Telescope, Base
Anyone who has spent much time in the field looking at stars with amateur astronomers is sure to have heard the term "light bucket." Effective yet inexpensive, "light buckets" provide amateur astronomers with the aperture needed to view faint deep sky objects. With the quality and precision designed into the Zhumell Dobsonian 10-inch, you can have a really nice bucket for gathering all of that starlight.
With a traditional Dobsonian mount, the Dobson 10-inch is easy to use. A 2-inch dual speed Crayford focuser accepts a full range of 1.25-inch and 2-inch format eyepieces. The 10-inch aluminum oxide/silver oxide-coated mirror provides excellent contrast and definition and offers 1/12-wave wavefront accuracy, along with 92-94% reflectivity.
Mirror Coatings - Aluminum plus Sio2 (Silicon Dioxide)
Features Include:
Recommended Usage
For the Enthusiast , Viewing Galaxies/Star Clusters , Viewing Nebulae
Brand
Zhumell
Weight Complete
60 lbs
Finderscope
8x50
GoTo
No
Telescopes Series
Zhumell Dobsonian Telescopes
Optical Design
Reflector
Focal Length
1250 mm
Focal Ratio
f/4.92
Star Diagonal
1.25 Inches , 2 Inches
User Level
For the Enthusiast
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviews(based on 75 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
97%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
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Most Liked Positive Review
This Is One Awesome Telescope
Hello All.I just purchased this Zhumell 10" DOB and I will give you my honest opinion and review, because I believe in a honest evaluation. I will give you both pros and co...Read complete review
Hello All.I just purchased this Zhumell 10" DOB and I will give you my honest opinion and review, because I believe in a honest evaluation. I will give you both pros and cons on this product.First off, ordering from [@]was super easy, [...]. Assembly of the base was easy to me, it took about 20 to 30 minutes. The accessories you get with this are great! A 2" 32MM eyepiece, 9MM eyepiece, 9X50 Right angle finder scope and Laser collimator and cooling fan.I don't use a laser collimator, I use A Cheshire collimating eyepiece because it lets me get exact. After I put everything together, I done a collimation on it. I then checked it with the laser and it was very close. So if you use the laser you will probably be close.I do have to say this, before I collimated it, I had to remove the primary mirror so I could get to the 4 little bolts inside because they were only finger tight. This is not hard just remove the 6 or so little screws around the bottom of the tube and slide it out. Use blue loc tight and tighten them good. If you do this you won't have any problems with this again. Then check all other bolts and screws.Performance: This is just amazing! the optics on this scope are great. I viewed Saturn with the 9mm eyepiece and I could very easily see the small black inner ring as well as the yellow clouds of the planet ( it was in color not just a white circle ). The moon looks 3D and you can get so close that you can see the mountain ranges of the craters. The 2" Crayford Dual Speed focuser is tops. You can get a sharp focus and then tweak it in. The right angle finder is very easy to align with the scope. Star clusters are stunning, and nebula and Galaxy's look awesome!I can't say enough good things about this scope. This scope could very easily sell for $700 with all the accessories you get. The only small thing I noticed on mine was that the paint on the tube had a slight blemish. It was still shinny black, but the back of one side had a matte like finish to it. Looks like the paint reacted to the metal when they painted it. You don't really notice it, and it in no way affects the performance, and that's what counts.Bottom line, If you are considering purchasing this DOB telescope, remember this. IT'S BIG!! the tube is 12 1/4" round by 48 inches long. it weighs about 60 pounds. It doesn't matter how Strong or in shape you are, it will be hard to move this in one piece. I take the tube off the base, then take the base out in the yard, come back for the optical tube. It only takes 3 to 5 minutes from start to all setup and it's much easer.You won't be disappointed in this scope, the optics are top notch, the quality is great and it's solid. The views you get will amaze you every time you use it. It's big enough to last a lifetime.
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
A good idea...
I bought this telescope in 2006, only to have both mirrors develop a hazing several months later. I returned it to Zhumell, and they made good on their warranty by sending me a new...Read complete review
I bought this telescope in 2006, only to have both mirrors develop a hazing several months later. I returned it to Zhumell, and they made good on their warranty by sending me a new telescope! Points for them. BUT - Don't miss the point that it had to BE replaced. The first scope's mirrors were shot six months after I got the thing! Not cool.
