Vixen Mini Porta Telescope Mount

Comments about Vixen Mini Porta Telescope Mount:

Wonderful item!
The slow motion control cables received were much longer than was shown, both in the instructional manual and the advertised details. Hope that Vixen replies to my e-mail and replaces the motion controls with the correct sized ones for this tripod. Then it will be A perfect Purchase!

Comments about Vixen Mini Porta Telescope Mount:

I use this mount to take with me on vacations to use with an Orion ShortTube 80 scope for Astronomy. I needed something lightweight and stable, handling magnifications up to about 150x without excessive vibration.

Fundamentally, it's a decent mount and covers my needs well. But the attention to detail is lacking and I'm surprised with that from a company like Vixen.

The Slow Motion controls work smoothly, but the handles just push onto the gear shafts and don't hold well. I found they were frequently falling off. I'd drill holes and add thumbscrews to secure them, but the handles are just made of plastic and would not hold threads well. So I'll have to be purchasing some 3rd party slo-mo cables.

The Slow Motion controls also have a fair amount of play in them, allowing nearly 1/4 turn before things move. This is more of an annoyance than anything, but I ended up adjusting the gears to reduce the play.

The eyepiece tray is a joke and will also have to be replaced. It has 6 eyepiece holes, but 3 are for 0.96" eyepieces. The other 3 are very close to the edge and half of my eyepieces will not fit. Also, the screw in the bottom of the tray is molded in at an angle. When you attach the tray, it sits at a noticeable angle from horizontal. And finally, the plastic molding process left plastic riding up onto the thread of the screw so you can't screw it in all the way.

The spreader is made of plastic and seems kind of flimsy too. I'll need to be careful that doesn't get broken!

Lots of minor complaints, but again, it IS a good stable mount that's lightweight enough to carry along anywhere.

Comments about Vixen Mini Porta Telescope Mount:

I purchased this mount a couple of weeks ago. I put on flexible slow-motion cables right off. The plastic ones are a little loose, (would be perfect if they had metal tubes with set screws). Accessories tray came with fixed center screw off-center, (cut out and replaced with longer screw).

Now for the better. I wouldn't recommend anything heavier than my WO 66SD with 2" diagonal. The legs, although they look rather light, provide adequate support.

Now for the best. The slow-motion controls are a dream come true for a small mount. Tools provided allow for fine tuning the adjustment, and they seem to be holding extremely well. The machine work on the altaz mount is flawless. I can leave my telescope mounted and be outside in less than a minute.

If you are looking for a light mount, this is the one, if your scope is not too heavy and you are willing to make a few modifications. I was a machinist for several years, and I feel the price is not outrageously high for the quality of the mount itself.

Last reminder, if you have a heavy telescope (over five pounds) get the larger Porta Mount.

Comments about Vixen Mini Porta Telescope Mount:

I searched for reviews on this mount before buying. The only concern expressed was the slow motions knobs. In my opinion Vixen has a 5 star mount and they only deserve 2 stars. Here’s why:Key features;The mount is Light and easy to use. Flexible head can be adjusted to accommodate multiple angles to your comfort. A feature I didn’t read about and should be advertised (very nice). The tools are hidden in a compartment (with use of magnets; very neat). It’s sturdy and easily supports a light-weight instrument. Overall quality is great, uses components that can be replaced. Here’s the missing part of the mount that would make it a 5 star:1) Price- It’s on the expensive side. 2) In talking to the Vixen Rep the day of purchase, I asked him why the cheap slow motion handles, he advised they needed to cut costs to make the scope affordable. Vixen sells the slow motion handles @ [$] each at the time of this review. I checked the internet and discovered most of the cheaper competitors offer the slow motion handles (cables) on their systems. I was puzzled if cheaper competitors put slow motion controls on their mounts; then why would Vixen put extremely cheap looking handles on their high quality mount; they have to lose one star just for this. And to make you buy them is even worse when their cheaper competitors offer it included. I’m disappointed Vixen appears to be gouging their customers. They lose a second star!3) Confusing information about how much weight this scope will handle. This is very important to know so you can make an informed decision. I still don’t know how much it will handle. OPT’s web site states 8 pounds; Vixen’s web site 10 lbs & the owners manual is written at 6.6 lbs. I tend to believe the owners manual; my scope is almost 6 lbs; so being at the max end of the weight scale made me concerned. Vixen needs to make this clear.4) On the Vixen web-site it shows the mount has a five year warranty. Yet, there’s no registration card or written documentation about the warranty. Only what’s on Vixen’s web site; which of course can be easily removed.5) While the overall quality is very good; Vixen did put rivets on parts of the mount. I’m not sure why they did this when they went 90% of the way with replaceable screws and bolts. Also the ends of the legs have very cheap plastic pegs.Vixen can make this a 5 star;Provide quality slow motion handles, communicate accurately the mounts capabilities, include quality components 100% through-out the mount and put in writing the 5 year warranty. Otherwise; lower the price!!I purchased this scope 11/22/08 @ OPT [$]