GSO 2" Crayford Focuser for Refractors - Dual Speed (with 86.4mm Telescope Adapter)

5.0 Great focuser for not a

Great focuser for not a lot of money.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Excellentt Focuser

Installed in 5 mins on my old 100 dollar Orion Short Tube 80.
This old scope always was a little "off" when looking at stars. I thought it was because it was a cheap scope.
After mounting this focuser onto the scope, the stars and star test were much, much better.
Very surprised. It was the cheap focuser that came with scope that was the problem.
Now I feel like I have a pretty decent scope with only 250 bucks total into it.
This new focuser is very smooth and the dual speed was well worth the extra money.
Very glad I bought this. Now I don't dream so much about an expensive scope.
This set up is good enough.
The focuser looks and operates like it should be on an expensive scope.
Glad I bought it.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 GSO 86.4MM CRAYFORD FOCUSER

This focuser screams quality at you when you open up the box that it ships in. It's a heavy, well machined piece of metal. I installed it on a Meade Adventure Scope 80. Installation was easy as Mom's apple pie. Fit and finish are excellent. You haven't really lived astronomically until you use the fine focus utility on a focuser. Discard all of your cheap cast rack and pinion focusers for one of these. I'm not only sold on these 2 speed Crayford Style focusers, but, now I'm spoiled! My other telescopes I now look at, as handicapped! And Astro Agena gives excellent after purchase service also.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 PERFECT FIT FOR CELESTRON 80MM F11.3

Perfect upgrade for any of the 80mm long tube refractors. Exact match to original mounting holes using the 86mm adapter.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 New life for an old instrument

I purchased this to upgrade an older Vixen Custom 90 with a .965 single speed focus . Had to open the mounting holes just a small amount. works very well and great old scope a new lease on life

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Wow. This is a wonderful add-on

I was a little unsure how to put this on, and Emailed late at night, and I was so surprise within 20 minutes I got an email back that answered all of my questions. What a relief. It’s no wonder, star people are out at night. Great company. Thank you

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Crayford style focuser

This the best focuser I have ever used.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Robert F.

Works perfectly in my Celestron 100ED with the 100ED flange. Very smooth compared to the stock focuser. Focuses at infinity with all my eyepieces with about 10mm to spare. At closer focus, say looking at pine cones 2 blocks away, it would require an extension tube. At 4 blocks it has just enough. I am very happy with it.-Bob

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Nicely made 2X focuser at a reasonable price

I find this focuser to be well made and free of any play or backlash. It's very smooth and the adjustments are helpful to get the right feel. The price is very reasonable and to me that is a factor.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Great Focuser

Installed in 5 minutes.
Glad I got the dual speed focuser. It was well worth the money.
My Orion Short tube 80 finally has a good star test.
Stars are much sharper.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 West Virginia Sky

I have been observing for 15 years. Never used a crayford focuser. Bought this for my 15 year old Short Tube 80.
Installed this very nice looking focuser in 4 minutes.
Incredible. Should have done this a long time ago.
Stargazing just became a different experience.
Very glad I sprang for the dual speed.
That's most of the experience. The fine, smooth focus down to a beautiful airy disc.
No more image shift, at all.
It made my scope feel brand new and improved the quality of the star test.
My stars look like little suns now.
Best 137 dollars I ever spent.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 First Rate

I bought this to upgrade my ST80. It doubled the cost of my set up but allows me to use 2-inch eyepieces. The first thing I noticed is that it looks way nicer that the stock rack and pinion focuser. At first use, the difference is amazing! Buttery smooth focus and fine focus were flawless.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 I really like my new

I really like my new GSO Focuser. It does the job, and does it well. I certainly would recommend it to anyone wishing to upgrade.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Well made and excellent for the price

I put this on my Orion ShortTube 80 (purchased in early 2017) and it fit just as Agena Astro's website noted. It is solidly constructed and all the movements are smooth. I actually dropped my telescope from about 4 feet off the ground. The telescope slipped off my GEM and fell on the blacktop in my driveway at night. My telescope was undamaged because it landed on the focuser. Three of the set screws were bent out of shape, and the fine focuser knob was also bent. I bent the fine focuser knob back to its original place and replaced the screw on the 1.25" adapter. This screw was the only one that broke. I replaced the other screws because they were bent. I had lots of spare parts lying around. Well, the focuser works just as well as it did before the fall. As for the telescope, it didn't go out of collimation because the lenses are set in and not loose. The focuser took a beating and saved my scope from the impact. Seriously, this is a well-made focuser.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Crayford focuser

Wow a high quality product!

