Great product excellent service from FLO

I have been using this focuser on the Skymax 150 and now on the Skymax 180, and I'm very satisfied with the results so far. Maksutov is a great scope, but a the time of focusing, things can get tight a little challenging and this is the moment when the Crayford focuser comes to the rescue. The focuser is of very high quality and the craftsmanship will please even the most demanding customers. I will recommend getting a counterweight to the front dovetail of the scope due to the weight of the focuser and lubricate the threads with a little film of microlubrol helimax-xp. I am very pleased with the purchase and the service offered from first light optics.

This focuser is made under the name Skywatcher. I had recently purchased a very difficult to find Celestron C9 1/4" OTA and was looking everywhere for a Crayford. I didn't want to pay $500+ for the top end models, nearly a third the cost of the scope so was looking for Skywatcher or GSO. I have several GSOs and found the focusers to be excellent, both with 10:1 reductions. There is a difference between the Skywatcher that was fortunately in stock with First Light, when nothing was available anywhere else. In comparing the Skywatcher to my GSOs I noted that the Skywatcher has a built-in tension adjustment rather than a finger screw. The Skywatcher is adjusted via an allen wrench and came with perfect tension directly from the manufacturer. With the GSO, loosening the tension allows up and down play in the focuser; not good. Also, on my particular GSO focuser it does not have the capability to rotate unless you loosen the ring attaching the focuser to the visual back. Reviews on Youtube were very favorable for the Skywatcher and there was some mixed +/- about GSO. Since I had first hand knowledge of both, I'd rate them nearly equals if tensioned properly. I would give the Skywatcher the nod due to the 360 degree rotation and the extremely smooth focusing in both the primary and 1:10 microfocuser. The Skywatcher is priced very reasonably. Has superb fit and finish and I'm extremely happy with the unit. I don't see a need to go to anything more expensive for my visual astronomy. I would also say that it was a very pleasant experience dealing with several of the First Light representatives and that my order shipped to the Pacific NW from the UK was near the speed of light arriving via DHL only 3 days after my purchase! I'm looking forward to my next astronomical need since I'll be looking to First Light before I look anywhere else!

I have two of these now, one on my 102 refractor and now this one in readiness for the delivery of my Skywatcher Skymax 180 Pro Maksutov. They are really nicely made with silky smooth focus action. I agree with another comment on here that I thought the focus travel would be longer than it is but none the less will do the job beautifully and efficiently removing any primary movement issues that may or may not be present. Can highly recommend these and have give this product the full 5 stars.

I got this for an old C8 to get round the image shift problem common with mirror focus mechanism of a SCT. Not as much travel as expected, maybe I did not read spec correctly. Anyway, I use original knob to get approximately in focus then fine focus with it, so that's OK. Not sure if the original bulky Celestron electric focus motor will still fit, I can live without it I think. Main issue is, it did not work out of the box, lost a star. Had I not already known about adjusting the pressure plate, or whatever it's called, it would be on it's way back to FLO with a bad review. A simple thing to do, a slight turn, if you have the right size Allen key, fixes it. Should have been tested and done if needed before shipping, in my opinion.

I bought it to apply to SkyMax 180 Pro. Received by Royal Mail. The delivery was fast and the quality was excellent.
I'm more satisfied with my purchase from FLO than from Alli Express.

Firstlight Optics service as usual fantastic. From order to first light 28 hrs. Thanks Guys.
This was an upgrade to my Skymax 150 and well worth the investment.
Fine focus easy to achieve compared to the standard system. It makes mounting and manipulating my Canon DSLR a lot easier. No interference with the standard focus knob and they compliment each other.
Initially I was worried about balance with this chunky focuser ,Canon 1000d , Baader 31 mm Aspheric and 2 " 2x extender but it just and only just worked out.
Overall very happy and I feel it added to my rig in functionality and ease of use.
Big Smile. Wonder why Skywatcher don't offer it as a package deal .

Bought this for our brand new SkyMax150 Mak. It just fits without blocking (or being blocked by) the standard mirror focuser. Crystal clear spot-on focus - a must-have if you want to do photography with this type of scope.

Great , best choice for my cpc 800HD , perfect to get the very best focus over planets , exelent qualaty , very solid and strong qualaty product