Concerning the DOA bit, from Proxisky: quality checks are performed for all units shipped out (including mine, which was confirmed working prior to shipping). This was the first and only case of such a DOA mount out of more than 200 shipped abroad - any similar cases, should they happen in the future, are covered by warranty. My Patreon: www.patreon.com/cuivlazygeek My Merch Store: cuiv.myspreadshop.com/ The UMi 17 Lite Mount (and others from Proxisky): www.proxisky.com/ Further Equipment used in this test: ZWO ASI585 MC Pro Camera: bit.ly/3Iwo6y8 (Agena) or bit.ly/4cp1Ofn (High Point Scientific) or tinyurl.com/43h2pbx9 (FLO) RedCat51: bit.ly/48hyuVx (Agena) or bit.ly/48pTWXW (HPS) or tinyurl.com/3rfcjndf (FLO) ZWO ASIAir Mini: bit.ly/3OiGlv5 (Agena) or bit.ly/4bRTKTS (HPS) or tinyurl.com/23swen54 (FLO) Tripod video: ua-cam.com/video/2uuzA-NRtV4/v-deo.html Live stream: ua-cam.com/users/liveI-9uDtH8GnU Amazon affiliate: amzn.to/49XTx01 Agena affiliate: bit.ly/3Om0hNG High Point Scientific affiliate: bit.ly/3lReu8R First Light Optics affiliate: tinyurl.com/yxd2jkr2 All-Star Telescope affiliate: bit.ly/3SCgVbV Astroshop.eu Affiliate: tinyurl.com/2vafkax8
If you scared of a bigger scope on that mount can't you rig up a "dummy" weight instead of a full telescope setup and just drive that around for a few hours???
Got a Lite and have been very happy with it. I've used mine with an Askar FRA300, a Takahashi TSA102 and a 200mm f/4 newtonian, with guiding between 0.3" and 0.8" rms under good conditions
I've ordered one of the new Umi 17R servo drive models for the Tak and Newt, and will continue to use the Lite as a 'grab-and-go' mount with my smaller scopes
Proxisky are very good for replacement parts. I had them send me a spare PCB for my original UMi just in case anything ever went wrong when I got mine as I fully intend to use it forever. An their support is stellar.
Cuiv - another great review. Absolutely love you and your channel. I love how honest you are and how you clarify you concerns vs engineering concerns. We are in a whole new era of portability! I have been working for literally 15 years to get an airplane friendly kit and i finally have it and just traveled via air to Joshua Tree. I took an AM3 and a 90mm Askar FRA500 with Asi Air and Zwo Asi 6200 with 50mm guide scope. It all fit in a carry on and was .2 pounds under the carry on limit (35 pounds)!! Air friendly power banks are still a challenge, but we are getting there!!
Another use case for that modularity is to have the mount permanently fixed on a pier outside, with the critical hardware and electronics of the mount easily removed to be stored safely inside, and a simple cover would be enough to protect the base of the mount on the pier. This could actually be pretty handy.
Glad Proxisky were able to help you with technical support to get the UMi 17 Lite working again. That is good customer support! I'm still leaning towards a ZWO AM3 or AM5 but tempted with Sky-Watcher's new Wave mounts.
Thanks for your honesty on this review. You have such a trusted message. I appreciate all you do for this industry. I feel like I always get good honest reviews.
With my UMI17, i was getting 0.4-0.5 guiding with my 250PDS with 5kg counterweight :) It was so weird after EQ5. it was so quiet, and the fact that i barely had to delete any images because of guiding errors, unlike with my EQ5. I love my UMI, it was a great buy. When i was buying they had 2 mount tested in stock, they sent the guide logs, and i could choose which one i want. As they will grow, i dont think they will be still ofer that kind of thing.
As of currently they text mounts upon request of the customer, I received a tested unit. I have the UMi 17, I use it with my SVX102T and it does very well. I typically see RMS values of 0.3-0.6” but I’ve seen 0.2” several times.
Great review. I am an umi 17(not lite) user and absolutely enjoy this mount. Something small about meridian flips with onstep. With OnStepX there is a way to change the preferred pier side and it will be saved to eeprom, so that's easy. With OnStep which is the older version you can either install a custom firmware, or set the preferred pier side on each session. I used to do it via NINA by sending a command to the mount during my sequence so it would always be at preferred pier side for me and then increase the limits so I won't need to pause so much during meridian flips and that really annoyed me. Now I just do meridian flip after the meridian so no need to pause or lose imaging time.
That's good information! I don't think OnStepX is supported by the Lite and as I recall the custom firmware is also not for the Lite :/ How do you set the preferred pier side on each session?
@@CuivTheLazyGeek I personally use the custom firmware for the umi 17, but before doing that I used 2 methods: 1. Using the Sky Planetarium software by stellarjourney which is made by the OnStep creator, and there you have the option to change that manually. 2. Using NINA there is a plugin called "Device Actions and Commands", you can use in the advanced sequencer the "Send Command" instruction, device would be the mount with type string, and the command itself would be ":SX96,X# where X is either E, W, B (EAST, WEST, BEST), raw=on. By using this in the beginning of the sequence that should always set it pretty much, then I just set meridian to flip 5-15 minutes past meridian, I set E limit to 1, and W limit to 5. If you want more info let me know and we can further chat in the discord.
@@CuivTheLazyGeek Apparently my previous was deleted for some reason, so I'll try to write it again. First of all, I'm pretty sure there is a similar custom rom for the lite with preferred pier side, not made by me, but officially by Proxisky I think. Following on the topic of doing it manually, basically you can set this value without firmware changes, but the value will go back to the default "BEST" on each power cycle so it's very important to remember that. There are 2 methods to do that: There is a software by the onstep creator called "Stellarjourney Sky Planetarium", I think sharing the download link won't work, but a simple google search should be good enough. In the menu you can go to Connections-> Telescope -> connect the mount -> Meridian Flip menu -> Select the desired preferred pier side. This is a bit annoying but works fine. With NINA, in the advanced sequencer there is an instruction called 'Send Command' under Utility, you'll need to have the 'Device Actions and Commands' plugin installed for this instruction to be enabled. In that instruction you can set to send string command to the telescope, and you can just send :SX96,X# where X is either E, W, B (EAST, WEST, BEST) depends on your need. Make sure that raw is set to on otherwise it wouldn't work. Now that the preferred pier side is set, we need to change the limits based on what we want and change the meridian flip settings. I'm in the northern hemisphere so I set the preferred pier side to EAST, add 1 degree to EAST limits and 5 degrees for WEST limits so I can track a few minutes after the meridian. On NINA I just set it to flip somewhere 5-15 minutes after meridian, so that way I don't need to pause before meridian or have my exposures ruined. I've been using this method for a few months until changing to the custom firmware. If you have any questions we can continue over their discord.
