Astromania Laser Collimator for Newtonian Dobsonian Marca Telescopes, Telescope Alignment 1.25 Inch with 7 Red Laser Bright Levels, Great Telescope Accessories Laser Alignment Tool for Collimation

I wasn’t expecting much given the low price, but this Astromania Laser Collimator really impressed me. It does exactly what it’s supposed to do and gets the job done without costing a fortune. What I Liked: Super Easy to Use: Setting it up was a breeze. Some reviewers mentioned issues with the battery, but I had no problems. It takes a CR2032 battery, and I had it installed in seconds—super simple. Does the Job Well: After using this collimator, my reflector telescope was perfectly aligned. The views were noticeably sharper, and it saved me a lot of time getting everything lined up. Laser Dot with Adjustable Brightness: The laser dot was clear and easy to see, and I really appreciated the adjustable brightness settings. They made it easy to use in different lighting conditions without any issues. Sturdy Build: I was surprised by how solid it feels. It’s not flimsy like I expected at this price, and it’s held up well after several uses. Final Thoughts: For the price, this collimator is a fantastic deal. It works great, was easy to set up, and helped me get my telescope perfectly aligned. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly tool for your Newtonian, I highly recommend this one.

I tried a similar Laser Collimator under a different label, but the laser spot was eliptical and the collimator was not properly adjusted - the collimator needed collimation. But this one from Astromania has a round spot and was adjusted properly. Using it, I was aable to collimate my scope within minutes. Using the scope after displayed bright, tight points for the stars and crisp, clear views of planets. This is a very good product!

This was my first collimator, and to be completely honest it was alright. Yes, it doesn't come with a battery but they're really easy to get anyways. Plus, if you have the ability of basic reading you'll realize that it says it doesn't come with a battery. The laser itself came collimated, thankfully, even though the shipping took a while, so I'd say it's sturdy. Additionally, The laser was very bright and and not blurry at all. The reason I didn't give this 5 stars was because of how horribly sticky and jammed the sockets were, and also because of the packaging itself (cardboard that disintegrated immediately). Other than that, I'd say this thing is pretty good at its job. It collimated my Dob very easily and it's pretty neat. :D 9/10

Correctly aligned itself, it worked well.

The collimator makes mirror alignment easy, but there are a few things to consider: 1. Battery It is true that the design of the battery bay isn’t great. The battery doesn’t just pop in. There is a rubber gasket that has to be removed before putting the battery in and it can take a while to figure it out. Once done, it’s pretty simple and even silly, but looking at the battery bay without knowing, it does look like the battery won’t ever fit. The key is removing the black rubber gasket, putting the battery in and replacing the gasket. Having an engineering degree helps, but so does being an experienced astronomer. 2. Some people here in the reviews mentioned that the collimator comes misaligned itself. I first made a note with pencil of where the laser spot was pointed before moving the screws on the telescope, in case I needed to go back. It went well, but I will always stress that measures have to be taken to be able to go back to where you started, always, no matter what it is that you are disassembling or adjusting. It’s a law of life and doing so will bring peace, and failing to do it will bring countless hours of frustration and work. My collimator didn’t seem out of alignment, or the results were better after aligning the main mirror. We saw Jupiter and it’s moons in much better focus. Overall I recommend this collimator, it’s pretty good for an amateur like me and the price isn’t bad. Lastly, I wish a headache to those that post reviews saying “good”, “bad”, “delivered on time”, “box was mishandled” and all the useless nonsense that makes me want to kick them. Thank you for reading me.

This is a great laser collimator at a really great price! The packaging it came in seemed adequate dispite some of the reviews I’ve read ... as many others have said, a battery would have been nice but at this price I’m more than happy to make a trip to my local CVS and buy one. I will say that the battery is a little bit of a hassle to install. Some instructions would have been nice. It came factory collimated and I checked it and it was spot on (there are adjustment screws if it ever needs collimating). The laser spot itself is round (not oblonged as I’ve read in other reviews). There are 7 or so brightness settings for the laser which is handy. I’ve used a laser collimator before and familiar with how to use it. Im not sure that the instructions it came with would be all that helpfulntonsomeonenusing a laser collimator for the first time but there are tons of YouTube videos out there to show you how. I was able to get both mirrors in my 130mm Newtonian aligned in a matter of about 10 minutes with this and a star check afterwards confirmed that my scope was perfectly Collimated. If you are looking for a laser collimator, you can’t go wrong with this one just be aware that you’ll need a battery and you’ll need to watch a video or two to learn how to use it.

Got this for my new dobsonian telescope. This makes collimation quick and easy. Feels sturdy. The laser has different brightness/intensity settings that you can adjust to make the laser easier to see in whatever conditions you are in. Comes with a battery.

The laser I got is just barely off collimation, but it’s within the margin of error so I still use it for my Orion xt8 and it still aligns the mirrors very well. Definitely worth the price and makes it really easy to collimate.