Orion EQ-2 Equatorial Mount

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Orion EQ-2 Equatorial Mount
A decent, serviceable equatorial mount for small scopes. I've installed the cheap tracking motor and it works well. But be aware that this mount is not a good match for anything more than about 6-7 pounds.

Overall Rating: 7
Performance:8 Ease of Use:8 Value:7
Weight: 1 (Unreliable Vote)
Date:
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Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=471037

Orion EQ-2 Equatorial Mount
This is a decent GEM that I use with my Nighthawk when I want something a little firmer than my camera tripod. My Polaris mount was too much for the 80mm, so I went a step lighter with the EQ 2. Frankly, I got more than I expected. The GEM is certainly superior to the one I got with my Criterion RV-4 years ago. The mount arrived with pre-drilled holes to accept rings (I had wondered if I would need an adapter). I expected the worst with the tripod, but the vibes dampen out in safely under 2 seconds. With the Mighthawk, there is very little play or backlash in the mount. It comes with a metal tray that I do not use because it messes with the portability. It is certainly not made by Vixen, but if it was, I wouldn't have been able to afford it for a while.

There are negatives. It comes with the usual black tar. The tripod is too short for my 6'3" frame. For my needs, it actually comes with too many adjustments. This can be a problem at night when I grab the wrong knob. I will probably replace a few of them with bolts. I also had problems getting my Nighthawk to balance. This was more of an issue with the design of the Nighthawk than it was the mount. There was wasn't enough scope to slide through the rings to achieve balance with a 2" diagnol and EP.

But for anyone needing a light-weight, inexpensive mount, I recommend it without hesitation.

Overall Rating: 7
Performance:7 Ease of Use:5 Value:8
Weight: 21 (Notable Vote)
Date:
By:
Link to this vote: http://www.excelsis.com/1.0/displayvote.php?voteid=517599

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