Sky Watcher EvoStar 100 APO Doublet Refractor – Compact and Portable Optical Tube for Affordable Astrophotography and Visual Astronomy

I originally got the 80, but the 100 went on sale in time for me to swap them out. Very sweet views. Sort of okay on DSO's but I haven't spent a lot of time on them. Mainly planetary and Moon viewing and it is crisp and color is quite nice. The focuser does not slip, as others have noted, however, mine is..chunky with the large knob. Sort of 'clicks' instead of smoothly rolling. Not a huge deal since the fine tuner works great. I have it on the smaller Go-To mount, which according to the specs can handle this scope, but it's so long that it does jiggle. I combat that with a sandbag in the tray and some damper pads under the feet and I'm happy with the results. Really nice scope, but it is up there in the price range, so it should be. Update after couple months: Absolutely stunning. Performs well around the board but especially planets and stars. Crisp views.

Very nice telescope, But the price has doubled in less than 1 month. It’s way over priced now.

I ordered a telescope from Amazon for my son on his birthday. I was waiting eagerly for this product. We opened the box with excitement and found the product as shown in the picture above (damaged box). I have previously had good experience with Amazon so therefore I returned the product for an exchange. I was again waiting eagerly for my telescope. Opened the box again and found an even bad condition product see picture 2. This is an example of a really bad product quality assurance by Amazon. The telescope itself is great. Sadly, I will be returning this telescope too and will be looking at other options to buy this. My son is still waiting for his birthday gift.

It's a great looking scope with great optics. Understand that now they are renamed EVOSTAR which is written on the side and comes with a green dovetail mounting plate. Optics are good. Well worth it for a 100mm apo on a budget. The case is just a case. Eyepieces are of regular eyepiece quality. The 5mm is a nice planetary EP if you don't own many eyepieces. Downfalls really only include that with the case, where the foam inserts are, you have to move your rings so that it will fit, rather than keeping them where you know you're balancing point is, makes setting up a few minutes longer.Edit. This is an amazing telescope. Seriously. The views are superb. Had it for almost two months now. Greatest under a 1000 dollars. The case isn't that bad. The eyepieces are actually quite good. You'll want better though. This scope deserves it. The planets are awesome through this scope. Wide field 2" eyepieces have stars looking pinpoint. Love itMy second editSince purchasing the 100ED, I went ahead and purchased the 120ED. This scope is amazing. Slightly more light gathering brings in slightly more planetary detail, slightly more stars, does amazing with doubles. By far my favorite scope I’ve purchased behind a 10” dob. Mounting is easy as it doesn’t take much more than what you needed for the 100ED. If you can afford the 120ED, I’d take it over the 100ED any day.

Seems to be a great starter scope. I got the 100 due to the price vs the 80. It's not huge but not small either. Solid, but not lightweight. Overall it's a solid performer. The case is absolute junk. Not sure why they even include one since you're going to have to buy something else. As arrived the panels are separating the moment you lift it by the handle. Good for storage at home I guess, but don't trust it to use in the field. Not happy at all since now I'm going to have to spend another couple hundred to keep my investment safe. Will update more as I get familiar with it*UPDATE* after a couple days getting familiar I thought I'd add some updates. As can be seen with the test lunar pics taken to try the unit, it is clean clear and sharp. As I get more practice the potential for this scope will increase.Now the cons.The 100 is not a travel scope. The case is flimsy garbage that will fall apart if used as a field case. Why bother including if you can't rely on it.MAJOR problem. The hinge pins on the tube rings BEND AND FALL OUT. Once when the scope was being mounted on the tripod. Not sure how to resolve that problem but between the case and these pins, out of the box there are potential problems that could damage or destroy your investment.Mine arrived with a paint chip. Purely trivial, but annoying on something brand new.All said, I'm really enjoying it. I can't think of a better entry level astrophotography telescope. Solid, quality imaging, smooth focus, and includes everything to start using it for stargazing.One final comment. GET A SOLID TRIPOD. And don't go cheap. I have a heavy duty video tripod and it can even struggle