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 2" GSO Focuser fits Orion ST80

2" GSO Focuser fits Orion ST80. Very pleased.
This was my second attempt to get a focuser to work on ST80.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 GSO 2" focuser

VG build quality, 10 to one reduction works great for fine focus

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 GSO 2” Crayford

I bough this to replace the cheap focuser on my Orion ST80 Autoguider scope. Great improvement over the stock focuser, definitely recommend this.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Nice focuser that feels very

Nice focuser that feels very precise except that the focus knob drives the draw tube by friction - not rack and pinion. If the tension is not set properly, the knob will turn without moving the draw tube. The same will happen at end-of-travel in either direction regardless of tension or if there is too much weight attached. This can likely happen with some of the massive 2-inch eyepieces. At least it will not stall an auto focus motor. [Auto focus would have to be a 3rd party, aftermarket addon.]
The draw tube will move of its own accord if there is too much weight attached. To avoid this, there is a locking screw but it will defeat the focus knobs.
As a manual focuser, these difficulties can be countered. For me it solves the problem of image shift and there is no discernible backlash.
It attached snugly and securely to my OTA. It has a rotation collar that holds position and operates smoothly.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Easy DIY upgrade for ST-80

So easy and such a difference to be able to use 2 inch oculars with an ST-80! Smooth function, secure holding, rotatable, lockable focus—everything I could want and a very reasonable price in my opinion.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Perfect drop-in replacement

I purchased this to replace the focuser on a Meade 80mm travel scope. It fits perfectly and has a smooth focusing action.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 GSO Focuser

Bought this to update an old ST80 short tube for the eclipse. My Hershel Wedge needed a 2" focuser. The new focuser took all of about two minutes to install. It is a sturdy, well made product. It turned what was a toy of a telescope into a real working instrument. That scope with the Hershel on it was the hit of the public viewing party.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Fits and works well on Orion ST80 telescope

I got this to replace the 1 1/4 focus inch assembly on the ST80. It fits the telescope perfectly and provides a 2 inch, two speed focus mechanism that performs very well. The friction adjustment and focus lock both work very well. I don't use the camera rotation function, as I'm not confident the accurate focus is maintained. It is a cost effective solution to my needs.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Excellent Upgrade!

The difference is like fishing with a Zebco and then moving up to a Penn Fathom; steppin' on up!

Not one.

I bought one of these fine focusers elsewhere since Agena was sold out (go figure). The difference in focusing from my scope's stock focuser is like night & day! This, coupled with a GSO 8x50 finder scope (bought at Agena) has reignited my interest in losing sleep in the wee hours! Thanks Agena!

5.0 Beautifully engineered ; has all the Bells & Whistles of a focuser

My only criticism is with the two thumb screws underneath the focuser barrel. I can't determine what one of them does. I have discovered that one does indeed lock the focuser so that it cannot be moved in and out, but what the other one does I can't figure out. The one on top of the barrel is the rotational lock and it allows the barrel to be rotated, which I do use quite a lot since I use that refractor on an Equatorial Mount and the scope gets a lot of rotation in certain configurations.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Orion ShortTube 80-A Perfect fit.

Works perfectly with my Orion ShortTube 80-A Refractor. The three screw holes are a perfect fit. Installs in about 2-3 minutes. So far works great with my 1.25 and 2 inch eyepieces. Drawtube length just right when used with diagonal mirrors. Had to add extension only when I attached camera directly to tube without mirror.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 MAJOR IMPROVEMENT ON ST-80A

