I have owned this telescope for many years (under the Revelation brand). The optics are wonderful and - of great importance - the platform is extremely stable, offering vibration-free views under conditions that most other telescopes can find challenging. The focusser is very precise and free from excess play. The altitude pivot mechanism is of particular note, with large-sized tension knobs that provide fine control over the desired stiffness of movement. Once balanced for your accessories, the mechanism (contrary to what is implied in the description) never needs touching again, as there remains enough stiffness in the mechanism to cope with a wide range of eyepieces and other attachments.

The fan is quiet and unobtrusive, and the built-in eyepiece rack surprisingly handy. Overally, it is always a pleasure to use this telescope.

It is worth noting however, that an 8" Dobsonian like this is at the limit of what most people can comfortably carry. It's heavy - there's no denying that, and if transporting by car to an observing site, then I would recommend you either buy a big cloth bag for the tube, or alternatively fashion a carry shoulder carry strap out of luggage straps (the pivot mechanism can be used to prevent such straps from slipping). In this way, you can carry the tube under one arm, and carry the base (which has it's own handle) with the other hand. In any case, be aware that you'll have to stop for a rest break or two on anything but the shortest of walks.

The quality of stability the views however, make it all worthwhile.

Note also that the height of the base, and the 8" form-factor allows a simple lightweight walking chair to be used. Nothing more sophisticated is required provided that you operate the scope by sitting alongside it rather than square-on. With such a set-up, I have never found the need for an adjustable astronomy chair, and bending forwards for low altitudes, and then sitting up straight for high altitudes feel entirely intuitive, natural and comfortable.

If this size of scope suits you, then I wholeheartedly recommended this model.

I have had this for a couple of weeks, i live in a very light polluted area and this telescope has no trouble showing me great images, high quality, highly recommened for beginners!

This is my first large aperture scope and I must say I'm impressed with the construction and robustness of the design. The law that says as soon as you buy a new scope you don't get a clear night to see its capabilities is working overtime in my case but I did manage to view the moon for over an hour on one occasion and I was very pleased with the sharpness and definition of the image. The delivery and packaging from FLO was exceptional, the scope arrived within 24hours of ordering. I am very pleased with my purchase.

Ordered the scope on the Saturday afternoon and it arrived Tuesday lunchtime. Regular updates from DPD and arrived exactly when they predicted. Packaging was excellent, all items were well protected and arrived in perfect condition. Assembly was straight forward and instructions on the website were fine.

The scope itself and accessories are of a high standard. I also purchased the SL 2x Barlow. Really pleased with the quality of these items. I even managed a few hours viewing after the snow cleared up.

All round exceptional service. Highly recommend the scope and First Light Optics. I will definitely be purchasing from them again in the future.

After reading so many good reviews about FLO, I decide to buy from here.
Couldn't be happier with the purchase and delivery was exactly as expected.
So many astronomers recommended an 8 inch Dob for the best compromise of size, weight, portability, ease of use and performance.
This scope has great features that make it a pleasure to use.
Right angled finder scope, lazy Susan base bearing, adjustable optical tube balance position, super quiet fan for primary mirror, Black tube and base.
I did wonder if the base bearing should be greased but an internet search was in favour of leaving it ungreased for best feel. It shouldn't need grease anyway as it's never rotated at speed but wanted to do the right thing.
Only used for one night at time of review but was delighted at the quality of the telescope and views through the eyepieces.
Bottom line, very happy and will be back when I'm ready to buy accessories.

Firstly, the service from FLO was good. Quick despatch and I usually find DPD to be decent. I helped the driver with the OTA box which is awkward and heavy for a single person lift.

The construction is simple but there are no instructions supplied so check the video online called “Zhumell Deluxe Dobsonian Reflector Telescope Video” which is basically the same thing. Take your time because it is easy to bolt together some bits the wrong way round.

Collimation was slightly out as you might expect from the delivery process. I used a collimation cap (£6 from FLO) and the process was simple enough and can be done while the inevitable cloud cover hangs around.

The supplied accessories are what sets this apart from competitors. I found the finderscope very easy to use, the eyepieces are decent for beginners. I like the dob mount with the ball bearing style rotation. With the balance roughly right we had no problems nudging the telescope smoothly to follow the targets. The focuser feels like a quality instrument and despite needing the supplied extension tube for the 2” eyepiece we have found focus easily on most targets.