In a couple of years, I will be bumping up in telescope size and mount. I’ll let all of these wave gear mounts come out and see what shakes out. I’m loving the cheap prices compared to others.
@@CuivTheLazyGeek yes! I agree! I went to their website, and it is a little clunky, but I was able to view its bigger sibling, the 17. For that price I’d definitely take a chance.
It looks like the wedge itself uses a brass chuck for clamping onto the dovetail. If that is the case, that makes it soft that it could get a good form fitting bite onto the dovetail
I don't own a telescope yet but I watch a lot of your videos which will help me in the end on which one to choose..your videos are very helpful and I enjoy them..thanks!
Hi Cuiv, I love that the wedge is detachable because I am doing wide-angle astrophotography (large mosaics from 100mm focal length) while traveling. For me it is ok to use a big ball head of my tripod instead of a wedge. I am doing this already with photoguiders like star adventurer. Since I have to carry my equipment on hikes in the mountains, this mount is very exciting to me, since it is much more compact and lighter than my skywatcher GTi. Since I can use the ball head also for my other photo projects, this solution is extremely promising to me!
Yes - it would be the same. The easy way out is to just set the meridian limits/window to zero on both sides, and in the imaging software to stop 5 minutes before meridian, and flip 5 minutes after meridian!
I purchased a Lite Back in April. They did not test it as they said with the amount of cloudy skies they were having, it would take months. First thing I noticed was the screw for the altitude adjustment on the wedge would not turn at all. They sent me a replacement. But in May I had a medical emergency and therefore just set it up last week. The guiding was ok .8-1.1. I have WO Z61 with usual accessories, mini PC, EAF, EFW... So not too heavy a payload. Seemed to perform well for the first time using it. But when I went to stack one of my images, there was registration issues. I need to delve into this a little deeper as my first inspection using Blink in PI looked ok. I hope I'm not having tracking issues.
Good review! I think that it'll do fine up to its rated payload. If you're nervous, you can install a slide stop bolt on the telescope wedge to prevent it from sliding out of the mount. I don't see much difference between this dovetail mount as compared to the am5 unless this mount plate is made of 3d printed material...
one could also use the modular nature to mount it on a bent-knee pier (a pier with the top part bent over to point at the polar axis) and thereby eliminate the need to meridian flip.
What is, in your opinion, the best strain wave mount (non-encoder) for an 8” SCT using a Celestron OAG, ASI174Mm mini, ASI071MC for guiding? I’m using NINA currently but also have an ASIAir. Or should I stick to GEM/CEM designs. Thanks.
You didn't mention a budget! So I would answer, amongst the ones I have tested, the WarpAstro WD20 as the best :) But of course the AM5 would be a great choice as well. And the EM31Pro kind of stole my heart, it's a bit of an AM5 on steroids. Then there's also the WD17S. Sorry I can't give you a single answer!
Question about the polar alignment E-W. On iptron mounts when I setup the tripod, and tighten everything, if I have to move E-W more than 5 degrees, I have to move the tripod itself. So my rough polar alignment has to be pretty accurate. What about this. Can you move it around? i.e. lets say I set up facing E and then I just move the knobs and move it to 90 degrees without issue?
Nice and useful as always! I just saw yesterday, a UA-cam video of someone presenting but very briefly, the expected new Astro box from Touptek, which is very similar to ASIAIR on the outside, only the color differs, being black I guess. Maybe you can ask Touptek to send you one box for testing and evaluation. Touptek said the box will connect many more devices and not only one brand just like ZWO ASIAIR.
Tin whiskers is a built-in failure condition - the whiskers will slowly grow over time until shorting out a fine track somewhere. Do they have a conformal coating on the PCB?
Interesting mount. For me, the ZWO line is very attractive since it works flawlessly with each component. I run mainly ASIAirs and now have three complete scope/Air/ASI camera assemblies that I can mount on my AM5/Primaluce pier in about three minutes. I don't see myself mixing and trying to match components from other makers.
Thanks for this informative review!! Does the onstep meridian limit mean the ASIAir’s polar alignment feature can’t go across the meridian when it slews taking its alignment images?
I don't think you got any special treatment. My UMI17 was tested and I got to see the guide logs before purchase (I believe they ran it for about 2,5-3 hours) before selecting the specific copy I wanted.
That's great to hear! I do have to ask myself the question :) I wonder how long they'll be able to let people choose like that, it's excellent to hear however :)
@@CuivTheLazyGeek Probably not long term, but who knows. Even if they don't offer guide logs in the future, just running them for a couple of hours should mitigate issues like you had. Most electronics either break instantly or work a long time. 🤷🏼♂️
Thanks for the input, if you don't mind can I ask where you are based? I'm in Australia and trying to figure out shipping on proxisky website...unable to do that right now though
I'm just wondering what the gear ratio is because I'm just thinking of making my own. I think I found it, surprisingly it's only 100:1 atleast if its just using the drive and no additional reductions.
Very interesting mount Cuiv it certainly has a few weird designs regarding the wedge being separate & the counterweight bar being fitted with a finder shoe, however with it being onstep it should connect using ASCOM just fine as I use ONSTEP on my old CGE pro mount but as for using Indi drivers I'm a bit clueless regarding those. Talking of INDI I see that ToupTek are bringing out an Asi air clone which should work with any cameras etc & not be locked into one system & I'm thinking of ordering one as this could be the answer we've been needing for a long time.
Nice review. I would like something similar but with a smaller play load (4 or 5kg) to replace my SW StarAdventurer. I already have the WO wedge so I can use it with a nice little Harmonic mount.... Will it come to market one day?... I can wait. Thank you.
RE: Perhaps receiving special treatment when they said they tested the mount before sending it to you When I bought my UMi 17 (the regular 17, not the lite), they sent me guide logs for my review before I sent payment. Unsure if this is still their procedure, but I would not be surprised if they still test the guiding on every scope before shipping it out. So it /may/ be the case that you did not receive special treatment if by “testing” they mean their standard checks. …or maybe they did give you special treatment. Who knows. Just figured I’d add my experience here. Editing to add: In case anyone is curious, I use my UMi 17 with an Esprit 100 ED and get ~0.4” RMS guiding with an OAG. Also Proxisky/Meow Astro said on their discord that they’ll include PCB schematics in the user manuals. I’m saying this here to hold them to their word. Because that’d be amazing.