I replaced the stock single speed R&P focuser in my several years old Orion ST-80A . . . and what a difference! While the stock focuser is certainly serviceable, I found myself constantly doing the back and forth yo-yo trying to find that focus sweet spot. This GSO dual-speed instantly eliminated this dance, providing fast, efficient and precise focus.
Fit and finish are, as per usual for GSO products, excellent, the mechanics outstanding. Just an overall well made product, a substantial piece of kit.
For those of us who appreciate ‘scope aesthetics, who enjoy looking AT our instruments as well as through them, this focuser offers the bonus of giving the ST-80 a more high end vibe; it now has a sort of overall look of the 80mm ES ED refractors
Installation was, as others have said, 3 screws out, remove stock focuser, install GSO dual-speed, 3 screws in. Done.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Perfect for SW Evostar 90

This fits perfectly into the OTA of a Skywatcher Evostar 90. Admittedly this focuser is about the same price as the entire telescope, but it turns a great grab and go scope into something that is an absolute joy to use, as well as now allowing use of 2" eye pieces.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 gso crayford focuser

this focuser is an excellent upgrade to your telescope, it has a feather touch operation .high quality cnc machined aluminum with roller bearings and you can attach a finderscope to it with an optional bracket.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 super upgrade for my ST80

Fine focusing makes a huge difference. This two speed crayford design fits my ST80 to a 'T'. This light weight fast archromat is a good scope now a very very good scope. I can have some apos to compare it with having dual speed focusers, this GSO focuser is a great investment for improving an achromat's performance with it features.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Great product!

https://youtu.be/MMfEmHJrNhg

My review

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Great Scope Upgrade

Easy to Use,Easy Installation,Strong Construction

Heavy

I purchased this focuser to replace the rack and pinion focuser on an Orion ST80 refractor. This solid, well made focuser actually turned the ST80 into a better scope, making it much easier to get a sharp focus. Motion is very smooth with no play or backlash. The entire focuser feels very well made. Nothing flimsy here. Installation was quick and easy: three screws out, three screws in. The rotating collar is a great addition, especially if the scope is used on an equatorial mount. I also like the screw holes for adding a finder mounting shoe either on the left or right side or both.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 I have two of these

Accurate,Strong Construction,Easy to Use

I have two Celestron (Synta) refractors: an f/7.5 80 mm ED and a f/11 90 mm. Both came with rack and pinion focusers that were less than ideal. I replaced the one on the 80 mm several years ago and it worked great. I recently replaced the one on the 90 mm and, surprisingly, it took the same size GSO focuser.
The process of replacing the original with the GSO focusers is easy and straight forward, the instructions are clear and accurate. I am very satisfied.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Excellent alternative to stock focuser

Strong Construction

I bought this to replace the stock rack and pinion focuser on my C80ED (requires adapter). It is nicely machined and anodized. It is quite sensitive to drawtube tension, but I'm starting to prefer it this way. A nice feature is the graduated index marks on the drawtube, so you can better estimate the distance to focal plane when setting up the scope. I especially like the fact that the finder base (not included) is mounted on the part of the focuser that rotates, so that you can maintain the finder and diagonal in the most comfortable orientation, no matter which direction the scope is pointed when mounted to an equatorial mount.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Good

Compact,Accurate,Easy to Use

Unstable

Good upgrade for 90/700 refractor

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Much better than the original

Accurate,Strong Construction,Easy to Use

No Finder Dovetail

Good, solid focuser that was easy to fit. Friction adjustment is a bit fiddly and needs setting when using heavy lenses or an SLR, but that is the way with Crayford focusers I suppose. No finder dovetail or adaptor is included and my original 'scope had the finder on the focuser, so I had to adapt one of the Agena Synta dovetail bases to fit, but Agena were very helpful with this.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Best value for money in a Crayford

Easy to install,High quality,Strong Construction,Easy to Use

Rough Rotating Focuser

Product is installed on an Orion Astroview 90 EQ as a replacement for the stock Synta rack and pinion focuser. The GSO is the focuser this scope should come with in the first place. For visual use, it's best value for money I've seen.

After using it for a while and enjoying the smooth accurate focusing it provides, I am glad I invested in this product.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Great Focuser

Easy to Use,Strong Construction,Accurate,Finely machined

Heavy

I purchased a Meade 90mm f/8.8 tube assembly refractor on ebay for $37. As it turned out the optics were diffraction limited but the focuser was barely useable. Needless to say the 90mm was just begging for a finely machined focuser to go with it's great optics.

