Review on 🔭 SVBONY 1.25 Inch Telescope Barlow Lens - Enhanced 5X Optical Zoom for Stellar Telescope Astronomy by Scoony Taker

My telescope is a 5" f/5 Newtonian Reflector. The maximum usable magnification is around 260X. But the included high magnification eyepiece only gives 65X. The Barlow lens has to be perfect to maximize the potential , but no more. In reality, even a 3x Barlow lens was prohibitively expensive (considering the price of the telescope itself) with its prohibitive price.Using Amazon's powerful sort by price (low to high) I'm onto this one Objectively bumped the price is good and the seller's datasheet says it's an APO design generally good quality but there was a very negative review from another user I definitely wanted that full potential of my telescope and gritted my teeth trying it myself luckily the result was rewarded its a bit lan g and heavy, but it gives you high magnification and crisp image quality for just $25. Considering its wonderful price, I give 5 stars to Con. This lens is a bit long and heavy, which easily upsets the weight balance of telescopes. (So downvoting another user who mentioned focal length has its merit.) is a bit tricky. The high magnification power of this Barlow lens exacerbates the problem. Even the slightest movement due to instability is also magnified, and the target is easily lost from view. There are two common ways to restore balance. . Balancing - Loosen the screw holding the dovetail, adjust the position and tighten the screw. - Check the balance and if not, repeat again. - No additional cash costs, but annoying. (You'll need to follow this procedure every time you attach that Barlow lens.) 2. Attach some sort of magnet to the back of the telescope to act as a counterweight. - Buying a magnet requires an additional cash cost, but remember? This lens is such a steal. - Attaching a magnet is much more convenient than loosening and tightening a screw, and if the OTA doesn't have a dovetail plate, this is the only way. - In theory, for about the same weight (as this lens), a magnet is needed. If you are unsure of the correct magnet size, it is a safe bet to purchase several small magnets and adjust the number of magnets attached. .) There is also a problem with too much magnification. With 5x magnification, it's so easy to exceed the telescope's maximum optics. (Maximum usable magnification is typically 2 * aperture in mm.) In my case, this Barlow lens and the supplied high magnification eyepiece together gave about 120% of maximum and the image quality degraded slightly. A high magnification eyepiece attached to this lens, the image quality is quite good. With the included high power eyepiece and this lens, it gives 120% of the maximum magnification and the image is a little blurry, but I like using the optics to their full potential. Detail view The surface of the moon is very satisfactory. With this lens, it is good to keep portability with a short focal length and achieve high magnification. The telescope has become 5 times more sensitive with this lens. Mount instability and viewfinder shift also increase. For this reason, weight balancing is important. Conclusion. A little long and heavy. Easily upsets the balance of weight. But after rebalancing it gives a 5x magnification with good image quality. Ideal for short focal length telescopes that typically lack magnification. If you need more magnification but are concerned about the extra cost, I definitely recommend this lens.