3. M002CS Complete Mount System - Stainless steel tripod

This is holding my first refractor, a Televue Pronto. Sure the mount is overkill for that tiny scope but I was looking for the best, smoothest combination out there and Stellarvue delivered! The movement glides so easily and the build quality is over the top good. Made in the USA, made to last. Phenomenal

Super smooth movement. Lightweight. I bought this to travel. I can carryon the mount and scope but the legs are too big. I’m not complaining.The tripod is heavy duty. Might be too big for a checked bag even.

I expected something well made, but this is better. A joy to use, handles my 20lb mak newt easily. Tension screws are perfect for the right movement. Well packaged. Thank!

I'm very happy with the mount as it is solid, well built, and moves with ease. The tension knobs work well at adjusting the amount of friction to your liking. I can say that the entire setup with the tripod holds my 10 lb F7 102mm with ease and there is almost no vibration if bumped. If there is one thing I think could be better, it would be a better eyepiece tray and support slightly lower to allow for bigger 2" eyepieces. Stellarvue support(live chat) was top notch too.

Ken:

I am sorry the Denali Tripod required washers! This should not have gotten through our QC without being able to tighten. I think I know what happened (we had some bolts that were 1/4" too long) but not testing it after assembly is not up to our standards. So I apologize for this and I will make sure to review this with assembly staff.

The other comment regarding the tray is interesting. I come from a biased perspective since I use 2" eyepieces so I can see it would not work as well for you. I prefer eyepieces anchored through holes as wooden trays with the small side walls will stop eyepieces from rolling off but when bumped everything hits the ground. So you have me thinking of making a triangular tray with the short side walls as an option.

Thanks for your comments and again, I apologize for the hassle with the legs. That should not have happened.

Vic Maris
President
Stellarvue Inc.

This is my third or fourth SV "box-style" alt/az mount. I had an original M3 as well as the successor M1 mount (the box shaped one, not the V model).

I ordered the M2 and metal tripod combination but found that, while functional, the metal tripod wasn't nearly as nice as the M2 mount head. It just felt cheap compared to the US-made Stellarvue M2.

I exchanged the metal tripod for a wooden Denali. The Denali is a much nicer tripod and very solid. I did have to buy extra washers because the leg-top bolts would bottom out before the legs were actually tight against the hub - which made the tripod unusable. Moreover, the spreader/tray is slow to deploy because it requires kneeling under the tripod to align and screw-in the three connecting knobs . Once it's set-up, though, it's great. I don't use the tripod tray as a tray, though. It has no edges and half the holes are drilled for 2" eyepieces, which I don't own. Several items have fallen off the edge or through the holes.

For my TV-85 and TV-76 or Pronto, however, I find a Manfrotto 475 tripod to be the best solution for the M2 - compact, steady, fast & well finished.

The M2 mount is superb. Smooth, steady, versatile. It easily handles my (heavy duty vintage Stellarvue) 4" f/8 SV-102t triplet refractor. It's quick to adjust and rebalance. The dual-size saddle gets in the way of the focuser on smaller refractors (like an SV70) but this mount was really meant for bigger OTAs and the flexibility is nice. The M2 mount provides a wonderful smooth & steady experience.

The handle is a nice accessory but can interfere with pointing to zenith or the OTA's focuser, depending on tripod and OTA. It can be flipped to angle up or down, though.

I did eventually buy the Nexus DSC, mounting shelf and encoder kit from Australia. It's a really nice system but does replace some of the solid metal panels of the M2 with plastic panels.

Overall, the M2 is a 5 star piece of gear. I'd rate the tripods as 3 or 4 stars. Both tripod options work but neither are quite up to the same level as the M2 mount itself.

The build quality on this mount is outstanding ,the 2" tripod extension column and m2 head are as solid as they come , I wondered how people were mounting heavier scopes on this but after seeing it ,I can see how ...

I use a 4" f/7 refractor with this. Both axes have a lot of modulation in their adjustment, and feel very precise in their motion. The tripod offers a very stable support. The mount seems to disappear beneath my telescope, and is really a joy to use! I believe this mount bridges the gap between inexpensive mass produced ones which are frustrating to use, and uber-expensive niche mounts. Thank you Stellarvue!

The M2C mount is a keeper. The fit and finish are fantastic and the operation in both axis’ is silky smooth. Along with Stellarvue’s world class customer service, you can’t go wrong!
Ken F.

A well-made compliment applies. So does it’s simplicity. Both common traits of SV products. I regularly mount an SVR-102T (the carbon fiber variant), SV-80S (a 2004 heavy variant) and a Lunt 60mm H-alpha double stack refractor. Switching between these scopes is a snap, with only small adjustments to axis friction towards smooth movements in alt and az directions. The handle extension also assists greatly in movement without having to move the scope itself - which can be a good thing in the dark for features like diagonals that can inadvertently come loose. It just works...