Reviewer: Normand

This focuser works great on my XT10. It has some slop if I extend the tube to the edge, but beside that it is sturdy enough. I agree with other reviewers that the 1.25in adapter should stick to the focuser, not the eyepiece however.

Reviewer: Allan

I upgraded to this focuser on my Xt10i, and it bolted on easily. Since I was aware that there would be a gap between the focuser and the OTA, I had previously gotten some ~15mm(5/8") thick foam, a couple of narrow strips of this on either side of the focuser effectively sealed the unit to the OTA, and looks decent too. Perhaps Orion should consider including a couple of chunks of neoprene foam to eliminate the gap on most scopes. This focuser is solid smooth, and quiet in operation compared with the stock crayford focuser I replaced. When adjusting the extension tube it feels loose, but there is no slop or play in the motion once the locking screw is tightened. The dual speed let me dial in the focus easily, and the smooth action cut down on the shaking of the view while focusing at high magnifications, which also made it easier to find optimal focus. The 1.25" adapter fits my eyepieces very snugly, which is a plus for holding things securely, but a pain for swapping between 1.25" eyepieces quickly. Overall I am quite pleased with this focuser and I would recommend it.

Reviewer: Edward Gontar

As soon as I opened the box and held the focuser in my hand I new the focuser was indeed an upgrade. The focuser was truly a drop in replacement. It bolted up easily. But there was a huge gap between the OTA and the base of the focuser. I installed foam in the gap. It looked bad. I was disapointed with this and returned it to Orion Telescopes and Binoculars. This gap should never be.

Reviewer: Ron Yates

Sorry, I can't be kind about this. Most people who buy a low profile focuser do so because they need to get their camera closer into the focal plane for prime focus photography. Despite all my efforts at adjustment, this focuser has too much sloppiness to allow for proper collimation. I will be sending mine back and buying one from Scope stuiff. I don't recommend this focuser for anyone who is thinking of doing astrophotography.

Reviewer: David Rankin

This is an awesome focuser. Best I have owned. The dual speed works great, able to tighten it down with a dslr without any image shift. If there is any slop, they send the alan wrench to tighten the resistance screw. No sweat! Its a great deal and some tight manufacturing. Recommend to anyone.

Reviewer: Kristopher Staller

The stock focuser on my Celestron C10N did not have enough in-focus to use binocular eyepieces, for 2" prime focus photography, or to use my 1.25" Orion variable camera adapter. The Orion low profile focuser was a direct fit replacement, with the mounting holes lining up perfectly with the stock C10N focuser. There is still not enough in- focus to use the bino-viewer, but all of the camera adapters work perfectly. The focuser mechanism is tight and the fine focus is a much needed addition for photography. The only weakness is the 1.25" extension tube, given its tendency to tilt around within the 2" clamp.

Reviewer: Jessie Williams

The focuser that I received was defective. I called customer support and was told that I should send it back for a replacement. I did a this and in just a few days I got the focuser. It was very nice. I bought it to use on a scope that I am building. But I have the same focuser on the 6" imaging telescope. I really like it. I especially like all the extra focus distance. I need that when I am shooting with a DSLR.

Reviewer: Robert Curtiss

I acquired one of these focusers new on eBay along with an Orion 6" imaging scope. This focuser is incredibly smooth, has very good controls and allows for both imaging and visual astronomy applications. Needless to say I'm most impressed!! I would like to suggest that this type of focuser be included on Orion's new 7.5" Mak/Newtonian imager ~ it is just that good!! I would also suggest that as I have done, sealed the sides that stand away from the tube with custom neoprene side panels. These could be a very easy to manufacture item that will seal the tube from dust. Overall and compared to other Crayford dual speed focusers I own, this is priced very well and I consider it a 5-star + product!! Keep up the great work Orion!!

Reviewer: David C Gay

Overall, very nice but it lacks a base to mate the focuser to the tube which leaves a gap between the focuser and tube.

Reviewer: Aaron Johnson

I used this to replace the focuser in my circa 1990 Coulter Optical 8" Dobsonian/Newtonian, and it works great! My old focuser was a friction fit pull tube that went from 1.75" to 4.5" off the body of the scope, so I had a hard time finding a unit that was both low profile and could extend out far enough, and this one fit the bill nicely!

Reviewer: Heungsoo Choi

This is a great focuser. I think this one is much better than the original rack and pinion focuser. I could see more details on Jupiter and were able to better split close double stars with this focuser. I recommend this product to anyone who wants a very high quality focuser with the ability of fine adjustment.

