"I purchased this mount/tripod combination to hold my new (for me) Antares 1056 Vixen spec 4 inch f6.3 refractor. I have a couple of GEMs that I use for bigger scopes, but I wanted light, portable grab and go. The unit arrived well packaged and in fine condition. While I waited for its arrival, I read as many reviews as I could find and one of the biggest complaints I read was about the substandard Alt and Az slow-mo knobs/handles. Everyone recommended buying flex handles to replace the ones that come with the mount. Vixen sells these for about[$] each, but I had a few stored away from old scopes I no longer have. To my surprise, when I dug out the contents of the shipment, there were two Vixen slo-mo flex extenders in the box at no extra charge.The mount moves smoothly on both axis in either the "push-to" or slow motion mode. The aluminum tripod is steady as aluminum tripods go, particulary with an f6 scope. Even with a 5mm eyepiece at ~125X splitting Gamma Leonis, the view was quite steady and damp down time was less than 2 seconds.I have a set of wooden legs from Hands On Optics I may try on this mount to determine if there is any improvement, but for now, I'm quite pleased with the fit, finish, and overall quality of my purchase."

Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

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May 15 2009

Scott Holland

Lowell, North Carolina

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Price: $299.00

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Vixen Optics PORTA Manual Altazimuth Telescope Mount w/ Tripod

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Vixen Optics PORTA Manual Altazimuth Telescope Mount w/ Tripod

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