The Meade tube had an inside diameter of 89mm. The GSO came with a 86.4mm adapter and it fit nicely into the Meade tube with no shims needed. Now I have a diffraction limted refractor with an excellent focuser. Thanks for the great product.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Very very good product

Easy to Use,Strong Construction

Heavy

Fantastic focuser. Light years ahead of the stock focuser for my Orion Astroview 90 EQ telescope. Installation was a cinch and it works so much more smoothly now. I can use 2" eyepieces now and I bought the adapter to mount my 6x30 angled finders cope. Two small gotchas. The focuser adds more than 1 1/2 pounds of weight to the OTA. My tube now tips the scale at 7 pounds which is pushing the limits of the EQ-2 mount I use. Also needed to rebalance the scope in both RA and declination. Other gotcha is the scope is mounted forward in its tube rings to accommodate the additional weight. Regardless - it's an impressive product. Thanks.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Good Value Dual Speed Focuser

Easy to Use

Good dual speed focuser. This focuser and the available GSO finder bracket and red dot finder made a great upgrade on my old Taiwan-made Meade achro. I wish it rotated 360 degrees without hanging up a bit in spots (as stated in the literature), but for the price, this is a solid value.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Perfect item as expected

Easy to Use,Worth The Value,Strong Construction

None

I order this focuser to use it with an homemade refractor OTA 6"F10. I am very satisfied of it for the price. Just the rotation of the focuser is a bit hard when it hold heavy binoviewer.
However I am very happy.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Precision Marching and Buttery Smooth Op

Easy to Use,Accurate,Strong Construction

GSO Crayford Focuser for Refractors - Dual Speed (with 86.4mm Telescope Adapter)
The drawtube on the GSO Crayford Focuser for Refractors - Dual Speed (with 86.4mm Telescope Adapter) and compression ring visual back are machined from solid aluminum and affords smooth operation, great feel and precise adjustability. Internal baffling and anti-reflection blackening increases contrast and decreases ambient light reflections. The dual speed affords precise and accurate focus control. The GSO Refractor Crayford Focuser mounted directly to my Orion ST80 with the same screws that held the OEM focuser on the optical tube with no hassles whatsoever. Precision machining and smooth operation make thuis one of the best value focusers on the market today.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Smooth like butter Focuser

Strong Construction

I purchase this GSO focuser a while back. To replace the stock focuser on a 80mm refractor I bought for guiding. This focuser provided me with the best stability on my camera equipment. Focusing on targets was easy with the double speed performance of this product. I had no problem using most of my eyepieces and most important my cameras. I had done lots of imaging with this GSO crayford focuser and believe me I highly recommend this focuser as a great way to upgrade your scopes stock focuser.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Super upgrade

Precise Control,Easy to Use,Accurate,Smooth,Strong Construction

Super easy to install, just three screws that I reused. Took all of thirty seconds to turn my mediocre ST80 into an impressive instrument. Much much better than that stock rack and pinion. Now I can precisely focus in on that sweet spot and push the little refractor to its limits and it performs. Yeah it doubled my investment and more than tripled the scopes performance. Has more focus travel than the stock focuser as well. Well worth the investment.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Big improvement!

Accurate,Strong Construction

Can Slip If Not Careful

This dual speed focuser is a huge improvement over the stock R&P unit that came with my Orion ST80. Moves very smoothly and focuses very well. The dual speed I bought on sale - great buy but wondering about it when compared to the cost of the scope. So consider that as well...

Be sure to tighten appropriately when pointing towards zenith!

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Fantastic

Strong Construction,Accurate,Easy to Use

Heavy

I purchased this as a replacement for the stock rack and pinion focuser on my little Synta-made ST80 refractor. The focuser itself has quite a bit more mass than the rack and pinion did, lending a nice, solid feel. The new focuser was easy to install, with the screw-holes lining up perfectly. Much easier to use than the original focuser on my scope, with no backlash. It did take some fine tuning of the tension to keep from going out of focus when observing near the zenith.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Perfect fit

Compact,Strong Construction,Easy to Use,Accurate,Lightweight

None

I bought the focuser as an upgrade for my Orion ST80 refractor. It was a perfect fit and it only required about five minutes to remove the old rack and pinion and install the Crayford. The focusing motion is now very smooth and backlash free.

