SVBONY SV225 Alt-Azimuth Mount, Adjustable Angle Alt-Azimuth Mount, CNC Hollow Structure, Telescope Altazimuth with Fine Adjustment Shift, Telescope Accessories with Variable Speed Gear

I'm really picky about recreational astronomy equipment. There is a lot of poorly designed stuff out there that either doesn't work that well, isn't durable, or is user hostile. The SV 225 mount is great. It came very well packaged, I've used it on top of an Artcise AS90C carbon fiber tripod with a 102mm aperture Maksutov and with two different 90mm aperture refracting telescopes.The mount holds the telescope steady and the slow motion controls make it easy to zero in on an object and then keep it from drifting out of the eyepiece as the earth turns. In fact the weaker point in the system is the tripod. The SV 225 works even better when I've had it on a heavier and more rigid tripod.The SV 225 gives exceptionally good performance for a value mount. The locks on each axis work well and the slow motions are smooth. I find it very easy to set up and use and it is well built with good knobs and finishes.I did customize it with two additions. I bought a 1.25 inch bubble level on Amazon and put it on the mount with double sided tape. This makes it easier to level up the tripod. I also put on a clamp type telescope dovetail bracket - the part that holds the telescope. The screw type bracket that comes with the SV 225 is perfectly adequate, except there is some risk that the screw will leave pressure dimples in the mounting rail on the telescope. Dimples in no way impair the function of the telescope, the are just aesthetically displeasing. Both of these additions are nice to haves and not at all necessary to make the mount work well.If you need a small, quality, affordable alt-azimuth mount that represents a good value, I can highly recommend this one.

I am very impressed and happy with all the Svbony products I have purchased. This mount is no exception. I wish I would have bought it when it first came out.Having owned several manual altitude/azimuth mounts (i.e., ES, Universal, iOptron, Vixen Porta I & II, and mini Porta), this mount is ideal if you want a lightweight, portable mount that can handle up to 10 kg.Likes include quality versus price point-$160 +10% off—a great bargain. The mount head is easy to store and transport.The design is well-made, and the casting and finish are perfect. The mount head is painted off-white, and the paint is thick and smooth, and the slow-motion controls are buttery smooth with minimal backlash. The ability to lock both the altitude and azimuth axes is a plus. It will handle a 4-inch refractor (<f/7.5), 4-inch MAKs, and 5-inch SCTs if under 10 kg, I would limit it to no more than 7 kg.Dislikes: Excessive play in the azimuth bearing on my sample. The telescope wobbled when rotating in azimuth. It was partially mitigated by locking the azimuth and using the slow-motion controls. However, this is not acceptable. I removed the base plate and cinched up the 10 mm locknut on the azimuth, removing 95% of the play. From this experience, I learned that the mount is entirely serviceable. You must provide a tripod with a 3/8-16 treaded mount base. A weak tripod is the leading cause of instability.The lock and safety knobs on the altitude dove plate are poor. There is no need for two safety knobs when only one is needed. There is not enough room to optimally locate all three knobs. To make matters worse, the safety knobs on each end of the plate are taller than the large center lock knob, making it difficult to finger access the center knob. Also, the female threads on the dove plate are sloppy, causing the screws to wiggle when tightening. They do function, however.One last minor complaint is the altitude fiducial scale reads from 0 to 360 degrees, making it hard to set the mount in altitude (assuming you wish to locate objects using alt-azimuth angles). The altitude scale. should be measured from +\- 0 to 90 degrees.In summary, I look forward to spending more time with this mount. I highly recommend it.

I was surprised by the quality in this unit. It's well built, and the controls are very smooth. It can also be assembled in different ways for different configurations, which is convenient. I bought it for a small refractor, but after I got it and noticed how well built it was, I thought I would test it to see if it could work with larger telescopes. I managed to mount a 6" Schmidt Newtonian telescope with a corrector plate and large, computer controller focuser, and it did fine. It was at the limit, but it totally worked. I don't plan to use it that way, but it's nice to know it's overbuilt for what I'm using it for. I was able to repurpose an older telescope tripod that came with a cheap telescope and manual EQ mount, which now makes for a very excellent and ultra-portable tripod for my small refractor. It's always setup as a "grab and go" scope with a solar filter and a couple of eyepieces. I've been waiting for years for something affordable to come along so I could make a nice, cheap, tripod and mount for my small refractors, and this really fit the bill.

The mount is well built. The adjustments to personalize your preferences are easy.However the altitude dial should have angle degrees and not azimuth degrees. Also the azimuth dial has no mark that allows to set azimuth. In addition, the instruction manual lacks instructions on how to set the azimuth/altitude dials.

I like the clutch type switches and slo motion controls. Not doing photography, so it is an affordable option. I have mine mounted at a 45 degree angle so I can more easily observe overhead objects without interference with the tube. The bolt has slack in it due to poor fit or slop but a gasket can be made even if it is cardboard if you are worried about the play and don't want to tighten too much. everything else is smooth and fits well. There is also a pointing bar with foam padding that falls off but some duct tape around the bare metal and then covered with the piece of foam that slips off should take care of that problem and would be unnoticeable. This is for the most part very well made