Celestron Advanced VX Mount

Users in team Dwarfstar: Manijeon

• Specification

1. Mount design: Center-balanced German equatorial mount

2. Drive: worm gear and spur gear, DC servo motors (not stepper motors!)

3. Payload: 30lbs (13.6 kg)

4. Weight: mount 7.71 kg, tripod 8.16 kg (Counterweights are not included)

• Pros

1. Cost efficiency

2. Black color goes great with other telescopes (especially carbon-tube scopes)

3. Convenient RA and DEC lock screws

4. Easy Alt and Az adjustment due to large screws

• Cons

1. The mechanism of holding the telescope dovetail may easily damage the dovetail bar (especially for non-metal dovetail bars)

2. Requires a seperate saddle to hold Losmandy dovetail bars

3. Requires to be star-aligned with the remote, even when controlling the mount with EQ Drives

4. Guiding performance may be lower compared to mounts with similar payloads, due to the type of motor

5. The RA motor case may obstruct the use of the mount with the counterweight close to the center

6. Some say it doesn't go well with ZWO's ASIAIRs (not a problem if you don't use them)

• Verdict

One-line summary: Doran's Mount (450 🪙)

If you are new to this hobby, then the Celestron Advanced VX (AVX) mount is just for you! Yes, it is not as portable as the Skywatcher Az-GTi, or as powerful as the Skywatcher EQ6 mounts, but it stays in between these two mounts, being cost-efficient and versatile. Beginners can use it for small refractors up to 8'' reflector or catadioptric telescopes.

Comparing to other brands of equatorial mounts, it is similar to the Skywatcher HEQ5, or the iOptron GEM28. (the GEM28 has a little bit lower performance compared to the other two)