The ST80 normally functions as my guide scope for an 8 inch Meade LX200GPS. With the addition of the Crayford focuser I have also been able to use its short focal length for wide field LRGB imaging with my Atik 314L+. The focuser has no problem with the weight of the camera and filter wheel.

Since the lens of the ST80 is only an acromat I expected that I would have to refocus for each filter and perfection, of course, demands that this be done. I find, however, that it is usually adequate to focus precisely for luminance and then to use a calibration of the fine focus knob to make the small changes for the color filters. The only unavoidable limitation for this use is that the achromat does have trouble with violet wavelengths so adding a minus violet filter or a skyglow filter can be helpful when imaging bright blue objects.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Well crafted & has nice finish.

Easy to Use,Strong Construction,Accurate

For the price its one of the best dual speed crayfords out. The fit to my OTA was a precision snug slip in & the holes matched. Great improvement over the rack & pinion my refractor had & this focuser has no play/slop. Only thing I notice which is no big deal is that when using heavy large eyepieces at zenith I have to lock the focuser screw down or the focuser may slip a bit. Not an issue once the OTA has come to ambient temp & no longer needs focuser tweaking now & then. Its a LOT of finely machined alu for the price & a super focuser upgrade if you have a synta refractor or a SCT or Mak with mirror slop.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Great Focuser

Strong Construction,Good quality,Easy to Use,Accurate

No collimation,Heavy

Great replacement for my Orion 80mm Short Tube, no adapters required, straight fit.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Fantastic focuser

Strong Construction,Easy to Use,Accurate

I bought this for use on my C80 ED. Got the adapter ring with it of course. What a huge upgrade. I love using this focuser! I always have this one in mind when thinking of buying different scopes, I wouldnt hesitate to buy another.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Great least expensive 2-speed focuser

Accurate,Compact,Lightweight

Nice and light weight, works good.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Easy and stylish upgrade

Direct replacement,Smooth,Accurate,Stylish

I bought this focuser to upgrade my Short Tube 80mm refractor's rack and pinion 1.25" focuser. The upgrade took only a couple of minutes and the three screw holes matched perfectly. This focuser is a joy to use holding my heavy 2" eyepieces, as well as, my binoviewers. I highly recommend this item for a beautiful upgrade to these terrific little scopes.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Always a pleasure to do business here

Compact,Accurate,Strong Construction

The focuser is great, too! :-) Buttery smooth and solid as a rock.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 C80 Essential Add-on

Compact,Accurate,Strong Construction,Quality Lenses

This focuser can easily micro focus my 314L+ & Filter wheel or EOS 40D & Focus reducer at the meridian without slippage or creeping. Once focused its not necessary to really over tighten the focus lock grub screw that much because it's is that good. The best thing about the focuser is its internal bearings, they run on both sides of the draw tube and hold up nicely eliminating flexure. I bought the micro 10:1 type but regularly don't bother using micro and just use the main focus knobs there that good.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Quick & Easy

Compact,Accurate,Strong Construction

The adaptor is a breeze to fit, the build quality is excellent.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Great product

Strong Construction,Accurate,Perfect Fit,Compact

We should have upgraded the focuser on our Celestron C80ED long ago. This is the perfect focuser for it. The dual-speed controls and smooth motions are just what we needed.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Sweet focuser for low cost!

Accurate,Strong Construction

Shiny interior finish

I bought this focuser for a home-built short focal length refractor. I needed a large focus tube to take full advantage of the short steep light cone from the objective. This big beautiful focuser works great! The focusing is like butter, and is adjustable in tension, and lockable. The whole focuser can easily spin around to suit the orientation of your telescope. It has an ample focus range of 80mm (3 1/8"). The focuser tube is sized for 2" eyepieces, but it comes with a 1.25" adapter, both of which have big thumbscrews and brass compression sleeves. My only qualm is that the whole thing has a nice glossy black anodize finish, which looks great on the outside, but is not so great on the inside. The focuser tube IS threaded (micro-baffles) which cuts most of the reflections, but the glossiness of the finish still reflects some. I ended up masking it off and painting the inside of the focuser tube and inside of the focuser body with flat black paint. Now its a black hole on the inside...sweet.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 An Awesome Upgrade To Any Scope

