Customer Reviews

Orion SkyQuest XT12 IntelliScope Dobsonian Telescope With Ob

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

 

 

After months and months of researching scopes (particularly Orion's and Zhumell's Dobsonian scopes) I decided to purchase the XT12i.

The quality of the scope is great and the only real gripe I have (if you can even call it a gripe) is the sheer size of the scope. Of course, I was aware of the size before I bought the scope so this isn't really fair with regards to the telescope's review.

Eighty-three pounds of gear though is a rather hefty load to transport anywhere by yourself. I am a military male in my mid-twenties and I was super-motivated to get this thing out in the field and I must admit it drained me physically. It's important to get an accurate measurement of your vehicle or other mode of transportation for your telescope because I "assumed" I wouldn't have a problem fitting it in my moderately-sized compact car... I was wrong. I can indeed fit the scope in my car in two separate pieces (base and tube) but the two take up so much space that I cannot even safely fit my wife in the car while I'm transporting it. This is again obviously no fault of the scope but it's something that all potential buyers should be aware of before purchasing.

If you are new to telescopes (Orion categorizes this scope in the "advanced" class) the setup may seem a little overwhelming, but it isn't very bad. The biggest step will be "collimating" your new telescope in which you fine tune the mirrors to ensure proper alignment. This was made much easier for me with the help of a laser collimator--you can buy these from Orion or other companies as well. The instructions were simplistic and had plenty of pictures. With help from my wife setup went very smoothly.

As for setup in the field the XT12 shines. Other than the sheer size and weight of the scope the setup is very, very easy. You simply lay out the base and rest the tube assembly on top of it. Next you screw in two knobs on the side of the base and you are more-or-less ready (One may need to wait for the telescope to acquire the right ambient temperature) to observe!

Like the other reviewer I have no complaints (other than the size, again not the scope's fault) but I haven't been lucky enough to get a lot of observation time. So far I've seen M42 in Orion, Venus, a double star, Pleiades and some other constellations. Sirius shines like the sun in the scope--it's amazing! If you live somewhere that receives lots of rain, cloudy conditions or extremely cold temperatures you may want to choose a smaller scope as the XT12i requires a moderate amount of work to move to and from shelter. Orion sells separately a bag (another hundred + dollars) which will temporarily cover the scope from rain (which is good to have when you are set up in the field and catch a temporary amount of rain). I live on the "windward" side of an island and so I must constantly deal with cloudy skies and rain.

In the end, would I recommend the scope? Definitely! It's very well-made and viewing through it is amazing. You may find yourself wanting to upgrade to premium eyepieces though (think anywhere from another 300-1000 dollars) because the stock ones aren't great. I upgraded immediately to Tele Vue Nagler 31mm and 7mm eyepieces (these two ran me almost a thousand dollars--or almost the price of the scope itself). I also felt the need to buy the carrying case for the scope (another 100 bucks or more), a barlow (more money) and several other accessories. If you think the price for quality observing stops with the purchase of the scope think again. Just like many other hobbies there are many hidden expenses--unfortunately in astronomy the expenses tend to run moderate through severe.

I would NOT recommend this scope for people of small stature or particularly young/elderly people. The setup and transportation of this unit may be too much for someone who is not physically capable. I do however feel it's a great scope for families and children too as long as someone is able to handle the size.

Seeing the moon through the XT12i (oh and buy a moon filter or polarizing filter!) was inspiring.. amazing. My wife was with me as well and we have never seen the moon in such clarity and grandeur. The XT12i gave us such an amazing view of the moon that it's hard to put into words.

Every night that passes I'm constantly gazing in the sky to see if there's a possibility of pulling out the 80-pound beast. I highly recommend buying a quality pair of binoculars (Celestron, Orion, Bushnell, Garrett Optical) though to allow you flexibility when wanting to view the sky but only have a limited amount of time.

I hope this review has helped!

This scoope is one of the greatest I have ever had. I have now 3 scoops. One refactor that was my first and now it is the first scoop is going to my grand daughter. The second scoop is a 4.5 inch reflector still very good. And now with my 12 inch, wow to see things that my 4.5 could not reach out too. Even my grand daughter loves this new scoop. Oh she is just short of being 3, and she tells me what she likes to look at.

It was delivered in 3 large boxes. Event hough it was well package, The carrier manage to put a dent on the lower tube (does not affect performance), I can live with. Assembly was easy but be sure to read the pamphlet on the computerize object locator (black nylon bushing not used). I'm happy with my purchase and unfortunately only used it a couple times (limited by weather).