I also bought a regular UMi 17 just a few months ago and they do test the mounts beforehand and let you select which unit you like based on the guide logs. I think sometimes if they don't have any tested mounts available you can say you don't care and just send the next one that's available but in general seems like they're all tested as the other person mentioned 👍
I'm a happy customer of the regular UMi 17. I had a problem that during a night the PC shut down before the mount moved back to home and after that the mounts home position got reset to where it was when it lost pc connection. I just had to move it with the phone app to where I considered to be the original home position and reset it in the app. But I asume this is a problem with any mount without a physical home position. I'm looking forward to the new Skywatcher Wave 100i. For a grab and go it should weight 4.3 kg (slightly more than Umi Lite with base) but with two saddle support (in Alt/AZ mode)! I hope it performs well since I'd love to use it in the spanish eclipse of 2026 and have a two camera setup to capture it.
As soon as I saw the footage with the equatorial wedge, my first thought was - It will not hold Polar alignment, which you later confirmed. They completely scaled it from Skywatcher Adventure - a terrible engineering mistake. Keep all the weight on one bolt, instead of two axle shafts spaced apart across the base. Otherwise, it’s great that more and more manufacturers of such mounts are appearing
Wow, I pretty much wrote the same thing! I owned iOptron CEM26, which suffers from the same bad design with the locking lever on the altitude adjustment and the azimuth bolts are also the only things that hold the entire mount to the tripods. Terrible design from any angle you look at it.
I have used the EM31 equatorial mount (not the EM31pro) and the UMI17, and I have also exchanged experiences with other astronomy enthusiasts who use Chinese-made harmonic equatorial mounts from other brands. In my opinion, the UMI17 is the most cost-effective option, while the EM31pro is the most friendly for deep space photography in the field.
Another reason for two part - leaving the mount on a semi permanent (for PA and SA) tripod/pier taking the mount indoors BTW USB & Power Ports, ASCOM Driver?
It's nice that the mount comes with a nice storage/travel case, but I'd like to see one that has room for the wedge, too. Just as ZWO provides a nice little pouch for some of their cameras, but then leaves no room for the adapters that one might need to carry around or store. Seems to be a common problem with a lot of hobbies. As an aside, when you were wiggling the mount and OTA, it sure seemed like there was a fair amount of flex--could that be a problem? Don't know if that's true of an AM5 or AM3.
Another comment regarding the AM3…. it tracks well and i am getting about .6 RMS most of the time. However, i do have an issue where the mount will go wonky about every 10 or so subs… just completely jumps on RA…. having said that, I had a similar issue with my AM5 and it was solved by tightening the belts… not the easiest of tasks on the AM series mounts so i haven’t checked/done it yet on the AM3….
I would actually love to have some modular AZ convertable mount like that. Sadly (and considering I would need aditional equipment also for it) it will remain atleast for some time outside my financial capabilities. Im curious - is it somehow possible to do like 3-star align and track also in AZ mode?
I looked at that mount for a while but the separate wedge with clamp just turned me off for the exact reason you mentioned, one dovetail to fail is enough, don't need two. I ended up with an AM3 with the free tripod promo and with free shipping the cost became quite close.
The AM3 should also be really good, although I haven't used it directly :) the TC40 tripod I now realize is pretty bad, but with small scopes it shouldn't be an issue!
Hey Cuiv! Great review! Unfortunately I have a bad luck with mounts that have a "locking" lever for alt/az adjustments. I already had 2 of those, Skywatcher's star adventurer and iOptron Cem26. After owning those, I really don't like that design. As you noticed, it shifts the polar alignment after locking. They have to come up with a better idea. On the other hand, I am glad to see a competition and pushing the prices further down. I wish we would have the same race going on in the camera market.
Yep I agree on all counts - the WarpAstron has much better design, and the newer UMi mounts to as well. And the EM31Pro I'm testing has the best polar alignment I've used :)
@@CuivTheLazyGeek My solution to the significant play in the altitude adjustment bolt was to install a heavy compression spring on the shaft - this also removes the 'dead spot'.
I'm not sure how though, since I simply don't have any rig that is 13kg in this example - and on the EM31Pro some complained that I was testing at capacity...
I'd be concerned with a dovetail shoe holding a counterweight bar and counterweight without any kind of movement. This is probably a concern that has no basis in real-world use, but I suspect I'm not the only person who would perceive this to be a potential issue. The wedge was also a concern when I first saw this on AliExpress, and it appears this might not have been entirely an issue of perception. While its removability could confer some advantages to some people, the drawbacks would outweigh them for me. Shedding a couple kgs of weight is always nice, but (for me) not at the price of difficulties in achieving or maintaining good polar alignment. If space is at such a premium while traveling that one needs a separate wedge, one can always pack one less pair of socks.
Great review as always Cuiv, I was eagerly waiting for this one! I am expecting the 17R soon as well! 🙃 Gotta love competition, those new brand SWG mounts are killing it as far as pricing is concerned! Makes you think what the profit margins of the "big" brand companies are ie how much they are ripping us poor lazy geeks off.
@@CuivTheLazyGeek It is a good wedge but maybe not for loads over 5 kg. Would like to see a mini Harmonic mount smaller than the AM3... something like a 1.5 kg mount with 5 kg capacity to replace my SW Star Adventurer ! Wishful thinking.
Cuiv maybe they got carried away with the "modular" design?? personally I would have no problems with the unusual design as long as it performed as well as I expected it to. One thing that did worry me is that faulty circuit board! I'm no electronics manufacturing expert but it seems to be a bad omen if they're not consistently producing perfectly soldered/constructed electronic components? I would worry a lot about a brand new fully functioning mount suffering electronic failures after a few months of usage!? It just saps your confidence to buy it when it's costing $1000+!
It was a bummer indeed! They told me it's the first time they see that. I do see the ability to get a replacement board (or buy one down the road) as a very good thing though, so it's 50/50 there..
@@CuivTheLazyGeek yes that's a good point Cuiv! After the warranty runs out it will always be very helpful having the ability to repair it without much trouble yourself.
I have the Umi17. I am not very happy with it. 1st - the altitude adjustment are crap. 2nd- it gives me spikes up to 4RMS every minute or so in RA. You get what you pay for....
Interesting mount. I hope iOptron is paying attention because the SkyHunter is crap. Actually the design is just like the SkyHunter where it uses a dovetail saddle / wedge type base. One thing about the iOptron base is that it has a screw to stop the mount from sliding off the base! I wonder of the $200 USD advanced base made by iOptron might be a better choice for this. Either way thanks for you honest review!
