Product Review

You can put away the fishing sinkers and duct-tape ankle weights, because now there's Finally a practical, versatile counterweight solution for balancing your dobsonian telescope. As many dobsonian telescope users know, the optical tube can quickly become front-heavy when using large eyepieces or a solar filter, or when switching to a larger, heavier finder scope. A counterweight is needed on the bottom end of the telescope to maintain proper balance, so that the front end won't drift downward while you're observing. The Orion magnetic dobsonian counterweight makes balancing steel-tube dobsonians an attractive (pun intended) solution, indeed! this 1-pound, 1-ounce (482G) orion-designed counterweight consists of a ceramic block magnet encased in a steel housing with a beefy handle for easy grabbing, even with gloves on. The magnet boasts a strong 50-lb. Pull strength, so it will stay put wherever you place it on the telescope's optical tube to achieve that perfect balance. Place it near the bottom of the tube for more counterbalancing effect, or closer to the altitude hubs for a more modest effect. And if one magnetic dobsonian counterweight is not quite enough weight for optimal balance, just add a second one! the bottom surface of the magnetic dobsonian counterweight is covered with Black felt to prevent scratching of your dobsonian telescope's finish, and includes two foam rubber stabilizing strips on the outer edges to provide a firm, non-slip grip and prevent the magnet from rocking on the curved optical tube. It has a durable Black powder-coat finish. The magnetic dobsonian counterweight even comes in handy balancing other types of steel-tube telescopes, such as equatorially mounted Newtonian astrographs, when more weight may be needed on the front end of the tube for proper balancing on the declination axis. Get yourself a better balancing act: the Orion magnetic 1-pound dobsonian counterweight. Or two!.