iOptron 6004 iExplore 50AZ Refractor Telescope (Blue)

This is an excellent beginner's refracting telescope with two eyepieces that give the observer 50X and 100X magnification.There is only one drawback. When using the 100X lens, it is necessary to shift and re-aim the telescope mount every minute or two because of the Earth's rotation. (This is a normal condition with high-power lenses.) But the tripod is fairly cheap and it has a lot of backlash when the screw is tightened. The user will have it properly aimed until tightening the mount, at which point it has lost the target (e.g., the moon or, say, the Great Nebula in Orion). I think I will have better luck using my camera tripod.I still give it five stars.

Not the world's greatest telescope but I bought it for my daughter and she's able to see the moon through it. You have to wait until the moon is almost full to be able to see it through the sights. I went out there for several nights when the moon was just a sliver or only a half moon and it was hard to pick up through the finder. The stand isn't high at all so we were crouched down on the pavement trying to look through it. You'd almost need to put it up on some kind of table so you don't have to crouch down on your knees. Also it is a very wobbly stand so if you slightly bump into it it will knock the scope away from whatever you're looking at. I haven't tried to see if you could see stars through it because it took awhile just to see the moon so I didn't figure the stars would be easy to see. But once I did see the moon, it came in crystal clear and you could see the craters on the moon and everything. My daughter enjoys using it.

For the price this is worth it. Let's face it, telescopes are very expensive, but since I was buying this for a young child, I didn't want to risk a $200 mistake. This was an easy to assemble item, it came in a compact box and had very few parts to actually assemble. Once put together you realize how very light weight the product is. My toddler can lift it and carry it around. You can adjust the height for even the smallest of youngsters. Of course you can't see the flag on the moon, but the craters are certainly much more viable. There is also a nice lense cover and cover for the eye piece to keep them from getting dusty. The frame is aluminum and sturdy. The exterior is made of plastic. All in all, I'd say that for the $30 price I paid on this product, it was worth the money. Eventually, as the children grow and show more interest, we could upgrade to another type with a stronger lens, but for now this product is just right. Highly recommended as a first telescope and a perfect Christmas idea for your young scientists!

Very low quality. Construction felt very fragile and poorly built. Tripod is wobbly and totally unsuitable for stable viewing of anything. The handle to adjust azimuth and angle is extremely tight to rotate and adjust. The view through optics is fuzzy and regardless of what your trying to focus in on. It couldn't even focus in on anything down the road neither near or far within blocks away. Obviously this is a low cost telescope but it is supposed to be a functional telescope but its not even functional. I would not recommend this product. This was supposed to be a birthday gift for my son but its completely useless so I'm sending it back.

Works o.k. for the price. Body and tripod feels less sturdy than the Tasco I grew up with as a kid. The wife bought this one instead. Have a feeling we will outgrow this one fast.

maybe good for a small child, very unstable tripod, not good enough to use for the moon, let alone any other stargazing!you get what you pay for i guess...

I bought this telescope for my five year old nephew, he loves it! He lives out in the country so it works great because there are no city lights to interfere or cause glares while looking at the night sky. It is a very powerful telescope, we can see the details in tree bark from a very far distance. Love it!

This is a good telescope for young children that are beginners. It is great for learning how to find things and use the telescope to focus in. No. This is not the best telescope out there, but it is less than $30 so I am not sure what other reviewers were expecting. I would reccomend that the parent or an adult know how to (or google how to) use a basic telescope so you can show the child what to do.I got this for my 7 year old and he loves it. If he continues to use it a lot and gets good at using it, I will buy him a nicer one.As far as specifics go, this telescope was really easy to put together and very easy to put back in the box. The legs are adjustable so you can either sit it on the ground or a table. It even fits under the bed, once it is re-packaged (a big plus). I was a little dissapointed that it comes in an unmarked box, so we couldn't wrap it for Christmas, but we just set it up and put a bow on it and he was impressed and excited.