Explore Scientific FirstLight EXOS Nano EQ3 Mount; Steel ST1 Tripod, FL-EXOSNANOT1-00

I just got this today and it appears to be a well made and engineered inexpensive product. Although I bought it specifically to take my 70mm scope with me on travels, it also just supports my 90mm scope with the supplied counterweight. It was easy enough to assemble...yes, as some here have said...the instructions are rather thin---if this is your first rodeo with an EQ mount. So that motion about the axes is not hindered...the RA and DEC clamp knobs are spring-loaded so that you can change where the long side of the knob goes and the RA knob can be placed on either side of the mount. Thin shafts and plastic parts? Sure. What can you expect for $130? Just don't try to reef them into submission and you'll do just fine with it for years to come. It may be rated for a 15-pound load...but like any other EQ mount...you'll probably run into issues if you try to max it out. My only two complaints are (1) I'd rather have both slow-mo knob shafts to be the length of the shorter one...no big deal, and (2) I'd rather have black text on light background for the setting circles (but maybe I'll change my mind after dark). Still 5-stars!

Larger and built alot more heavy duty than I would expect at this price. I have a SVBONY P48 102 Telescope mounted on it and it can handle weight easily great deal for only $129 most Equatorial mounts are considerably more expensive.

When my husband took the mount out of the box we found it in two pieces. On a closer look there is no way it was damaged due to neglect in the shipping process since neither the shipping box, product box or the outside casing of the mount was damaged. It was either packaged broken in the first place or the metal was faulty and broke in transit. This was a thick molded metal and it rendered the mount unusable. Needless to say it was returned.

Overall this has better build construction that I was expected. The design is simplified and mostly sturdy. When I added a 7.5lb weight (because the included weight can't balance my 15 lb scope), the mount wasn't as sturdy and had some wobble even with slight touches -- the wobble isn't terrible though, so it's more of an fyi. One other thing to consider is it's not that tall, so if you don't have a scope with an angled finder scope, good luck at finding stuff more than 45 degrees up.Although I was mostly surprised by how much I liked this mount, there is one major thing that bugs me... the control knobs fasten to the scope with screws that easily come loose all the time. This is a huge design flaw in an otherwise mostly excellent design for the price.At $129.99 I would definitely recommend this mount -- just be aware of the control knob screws!

Nice tripod for my telescope- very precise adjustments.

I was gifted a small Orion Starmax 90mm Mak-Cass telescope. The mount that came with the scope was not stable and was very hard to use. By the time the image stabilized, the object was almost out of view. I purchased the Explore Scientific FirstLight EXOS Nano EQ3 Mount, and it has greatly improved the quality of viewing as well as my enjoyment of the telescope. Once polar aligned, I can keep the object centered using only the one adjustment for right ascension. The mount is very stable with my light scope mounted and balanced. Highly recommend for lighter telescopes.

Seems to be of good quality. Nice and solid. Knobs and locks seem adequate. Slo-mo controls very smooth. Tripod sturdy. Paint job is good. My ONLY issue is latitude adjustment is very tight. Good going up, not very smooth going down. I usually have to help it. Might just need to work in. Lube didn't seem to help. Hopefully it'll get better, if not, I can live with it. But, over-all, happy with my purchase .

Meets and exceeds expectatioins.