Got an Email from Agena Astro today.
The AM7 is coming out and they are taking pre-orders.
So if anyone is chomping at the bit to order….
Agena Astro announces AM7 pre-orders now available
Did anyone feel a little disappointed about it? I was expecting a higher payload capacity.
For people who have to be portable but with a heaver OTA this mount makes sense. At $3500 with a tripod though, there probably are better choices for everyone else.
The thing about strainwave gear mounts is that they scale up very easily. It’s really just a matter of larger capacity drives. That’s the main thing that limits payload. If you look at something like the newly released SAL-33 from MLAstro that carries up to 44 lbs for a little over $1000 you can see what’s possible. I think I even heard a reviewer mention that a remote polar alignment add-on is planned.
Helpful Insightful Respectful Concise Engaging
Admittedly having never tested one myself, I’m still in a mixed bag about these.
I’m not convinced they can track as well as what I’ve got. 0.5 is the magic number, but I’m at 0.2’s and 0.3’s with my present mount. And happy.
But for those starting out…. might be a consideration. And I understand the lightweight for those that Star Party, or transport a lot for better-Bortle skies, the smaller mounts may be very attractive.
I’ve already got my “forever mount”.
Nicolas Molina · Jan 29, 2026, 11:56 AM
Did anyone feel a little disappointed about it? I was expecting a higher payload capacity.
Me… This was a wasted opportunity for ZWO.
There is already a bunch of options for mounts on the 20-30kg payload range. UMI20S, WarpAstron WD20, Pegasus NYX101 just to mention a few.
I was hoping for something that could cope with payloads 30kg and above without counterweighs (using counterweights takes out one of the best advantages of harmonic mounts).
Anyway… I’ll wait for ML Astro SAL-66…
Helpful Insightful Concise