Reviews - Meade ETX-125 PE UHTC Astro Telescope Premier Edition 125 PE w/ Tripod, AutoStar GOTO Controller. AutoAlign, SmartFinder, AutoStar Suite Reviews - ME-TS-PE125-0515-03-55-PROMO

Author: NotAFan from Waterloo Iowa on Sep 3, 2009
Pros:  Good Optics
Cons:  Poor controls/motors
Would recommend:  no

NotAFan wrote:

The telescope had a broken star finder out of the box. Sent back and it was repaired under warranty but total time was 6-8 weeks. Took out of the box and began the autoalignment and in about 2 minutes, horizontal control motor failed. Sent back and was repaired again 6-8 weeks. Took out of the box and went through autoalignment. While centering on the first alignment star, telescope lost control and attempted to slew downward with no ability to control. When turned on just continues to want to go down. From smell, either a control circuit has failed or motor is about to burn out (vertical motor this time). All in all we love the images but the telescope is clearly unreliable.

Author: Bob (verified customer) , Backyard sky watcher, from Upland, Ca on Aug 8, 2009
Pros:  Far from being a toy
Would recommend:  yes

Bob wrote:

With a doubler, I was able to see gas lines on Jupiter. This, I believe is the best you can go without going way over 1K.

Author: firechick1721 (verified customer) , I am a volunteer firefighter and a paid EMT. I like to look at the stars, take pictures, and visit cemeteries., from McMinnville, TN on May 26, 2009
Pros:  easy to set up, fun for whole family
Cons:  auto star is confusing, smart finder breaks easily
Would recommend:  yes

firechick1721 wrote:

this is the first telescope i have ever purchased, so i have nothing to compare it to. i cannot figure out how to do the alignment for the auto star. i never could get the smart finder set right, because when it got close to being right, it cracked!!! however with the autostar, you can easily move it up/down/left/right, even if you do not know what you are looking at, the view is still awesome!! i also bought accessories so i could hook my camera up to the scope, and i have gotten some amazing pictures.. the moon is just breathtaking when looking through this scope. it is heavy, but the bigger you go, the heavier it gets.. i like it alot, and if i ever learn to use it i am sure i will love it!!

Author: T spicer (verified customer) from davisburg,MI on Feb 2, 2009
Pros:  excellent mak-cass optics
Cons:  poor quality, not user friendly, poor instructions
Would recommend:  yes

T spicer wrote:

I am displeased with meade's etx125. I have been an owner of a meade LX90 for nine years and had wonderful time with the overall performance of the scope from visual to photography. I had reasonable expectations for the 125 PE. I am disapointed in the cheap plastic construction of the finder scope bracket and LNT mount. R.A. locking handle is cheap and flimsy. The R.A. label is cheap and almost unusable. The Level North feature is unreliable and inaccurate. Compared to my Autostar system of my LX90 from 2000, the 125PE with LNT was not able to slew correctly to a target from one part of the sky to another. The so called smart align feature is a joke. Meade should have spent more time in improving the mount and fork arms then the goto programs. The optics on this scope are excellent. Great pinpoint of stars with airey disks. Saturn shows amazing detail at 150x on still nights. I was even able to make out M1 the Crab Nebula with the125! Thats excellent for a scope with a slow f ratio(f15). ...
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Author: neillm (verified customer) from Puyallup, WA on Oct 13, 2008
Pros:  Excelent optics
Cons:  Questionable mechanical and electrical.
Would recommend:  no

neillm wrote:

Have yet to see one alignment star. Tried the spiral search too. Meade tech support has been useless. Meade repair requires the return of a possibly defective handset before they send a replacement. Optics Planet has been helpful. May have to return scope before the 30 days are up. Will update this if things improve.

Author: BtrieveBill (verified customer) from Flossmoor, IL on Feb 5, 2008
Pros:  Great light gathering capability; Good terrestrial scope, too!
Cons:  A bit time consuming to set up for occasional use.
Would recommend:  yes

BtrieveBill wrote:

This is our first "real" scope, having spent some time with other cheapo units. We decided that we like the GoTo capability, but aligning the scope can be difficult due to a weak mount for the alignment viewfinder (causing it to lose accuracy with a minor bump). The scope is actually TOO good for aligning, because we think we're aligning on the brightest object, but it's actually a dimmer object in the area instead! We've also used this for terrestrial viewing, and have been ecstatic with the results, especially with the righting eyepiece.