Hi Cuiv! Great to see that you were able to finish and upload my long time awaited Umi review. 😁 The concerns that you have with the wedge design were also my considerations to choose the regular UMi17 mount. I have been able to use it for a few nights now. The mount works great, just the Alt adjustment screws are crap. It is the same method like on the Skywatcher mounts with two counter acting screws. I hate that method and the Chinese screws are as usual super soft that they already lost some material while seeting up the Alt during polar alignment. I need to go to the hardware store and afford two German quality V2A steel screws to replace the cheap soft M8 Alt screws. Else I can only say good things about the bigger brother of the Lite version. From my point of view the Lite version has its niche that it fills in a good way and many people have been waiting for a mount like this. But llike for you it is nothing for me. I prefer the traditional design and that the normal UMi17 has a dual saddle for Vixen and Losmandy style dove tails. I also have the next potential candidate for review for you. 😁 Maybe exactly this item will be my first real YT video. The item that I am trying to point at is not released yet (nevertheless I am going to get one in about 2 weeks). The app for my tablet I already have downloaded. It is the competitor to the AsiAir from the company whos cameras have light blue color coating. 😉
Call me old fashioned but I don’t trust these guide shoes to be stable over a long period of time. I have run into flexure too many times to count and now I prefer things to be bolted down.
...y'know what this mount can do that no other mount can? Be a gigachad Seestar. Mount a hyperstar'd C6 in alt-az mode and make all Seestar users cry in jealousy and inadequacy muhahahahaha Good take there. As someone who's into ultraportable gear the UMi 17 Lite has been on my radar for a long while. And I do have this William Optics base not being used much. Hmm. That M4 bolt thing... IDK, pretty sure the bigger SCTs are using something similar to attach the tube to the base plate. I'd be more concerned about that dovetail hack slipping from the bracket, I wish they used something with more surface area than bolts to clamp onto that small plate.
I'm with you Cuiv, I wouldn't want to risk anything much bigger than a Red Cat 51 or 61 on that mount. I'm just waiting to see what the Sky Watcher SWG mounts will be like before I make my final decision. I like the Idea of the dual saddle on the 100 mount but in the end it may come down to price. Also I will probably be using it with a Stellarmate mini pc most of the time, so which ever mount I chose will have to be compatible. Whatever mount I choose it will not be used with anything bigger than a WO 81GT so I don't think I need anything much bigger than an AM3 size. Thank you for the heads up on the Umi 17 lite anyway, its one more to consider when the time comes.
Thanks for the feedback! It's good that we have more and more choice like that :) The SW Wave mounts do look a bit expensive for their specs, but I also like that dual dovetail haha
Quite a few of us are happily using 4” refractors of these mounts, and tracking remains excellent (0.3 to 0.8” under good conditions). I’ve also used my 200mm f/4 newt on mine without issue - although the heavier duty pier extension (PE210) helps.
Concerning the DOA bit, from Proxisky: quality checks are performed for all units shipped out (including mine, which was confirmed working prior to shipping). This was the first and only case of such a DOA mount out of more than 200 shipped abroad - any similar cases, should they happen in the future, are covered by warranty.
My Patreon: www.patreon.com/cuivlazygeek
My Merch Store: cuiv.myspreadshop.com/
The UMi 17 Lite Mount (and others from Proxisky): www.proxisky.com/
Further Equipment used in this test:
ZWO ASI585 MC Pro Camera: bit.ly/3Iwo6y8 (Agena) or bit.ly/4cp1Ofn (High Point Scientific) or tinyurl.com/43h2pbx9 (FLO)
RedCat51: bit.ly/48hyuVx (Agena) or bit.ly/48pTWXW (HPS) or tinyurl.com/3rfcjndf (FLO)
ZWO ASIAir Mini: bit.ly/3OiGlv5 (Agena) or bit.ly/4bRTKTS (HPS) or tinyurl.com/23swen54 (FLO)
Tripod video: ua-cam.com/video/2uuzA-NRtV4/v-deo.html
Live stream: ua-cam.com/users/liveI-9uDtH8GnU
Amazon affiliate: amzn.to/49XTx01
Agena affiliate: bit.ly/3Om0hNG
High Point Scientific affiliate: bit.ly/3lReu8R
First Light Optics affiliate: tinyurl.com/yxd2jkr2
All-Star Telescope affiliate: bit.ly/3SCgVbV
Astroshop.eu Affiliate: tinyurl.com/2vafkax8
If you scared of a bigger scope on that mount can't you rig up a "dummy" weight instead of a full telescope setup and just drive that around for a few hours???
Got a Lite and have been very happy with it. I've used mine with an Askar FRA300, a Takahashi TSA102 and a 200mm f/4 newtonian, with guiding between 0.3" and 0.8" rms under good conditions
That's great to hear, especially for the Newt and the 102!!
I've ordered one of the new Umi 17R servo drive models for the Tak and Newt, and will continue to use the Lite as a 'grab-and-go' mount with my smaller scopes
Perfect timing. Just started my session. Super clear night after a long time here, Cuiv! Now I have something to watch haha..
Awesome, enjoy the session and clear skies!
Proxisky are very good for replacement parts. I had them send me a spare PCB for my original UMi just in case anything ever went wrong when I got mine as I fully intend to use it forever. An their support is stellar.
That's great to know, thanks for the feedback!
Cuiv - another great review. Absolutely love you and your channel. I love how honest you are and how you clarify you concerns vs engineering concerns. We are in a whole new era of portability! I have been working for literally 15 years to get an airplane friendly kit and i finally have it and just traveled via air to Joshua Tree. I took an AM3 and a 90mm Askar FRA500 with Asi Air and Zwo Asi 6200 with 50mm guide scope. It all fit in a carry on and was .2 pounds under the carry on limit (35 pounds)!! Air friendly power banks are still a challenge, but we are getting there!!
Thanks Dave! I really try hard to stay as objective and honest as possible! And sounds like you have a killer kit there :)
Another use case for that modularity is to have the mount permanently fixed on a pier outside, with the critical hardware and electronics of the mount easily removed to be stored safely inside, and a simple cover would be enough to protect the base of the mount on the pier. This could actually be pretty handy.
Glad Proxisky were able to help you with technical support to get the UMi 17 Lite working again. That is good customer support!
I'm still leaning towards a ZWO AM3 or AM5 but tempted with Sky-Watcher's new Wave mounts.
Don't forget about WarpAstron, and maybe even Emcan Astro as alternatives! I'm very curious as to how well the Sky watcher mounts will perform!
Thanks for your honesty on this review. You have such a trusted message. I appreciate all you do for this industry. I feel like I always get good honest reviews.
My pleasure! It's my responsibility to stay honest in my reviews :) I do my best!
Thanks for your in-depth review! 😊
Thanks for watching!
With my UMI17, i was getting 0.4-0.5 guiding with my 250PDS with 5kg counterweight :) It was so weird after EQ5. it was so quiet, and the fact that i barely had to delete any images because of guiding errors, unlike with my EQ5. I love my UMI, it was a great buy. When i was buying they had 2 mount tested in stock, they sent the guide logs, and i could choose which one i want. As they will grow, i dont think they will be still ofer that kind of thing.
