Celestron's packaging shows no concern for their product. No packing material at all. The focuser is so sloppy that I had to take it apart and re-shim it. The tripod does not get any flimsier. In even a moderate wind it is all over the place.

This telescope is well worth its cost. The set-up is fairly straight forward. The images it produces are very clear. I was able to see some incredible images of the moon with minimal effort (with both of the included lenses). Because it is a Newtonian telescope, the view may be inverted, so it is a little more difficult to find stars. The attached view finder can move a bit -- in my case it does not align exactly with what is lined up in the actual lense. The software included with this purchase is cool; the star tracking/searching capability (along with the exact location of the star) makes it easy to find them in the sky. Now, translating those directional numbers into useful input when positioning the telescope is another matter....

After I constructed my own tripod and mount for $30US, this `scope is wonderful. A little collimation and a Rigel Systems laser spoter rounds out my setup. These tuneups makes this an amazeing toy my 5 year old nephew loves. And I spend hours observing Saturn and Jupiter. You can even see the phases of venus with clarity.