Good introductory telescope for the price - Celestron FirstScope Telescope 21024 Reflector 76mm Tabletop Telescopes

I bought this for a 12 year old girl with a passing interest in astronomy. She seemed excited by it and we had little trouble setting it up or learning to use it. She could easily find the moon and Jupiter, and with a little effort located the Pleiades.

Finding a sturdy base is a bit of an issue--the thing tends to wobble a bit on tables and such. I think it will also take her some practice to get the hang of adjusting the focus without "bumping" an object out of the field.

My biggest concern was with the eyepieces that were included. The 20mm is a good choice, but I cannot say the same for the 4mm. I explained to her that under most conditions this eyepiece would not help the overall view. I also bought her the accessory package that came with a 12.5mm and a 6mm eyepiece. Both of these seemed much more useful and user-friendly than that 4mm eyepiece, and I would have rather either of them been included in the basic set-up instead. Something in the 8-10mm range would have actually been ideal to complement the 20mm. In any case, I would recommend spending the extra $20 for the accessory package just to get the extra two eyepieces--I think most people will find them more useful than the high-powered one that is included.

Overall, this is a good buy for the money and a good introduction for someone casually interested in the sky. Just don't expect optical perfection.
Pros: Easy to use and handle, especially for kids
Cons: Poor choice of second eyepiece (4 mm)

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.