In 1999 I was really busy and didnt have alot of time to devote to astronomy. My 8" dob wasnt seeing alot of action, so I decided to invest ($500) in this short tube refractor. What I liked about the telescope is that it portable and gave a different perspective on deepsky observing. This telescope has observed eclipses, comets, planets and various other deepsky stuff. I also take it regularly to public observing nights to give viewers something different to look at.

As always, you get what you pay for. But for $500 the whole package is good value for money. You get the sturdy refractor, a 25 and 9mm eyepieces, finderscope and 45 degree diagonal. The tripod is not included.