TELRADFinder Sight

Here's the short version: This finder scope is amazing and worth every penny.Long version:I got a Celestron 114EQ as a birthday gift and I could basically find the moon. Anything else was an exercise in patience rather than astronomy thanks to 'finder' scope on the 114EQ. The first time I turned on the Telrad I was dumbfounded by how much easier it was to operate and adjust. For anyone wanting to spend more time looking AT objects instead of looking FOR objects, get this finder scope. My backyard has several street lights shining onto it and I'm surrounded by pine trees that completely obstruct my line of sight. I have to frequently pick my scope up and move around to different parts of the yard for line of sight which previously killed the whole experience for me. But the Telrad lets me move anywhere, acquire my target in about five seconds and keep on viewing. If you're looking for a replacement finder scope you cannot go wrong with this guy.Other thoughts:The finder scope is large. Especially on the 114EQ the base will not fit on the tube without modification (the base is long enough that it has to cross over the tube mounting rings). I debated what to do but in my impatience I just used a miter saw to cut a section out of the middle of the base and put the two base pieces on either side of the tube mounting rings. The finder scope only attaches to the base at the very front and back of the base so I wasn't very worried. It worked fine. I believe Telrad sells risers and/or extra bases if you're worried about cutting the base due to space constraints.Thankfully, the finder scope runs on AA batteries as opposed to the Klingon watch battery in the 114EQ's standard finder scope. Which is good because my standard 114EQ finder scope died in one night of use because I forgot that I left it on. The Telrad is much easier to check for on/off and the batteries are much easier to replace.Before purchasing I read some complaint(s) about how the power switch arm for the Telrad has an unnecessarily long sweep, say 360 degrees, but you only get useful sight illumination out of the last <90 degrees. Even if you want to pick at straws and actually complain about this 'problem' after an hour or so of use I actually appreciated how faint you can make the projects site rings. Again, I live in the suburbs with several streetlights shining into my backyard but even after finding some shade and adjusting to as much night vision as possible you can really go after faint stars or planets by making the scope rings very dim and not overpowering your target.

good engineering, its simple, effective, and intuitive, it may not win a beauty contest nor is it made of the best materials, but its top notch in functionalitypros:- dead simple to use and calibrate- large field of view because of the sizeable reflector glass- its simplicity makes it easy to modify, its not difficult to understand how it works or access/replace its components- takes a relatively short amount of time to align it with the scope once you get a feel for the 3 adjustment knobs- power lever on the right, the brightness on the reticule is very variable, no issues of it being too bright in the lower ranges, its basically a potentiometercons:- size ( it could be a bit shorter if the power source was replaced with something else )- obviously the finish could be better, looks like a homemade affair

Works Like a charm.I have five different finder scopes and this one is the best so far. Super easy to use. Aligns real quick. Bright, large target in the view makes it easy to see where you are pointing.I had it lined up and ready in less that 1 minute. Basically pointed my scope to Jupiter and centered it in the eyepiece. Tweaked the three adjusting knobs on the finder to align and good to go. Way easier to align that other sights I own. Same simple method as used to center the primary mirror on a Newtonian/reflector. Spent the next few minutes just randomly star hopping and every time I hit the center FOV. Very impressed as to how much easier it was to locate night sky objects. I spend an extra 10 seconds at the end of viewing to remove the finder from my scope. Next time it's used it still stays good without having to adjust a thing.The base fits easily and quickly to the scope by simply using the supplied sticky pads. This to me was a little disappointing, but some people may prefer it that way. Anyway, I chose to not use the sticky pads and instead screwed the base onto my scope. The base (and sight) are made of plastic which made the mount easy to drill. Quickly removed my existing dove mount from the scope, drilled a couple of holes in the Telrad base, and screwed it onto where the dove mount used to be.Sight is also powered by 2 AA batteries which I think is great. Pretty much every household has a handy pack of AA's going around. Very quick and easy to replace the batteries if your sight loses power. Now if my sight died and I was to look around the house for a pack of CR 2032 batteries (which most other sights use) then I would be up the creek.Also the sight does seem quite large when you first open the box. Comes in at 8 inches long, 5 inches high (including the base) to the tip of the viewer, and 2 inches wide. In comparison I would say that it is around twice the size of an EZ finder II. Although it does seem big it is light in weight. Have not tried it on my EQ mounted scope but I think it would not effect the counter balance.Except for my little dislike on the sticky tape mount method I overall love this sight and would recommend it.