I was looking for a grab and go scope, and as I was already a goto fanatic with a Celestron CPC800 it seemed the logical choice to opt for a small goto scope in the form of a Celestron 4SE. When FLO advertised a customer return at a knocked down price I immediately grabbed my credit card and ordered.

So, nearly a year later was my purchase a sound or rash decision?

First of all the 4SE is no CPC800. How could it be at this price. The tripod and mount resemble a jelly compared to the rock steadiness of a CPC. The goto accuracy reflects the movement in the mount and tripod. A gentle breeze will disturb your celestial view quite effectively or perhaps the vibrations running up the slender tripod legs, from say you, shuffling your feet in the cold.

So, a disaster then? Well, actually that is far from the truth. Sure this little scope has its drawbacks but having lived with it for a little I would not let it go.

As I first stated I was looking for a grab and go scope. The scope sits in my spare bedroom, fully assembled, 32mm eyepiece, dew heater and single 12v connector for my power pack strapped to its small frame. I merely lift it outside and plug it in, simples! Leave it for 30-40 minutes and we are in business.

Alignment: OK, let`s get a couple of things straight I have not the time or the energy to level the scope or go through a 3 star pointless align. I know the area I observe from is roughly level and a one star or solar system align is good enough to get going. Don`t get me wrong I have gone through the levelling and two star alignment process but what`s the fun in that? So, choose a star near where you are observing and align. Sooner, rather than later choose another object to complete the alignment. Just use the Sync and Precise Goto functions to move further around the sky. There is no shame in replacing your first alignment stars with new ones as you traverse the sky! This is a grab and goto scope!

My favourite eyepiece is a 32mm Tele Vue plossl which gives very nice general views of extended objects. Great on star clusters and the moon. The higher magnification you go the more wobbly the image. The optics on my scope are good, in that the view is pleasing to my eyes. When I perform a basic star test I can see that the scope is well collimated but mine definitely has some problems in its optics. This does not bother me as the views are GOOD!

So in conclusion this scope requires love to coax it around the heavens. Some night you will stare in awe at the views and its nimble footwork. Others you will bash it into submission as it fights you at every turn to get that elusive object into your field of view. Such is the lot of a low cost goto scope.

Tips: The internal batteries do work OK`ish. Buy a Celestron/Skywatcher power pack: I have the 17ah model. You will need to buy/make a dew shield, the flexible ones are good. I also have a dew heater and home-made controller on mine. I replaced the plastic red-dot finder(which broke) with an all metal rifle reflex sight. If you like technology connect a Bluetooth to serial port converter(Boultek, 7-15 GBP off ebay) to your handset and control your 4SE from a tablet/phone running Sky Safari. Have fun!