Installation was straightforward & quick. Once installed and collimated, the diffraction spikes were less diffuse / brighter showing the rainbow colours on brighter stars. I was unsure at first whether I preferred the effect with the BU Spider, as the wider veins increase the amount of light diffracted & so the spikes are more noticeable on fainter stars. After 4 months use however I now wouldn't go back to the old spider and am very happy with the upgrade. I also found collimation of the secondary mirror also to be easier & it has held position well over the 4 months. Highly recommended.

I just first want to say a huge thank you to FLO for importing this from Germany after my almost desperate request to do so! For years I had been wanting a CNC spider to replace the stock SkyWatcher and I’m sooo glad that Backyard Universe and FLO are now working together to provide us with these amazing upgrade parts! Michael at Backyard Universe has also been incredibly helpful in terms of support over the last few months and I’m very thankful to him.

Collimation rigidity and ease for me was a secondary factor (excuse the pun) after overall image quality. My main priority was to remove the issue of diverging diffraction spikes as this is a clear designator of a cheaper newtonian and when shooting something like M45, it starts to look really ugly and takes away from the finishing clarity of an end image. It also makes smaller stars look really stubby and unsharp. When you look at images shot on a Planewave, Sharpstar or ASA newtonian you see the diffraction spikes are absolutely pristine. I just accepted for ages those were orders of magnitudes more expensive on big mountain and that was why. However it isn’t down to thickness of the spider vanes, quality of mirrors, collimation, focus... it’s the spider. They all shared that same trait. They all used CNC and fixed spider setups. I spent ages looking into this but CNC spider setups for Skywatcher / Synta telescopes were almost none existent a few years ago because adding a £200 spider to a £400 scope generally seemed stupid and no one wanted to risk it.

However, it is quite the opposite. A CNC spider is as amazing and will increase the performance of your telescope way above stock. It’s as great as I hoped and why I wanted FLO to get them in stock So thank you once again!

The quality and finish is excellent. It has a much more matte finish than the stock spider, making the stock one look shiny in comparison. The included accessories are perfect - especially the washer. I did indeed fit mine with silicone and it’s robust. This washer makes collimation *sooo* smooth - it literally feels like a new telescope. The included bolts and screws are great quality and match the overall package very well. A quick note is the surprising weight of the spider that comes from it being machined from a solid piece of aluminium.

Fitting the spider was a little bit of a challenge on my specific setup due to the thick flocking material and my tube being so far from round it’s not even funny. German CNC tolerances and mass manufacturing sheet metal are a juxtaposition that becomes comically obvious, of course not all tubes are the same. Once I had cut back about 1cm of the flocking material, the spider went in really easily. It adds a lot of rigidity to the overall tube around the spider area as you’d expect. Collimation is incredibly smooth and easy and it holds collimation extremely well.

I’ve had my telescope outside for over a month of imaging, slewing to multiple targets and collimation has held the entire time. This includes pointing both north and south. Diffraction spikes are razor shape. I’ve had a LOT of comments on my recent images asking how I obtain such clean spikes as their Skywatcher newt can’t do it. I’ve pointed them this way as it’s worth the price tag if not more. Something to note and be aware of, due to the diffraction spikes no longer diverging, you’ll find the spikes from bright stars will carry across your image further than the stock spider. However, because they’re soooo incredibly thin it’s very easy to remove any and it has been a rare issue so far.

I *highly* recommend this spider if you have one of the Skywatcher newts, it’ll increase the overall performance and resulting image quality that brings it *really* close to a much more expensive setup. I can’t help but look at the spider and just smile after waiting for this moment for literally years. Thank you FLO and BU once again, so very happy 🙏

I bought this spider for my Skywatcher 200PDS to improve the diffraction spikes. The stock spiders on most Newtonians are incredibly flimsy and this can have a negative effect on collimation. I decided to buy this in tandem with the Backyard Universe aperture mask. Both come with comprehensive instructions and were easy to fit. Because the spider is rigid, collimation after reassembly was noticeably quicker than when I first received it. The kit is also supplied with a metal washer which can be placed between the spider and secondary mirror holder. Its recommended to fix it with silicone, but I just fastened it with the supplied bolts and it works fine. On the face of it, it seems expensive, but the very first image of Vega showed razor sharp spikes and I cant wait to get more star pics like M45.