Of all the Meade telescopes this one has to be the most reviewed telescope on the net and sorry but here we go again. I purchased the Meade Dobsonian about 3 years ago and it has been one of my favorite telescopes to use.

One of the things I like about this type of telescope is the large aperture you get for your money, this is due to their simple mounting design (no expensive mount to add to the price).

Aperture is everything when you’re talking telescopes, and these Meade telescopes certainly have the aperture. Read my page on Telescopes-Myths and Misconceptions where I discuss the importance of aperture and the myths of magnification.

The Dobsonian Meade telescopes always pull a crowd, with people wanting to take a quick look through them. The optics are very good and are suited for both planetary and deep space viewing.

This is a big telescope but not so big that you can’t transport it. The Dob breaks down into three pieces for easy transport and I am able to transport and set it up without any assistance.

As I have said in other reviews my first love is deep sky viewing, which is the reason I purchased the 12.5″ Dob, I now own five meade telescopes and would love to own the 16″ Dobsonian but it is simply to large for me to handle.

I have had some wonderful nights viewing with this telescope, viewing stunning Nebulae, Galaxies, Star Clusters, and the list goes on. These meade telescopes will simply take your breath away on a clear night.

I have read a lot of reviews that put this great telescope down, cool down time is slow, the azimuth bearings are crap, the altitude bearings stick, etc, etc. But I have had no such problems with this telescope and one of reasons why is that Meade have been doing some redesigning.

The cool down time is a lot quicker and Meade has done some work on the rocker base to make it more sturdy and user friendly. I have found problems with the 16″ Dob but this is due to the weight of this very large telescope.

If you’re looking to see some amazing things in the night sky, this telescope won’t let you down. I found the telescope does exactly what it was made for, and you won’t be disappointed by what you see when you start pointing skyward and that’s what astronomy is all about. Isn’t it?

These Meade telescopes were $895 when I purchased mine, so you are getting one great telescope for very little money. The only thing I would suggest is that you buy the deluxe accessory pack.

With the deluxe package you will get a much better focuser, the 2″ giant rack-and-pinion focuser. Also included is the 6x30mm achromatic viewfinder, eyepieces MA 9mm, 12mm, and 25mm.

 Meade Telescopes Recommendation

If you’re looking for a large aperture telescope at a low price, look no further, this is it. And if deep sky viewing is your first love then I can highly recommend the Meade Dobsonian, you are going to have a lot of fun with this telescope as I have done over the years.