was trying to do.

The only other bad news isn't really Orion's fault, or the telescope design's for that matter. It's that astronomy turns out to be much like photography: it is possible to spend way more money on it than you ever initially thought you would. You will probably look through the eyepiece that Orion supplies, realize that the field-of-view is kind of disappointing, and convince yourself that what you really need to do is spend another 500 dollars or so on some premium eyepieces. And that will be a good choice, if you do so. Personally, I have a 32mm Celestron Ultima, a 10mm Axiom, and a 17mm Ultima on the way now that Celestron decided to put its eyepieces on sale. I also have a 5mm Tele Vue Radian, and I'll just mention in passing that if you are debating what eyepieces to purchase with this scope, I recommend that you go large before you worry about going small. The 32mm is spectacular. The 10mm can be quite useful. I have yet to get the 5mm to give me a view of anything that just blows me away, but this is probably less because of any mechanical fault and more just the absolute perfect seeing you have to achieve before high magnification is particularly useful.

So, my overall recommendation is that this is an outstanding value for the money.

Before I start, let me say that I bought this telescope expeting to see galaxies and nebulas as shown in popular photographs. This is NOT the case. I just finished looking at the Great Nebula in Andromeda. It was a big fuzzy somewhat colorful ball. Dont get me wrong, its a great scope, and a really nice price. But, if you are beginning this hobby, DO NOT BUY THIS, unless you have done the research and know what to expect. You need to understand that you cant just point this thing in the sky and expect to stumble upon orion's nebula. You could have a 50-inch scope and it wouldnt do anything if you didnt know where the good stuff is. before purchasing a scope, make sure you can navigate around the sky, or else this scope is useless. If you know what you are doing, and can find many objects with the naked eye, than this telescope is for you. It is at a great price for the aperature, sturdy and easy to rotate on the platform. But, it is very large and cumbersome. Good buy though.

P.S. Dont get aperature fever. There is a very subtle difference between a 8-inch, and a 10-inch. just because it has a huge aperature, doesnt mean it will make jupiter huge in your eyepiece. I had this problem and became very disappointed.

The Orion SkyQuest XT10 Classic Dobsonian Reflector Telescope is a chance to own a powerful telescope with good optics for relatively little money. The optics are good (mine turned out to be considerably better than just "good") and the materials are rugged: a steel tube and a well made, metal focuser are just the start. The Pyrex primary is held in place by a tough metal cell, and the collimating screws are just as sturdy -- and a snap to use: you can literally collimate this scope in seconds. The finder scope aligns just as quickly, and is an appropriate finder for a scope of this size (9x50.)

One of my favorite things about this scope is the overall finish: little extras like a handle next to the aperture, a four vane spider, and its usable right out of the box without any mods; moreover, I've yet to do any real work on it, despite fairly heavy use (up and down a flight of stairs each time I use it), one move, a gazillion trips to friends and relatives (they always want you to bring the telescope) and a few dozen trips to dark sky sites down four wheel drive only desert "roads". Though well used and dirty, this scope still shows few signs of wear.

One warning, this is a pretty large telescope, and it gets to be a handful after a while. Don't be surprized if you find yourself shopping for something much smaller and more portable for everyday use, and then dragging out the SkyQuest for special nights or events. Also, this is not an expensive, hyperprecision instrument, and your images will break down well before you hit the theoretical limit (Orion places that limit at 600X, my calculations are slightly lower); however, I routinely hit 400X without image breakdown -- the images at that level are crystal clear and stunning.

With a 254mm aperture and 1200mm focal length, this scope is more of a fast, deep sky specialist than one optimized for planetary viewing. That said, This is one of the better telescopes I've used for the planets: Mars is detailed, with Syrtis Major clearly defined and brilliant and detailed polar ice caps. Jupiter is practically glowing with detail, multiple bands, razor sharp eclipses, and a decent Red Spot. Saturn is a wonder in this telescope: the Cassini Division is as clear as the rings themselves, and like Jupiter's eclipses, it is as sharply defined as a razor. Expect to see the C Ring regularly, plus multiple bands on Saturn itself in subtle shades of yellow (you would not believe the exclamations I've heard from people looking at Saturn through this scope, watching their joy and wonder at the sight of this one object is worth the price of the telescope.) The Trapezium normally resolves into six stars, and the colors of the nebula are lovely in shades of green and blue (and sometimes I could swear pink.) Galaxies are a snap, and the scope is easily pointed and holds position well.

This scope is not perfect, but it does nothing poorly, and does everything well. For the price it is an incredible bargain that will serve you well for many years.

Assembly instructions were simple and easy to follow. Total time took about 30 minutes including a minor alignment of the primary mirror - also detailed in the instructions.

I've had a couple trash scopes that were bought online or at one of the big box stores and was always disappointed in the quality and just assumed that is what you get with amatuer equipment. This scope proved me wrong. The first night using the scope was incredible. We set the scope out and began observing the moon and after aligning the finder scope on the north star, we were able to find Jupiter and see four of it's moons. The rest of the night was just random exploring.

I recommend that you also purchase the Celestron Accessory Kit #94303 for additional eyepieces and filters. If you are a complete beginner in astronomy as I am, also a star atlas is a must.

This is a great telescope. I highly recommend it. The only drawback to it is its size, but the size aides in its stability. All in all, it is a fantastic product!

We had bought a Meade computerized telescope some years back with a 4 in. apeture. We had fun using it to look at the moon and we got to see venus but we could never really get it alighned.
First night we used the Orion we had an amazing view of the moon and we quickly found Neptune and were able to see the bands of Jupiter and four of its moons. With the help of some of the lens from our first telescope we were able to get a good enough manification to see the red spot. My daughter was able to take pictures through the eye piece with her smart phone.(Which also had an app to locate planets and stars.)
This is a great telescope, so much easier to use then the computerized model, we just point the red dot at what we want to look at and we are ready to go.
It is a bit bulky, about 50 lbs and a little awkward to carry if you don't separate the tube from the base.
Took me about 2 hours to put it together just because I wanted to make sure I had done everything right.
The awkwardness of lugging this outside is well worth the view. I highly recommend this telescope.