Beautiful finish,Smooth Operation,Superior Consruction

This is the third GSO Crayford style focuser that I have purchased from Agena and as always I am not disappointed. There is no better value for the dollar than this focuser and really no better upgrade that you can do to your scope. Its fit, finish, and functionality rival even some of the other custom focusers on the market. Whether it is an entry level scope or a high end professional scope, this focuser will bring something very good to the table.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Improvement over original

Smooth action,Nice Finish

Rotation feature loose,Touchy adjustment

I bought this focuser to replace the original unit on my C80ED scope. It is a far superior focuser to the original one. This is a nice looking focuser with a smooth machined finish with even black anodizing. The action of both the coarse and fine focus is good. The tension adjustment is pretty sensitive to get good action and still have adequate holding power. If the tension is too loose, the tube slides out when the scope is pointed high, and if it's too tight the fine adjustment slips instead of focusing. With a little finesse it can be adjusted just right. I also found that in cold conditions it needs to be adjusted slightly tighter, but this is very easily done even with gloves on. There is a rotating feature, where the angle of the focuser can be changed as the telescope changes angle, useful for use on an equatorial mount. It is a somewhat loose fitting mechanism, such that when the set screw is loosened to rotate it, the focuser flops around a mm or two. Once positioned and retightened however, it seems to maintain alignment just fine. The best part of this focuser is its ability to get very fine focus with no backlash, which is what is considered the main feature of a two speed crayford focuser in the first place.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Great focuser

Accurate

Ordered the dual speed Crayford for my Orion ST 90 refractor. It works great! It was easy to install, using same three scews. Collimation was improved also, because of build quality apparently. Turned my [$] scope into $900 one! It was a pleasure doing business with you folks. Will definitely use you again for other astronomy accessories.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Very nice focuser.

Perhaps not quite as silky as a FeatherTouch (I've owned three) but still very nice. It does have advantages over a FeatherTouch. It is rotateable and has a longer travel but lacks a brake for very heavy loads. Since I don't use heavy loads I in the end prefer this focuser
with its ability to rotate. It is mounted on a 12.5 inch Dall Kirkham with a truss tube. I machined the tube and all of the components for the scope and this focuser nicely complements the instrument.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Exactly what I was looking for!

Quality Construction,Great Price

None

Okay, here's my story. Back in the late 90's, I purchased a Coulter 90mm short-tube refractor for use at public outreach events. My 10" Meade LX50 got to be such a chore to setup, and then take down again, that I started a search for a scope that was much lighter, and more transportable. My budget was VERY low, so the Coulter short-tube refractor (with alt/az mount and tripod) was what I ended up bringing home. Fast forward 10 years. The LX50 has long since been replaced by a downsized, yet computerized, 8" Meade LX200GPS, and the short-tube had been relegated to sitting in the corner of the room collecting dust. However, as of late, even the 8" SCT has become a chore. That's what happens as you get older! At any rate, I was once again looking to purchase a scope that was more "anti-backache" than the 8" SCT. After a lengthy search, I finally decided that it just might be time for me to think about simply upgrading the short-tube refractor. There were two things which needed upgrading - the mount/tripod and the focuser (Yes, we're finally getting to the focuser review). The focuser ended up being the first phase of the upgrade project. My focuser requirements were simple: I needed the capability to utilize my 2" eyepieces, dual-speed Crayford-style focusing, and a price that wouldn't break the bank. Boy, did I underestimate how hard a task it would be. Everything I could find on the Internet was in the realm of several hundred dollars! I was about to give up on my upgrade project, when a GOOGLE search produced a link to the AgenaAstro Products website. Lo and behold, there was the focuser of my dreams. Though it was initially hard for me to determine exactly which model would fit my refractor, the website offered images of other scopes which had used the company's focusers as upgrades. Luckily, there were at least two separate scopes that looked exactly like mine, and they were both upgraded with the same focuser. So, I was able to determine which GSO focuser model I needed.Though I had never heard of the brand before, and was a little apprehensive about making the purchase, the GSO 2" dual-speed focuser addressed every single one of my requirements, and an additional requirement that I hadn't even realized I needed. My eventual mount/tripod upgrade was one which utilized a "side mount" configuration. Therefore, I realized I had lucked out when I finally became aware that I needed a focuser that could also rotate at least 90-degrees. Installation for my particular focuser model was a breeze! Simply remove the 3 mounting screws from the old focuser, remove and replace with the new focuser, and reinsert the 3 mounting screws. Piece of cake! To the company's credit, they readily acknowledged a minor shortcoming to the GSO refractor focusers. It seems that manufacturing tolerances may not have been as strict as they should be, concerning the rotatable mounting collar. They indicated that users may experience some stickiness at certain points during a full 360-degree rotation of the collar. This was especially true of my particular unit. However, it is not an issue with me, as I do not foresee the need for me to continually rotate the focuser. I currently have it in the 90-degree offset needed for my application, and there it will stay.The fit and finish of the unit is on par with some of the more expensive units I've seen, and is well machined. The focusing mechanism is extremely smooth, and responsive. The thumbscrews for the focus lock, and focus tension, are logically placed and readily accessible. The graduated scale etched (and highlighted) into the drawtube is very handy, as it allows for quick and accurate refocusing when changing eyepieces. Overall, I am EXTREMELY pleased with my focuser purchase!

