AZ-EQ6 Mount

[Niel99]

Hi I'm about to purchase my first ever mount and wanted to purchase something substantial that would more than likely accomodate any future upgade in telescope. I thought about the AZ-EQ6 mount. Can any one tell me if this is a good mount and worth the money? Also where would be the best place to obtain one? Thanks Niel

[Astro_Baby]

Its newish, as far as I know all initial reports on it have been favourable and Skywatcher are good at supporting their product with software upgrades into the future.

Unless you specifically want the Alt/az capability you could save some cash by buying the NEQ6 version whixh I believe has a slightly higher payload capability in EQ mode.

Be prepared for a learning experience, thisbstuff is not plug and play.

For purchase contact the site sponsor First Light Optics, banner above, who are the best dealer out there in my opnion who will give you honest advice and great service and most likley the best price as well.

[tonedeaf]

as i´ve heard the az-eq mount is belt driven, so the backlash is a bit lower...

further it should be "stiffer" <- but the test how this was made is a bit.... let´s say i haven´t been there when it was made, and it was not confirmed...

so the az-eq may be a better mount, for more money!

on the other side there are impressive pictures made on the normal eq-6 (shortly NEQ-6 )

so the mount is very capable of performing nice

but! (oops now it comes)

- further telescopes? which ones (i know at the beginning nobody knows for sure)

- Astrophotography?

- portability?

- maximum alowance on the credit card?

these are further points to consider....

oh i don´t want to mention that the eq-7 is under development

[mikeyscope]

Hello Niel

Good to see you arrived at Stargazers...you're in good hands!

Try 'search' at top of page ...could be the answer to some questions can be found there too.

Welcome aboard!

Mike

[steppenwolf]

I have one on long term review and so far I am very impressed - a step up from the venerable EQ6 but not a giant leap. Part 1 of my review can be found here.

[Niel99]

Thanks very much for the advice it's been useful

[Ouroboros]

I have one on long term review and so far I am very impressed - a step up from the venerable EQ6 but not a giant leap. Part 1 of my review can be found here.

Is a part two imminent, Steve?

A question I have about this mount .... Is it worth paying the extra for the AZ-EQ6, from an engineering and features point of view, even if the altizimuthal mode isn't of prime interest?

[steppenwolf]

Is a part two imminent, Steve?

Within a week I hope!

Is it worth paying the extra for the AZ-EQ6, from an engineering and features point of view, even if the altizimuthal mode isn't of prime interest?

The big selling point for this mount is its dual functionality (EQ + AltAz) however, the general engineering is more polished than the NEQ6, especially the clutches which are very good indeed. It's certainly a lot of mount for the money and I think that the price is about right but you would be paying for the convenience of the altazimuth conversion that you say isn't of prime interest.

I wouldn't buy one as an upgrade from the NEQ6 but, in your circumstances as purchaser of a first mount with built in future-proofing, I think I'd go for the AZ-EQ6 over the NEQ6 - subtle/styling differences but a finer mount overall.

[Ouroboros]

Thanks for your opinion. I shall look forward to reading your review part 2