That's awesome! SWG mounts in general have been so reliable and easy to use!! Really a revolution in the hobby imo
I have an AM5, and it works really well, but it's kinda big for traveling. This looks like a really good option for traveling.
For traveling it is definitely a good option!
I once saw a chain slimmer than my finger holding a 25,000-pound truck in the air. That was so surreal😅. If the metal is good, it should work fine.
Yep, it's really about my reluctance for now haha
amazing - nice to see new products. thank you. Great with all the hard work you do to get a free mount..
Thanks! And thanks for noticing the hard work, sometimes people forget...!
As of currently they text mounts upon request of the customer, I received a tested unit. I have the UMi 17, I use it with my SVX102T and it does very well. I typically see RMS values of 0.3-0.6” but I’ve seen 0.2” several times.
That's great to hear! I wonder how they'll manage to keep that up as they grow!
Great review. I am an umi 17(not lite) user and absolutely enjoy this mount.
Something small about meridian flips with onstep.
With OnStepX there is a way to change the preferred pier side and it will be saved to eeprom, so that's easy.
With OnStep which is the older version you can either install a custom firmware, or set the preferred pier side on each session. I used to do it via NINA by sending a command to the mount during my sequence so it would always be at preferred pier side for me and then increase the limits so I won't need to pause so much during meridian flips and that really annoyed me. Now I just do meridian flip after the meridian so no need to pause or lose imaging time.
That's good information! I don't think OnStepX is supported by the Lite and as I recall the custom firmware is also not for the Lite :/ How do you set the preferred pier side on each session?
@@CuivTheLazyGeek I personally use the custom firmware for the umi 17, but before doing that I used 2 methods:
1. Using the Sky Planetarium software by stellarjourney which is made by the OnStep creator, and there you have the option to change that manually.
2. Using NINA there is a plugin called "Device Actions and Commands", you can use in the advanced sequencer the "Send Command" instruction, device would be the mount with type string, and the command itself would be ":SX96,X# where X is either E, W, B (EAST, WEST, BEST), raw=on.
By using this in the beginning of the sequence that should always set it pretty much, then I just set meridian to flip 5-15 minutes past meridian, I set E limit to 1, and W limit to 5.
If you want more info let me know and we can further chat in the discord.
If it's easy, please tell us how to do it.
@@CuivTheLazyGeek Apparently my previous was deleted for some reason, so I'll try to write it again.
First of all, I'm pretty sure there is a similar custom rom for the lite with preferred pier side, not made by me, but officially by Proxisky I think.
Following on the topic of doing it manually, basically you can set this value without firmware changes, but the value will go back to the default "BEST" on each power cycle so it's very important to remember that.
There are 2 methods to do that:
There is a software by the onstep creator called "Stellarjourney Sky Planetarium", I think sharing the download link won't work, but a simple google search should be good enough.
In the menu you can go to Connections-> Telescope -> connect the mount -> Meridian Flip menu -> Select the desired preferred pier side.
This is a bit annoying but works fine.
With NINA, in the advanced sequencer there is an instruction called 'Send Command' under Utility, you'll need to have the 'Device Actions and Commands' plugin installed for this instruction to be enabled.
In that instruction you can set to send string command to the telescope, and you can just send :SX96,X# where X is either E, W, B (EAST, WEST, BEST) depends on your need.
Make sure that raw is set to on otherwise it wouldn't work.
Now that the preferred pier side is set, we need to change the limits based on what we want and change the meridian flip settings.
I'm in the northern hemisphere so I set the preferred pier side to EAST, add 1 degree to EAST limits and 5 degrees for WEST limits so I can track a few minutes after the meridian.
On NINA I just set it to flip somewhere 5-15 minutes after meridian, so that way I don't need to pause before meridian or have my exposures ruined.
I've been using this method for a few months until changing to the custom firmware.
If you have any questions we can continue over their discord.
@@hael8680 You can check my reply :)
In a couple of years, I will be bumping up in telescope size and mount. I’ll let all of these wave gear mounts come out and see what shakes out. I’m loving the cheap prices compared to others.
Competition is always good for the hobby, it's great to see SWG mounts getting cheaper :)
@@CuivTheLazyGeek yes! I agree! I went to their website, and it is a little clunky, but I was able to view its bigger sibling, the 17. For that price I’d definitely take a chance.
It looks like the wedge itself uses a brass chuck for clamping onto the dovetail. If that is the case, that makes it soft that it could get a good form fitting bite onto the dovetail
That looks to be the case indeed!
Thank you for this great video Cuiv, I’m deep into the Chinese market too and I just ordered and received the Juwei-17 for review on my channel!!
Woohoo, congrats! Will be very interesting to see how it holds up!
So, I gotta ask. What's the deal with that jab at the Star Adventurer wedge at 15:45?
I don't own a telescope yet but I watch a lot of your videos which will help me in the end on which one to choose..your videos are very helpful and I enjoy them..thanks!
Hi Cuiv, I love that the wedge is detachable because I am doing wide-angle astrophotography (large mosaics from 100mm focal length) while traveling. For me it is ok to use a big ball head of my tripod instead of a wedge. I am doing this already with photoguiders like star adventurer. Since I have to carry my equipment on hikes in the mountains, this mount is very exciting to me, since it is much more compact and lighter than my skywatcher GTi. Since I can use the ball head also for my other photo projects, this solution is extremely promising to me!
I am in the Southern Hemisphere. Does this Onstep issue which affects reliable Meridian Flip happen here too?
Yes - it would be the same. The easy way out is to just set the meridian limits/window to zero on both sides, and in the imaging software to stop 5 minutes before meridian, and flip 5 minutes after meridian!
I purchased a Lite Back in April. They did not test it as they said with the amount of cloudy skies they were having, it would take months. First thing I noticed was the screw for the altitude adjustment on the wedge would not turn at all. They sent me a replacement. But in May I had a medical emergency and therefore just set it up last week. The guiding was ok .8-1.1. I have WO Z61 with usual accessories, mini PC, EAF, EFW... So not too heavy a payload. Seemed to perform well for the first time using it. But when I went to stack one of my images, there was registration issues. I need to delve into this a little deeper as my first inspection using Blink in PI looked ok. I hope I'm not having tracking issues.
Thanks
Good review! I think that it'll do fine up to its rated payload. If you're nervous, you can install a slide stop bolt on the telescope wedge to prevent it from sliding out of the mount. I don't see much difference between this dovetail mount as compared to the am5 unless this mount plate is made of 3d printed material...
one could also use the modular nature to mount it on a bent-knee pier (a pier with the top part bent over to point at the polar axis) and thereby eliminate the need to meridian flip.