Reviewer: Joshua York

I bought this to replace a rack and pinion focuser. The ability to fine focus is great, but I rarely need to use it because the quality of the regular focus is so amazing. My views are much sharper and very crisp. It is like I got a whole new telescope. The quality of the focuser is incredible and the performance is outstanding. I highly recommend this focuser.

Reviewer: Bill Brockman

This focuser is an excellent piece of equipment for anyone who does CCD imaging. I purchased the Orion 6" imaging reflector which comes with this crayford focuser. I was so impressed with the solid mounting, I decided to upgrade the RP focuser on my 10" Orion reflector with this. I use both reflectors for imaging. The Rack and Pinion focuser is good for observing. However, the slight play and shift of the RP focuser make it difficult for holding precise collimation with heavy CCD cameras from one end of the sky to the other. The 2" Low-Profile Crayford Focuser Dual Speed eliminates that problem. Last of all, the 11:1 fine focus control is a very welcome addition for achieving precise focus. I use it in conjunction with a hartman mask on dim stars magnitude 8+ to reach pin sharp focus. This focuser will be the last precision focuser I will ever need.

Reviewer: Sean

A must have for prime focus astrophotography folks! It was taking me in excess of 30 minutes to get focus correct with the standard crayford focuser and orienting the camera was a nightmare. With the dual speed focuser, it reduced it to 5 minutes and it was dead on. Installing it in the Orion 8" Newtonion was a snap, 5 minutes. The low profile saves me having to use a threaded adapter for the stock crayford...a huge hinderance for orienting a camera and switching between eyepiece and camera. I would also like to add that my first focuser was broken and the customer service was A+, had a replacement on my doorstep within the week. Good work Orion. The only negative I would add is that it doesn't "seal" the focuser hole in the OTA entirely, but not a huge performance issue.

Reviewer: John O'Neal

(The) 2" Low-Profile Dual Speed Crayford Focuser is a very nice unit. When placed on your Orion 8" f/4.9 telescope, it makes the scope fit for photographic use. I'd recommend this focuser to anyone using a newt for photographic use.

Reviewer: Frank Davis

I usually don't write reviews of products I buy, but in this case I feel that a positive review is in order to balance some of the negative ones posted here. I bought it to replace the rack and pinion focuser on my 8" IntelliScope Dobsonian. The installation was dead easy. The focuser works as advertised. The slow motion focusing causes much less image shake that the original R&P. The 2" to 1-1/4" eyepiece adaptor is actually a collet that grips the e/p quite securely. There is only one retaining screw that both grips the adaptor and squeezes the collet onto the e/p. Changing eyepieces involves loosening the setscrew and then holding the adaptor in place while the e/p is removed. (Or pull both out together.) With a laser collimator installed the laser dot on the primary does not move through the full travel of the focuser until it bottoms out. I have only used it with the drawtube fully extended for visual observing, and it feels quite solid. While a bit pricey, I am very satisfied with it. As I said, it works as advertised. What more could I want?

Reviewer: Andy

This focuser is invaluable. I've been struggling with fine focus, until I received this installed with my new 6" OTA from Orion. Wow, perfect focus with my DSLR in a few quick focusing shots. I was stunned, I didn't think it would be that easy. Well machined and engineered. No problems at all. Not sure what the whining is about in the negative reviews, the 1.25" adapter is snug, because its designed that way. Use your laser collimator and you'll understand why. This is designed specifically for those pursuing astrophotography.

Reviewer: Gerald

This item has alot of slop and as a crayford goes it's not very good.

Reviewer: Dick Buma

The focuser works well but I was disappointed with the draw tube extension that is built into the unit. It has considerable movement in it when extended and defeats the purpose of the crayford type focuser when used. Also, having to buy a separate mounting bracket for $10 seems unnessary if Orion would simply replace the two brackets that come with it with the correct one.

Reviewer: Tamilyn Bacciarini

This is a great focuser. I bought this to upgrade from a standard focuser. It's made really well, and the fine focus adjuster is incredible. I'm using it on an older Orion 8" 800mm focal length. Because it is larger than the old one I had to drill new holes and open up the original opening by about 1/8", easy to do with a Dremel tool. On an 800mm you'll have to buy the extention tube to get full back focus but once you add this, everything works the way it is supposed to. Highly recommended unit.

Reviewer: James Meyer

I got this focuser and the best thing it did was "drop fit" into my 10XT tube. But it has not performed very well otherwise. The set screws are constantly coming loose in the focusing knobs with changing temperatures and it really isn't made very well for use with 1.25" eyepieces. The center collar sticks to the eyepiece but not in the focuser and I have constantly had to chase the collar around in the dark when it drops off the eyepiece after you remove it. It may be excellent when used with 2" eyepieces, but the ... adapter for the 1.25" eyepieces really isn't working for me.