The new model was shipped to me in mid-September. While it performs satisfactorily, it came with a lower quality finder scope, terrible lazy Susan bearings for the base, and it still smelled like paint. The crayford focuser was also slightly sticky in it's motions. I'm not sure if they're still shipping the scope with the Lazy Susan bearing, but if they are, it requires modification, in my opinion.
Don't get me wrong, I love the 10" aperture's reach on the deep sky, and I can see a multitude of objects with this scope. It's definitely a bargain, but I feel that Zhumell is having a tough time "getting it right." I would advise looking at other 10" scopes in the price range.
I've added teflon pads to replace the lazy Susan bearing, a Telrad in addition to the right angle finder, and I aired out the OTA so the paint fumes wouldn't pose a potential hazard to the coatings of the mirror. Adding a dew heater to the secondary would be difficult, due to the fact that the mirror appears to be glued to it's holder. Odd, indeed.
In short, a 10" dob is a terrific value, and the Zhumell delivers quality views.
However, I'm sure there's better quality scopes to be had for the same price. Until Zhumell works out the quirks in it's manufacturing and quality control, I would not buy one of these again.
Reviewed by 75 customers
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Comments about Zhumell 10-Inch Dobsonian Reflector Telescope:
I got this telescope for our 4-H project. The kids in our group range from 5 - 17, from very experienced to absolute amateur. Everyone is really pleased with the performance and the views!
The box arrived and my boys and I put it together that evening. The directions were clear and simple. Construction/assembly was a snap - the whole process took less than 15 minutes.
I've never collimated a telescope before, but the included collimator made it a total non-factor. Additionally, the scope was right on - no adjustment necessary.
That night we took it out for a trial run. My boys were so excited at the views I had to order them to bed.
I love the 2" eye piece. It is awesome. We thoroughly checked out the Orion nebula - and we could see it as never before.
We tried it out over the next several nights and have seen many "new" wonders.
Our first official project meeting was great, even with a relatively bright moon. The project members were astounded. We had a great first meet and everyone is excited and ready for more!
My one suggestion for improvement would be to make the spring tensioners a bit smoother and more even. A small price to pay though for a great scope and you get used to the way it moves pretty quickly.
This one exceeded my expectations, even after reading all the good reviews!
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Comments about Zhumell 10-Inch Dobsonian Reflector Telescope:
I coudnt be more happier with my purchase, perfect scope for the beginner. reviews have been great on this item and i did quite a bit of research before purchasing. A Barlow lens and a Telrad finder are useful investments..[...]
Pros
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Comments about Zhumell 10-Inch Dobsonian Reflector Telescope:
The Zhumell 10in Dob is a great scope. I have owned many scopes in the last few years and this is one of the best. Enough aperature to drag in those faint fuzzies, but portable enough to be set-up in no time. The right-angle finder makes this scope so much easier to locate objects. The views of the moon and planets are darn good as well through this scope. I have two minor complaints, but they're not really complaints, just suggestions. I wish Zhumell would find an easier way of mounting the tension springs. You have to have good pull on them to get the springs to attach. The other thing is I think they should include a middle focal length eyepiece. Somewhere around 17mm or 16mm, inaddition to the 32mm and 9mm eyepieces.
Overall I would give this scope 9.5 out of 10!
Pros
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Best Uses
Comments about Zhumell 10-Inch Dobsonian Reflector Telescope:
This a great scope for the money. I had wanted the 12" but ruled it out since it would be much more cumbersome to move around (do not underestimate the size of the 10").
The only issue I have had has been the springs that create the tension between the OTA and the base--they are really tough to get on. There is a cheap solution found online that someone posted to help alleviate this issue (do a search for 'zhumell mods tension spring' it is found on the visualastronomy webpage).
I would strongly recommend getting a Telrad, observing chair, and counter balance weights for this scope.
Pros
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Comments about Zhumell 10-Inch Dobsonian Reflector Telescope:
[...] First couple of nights I looked at the moon and Jupiter, perfect for this, went with local Astronomy Club to first star party and saw M51, M13, NGC4565, M17, lots of double stars and saw too many other objects to mention. Astronomy Club was impressed with my scope as were a few of my close friends. Thank you telescopes.com for a great experience.
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