Konus 60mm x 800mm K-J AZ Refractor Telescope with Moon Filter

Rating:
Summary: A real telescope for non-experts
Review: My 7 year old son wanted a telescope desperately for Christmas. As opposed to video games and toy guns, it seemed like a pretty decent request, so we bought one. I won't say the brand, but it wasn't Konus. We got it at the store, brought it home, and could not get the d..n thing assembled! The directions were terrible, and even the description of how to use it was unintellgible, so we ended up taking it back. His requests for a telescope continued, so I went on Amazon to try to find a more appropriate model for a beginner. We found it in the Konus 1730. I won't say it was a total snap to put together, but we were able to assemble it in less than half an hour, and it's sturdy and well-made. Directions are written simply, so without an astronomy background, we could understand how to use it. Within minutes, my husband and I were checking out the night sky off our deck, having a great time looking at details on the moon and finding stars in well-known constellations. My son will be able to use and understand this instrument - it's definitely not a toy, but it's not so sophisticated that he'll get frustrated with it. It has this altazimuth thing that means you don't have to fool around with balancing it before using it - you just assemble it and go. The tripod is sturdy, steady and easily adjustable. We're really pleased with this gift.