Telescope Reviews: Eq mount load capacity.

hi,
the Mach1 does look horrendously expensive for what it does. Yes! it costs more than a Losmandy Titan, or a CGE Pro!

and yes! it only carries 45lb!

but..

1) the periodic error is tiny. on mine, 3.5" p-p. 0.42" p-p with PEM turned on

2) no futzing with backlash, declination, etc. the thing just works. Adjusting the worm (I had to on mine, it got jammed in shipping) is a 2-minute operation

3) it weighs 30lb. The CGE Pro and Titan heads both weigh 75lb - that is a very considerable factor if you don't have a permanent installation

4) it is freakin' gorgeous!

5) AP tech support is fantastic

There is simply no mount in the $6K class that is better. I spent months considering my options, and that's what I concluded.

You can get a used Tak NJP for sub $5K. It's a great mount (better than the Titan or CGE Pro) with similar load capacity. Similarly heavy though.

There are other options, again like the CGE I mentioned earlier. IMHO a used CGE at $2000 is one of the better (if not the best) deals you can get bang-for-buck. And it has the great Nexstar software and handset (the AP GTO handset has a whopping one star alignment - so unless your polar alignment is dead-on, GoTo's will not be accurate).

Just don't expect a CGE (or CGE Pro, or Losmandy Titan, or G11) to achieve perfection. They won't. But they are very competent mounts that do require tweaking. Any AP mount will not require that. But you pay for that convenience..

A warning though - there's a vocal scare-tactic minority who will tell you that buying a Mach1 is not just the $6350 but you will "pay $9000 for accessories."

This isn't true - but you will definitely not pay $6350. That amount just gets you the mount head and counterweight shaft. At the very minimum you will need

- a tripod; Rob Miller makes some fantastic ones starting at $575; 200lb capacity and weighs 9lb; IMHO this is the best buy as the AP tripods start at $700+ and weigh more

- an ADATRI (flange to attach the Mach1 to the tripod); $60

- some counterweights ($115 each - you'll need 3 to balance a C11EDGE; or 1 for a refractor)

- a dovetail saddle; Robin Casady makes good ones, better than the AP ones IMHO since I have both an AP saddle and a Casady; about $150-ish

So no, it's not $6350.. but rather $7300+

You can buy used, I did. AP will still support you, heck they support my 20-odd year old AP600 that has had who knows how many owners.

And you can use a cheap tripod, like one off a Celestron CGEM or something (you'd need to fabricate a flat plate to adapt the Celestron tripod to the ADATRI). I used a $75 tripod from the 80s! works fine with my C9.25... round stars at 10 minutes guided, with no tweaking and badly out of balance.