Our first night out was not the best seeing but we used the low power eyepiece to view the Orion Nebula which was very clearly visible. We used a bst starguider 5mm EP (not supplied) to view jupiter through some wobbly atmosphere and we saw it with its moons. The equatorial bands were just about there too. On a better night I’m confident we see much better detail.

Do consider the size and weight of this telescope. I can lift the whole thing and walk around with it but I would prefer to use a dolly board or sack barrow arrangement to save my back. Storage is potentially an issue too.

Overall I am very pleased. This was a present for my 14 yo daughter who has spent 5 years battling with a junk telescope (76/700) complete with plastic eyepieces and wobbly tripod. Somehow her enthusiasm never wavered and we just had to reward her with a decent setup. I’m glad we chose this.

Very pleased with my recent purchase , it's my second scope which took a lot of research before deciding on this Dobsonian for visual astronomy . I've not had the chance to use it much so far but have had decent views of Jupiter , Orion's nebula and M35 using the standard lenses supplied . It's a well made telescope with excellent standard equipment its taking a little to get use to it after years of using a refractor and eq mount but wanted something easier to use as I'm also teaching my 9 year old and so far he's doing pretty well . Delivery and packaging was perfect ( was considering going to pick up as was worried how it would be treated but arrived in perfect condition ) I highly recommend this scope and firstlight optics and will be using them for further purchases in the future

Easy ordering from FLO and delivery by DPD within two days. All tracked, and absolutely secure with no damage. Great service.

Instructions downloaded from the site and then assembly of the base was straightforward as with any flatpack. Quality of finish, machining and alignment of screw holes was perfect. Even the Allen key didn't round off. And operation of the turntable with the roller bearings was perfectly smooth. Even if that began to fail, another stout lazy Susan would sort it.

I feel the base warrants carrying handles either side, especially if moving even a short distance with the scope mounted. To that end, I've placed two rope handles to facilitate this. The base would also benefit from a soft bump stop to buffer the primary end if it inadvertently swings, and padding where the tube may bump down on the front face. But these are personal tweaks not warranting any star deduction.

Having read up on collimation at length, I was pleased that the scope was almost perfect out of the box. Minor tweak to two of the black primary knobs, and that was it. I used a £6 Rigel cap. The 8x50 RACI finder is excellent - great optics and easy to focus and align. The great test came looking at Polaris, then Arcturus, then Jupiter, testing the az-alt movement and getting comfortable on a chair. Once I'd got the hang of focusing with the various accoutrements, all was pinpoint. So pleased to see Jupiter and three of its moons - the moons perfect bright points in the 30mm supplied eyepiece.

Overall initial impressions for my first scope, customer service, the extras supplied, assembly, finish, quality and machining et. al., I reckon I made the correct choice with a StellaLyra 8" Dob.

Guess what? It's chucking it down with four days of cloud cover promised. C'est la vie!

Very pleased with the overall quality of materials and machining given the price point.
It is heavy but manageable if moved in two pieces.
I was dithering & nearly got the Ursa Major 6" because it's smaller but uses same quality mirrors. I might go for that in a few years if it's still available. However it's good to have the extras on this model ( RACI finder, 2" dual speed focuser etc)
Assembly of the base needs a little care, it's possible to get a couple of bits the wrong way round looking at it.
I've managed to confirm for myself that the moon is not made
of cheese so far. Next, I look forward to seeing if Saturn really does exist and has those funny rings around it. I might need to bury myself in star charts and calendars first.

I had a looked at the Skywatcher Skyliner 200P Dobsonian but the Stellalyra just seemed a lot better value for only a little bit more money. What I wanted was something that would let me do some quick visual sessions in a fairly light polluted back garden.

Ease of setup is very appealing, a couple of minutes to carry the base and tube into the garden take some dust caps off and then your away!

Compated to other dobs of the same price this has a better focuser, one that doesn't slip even with extension tubes and 2" eyepieces. It comes with two good usable eyepieces rather than the really cheap ones that often get bundled in. Assembling the mount was easy, its very sturdy but at the same time its smooth so you need hardly any effort to move the telescope to find objects. I have had no issues with the tube wobbling when its windy.

Resolving double stars, some nice views of craters on the moon and jupiters/its moons have all looked great. A good choice as a serious begginers visual scope that will last you as you become more advanced.

I would advise buying the badaar laser colimator and watching some tutorials on collimation.

I added a Telrad (as I already had one), I find this easy to use but the supplied finder scope is very very good and as its right angled its far easier to use.