Gskyer 70mm Telescope Review

The Gskyer Telescope, 70mm Aperture 400mm AZ Mount Astronomical Refracting Telescope is an excellent, low stakes, telescope in which to dip your feet into the wide ocean of astronomy with. It comes with all of the standard features that you want to play around with, is durable and well constructed and has a low sticker price. These things pair together to give you a telescope you won’t be afraid to get, play with, and learn on without buyers remorse.

All of these things have made this one of the best selling telescopes on the market today. It is functional, user friendly and makes backyard astronomy a hobby anyone can try for themselves.

Gskyer 70mm Telescope Specs

• Refractor telescope
• 70mm objective lens
• f/5.7 focal ratio
• 120x highest magnification
• 6lbs assembled weight

Despite being in competition with well regarded names such as Celestron, Meade and Orion, it is Gskyer who brings one of the best beginner focused telescopes to market. Almost universally praised, well built and fun to use, there are not many telescopes out there that can hit all of the high notes that this telescope does at this price.

Ease of Use

With a basic, fluid, altazimuth mount, this telescope is super easy to use. It won’t be long before you are casually cruising around the night sky looking for interesting things to view. This makes it perfect for child or young astronomers as well.

You won’t have to worry about your kids knocking this scope over or being frustrated with its use. It is a great scope for introducing your kids to astronomy or using it as a fun family activity after dinner.

It would make a great gift for anyone in your family thinking about getting a telescope because of the price and the features.

The only thing about this telescope that is difficult is the assembly. There is a decent amount of assembly required and is no means ready to go straight out of the box. The instructions are adequate but not great and there are some unclear parts which could be frustrating for some.

If anything does go wrong or if you are unsatisfied, they claim to have a full satisfaction guarantee. It says it covers maintenance but it doesn’t say its a warranty but they claim they will be able to get back to you with an answer to your problem within 24 hours so you have that safety net to fall back on if needed.

Once the telescope is properly assembled, it stays an easy toy to use and is perfect for novices and children alike.

What Can You See?

With a 70mm aperture, this Gskyer 70mm Telescope does not have a ton of viewing power. It’s ability to take in light from distant objects is far lower than say an 80mm aperture or an 100mm aperture which makes sense. While it won’t knock your socks off in terms of power or depth of viewing options, it does enough to keep you occupied.

It is able to see all of the best solar system views including great images of the moon and Saturn, good images of Jupiter and Mars. It can see your favorite constellations with relative ease and is able to hone in on some other favorites like Andromeda. Anything that has a decently bright profile and is not too difficult to locate will be in the wheelhouse of this telescope.

This does leave a lot to be desired for anyone who is familiar with telescopes which is why it’s geared towards new users and younger users. The image quality is good but not great but it does enough to keep you entertained.

Accessories

One of the greatest additional values that this telescope brings to the table is a litany of great accessories. The accessories alone are worth a good chunk of the asking price for this telescope kit and they really add a lot in terms of usability and enjoyment to the scope at large.

The accessories included with this telescope are a handy carrying bag, finderscope, zenith mirror, two eyepieces (10mm and 25mm), a 3x Barlow lens which triples the effectiveness of the two eyepieces, a smartphone attachment which allows for basic pictures of the night sky and a tripod.

There is a lot of value here. The two eyepieces are decent, one high magnification and one relatively light on magnification. This will allow for great views of constellations and the moon as well as more focused shots of planets and such.

The Barlow lens allows you to get two different uses out of each eyepiece which makes it as if you have four eyepieces instead of two. Each eyepiece you add to your collection will similarly be able to be paired with the Barlow lens for additional function.

The finderscope is basic but a needed accessory in order to keep you on point while using the altazimuth mount. It will allow you to more precisely zero in on the objects you are trying to get into view. It is not the best finderscope but the inclusion here, again, adds value to an already very affordable telescope.

All of these accessories work to give you more options in using the telescope. From being able to fool around with your phone camera to seeing how a Barlow lens works, these accessories are fun.

Verdict

I would peg this telescope as more geared for younger astronomers than adults looking to break into the field. There are more mature and better telescopes for a similar price that adults or more serious astronomers will find more use from in their quest to learn the basics of astronomy.

You can search a telescope out with our complete Telescope Comparison Table if this one just is not right for your needs.

For kids, there are few better telescopes out there. Younger users will find hours of fun with this telescope with little fear of breakage or frustration. There are enough included goodies and enough exploration to keep them engaged for a long time. It is a super low maintenance and low pressure telescope that is great for families, kids, or super budget conscious people.

It is a best seller for a reason.