What is, in your opinion, the best strain wave mount (non-encoder) for an 8” SCT using a Celestron OAG, ASI174Mm mini, ASI071MC for guiding? I’m using NINA currently but also have an ASIAir. Or should I stick to GEM/CEM designs. Thanks.
I have the AM5 and a RASA 8 and it performs exceptionally well without counter weights…. I highly recommend!!
You didn't mention a budget! So I would answer, amongst the ones I have tested, the WarpAstro WD20 as the best :) But of course the AM5 would be a great choice as well. And the EM31Pro kind of stole my heart, it's a bit of an AM5 on steroids. Then there's also the WD17S. Sorry I can't give you a single answer!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek WOW the EM31pro is maschined like a jewel! ❤
Mine is stuck at customs since 3 weeks 😢😢
How is the mount? Whats the tracking error?
Question about the polar alignment E-W. On iptron mounts when I setup the tripod, and tighten everything, if I have to move E-W more than 5 degrees, I have to move the tripod itself. So my rough polar alignment has to be pretty accurate. What about this. Can you move it around? i.e. lets say I set up facing E and then I just move the knobs and move it to 90 degrees without issue?
Man they really LOVE dovetail mounting 😂
They do haha
Astrogena didn't want anymore dovetails from OPT. So Proxisky got them at great price!
19:00 hmm is there pulse length settings or a multiplier to change ?
Nice and useful as always! I just saw yesterday, a UA-cam video of someone presenting but very briefly, the expected new Astro box from Touptek, which is very similar to ASIAIR on the outside, only the color differs, being black I guess. Maybe you can ask Touptek to send you one box for testing and evaluation. Touptek said the box will connect many more devices and not only one brand just like ZWO ASIAIR.
Yep, it's in the plans for me to get one, looking forward to it!
Tin whiskers is a built-in failure condition - the whiskers will slowly grow over time until shorting out a fine track somewhere. Do they have a conformal coating on the PCB?
They seemed to actually have a coating on top of those solder points but maybe they got unlucky...
I'm tempted to get one of those but without the wedge and then build one myself that is more sturdy and precise.
Looks like in a few years counterweights will look like
wired phones.
Yep, I can't think of going back to a standard EQ mount with counterweights!
Interesting mount. For me, the ZWO line is very attractive since it works flawlessly with each component. I run mainly ASIAirs and now have three complete scope/Air/ASI camera assemblies that I can mount on my AM5/Primaluce pier in about three minutes. I don't see myself mixing and trying to match components from other makers.
Since you can separate the wedge, could the mount itself be carried by another alt az mount? Thus enabling motorized polar alignment!
Well,,,,, yes that could work lol, make sure the underlying mount is robust though!
Thanks for this informative review!! Does the onstep meridian limit mean the ASIAir’s polar alignment feature can’t go across the meridian when it slews taking its alignment images?
I use Onstep on my G11, it's a brilliant system, I think my total bill for the build was around £150, (including the sandwich box it is built into)!
Thanks for a great and honest review... for me, the new SkyWatcher 150 is going to be the winner. Plan to upgrade my EQ6-R to the 150i
I really hope so! Fingers crossed!
I don't think you got any special treatment. My UMI17 was tested and I got to see the guide logs before purchase (I believe they ran it for about 2,5-3 hours) before selecting the specific copy I wanted.
That's great to hear! I do have to ask myself the question :) I wonder how long they'll be able to let people choose like that, it's excellent to hear however :)
@@CuivTheLazyGeek Probably not long term, but who knows. Even if they don't offer guide logs in the future, just running them for a couple of hours should mitigate issues like you had. Most electronics either break instantly or work a long time. 🤷🏼♂️
Weird comment
@@peterwilles7227 How so?
Thanks for the input, if you don't mind can I ask where you are based? I'm in Australia and trying to figure out shipping on proxisky website...unable to do that right now though
I'm just wondering what the gear ratio is because I'm just thinking of making my own.
I think I found it, surprisingly it's only 100:1 atleast if its just using the drive and no additional reductions.
Hello to everybody. Did somebody know how long and how bride the Umi 17 lite is?
Are you planning to review any pegasus mounts Cuiv? Apart from nyx101 they will be releasing a smaller nyx88
Not at this stage, but if they contact me I can definitely consider it :)
Very interesting mount Cuiv it certainly has a few weird designs regarding the wedge being separate & the counterweight bar being fitted with a finder shoe, however with it being onstep it should connect using ASCOM just fine as I use ONSTEP on my old CGE pro mount but as for using Indi drivers I'm a bit clueless regarding those. Talking of INDI I see that ToupTek are bringing out an Asi air clone which should work with any cameras etc & not be locked into one system & I'm thinking of ordering one as this could be the answer we've been needing for a long time.
Yep, ASCOM works perfectly fine with it as well :) and yes I'm looking forward to the Touptek Astro station !
Nice review. I would like something similar but with a smaller play load (4 or 5kg) to replace my SW StarAdventurer. I already have the WO wedge so I can use it with a nice little Harmonic mount.... Will it come to market one day?... I can wait. Thank you.
RE: Perhaps receiving special treatment when they said they tested the mount before sending it to you
When I bought my UMi 17 (the regular 17, not the lite), they sent me guide logs for my review before I sent payment. Unsure if this is still their procedure, but I would not be surprised if they still test the guiding on every scope before shipping it out. So it /may/ be the case that you did not receive special treatment if by “testing” they mean their standard checks.
…or maybe they did give you special treatment. Who knows. Just figured I’d add my experience here.
Editing to add: In case anyone is curious, I use my UMi 17 with an Esprit 100 ED and get ~0.4” RMS guiding with an OAG.
Also Proxisky/Meow Astro said on their discord that they’ll include PCB schematics in the user manuals. I’m saying this here to hold them to their word. Because that’d be amazing.
Thanks for the feedback, that is good to know! So the probability that this wasn't special treatment is much higher now :)
I also bought a regular UMi 17 just a few months ago and they do test the mounts beforehand and let you select which unit you like based on the guide logs. I think sometimes if they don't have any tested mounts available you can say you don't care and just send the next one that's available but in general seems like they're all tested as the other person mentioned
👍
I'm a happy customer of the regular UMi 17. I had a problem that during a night the PC shut down before the mount moved back to home and after that the mounts home position got reset to where it was when it lost pc connection. I just had to move it with the phone app to where I considered to be the original home position and reset it in the app. But I asume this is a problem with any mount without a physical home position.
