Flextube Synscan 300P

Yes, it is big, yes it is awesome. Now for all you fans, something I did not know. Upon opening the box, the first piece of paper slipped out and indicated , "by the way your Sky-Watcher has built in Wi-Fi." I did not know they had started doing this. I almost bought the Wi-Fi dongle with the scope. I did not have a lot of time with the scope before skies stopped cooperating. I never even used the hand control, just my phone. Fantastic. The pic of the Orion Nebula was just with me trying to line up the phone with the eyepiece, we know that isn't easy, but time was an issue. In any case, the thing kicks butt and has its own Wi-Fi, not networkable, but just connect with phone. I love you Sky-watcher, you're my only scope. Edit. Many folks ask about tracking for astrophotography. Added last pic of Orion with my Pixel with 1:20 minutes exposure. So yes you can do some exposure, but probably not more than 30 sec. Re-edit. Has issues with the drive. Skywatcher support was quick and helpful and sent new base. Very hard to find that type of customer support. Good job!

I had been thinking of upgrading to this scope for a year before I did it, and I wish I could get that time back and just buy the thing already! NO regrets! Previously I had a 4.5" manual dob; it was a great starter scope. What I love about this one: 1) The tracking! It's great to be able to keep observing without having to manually track an object, especially at higher magnifications. 2) The goto synscan system: setup is amazingly quick and easy (2-4 minutes!). 3) The ability to seamlessly switch between goto and manual moving; yes, you can at any moment just manually move the scope and then go right back to the goto system without resetting! 4) The collapsible tube; the scope can fit in my Prius when collapsed; a cloth light shroud keeps it as dark as if it was non-collapsible (this is NOT included, but is a highly recommended accessory. You can make one yourself or buy one for not too much.) The only thing I did not like was the focuser was in need of adjustment, but that only took me about 5 minutes with an allen wrench and now all's well!

The box arrived damaged with a hole and scratches. The secondary mirror adjustment screws and center screw were seized and could not be loosened, making the telescope impossible to collimate. The back of the secondary mirror was dented, raising concerns that the product was not new. I had to disassemble, repackage, and return the telescope, which took a lot of time. Overall, I am extremely disappointed.

I am very sorry to leave this rating, as I think it is somewhat unfair, but I can't see doing better just yet. I start by noting that I am a professional astronomer, with years of observing experience with Celestron and Meade scopes, and I even teach laboratory astronomy courses. I'm extremely familiar with the alignment and use of Go-To telescopes. I bought this scope because I wanted a good light-bucket, that could reach further than my 8" catadioptrics. I don't do astrophotography, but a Go-To drive was essential as I've long since gotten star-hopping out of my system. The telescope arrived, and was an easy assembly. Collimation of the secondary and preparation for observing was straightforward. Optical tests showed that it was perfectly consistent with my 2" Ethos eyepieces, with no vignetting, which was really sweet to see. Also, optical tests on bright stars and the moon showed that the image quality of the optics was really great. Then...came the final test...star alignment. Alignment was straightforward on paper, and not to dissimilar to the methods used for Celestron and Meade 8" cats. I opted for two-star alignment, used the hand paddle to move the scope easily from star #1 to star #2. Alignment was declared complete. I tasked the scope to see M27, a fave object, as my "first light" detection. And....nothing. I tasked the scope to go to Vega, and instead I found myself looking at epsilon Lyrae, about 100' off target. So....I realigned, using Altair as star #1 and Capella as star #2....alignment successful, so the paddle declared. I tasked the scope to look at Albireo...again, about 100' off. I tasked it for Capella, which it found, but then it could not refind Altair. I rebooted the scope from a cold start, tried a third time. Same failure. Then, I rebooted the scope, tried "bright star alignment," and got similar bad results. The next clear night, I tried again, after having messaged with customer service at Skywatcher (they got back within 24 hours). I carefully (using a bubble level and compass) made sure my initial configuration of the scope was as required by the manufacturer. I also checked to see if NPE and CE values were set to zero--they were. But still no success in aligning the scope. I wanted to try more tests, but my grace period to return the scope was running out (it's the rainy season in NorCal, and clear nights are rare), so I had to return the scope. I am thankful I fastidiously saved ALL PACKING MATERIAL, bags, etc, so I could avoid a charge from the seller (Adorama). I steeled myself for a battle, as I was afraid Adorama would argue that I somehow damaged the scope, but they did not provide pushback. I intend to repurchase this scope in the summer, when I have more time to check it out. The scope looks really good, and users of the scope on social media tell me that the behavior of the scope I get was abnormal.

I very much appreciate this telescope. The tracking makes sharing the views with my family easier and enjoyable.

Received my goto Dob and had a problem with the goto base. Tried resetting encoders, factory resets, but could not get it to get close to being accurate. Believing it had a bad encoder, I contacted Kevin at Skywatcher, and after explaining my problem he got a new base out to me quickly. That kind of customer service is rare these days. The telescope is an amazing light bucket, and comes with 2 Plossl eyepieces that are a good start for stargazing. The new goto base works amazingly well after a short two star alignment. All selected objects are nearly centered in the eyepieces after alignment. I have the Skywatcher wifi dongle and use Sky Safari 6 Pro as my goto software. It works great. I would highly recommend the 250p Goto for its cost, portability and light gathering capability. But the customer service is what will bring me back again for more Skywatcher equipment.

This telescope provides awesome views. Both pieces arrived unlike other reviews stating that they did not. It was easy to assemble but it is very large so not an easy option for portability unless you are dedicated to doing so. My only critique is the fact that the base is made from particle or MDF board. For a high level telescope I feel that the base which supports it should be made of better material, but time will tell.

It went together really well - took about an hour to build the mount. Seems very solid and of good quality. Collimation was quick (under 5 minutes), and aligning the spotting scope was easy. I haven't actually used it at night time yet - waiting on the skies to clear up a tad. My only gripe and why the one less star is the 12V power adapter supplied. It's only for a cigarette lighter. A separate adapter to allow the use of a 120v outlet or an adapter for the lighter to plug into an outlet should've been included imo (were I live has little to no light pollution so I have no need to relocate). I can't even use the car adapter as my vehicle (and likely most newer ones) powers off all the ports (usb / cig. lighters, etc) unless it's running. Anyways, the telescope itself is fantastic and I cant wait to use it to it's fullest. I'll update my post once I get some power to it and have a chance to play with it.