Vixen Mount II Altazimuth with Aluminum Tripod Legs

2012-05-13T21:00:00

I bought this product after careful consideration with similar products. I wanted a stable mount for my ED-80. I needed the ability to view straight-up, and wanted enough height to allow comfortable viewing while standing. It had to have slow-motion controls and needed to have a head that could easily mount to a standard heavy-duty camera tripod. I also looked for one that would have surfaces that would allow me to make and apply setting circles. This tripod does all this. On the down-side, the head required adjustment of the azimuth nut because the head had a noticeable wobble making it hard to level, and required uneven pressure when moving it horizontally. Thankfully, the adjustment is easy to perform using the built in tools. On the second night out, the very cheaply made azimuth slow-motion cable snapped at its base. Super glue has mended it for now while I await a replacement from the manufacturer. The ease of moving the scope and the use of the slow-motion controls is exceptional, and all tension adjustments are easy to make. The tripod legs need to be tightened securely in order to avoid slippage. And making and applying the alt-az setting cirlces have made a dream come true. Once I level the tripod, I can use the setting cirlces to locate bright daytime celestial objects, and all those faint fuzzies at night. If you ever wanted a great grab-and-go setup, this mount is one essential part of it.

Jim.Stargazer

2007-09-29T21:00:00

I wanted a quality grab 'n' go tripod for when I didn't want to bring my big scopes. It works well with my William Optics Megrez 90 scope. I consider it a good buy.

bdracefan