What are some cheap mounts that are good quality and I can use for a setup that weighs 7-10 pounds.
Relatively cheap mounts
In my opinion and experience there is no such thing as good quality and cheap in the same sentence. You might find "decent" quality and price but for example even an EQ6R-Pro which is not cheap under any means is barely any good with a larger scope and has many many design issues. Since you care about the quality of the mount I will assume you plan on using it for astrophotography, which means the mount must feature GOTO and autoguiding.
For an equipment of your weight I recommend maximum portability, I wouldn't get any heavy mount with counterweights which will make your setup process hard. My recommendation for you is a ZWO AM3, it can hold a lot more than your weight, it does not require a counterweight bar, basically the harmonic drive is capable of holding all the weight on itself. Plus, you can use your phone to polar align an control the mount. AM3 is not cheap but it's not expensive either, it's somewhere in between and I really recommend saving more to get such a mount. I have been looking for a portable mount myself and will probably go for the ZWO AM5 to carry a medium weight scope without effort.
For an equipment of your weight I recommend maximum portability, I wouldn't get any heavy mount with counterweights which will make your setup process hard. My recommendation for you is a ZWO AM3, it can hold a lot more than your weight, it does not require a counterweight bar, basically the harmonic drive is capable of holding all the weight on itself. Plus, you can use your phone to polar align an control the mount. AM3 is not cheap but it's not expensive either, it's somewhere in between and I really recommend saving more to get such a mount. I have been looking for a portable mount myself and will probably go for the ZWO AM5 to carry a medium weight scope without effort.
Helpful
Nikolaos Bafitis:
What are some cheap mounts that are good quality and I can use for a setup that weighs 7-10 pounds.
Define cheap.
Is this for a portable setup or fixed?
What's your budget?
What's your budget?
Well Written
Nikolaos Bafitis:
What are some cheap mounts that are good quality and I can use for a setup that weighs 7-10 pounds.
10 is very different from 7.
Have a look at the new Juwei 14 or some of the UMI lite mounts. That's what I'd consider cheap if we're talking harmonic drive mounts.
I don't think anything beats the Juwei on price, but it is OnStep.
I don't think anything beats the Juwei on price, but it is OnStep.
I've learned the hard way that going overly cheap in this hobby will not give you the tools necessary to obtain quality data. I went the cheap route with my first equatorial mount and while I learned a lot from the experience, the tracking was marginal. Once I realized that I needed a quality mount to support accurate guiding for long exposure photography, the "cheap" mount ended up being wasted money. I would have progressed much faster had I applied the money for the "cheap" mount towards the purchase of something better.
Do yourself a huge favor and and invest in a quality mount. My first quality equatorial mount was a Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro and then I upgraded to an AM5. I have become a convert for harmonic drive technology and the AM5 is the best investment I've yet made for this hobby. If you're absolutely certain that you will never desire a heavier imaging set-up, the AM3 is a great option but an AM5 provides a lot of upside if you ever catch a case of aperture fever.
Do yourself a huge favor and and invest in a quality mount. My first quality equatorial mount was a Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro and then I upgraded to an AM5. I have become a convert for harmonic drive technology and the AM5 is the best investment I've yet made for this hobby. If you're absolutely certain that you will never desire a heavier imaging set-up, the AM3 is a great option but an AM5 provides a lot of upside if you ever catch a case of aperture fever.
Well Written Helpful Insightful Engaging Supportive
I think the harmonic drive mounts like the AM-3, AM-5 are great portable mounts. If you are working from your backyard or other secure location then a more traditional equatorial mount might be the way to go. I upgraded to a EQ6-pro a few months ago and have been very happy with it. This mount is proven technology has been around for a long time with upgrades along the way. Weight capacity is a hefty 44 pounds and it gave me 0.5" guiding, out of the box.
I'm sure everyone will tell you, if you are going to spend money on anything, spend it on your mount. The best telescope in the world won't be worth it if you have to struggle with the mount.
I'm sure everyone will tell you, if you are going to spend money on anything, spend it on your mount. The best telescope in the world won't be worth it if you have to struggle with the mount.
Helpful Concise
the only problem with these mounts is that they are 1500 dollars, so for now I think I am gonna try and use no mount and then wait until I can manage to get my first decent mount.
That's a good plan
Yep… There is really no such thing as a cheap + good mount… You can have a cheap mount, or a good mount, but not both.
You can find mounts that are comparatively cheap compared to their competition (Juwei harmonic mounts are cheap compared to ZWO/Warpastron/Emcan Astro etc, and the are good mounts… but they are not 'CHEAP' necessarily.)
A used Skywatcher HEQ5 would be the cheapest way to get 7-10lb of equipment tracking the night sky.. That's what I'd be looking at for your first mount… Yes, they have issues, none that can't be overcome with a bit of effort (and a few extra $ spent on it), You'll get 0.5~0.6" tracking out of a HEQ5 with a belt mod and a regrease… That will be plenty good enough for almost anything you're planning to do.
You can find mounts that are comparatively cheap compared to their competition (Juwei harmonic mounts are cheap compared to ZWO/Warpastron/Emcan Astro etc, and the are good mounts… but they are not 'CHEAP' necessarily.)
A used Skywatcher HEQ5 would be the cheapest way to get 7-10lb of equipment tracking the night sky.. That's what I'd be looking at for your first mount… Yes, they have issues, none that can't be overcome with a bit of effort (and a few extra $ spent on it), You'll get 0.5~0.6" tracking out of a HEQ5 with a belt mod and a regrease… That will be plenty good enough for almost anything you're planning to do.
Helpful Supportive
I have an AZ/EQ5 Pro which is the next one up from the HEQ5. its more expensive than an HEQ5 but has better features.
I have found it was an excellent mount for scope up to 4 inch.
if your thinking a 115mm might be on the horizon then get an EQ6 and deal with the weight. the AZ/EQ5 pro is much lighter than an EQ6
I have found it was an excellent mount for scope up to 4 inch.
if your thinking a 115mm might be on the horizon then get an EQ6 and deal with the weight. the AZ/EQ5 pro is much lighter than an EQ6
Sky watcher gti is cheap and usually guides my 4kg payload between 0.6 and 0.9 arc seconds on my 2 minute subs
Travel rig advice: AM3N with Redcat 61 and ASI 2600mc Air
Hi all, I am putting together a travel (air travel) rig with a Redcat 61, ASI 2600mc air, EAF, and AM3N. I think this mount is adequate, although I see many people using an AM5 for this class of telescope. It seems to me this rig is the perfect use c...
Travel rig advice discusses AM3N mount with comparable weight equipment setup.