Zhumell has taken their expertise in making high quality, expensive large telescopes and shrank that experience down into an extremely affordable package. Some of Zhumell’s best work is advanced telescopes for the seasoned astronomer but now they are offering an all-around kit for the beginner astronomer that has everything that they could need to start off in the stargazing field.
The Z-series by Zhumell strives to bring the completeness and quality of their higher-end telescopes to a more affordable price point. The Zhumell Z60 Portable Refractor Telescope kit has everything you could need to start a hobby in astronomy. This versatile refractor is portable, comes with a whole host of accessories, and all for an unbeatably affordable price. The value for a starter kit is out of this world.
Zhumell Z60 Features
- Refractor design
- 60mm objective lens
- f/11.6 focal ratio
- 118x highest theoretical magnification
- 5lbs assembled weight
This is the perfect all around kit for anyone looking to get into astronomy for the first time or the person who already has a nice telescope at home but wants a second telescope to take along with them on their adventures and not have to worry about it.
Check Latest PricePortable’s Right In the Name
The telescope is perfect for the on the go outdoorsman. If you want a telescope that you can sling over your shoulder and take with you wherever then you can’t get much better than the Zhumell Z60 Portable Refractor. The kit includes a handy nylon bag that fits the whole setup inside so that it easy to pick up and go. Even all together this whole kit will come in at less than ten pounds meaning it is not heavy or obtrusive to take along with you anywhere.
I can see this being perfect for anyone who spends a lot of time outdoors under dark skies. If you go camping a lot, like late-night beach trips or hike to places with low light pollution this telescope can add a lot of fun and opportunity to these outdoor pursuits.
Are Refractors Telescope Durable?
Refractors are also very durable and best for traveling. They have no fragile mirrors that can get broken, scratched or misaligned easily. The sturdy optical tube can safely be packed away without any anxiety. Reflectors always give you a bit of a pause when packing them up and moving them around because realigning them after a trip can be a real pain.
You will never have this issue with this refractor. This will allow you to take this telescope almost anywhere worry-free.
A lot of the time the sky in your backyard is familiar but not great for stargazing. Many houses suffer from a lot of light pollution and a lot of telescopes are not as portable as they want you to believe. This telescope can go with you to those darker skies and is actually portable.
The Zhumell Z60 Portable Refractor is extremely light, breaks down into a convenient carry bag and a dark sky can make up for its relatively small optical output.
Optical Quality
For a starter refractor, the Zhumell Z60 Portable Refractor checks all of the boxes that you want to see. It has a higher focal ratio at f/11.6 and a fair magnification level at 118x. It has an optimum magnification level at 70x which is the perfect sweet spot for viewing the solar system.
While this telescope is not going to be seeing into deep space it can see all of the local features. It is great for viewing the moon, great for looking at Mars, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn. If you’re into local star clusters or bright stars like Betelgeuse this telescope can do all of that as well.
In fact, this telescope kit actually comes with a moon filter included. This will help to blunt some of the bright white light that comes off of the moon when it is prevalent in the sky. Not only is this a great added value, a unique accessory not usually seen in kits like this but is hows their confidence in their telescope’s ability to see the moon effectively.
With a decent magnification level and a higher focal ratio, this telescope will be happiest when it is looking at singular objects that you want to get a lot of detail on. This will include shots of the moon or shots of Saturn and Jupiter. It will offer high-quality images of these singular bright objects and do a fine job at that.
What can I do to see more?
The 60mm objective lens can be bolstered by going to an area with a very dark sky. That is why the portability can be used for more than just fun, it can boost the performance of this telescope by a lot. Any telescope with a small light gathering end can be helped immensely by a darker sky.
The darker the sky the more the telescope can see. It is the same for the telescope as it is for the naked eye.
For a telescope that comes in at less than a hundred dollars, this offers plenty of power for the money. The ability to dollar ratio is a great value.
Way More Accessories Than Expected
One of the first things to be cut out of telescope kits on the lower end of the price range is usually accessories. There are similar telescopes at a similar price point to the Zhumell Z60 Portable Refractor but none of them come packed with as many features and extras as this one. In fact, there are some telescopes that are way way more expensive than this model that come with half the number of accessories.
The Zhumell Z60 Portable Refractor kit comes with two eyepieces, a red dot finderscope, a moon filter, a 2x Barlow lens, carrying bag, tripod, and mount. These accessories alone are almost worth the entire price of this whole telescope kit. And you get a quality refractor telescope on top of all of these great accessories.
What is the stand out accessorie?
A couple of accessories really stand out as unique for this pricepoint. The red dot finderscope is a great addition to any telescope and is included here. This makes focusing and finding specific objects in the sky a breeze for novice and intermediate astronomers alike.
The other one is the moon filter. Not only do most telescope kits not come with any filters, but the moon filter is also easily at least a ten-dollar value if not more. That shaves off almost 25% of the total price of this whole kit right there. This is a great touch that will immediately enhance your views of the moon all included.
Throw in the standard tripod, bag, and eyepieces and you get a complete kit that really feels hefty. Sometimes it is disappointing to get a new telescope kit only to find it lacking in accessories. This happens to a lot of telescopes but this one is sure to delight with its array of accessories.
It gives you everything you could need to get your astronomy hobby started or anything you could need with your telescope on the road with you. It is a complete package from top to bottom.
Everything Has Its Price
While this is an incredible deal and a stunning value there are a few things that leave something to be desired. The most common complaint about this telescope is that it cannot see what people thought it could and that the documentation is terrible.
In terms of overall size, most telescopes do not get much smaller than 60mm in terms of aperture. This means that this telescope is going to have one of the smallest light-gathering potentials out of any telescopes on the market. Naturally, this telescope is going to be limited in what it can see on any given night.
If you are not well versed in how telescope sizes work this might surprise and frustrate you but if you know what to expect it delivers as expected.
Zhumell says that this telescope does not require any assembly or tools to operate but a few users complained that out of the box the telescope is more confusing than they expected. Zhumell has a pattern of not including great documentation or instructions with their telescopes. Luckily, the refractor is simple enough that this should be an easy thing to overcome.
Verdict
As a portable all in one telescope kit the Zhumell Z60 Portable Refractor is unmatched. It is cheap enough that you will never really worry about it getting lost or damaged while on the road but it is complete enough that it will do everything you can think of for it and more.
In terms of features and accessories compared to the price, this is an amazing kit and Zhumell continues to deliver amazing all in one package for the budget astronomer.
