Celestron CGEM Telescope Mount Review

Review-

I ordered this mount for use with a Celestron C6-RGT 6" refractor, after reading numerous positive reviews for the C6-RGT + CG-5 package, all of which raved about the quality of the OTA but complained that the included CG-5 mount was insufficient for the size and weight of the C6-RGT.

As of this writing, I have not yet received the OTA so this will be a preliminary review only, relating to build quality, setup, portabiliity etc. I'll update the review later with Goto performance details.

First impression-

Before even taking it out of the boxes; "This thing is heavy!"

Packaging-

The mount came packaged in 2 boxes, with the tripod and counter weight in one box, and the computerized goto and controls in a second box. I'd put each box at around 45lbs. Celestron did a very nice job of packing, and everything was protected very nicely in thick form fitting soft Styrofoam packaging. The cardboard used was also quite thick. It would take some serious mishandling during shipping to cause any damage to the mount.

Build Quality-

The legs of the mount are quite substantial and weigh enough to almost feel solid, even though you know they aren't. The latches for release of the lower legs are metal rather than plastic as I expected, and the entire tripod oozes quality. Once the accessory tray is in place and tightened down so all legs are braced, this mount feels like it's bolted in place. Very stable!

The goto mount head feels like it is made of cast iron and has a very solid quality feel to it. Everything on this mount is metal, including the Alt/Az locks. Only the dovetail and latitude knobs are plastic, and they are thick heavy gauge textured plastic that almost passes for metal. Alt/Az movement is tight and precise and the machining tolerances are very impressive.

Weight of the complete unit is substantial and may be a + or - depending on what you are after. The complete mount with a single counter weight weighs in at 75lbs and as you can see in the photos, the size is substantial. This is a plus for me, as a 6" refractor is no shrinking violet in size and will require a substantial mount for optimum vibration damping. This thing feels like a truck and I have no doubts about it's stability. If portability is your primary objective, this likely is not the mount for you but for astrophotography or just rock solid viewing, this mount should serve very well.

Setup-

Tripod setup could not be easier. It literally takes more effort to remove the tripod from the box than it does to get it setup. Setup of the entire unit was very straight forward and only took about 15 minutes, including unpacking everything. I took a quick peek at the instructions just to familiarize myself, but honestly if they forgot to ship the instructions, you could easily set the full mount up without them. It's very self explanatory and very easy to assemble. The goto mount head also has a built in level, so finding level when extending the tripod legs is a breeze as well.

Motor noise-

The mount has 9 speed settings (1 is slowest, 9 is fastest), and the servo motors on the unit are surprisingly quiet. They were completely inaudible until the 6th setting and then were only whisper audible. Starting with setting 7 the motors became clearly audible and by 9 they were equivalent to say a 9 volt drill on low speed settings. Not at all obnoxious nor anywhere near loud enough to disturb the neighbors during a late night outing, but loud enough you know it's working. So at tracking speeds the motors are completely inaudible and the only time they exhibit sound will be during slewing.

Goto accuracy-

Unknown yet due to MIA OTA.

Ease of use-

Unknown yet due to MIA OTA.

Final thoughts-

I'll have to add to the review later with my observations on the Goto accuracy and ease of use. My initial evaluation is all positive though, with this mount being very substantial and stable, and build quality being excellent. I think Celestron has hit the sweet spot with the CGEM mount, offering stability and performance of much more expensive mounts, without the substantial price increase. This is a high quality mount that I'm sure I will be happy with for years to come.