I'm looking forward to the new Skywatcher Wave 100i. For a grab and go it should weight 4.3 kg (slightly more than Umi Lite with base) but with two saddle support (in Alt/AZ mode)! I hope it performs well since I'd love to use it in the spanish eclipse of 2026 and have a two camera setup to capture it.
As soon as I saw the footage with the equatorial wedge, my first thought was - It will not hold Polar alignment, which you later confirmed. They completely scaled it from Skywatcher Adventure - a terrible engineering mistake. Keep all the weight on one bolt, instead of two axle shafts spaced apart across the base. Otherwise, it’s great that more and more manufacturers of such mounts are appearing
Wow, I pretty much wrote the same thing! I owned iOptron CEM26, which suffers from the same bad design with the locking lever on the altitude adjustment and the azimuth bolts are also the only things that hold the entire mount to the tripods. Terrible design from any angle you look at it.
Yes, exactly - at least you can use another wedge but I wasn't super happy with that particular design...
Dumb question but guiding nearer the meridian tends to be worse than nearer the pole?
Did you mean celestial equator? Yes guiding near celestial equator is "harder" than near the pole
@@CuivTheLazyGeek yes sorry still mixing up my terms :)
I have used the EM31 equatorial mount (not the EM31pro) and the UMI17, and I have also exchanged experiences with other astronomy enthusiasts who use Chinese-made harmonic equatorial mounts from other brands. In my opinion, the UMI17 is the most cost-effective option, while the EM31pro is the most friendly for deep space photography in the field.
The EM31Pro felt like such a premium mount :)
Would you trust your Carbonstar 150 on this mount?
Yes, it's light enough - plus others have done so, and one of the comments is mentioning using it with an 8 inch Newt!
Were you able to use it with NINA, I tried everything it wont connect. I get guide errors close of 0.5-0.7 with asiair. Great Video!
Had no problems connecting mine to NINA. Did you download the Onstep ascom drivers and the com port drivers?
@kevinedw2002 thank you, I was missing the port drivers.
Another reason for two part - leaving the mount on a semi permanent (for PA and SA) tripod/pier taking the mount indoors BTW USB & Power Ports, ASCOM Driver?
Aah that's a very good thought! Although I'd be hard pressed to keep the PA intact while doing so - still, possible indeed!
It's nice that the mount comes with a nice storage/travel case, but I'd like to see one that has room for the wedge, too. Just as ZWO provides a nice little pouch for some of their cameras, but then leaves no room for the adapters that one might need to carry around or store. Seems to be a common problem with a lot of hobbies. As an aside, when you were wiggling the mount and OTA, it sure seemed like there was a fair amount of flex--could that be a problem? Don't know if that's true of an AM5 or AM3.
I just got the Juwei-17! Waiting for it to show up here.
Fingers crossed!! Hope you enjoy it!
Another comment regarding the AM3…. it tracks well and i am getting about .6 RMS most of the time. However, i do have an issue where the mount will go wonky about every 10 or so subs… just completely jumps on RA…. having said that, I had a similar issue with my AM5 and it was solved by tightening the belts… not the easiest of tasks on the AM series mounts so i haven’t checked/done it yet on the AM3….
That is VERY interesting indeed! I think that would be a reason to return the mount to be honest! Hopefully you can get it fixed soon...
I would actually love to have some modular AZ convertable mount like that. Sadly (and considering I would need aditional equipment also for it) it will remain atleast for some time outside my financial capabilities. Im curious - is it somehow possible to do like 3-star align and track also in AZ mode?
I'll need to do proper tests in AZ mode - haven't been thorough with that for now!
Nice review. Would it also handle the REDCAT 71? Work with NINA?
It would definitely handle the Redcat 71, and yes, it works with NINA.
Oh yes, no problem for either
I've successfully used mine with an 8" f/4 newtonian (10kg) with a guiding rms of 0.4 to 0.8" under good conditions
Where is your EQ-6? Did you throw it away from balcony?
I looked at that mount for a while but the separate wedge with clamp just turned me off for the exact reason you mentioned, one dovetail to fail is enough, don't need two. I ended up with an AM3 with the free tripod promo and with free shipping the cost became quite close.
The AM3 should also be really good, although I haven't used it directly :) the TC40 tripod I now realize is pretty bad, but with small scopes it shouldn't be an issue!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek it does fine with my Askar 103APO but that’s about the largest I would go on it. (The tripod that is)
Can you please have a look at the "JUWEI17-100"?
Hey Cuiv! Great review! Unfortunately I have a bad luck with mounts that have a "locking" lever for alt/az adjustments. I already had 2 of those, Skywatcher's star adventurer and iOptron Cem26.
After owning those, I really don't like that design. As you noticed, it shifts the polar alignment after locking. They have to come up with a better idea.
On the other hand, I am glad to see a competition and pushing the prices further down. I wish we would have the same race going on in the camera market.
Got a CEM26 and I never touch the lever after polar alignment. No issues at all and I don't know why everybody thinks you have to lock it hard.
The new Ragdoll and Umi 17R mounts have done away with the locking lever
Yep I agree on all counts - the WarpAstron has much better design, and the newer UMi mounts to as well. And the EM31Pro I'm testing has the best polar alignment I've used :)
On this wedge you do need to lock it hard, otherwise there is definitely some play that makes the rig more sensitive to wind!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek My solution to the significant play in the altitude adjustment bolt was to install a heavy compression spring on the shaft - this also removes the 'dead spot'.
The reviews are really great, but you have to test the mounts to their limit in terms of load capacity. I would love that
I'm not sure how though, since I simply don't have any rig that is 13kg in this example - and on the EM31Pro some complained that I was testing at capacity...
@@CuivTheLazyGeek Okay, you can't make everyone happy :p, I've now seen the video about the em31 pro and that makes me happy. Thank you
Thanks for your understanding and your support!
I'd be concerned with a dovetail shoe holding a counterweight bar and counterweight without any kind of movement. This is probably a concern that has no basis in real-world use, but I suspect I'm not the only person who would perceive this to be a potential issue. The wedge was also a concern when I first saw this on AliExpress, and it appears this might not have been entirely an issue of perception. While its removability could confer some advantages to some people, the drawbacks would outweigh them for me. Shedding a couple kgs of weight is always nice, but (for me) not at the price of difficulties in achieving or maintaining good polar alignment. If space is at such a premium while traveling that one needs a separate wedge, one can always pack one less pair of socks.
Yep, I tend to agree!
9:23 Better be good quality control at that price.
Great video. They also have a Umi 17R mount that looks very similar to the WD-17 and more "serious". You might want ask to get a copy :-)
The 17R looks awesome :)
Would have loved to see your reaction while unboxing this mount..
I'll keep that in mind for next time!
