1032 replies to this topic

[AngryBear]

So, what does everyone think?

 

 

Per Lazy Geek, https://youtu.be/SsbazQerH8g a better SWG mount?

I can’t seem to open their homepage (timeout)

https://www.warpastron.com/?lang=en

https://www.warpastr...-mount/?lang=en

I am a bit put off by Aliexpress reseller 

https://www.aliexpre...n2usa4itemAdapt

It would be nice to see these for sale at say Agena or HPS.

 

Nice job Cuiv!!!

[raadoo]

Yannick's review has me thinking that this could be a worthy successor to my RST-135. Wonder if the WD-20 has brakes built into it?

[andysea]

I am confused by the payload rating and the chart shown int the video. Accessing the website would probably clarify that but since it's not accessible can anyone explain that to me?

[Tom K]

I just watched his video and was impressed by his impressions of the mount, but I also could not get to their website.   Seems odd to send a review mount to him and not have your webpage ready when his YouTube video goes live.   The thing I liked about the performance was the mount's reaction time to guiding anomalies.   At some point I will move on from my CEM60 for a more portable version and should this performance be validated by others this one may be in the conversation.  

[Voyager_sr2]

I also was not able to access their website (comments below the video suggest it is down), but here is the payload chart from Aliexpress page

 

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[Tapio]

Very interesting mount.

[Darth_Takahashi]

So nice looking mount with no supporting website and a youtube influencer promoting it?

 

What I hate about these reviews and influencers is all the nebulous statements made about stepper mot0rs BAD, servo-motors GOOD/BETTER. Really, how? For servo-motor read standard electircal motor with encoder, that all folks.

 

I can safely say that I have never been disturbed by the noise of my mount slewing???

The handset looks crappy and he refused to slow us the display. No dedicated mount controller = Onstep only with LX commands!!!

 

If I were looking for a new mount it would be a ZWO AM5 or NIX from Pegasus astro. For now i'll keep my CEM60 which is working great.

[Gr82fly]

Looks like an interesting mount but not their first. There is a review of a smaller mount, the WD-17S, here on cloudy nights back in October 23

 

https://www.cloudyni...-17s-my-review/

[sHighlander]

I am often influenced by Cuiv's infectious enthusiasm but then have a cooling period before I spend any cash. I am in need of a new mount but I am likely to sit on it for another 6 months until WD 20 and AM5 have some real use feedback or I might go with a tried and tested EQ6-R

[Tapio]

I was disturbed by the noise of my first mount (Celestron AVX - or it had a different name back then), but not since (Skywatcher EQ6 Pro, EQ5 Pro and CEM60).

Handset - doesn't mean much these days. I use mine maybe few times a year at most.

But I'll wait if it can be bought by some western dealer.

Or if there's a similar kind of mount by other laberl.

[Sctom]

Yannick's review has me thinking that this could be a worthy successor to my RST-135. Wonder if the WD-20 has brakes built into it?

 

 

Yannick's review has me thinking that this could be a worthy successor to my RST-135. Wonder if the WD-20 has brakes built into it?

Must have a brake.  No brake = deal killer.  Sold my RST135 mostly because of that.  Hopefully test pilots beta testers post feed back here soon.  
On the plus side, being round like the RST135, it takes up less space when stored than the squared off AM5.  And very portable.
And I just ordered a (heavy) Losmandy G11.  Must rethink that one very fast.  Consistent under .50 total RMS without wind is enough for me at this stage in my imaging skills.  

Anyone know anything about the company, their customer service or QC?

Edited by Sctom, 02 February 2024 - 04:15 PM.

[Dwight J]

I’ll wait till the WD 40 comes out.

[AngryBear]

I can safely say that I have never been disturbed by the noise of my mount slewing??? ****!

My neighbor’s dog has a tendency to disturb my peace when I’m tinkering with a filter etc. If I could initiate chainsaw slewing sound at that time I would. 

[Sctom]

I’ll wait till the WD 40 comes out.

Now we are going down a slippery slope

[cuivienor]

Youtube influencer here:

To answer some questions:
- It has a brake, but only in RA, not DEC
- I've had issues with mount noise at an apartment I lived at - obviously whether slewing noise is important or not is up to each. I bring it up because I was surprised by this and it is important to me (fun thing, some astro sellers in Japan like Zizco do advertise the quietness of a mount even if the maker of the mount doesn't, so it could be a Japanese thing)
- Taking some time to cool off is always a good idea before a large purchase! I do tend to get very enthusiastic, a bit too much for my own good as well
- I can't go into all the details. I didn't refuse to show the hand controller, I just didn't want to add another section to this long video, and I think most astrophotographers using control software won't use the controller much. I certainly don't, and I haven't seen comments asking me to provide more info about the controller besides here (although a few questions about brakes, which I really should have mentioned, especially since I tested it, and compatibility with ASIAIR, which I need to physically test next)
- I was about to list some more stuff but then I realized it's a bit pointless. I really should have grown some thicker skin by now Or just make it roll/slip off me by covering myself in WD40

Cheers,

Cuiv

[rusty2198]

Website doesn't work and can't see pricing.