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

4.0 Focuser and dual speed are very good

Accurate,Compact,Strong Construction,Quality Lenses

Sorry for my english (I'm Italian ), the focuser GSO is very ok, and each components of micro regulation (focus ).

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 What a Difference

Accurate,No Slop or Slip,Strong Construction

The dual-speed is just one of the pluses of these focusers. The gradiated drawtube is very handy for repeating focus while doing astrophotography, and the rotation makes for an easy night on the neck (not to mention framing a picture). But the best thing is the tensioner and lock screws which prevent heavy accessories from causing the drawtube to slip and lose focus over time.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 A must have upgrade

Strong Construction,Accurate

This has been a fantastic upgrade for my C80ED. It makes focusing a breeze. It supports my Canon 40D and provides stable images. If you have a scope like the C80ED with a stock focuser, stop waiting and upgrade to this focuser.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Get Focused!

Low cost,Crayford smoothness

None

When I purchased a C80ED, I didn't plan on putting any more money into it. I just intended to use it out of the box, as is. The optics turned out to be great but I was getting a little frustrated with the rack and pinion focuser. I cleaned the heavy grease from it and re-lubricated it. This helped some but the more I used it, the more I disliked the image shift and somewhat jerky feeling when focusing...especially at higher powers. it was time to take a closer look at a Crayford-style focuser for this fine little refractor.

Agena Astro has a relatively low cost GSO dual speed crayford and when they provided an adapter, specifically for the C80ED, I decided to go for it.

Removing the old rack-and-pinion focuser is somewhat of a chore on the C80ED but getting a good grasp on the OTA is the key. I ended up placing the OTA vertically, with the objective end up (covered of course), and the focuser end in a vise. I used a soft-jawed vise and wrapped the OTA in a towel. Being careful not to over-tighten the vise, I could now get a firm grip, with both hands, to unscrew the OTA from the focuser.

Installing the new GSO crayford focuser and adapter ring was a breeze. I think it took me all of about 2 minutes.

The improvement to the telescope is outstanding! The focuser is now as smooth as butter, no image shift, and the fine micro adjustment gets you right where you want to be. I also bought the optional finder bracket for a few bucks more and plan on adapting my Rigel QuikFinder to it.

The GSO Dual-Speed Crayford Focuser is a fine addition to any telescope and will only add to the value.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com

5.0 Fantastic focuser

Buttery smooth movement,Excellent workmanship,Perfectly collimated,Accurate

None found

I just received a GSO crayford focuser from Agena Astro and this piece is an incredible bargain. It was [$] shipped (which includes an adapter and tax because I'm in California) and the workmanship is first class. My Celestron 100ED looks super sharp with this focuser and collimation is dead-perfect at every angle. I ordered another one today for my Celestron 80ED. And also I have to say that Agena Astro (agenaastro.com) gives top-flight service every step of the way. Emails are answered within hours and I ordered this piece on Sunday and had it within 72 hours. They have made me a loyal, repeat customer.

This review was provided courtesy of AgenaAstro.com