Great Video as always! Can you please review the OpenAstroTech Openastrotracker? I think it really has some potentional!
Great review as always Cuiv, I was eagerly waiting for this one! I am expecting the 17R soon as well! 🙃 Gotta love competition, those new brand SWG mounts are killing it as far as pricing is concerned! Makes you think what the profit margins of the "big" brand companies are ie how much they are ripping us poor lazy geeks off.
Yep, there is definitely a premium built into the larger player mounts like ZWO and SW... So it's great to see players pushing the price down!
I have the WO wedge… just need the mount!… if it’s working! 😊
That wedge has such a great reputation, could be a perfect fit!
@@CuivTheLazyGeek It is a good wedge but maybe not for loads over 5 kg. Would like to see a mini Harmonic mount smaller than the AM3... something like a 1.5 kg mount with 5 kg capacity to replace my SW Star Adventurer ! Wishful thinking.
I hope they send you a 17R to test out. I have one on order. My first harmonic mount to go along with my Skywatcher GTI. Things escalated quickly. 😂
Im on the first batch order for the 17R. Finger crossed
Things escalated quickly for sure! Yes I'm looking forward to the 17R as well! Direct Servo Drive baby!
Mee too!
Are those TMC drivers?
Possibly, would need to check those tiny daughter boards
I feel like you and Dylan are competing for "The 1st one to hit 100K subs wins" with both of you posting every other day! 😜
I try to post twice a week! I think I can reach 100k in 10 years lol
Cuiv maybe they got carried away with the "modular" design?? personally I would have no problems with the unusual design as long as it performed as well as I expected it to. One thing that did worry me is that faulty circuit board! I'm no electronics manufacturing expert but it seems to be a bad omen if they're not consistently producing perfectly soldered/constructed electronic components? I would worry a lot about a brand new fully functioning mount suffering electronic failures after a few months of usage!? It just saps your confidence to buy it when it's costing $1000+!
It was a bummer indeed! They told me it's the first time they see that. I do see the ability to get a replacement board (or buy one down the road) as a very good thing though, so it's 50/50 there..
@@CuivTheLazyGeek yes that's a good point Cuiv! After the warranty runs out it will always be very helpful having the ability to repair it without much trouble yourself.
I have the Umi17. I am not very happy with it. 1st - the altitude adjustment are crap. 2nd- it gives me spikes up to 4RMS every minute or so in RA. You get what you pay for....
Interesting mount. I hope iOptron is paying attention because the SkyHunter is crap. Actually the design is just like the SkyHunter where it uses a dovetail saddle / wedge type base. One thing about the iOptron base is that it has a screw to stop the mount from sliding off the base! I wonder of the $200 USD advanced base made by iOptron might be a better choice for this. Either way thanks for you honest review!
I honestly don't understand the Sky hunter - there are so many ways to achieve better results at that size... Thanks as always Dave!
30:30 Talking about very sturdy and stable platform in Tokyo is just hilarious. You have 5 earthquakes per day so it's not stable at all
Nice that the started to let ppl do review. In the past them been reluctant to any form of marketing.
Yes indeed!
Hi Cuiv! Great to see that you were able to finish and upload my long time awaited Umi review. 😁
The concerns that you have with the wedge design were also my considerations to choose the regular UMi17 mount. I have been able to use it for a few nights now. The mount works great, just the Alt adjustment screws are crap. It is the same method like on the Skywatcher mounts with two counter acting screws. I hate that method and the Chinese screws are as usual super soft that they already lost some material while seeting up the Alt during polar alignment. I need to go to the hardware store and afford two German quality V2A steel screws to replace the cheap soft M8 Alt screws.
Else I can only say good things about the bigger brother of the Lite version. From my point of view the Lite version has its niche that it fills in a good way and many people have been waiting for a mount like this. But llike for you it is nothing for me. I prefer the traditional design and that the normal UMi17 has a dual saddle for Vixen and Losmandy style dove tails.
I also have the next potential candidate for review for you. 😁 Maybe exactly this item will be my first real YT video. The item that I am trying to point at is not released yet (nevertheless I am going to get one in about 2 weeks). The app for my tablet I already have downloaded. It is the competitor to the AsiAir from the company whos cameras have light blue color coating. 😉
Ooh yes the Touptek Astro station, I'm looking forward to it! And thanks for the info on the other UMi non-lite mount :)
Call me old fashioned but I don’t trust these guide shoes to be stable over a long period of time. I have run into flexure too many times to count and now I prefer things to be bolted down.
Yep, i think there's at least an issue of perception!
...y'know what this mount can do that no other mount can? Be a gigachad Seestar. Mount a hyperstar'd C6 in alt-az mode and make all Seestar users cry in jealousy and inadequacy muhahahahaha
Good take there. As someone who's into ultraportable gear the UMi 17 Lite has been on my radar for a long while. And I do have this William Optics base not being used much. Hmm. That M4 bolt thing... IDK, pretty sure the bigger SCTs are using something similar to attach the tube to the base plate. I'd be more concerned about that dovetail hack slipping from the bracket, I wish they used something with more surface area than bolts to clamp onto that small plate.
Hahaha yes, even the Celestron Origin users would cry in jealousy haha :)
I'm with you Cuiv, I wouldn't want to risk anything much bigger than a Red Cat 51 or 61 on that mount. I'm just waiting to see what the Sky Watcher SWG mounts will be like before I make my final decision. I like the Idea of the dual saddle on the 100 mount but in the end it may come down to price. Also I will probably be using it with a Stellarmate mini pc most of the time, so which ever mount I chose will have to be compatible. Whatever mount I choose it will not be used with anything bigger than a WO 81GT so I don't think I need anything much bigger than an AM3 size. Thank you for the heads up on the Umi 17 lite anyway, its one more to consider when the time comes.
Thanks for the feedback! It's good that we have more and more choice like that :) The SW Wave mounts do look a bit expensive for their specs, but I also like that dual dovetail haha
Quite a few of us are happily using 4” refractors of these mounts, and tracking remains excellent (0.3 to 0.8” under good conditions). I’ve also used my 200mm f/4 newt on mine without issue - although the heavier duty pier extension (PE210) helps.
@@kevinedw2002 thanks for this advice, much appreciated.
Poxy skies is what i have ;(
Hope you get clear skies soon!
way cheaper than AM3 which in Italy costs about 2000
euros
That's crazy! It's good you have such a good alternative with UMi!
2100 in Spain. Comunist regimes are expensive
In Germany EUR 1.999,00 ( 1 Euro less :)
They are poor and nowhere near the quality or performance of the ZWO mounts. I sold mine quickly.
Which one did you have? They do seem quite "barebones" indeed although that's not a bad thing per se
Too much talking,no action, boring
Sad.