[tlindema]

Youtube influencer here:

To answer some questions:
- It has a brake, but only in RA, not DEC
- I've had issues with mount noise at an apartment I lived at - obviously whether slewing noise is important or not is up to each. I bring it up because I was surprised by this and it is important to me (fun thing, some astro sellers in Japan like Zizco do advertise the quietness of a mount even if the maker of the mount doesn't, so it could be a Japanese thing)
- Taking some time to cool off is always a good idea before a large purchase! I do tend to get very enthusiastic, a bit too much for my own good as well
- I can't go into all the details. I didn't refuse to show the hand controller, I just didn't want to add another section to this long video, and I think most astrophotographers using control software won't use the controller much. I certainly don't, and I haven't seen comments asking me to provide more info about the controller besides here (although a few questions about brakes, which I really should have mentioned, especially since I tested it, and compatibility with ASIAIR, which I need to physically test next)
- I was about to list some more stuff but then I realized it's a bit pointless. I really should have grown some thicker skin by now Or just make it roll/slip off me by covering myself in WD40

Cheers,

Cuiv

Appreciate the review Cuiv, and FWIW I don’t think most perceive you as infamous or peddling what you think is an inferior/poor value product. That can’t be said for all the YouTubers in this hobby.

[AnakChan]

Coming from a Vixen AXD & moving to an ASA DDM60 & also having an SS-One Traveler HD mount I truly appreciate the dead silence of the latter two.

Having lived in Japan myself where my apt neighbours had complained to the building mgt that I was assembling IKEA past 9 pm, I know how sensitive different cultures are to noise.

My SS-One Traveler doesn’t have any brakes so if I lose power it will flop. Luckily there is a little drag so my FSQ85ED doesn’t smash into the tripod legs hard. But putting in foam wrapping around the tripod legs help.

As for stepper vs servo motors, I don’t think anyone should expect reviews to be a one-stop-shop for all answers. To me at least such reviews are either an introduction to something new, or supplementary information to some product I’m already aware of. But these reviews are merely a catalyst for me to do my own further research. So I don’t believe it’s fair to blame or criticise reviewers for such cases.

[Polyphemos]

To answer some questions:
- It has a brake, but only in RA, not DEC
- I've had issues with mount noise at an apartment I lived at - obviously whether slewing noise is important or not is up to each. I bring it up because I was surprised by this and it is important to me (fun thing, some astro sellers in Japan like Zizco do advertise the quietness of a mount even if the maker of the mount doesn't, so it could be a Japanese thing)
- Taking some time to cool off is always a good idea before a large purchase! I do tend to get very enthusiastic, a bit too much for my own good as well
- I can't go into all the details. I didn't refuse to show the hand controller, I just didn't want to add another section to this long video, and I think most astrophotographers using control software won't use the controller much. I certainly don't, and I haven't seen comments asking me to provide more info about the controller besides here (although a few questions about brakes, which I really should have mentioned, especially since I tested it, and compatibility with ASIAIR, which I need to physically test next)
- I was about to list some more stuff but then I realized it's a bit pointless. I really should have grown some thicker skin by now Or just make it roll/slip off me by covering myself in WD40

Cheers,

Cuiv

Can you tell us where the mount is manufactured?

[sctchun]

The mount is manufactured in China.

 

I was actually looking at the WD17S as my second mount, but 2 things made me not go with it.

 

1) There's no standard ST-4 port, you have to use a special converter cable that plugs into the controller usb-c port.  Because of this, you can't have the controller and ST-4 running.  I use this combo when I use my solar setup where the Hinode solar guider send guide pulses to the ST-4 port and I use the hand controller to fine tune my pointing.

 

2) The Alt range has a number of adjustment points (I believe each one is 15 degree range).

 

For me those where deal breakers, but I really did like the design and weight.  I probably could of lived with the shorter Alt ranges, but #1 was a priority to me.

Edited by sctchun, 02 February 2024 - 08:35 PM.

[dcweaver]

Grinding coffee in my suburban Silicon Valley back yard at 2AM is a deal-breaker, so I appreciate the comments. The enthusiastic "Lazy Geek" videos are awesome!

 

Cuiv - Keep doing what you're doing!

[dcweaver]

That was an excellent review with a very good up-front description of what the servo encoders do, and what they don't do. This was exactly the kind of presentation WarpAstron needed. It was from a credible source, and it highlighted the innovative features of their direct drive servo system, showing the positive impact on performance. No marketing slight of hand here. The review was technically accurate and to the point. There was a lot of data shown to support the performance . The word "consistent" was an excellent way to sum up the mount.

 

This is the way technology moves forward. Now WarpAstron just needs to get these mounts to into the hands of trusted distributors throughout Europe and North America.

 

Great work!

[AnakChan]

This is the way technology moves forward. Now WarpAstron just needs to get these mounts to into the hands of trusted distributors throughout Europe and North America.

Great work!

Don’t forget Australia 🇦🇺

[dcweaver]

Don’t forget Australia

 

Crikey - let's modify that to "...trusted distributors across the globe."

Sorry mate!

[pvdv]

I really should have grown some thicker skin by now Or just make it roll/slip off me by covering myself in WD40

Even if I don't doubt the work and, often, in-depth analysis that goes into your channel there is no denying that it has, in the last year or so, evolved into a mostly "new product review" channel.
And just as any other channel doing the same thing, these reviews tend to be positive. Objectively, either this reflects reality or there is a positive bias intentional or not. An either/or proposition that opens the door to speculation.

At least, this provides entertainment: seeing people obsess and randomly tweak their bias as if their lives depended on it after one of your videos was hilarious.