Ken, I've owned several, and used several more, nearly all vintage ones, and they've worked like a charm.

You are absolutely right-- the sphere mount is a delight and makes the scope an incredible joy to use. I use mine on an Edmund tripod, which is lightweight. The whole set up is a quick grab 'n' go and the views are very satisfying. Your comment that they bridge the gap between binocs and larger telescopes is spot on. In fact, I'd recommend that people start with a 'Scan rather than binocs because it is more versatile.

As to make-overs, for the non-DIY and faint of heart, Edmund will clean and collimate your scope for $35 and that includes return shipping! A great deal.

By the way, adding a piece of teflon tape to the inner edge of the focuser turns that into a smooth, easy to tweak operation--and resolves any of the jump issues with the push/slide focuser!

I always wondered if the little red ball wonder was the inspiration for the Port-a-ball line of scopes. I also wish that someone would put out a 6" f/5 2" focuser scope with a sphere mount.