Orion SkyQuest XT12 IntelliScope Telescope

Rating:
Summary: Orion XT12 IntelliScope
Review: A great product and straight forward to use. There is certainly not a starter telescope but does a great job. The assembly, while not complicated, does take some time to figure out. The instructions are thorough, but doesn't always match exactly what you get. For example, the starter holes for the eye piece rack were drilled on the wrong side of the base that I received. Not a problem to correct or work around but it can take time to figure out. If you're willing to spend some time tinkering you can end up with a great product.

This is a very large scope which means very, very large boxes. My only disappointment with this purchase is how long the shipping takes. Give the cost, I would have expected faster shipping but then I live in New Hampshire the warehouse is in California. The shipment was supposed to be in three boxes. I received two and waited almost a week before finding that one of the boxes was lost or misplaced. How do you misplace a six foot long box? Orion Customer Service was very helpful and shipped the missing item right away, but it still took a week and a half to arrive. Shortly, thereafter I needed to replace the azimuth encoder board. Again, the customer service rep was great on the phone but delivery time was another week and a half for a letter sized package to arrive by Priority Mail.

If you need to be taking it apart and setting it back up on a regular basis I recommend purchasing the padded case for the tube. This makes a huge difference being able to transport it with ease.

Taking it apart and setting up is fast and simple with only few parts to remove/reattach. Once set up it's very easy to use and locating objects is a very quick. I bought the intelliscope pull-to computer but you don't need it to located objects if you have a good star map and some patience.

Being able to switch between 2" eyepieces and 1.25" eyepieces quickly is a plus and makes moving from object to object a breeze. Unfortunately, image crispness of deep space objects has been disappointing but I still like the scope and recommend it.