Spent $80 on a 'pro' star tracker that ruined my first Milky Way shoot

I bought a SkyWatcher Star Adventurer Mini off eBay for $80, thought I was getting a steal. Set it up at Cherry Springs State Park last Saturday, spent 3 hours trying to align it, and it just kept drifting. The cheap plastic clutch stripped out on me before I ever got a single usable 30-second exposure. Has anyone else had luck with the cheaper star trackers or should I just save up for a used iOptron SkyGuider Pro?

3 comments

3 Comments

jessica7071mo ago

Ugh the clutch stripping out mid session is such a nightmare. I had a similar experience with a used Star Adventurer mini and honestly, I think those first generation ones had a bad batch of clutches. I ended up tightening mine with some electrical tape just to get through a night but it never tracked right. The SkyGuider Pro is a way better bet, I got a used one for $200 and it's been rock solid for two years now. The build quality difference is night and day compared to the plastic bits on the cheaper trackers.

thomas_sanchez1mo agoTop Commenter

Totally agree with you @jessica707, my first tracker had the same garbage clutch and I almost gave up on astro entirely.

sean_green441mo agoMost Upvoted

Honestly I used to think people were just being dramatic about the clutch thing. I had a SkyWatcher Star Adventurer and thought it was fine, figured folks were just too rough with theirs. But then I borrowed a buddy's older iOptron SkyTracker for a night and holy crap the clutch on that thing was like twisting a plastic toy. It slipped like three times during my first alignment and I almost threw it in the grass. That one session totally flipped my view. Now I get why everyone says to just spend a bit more upfront or hunt for a used SkyGuider Pro. The difference in how solid everything feels is unreal once you actually compare them side to side.