Gskyer AZ70400 & AZ80400 Refractors

The Gskyer AZ70400 70mm and AZ80400 80mm refractor telescopes are the most popular of the Gskyer telescope lineup. These scopes are popular primarily because of their inexpensive price, included accessory package, and easy portability.

Telescope Specifications

Gskyer Telescope Review

Both of these telescopes are what would be considered to be very inexpensive dual-purpose telescopes. This means that they are both for astronomy and terrestrial viewing. This is because of their small size, image erecting prism (the image is corrected in so that you see things right-side-up instead of the typical upside-down), and lightweight.

The 70mm Gskyer AZ70400 is the most portable and the most likely to be used as a travel telescope. It does not perform as well as the AZ80400 80mm telescope in astronomy as it collects more light and seems to provide a sharper image. Either scope will work equally well for daytime use.

The 80mm does have a nicer mount which I found easier to use and much more stable. It is, however, heavier which makes it less suitable for younger viewers, or those who have issues with heavier items.

Both telescopes use the same accessories with the exception of the finder. The 80mm uses a standard finder shoe (where it attaches to the telescope) like their AZ90600 and 130EQ telescopes. The 70mm and their dedicated travel telescope, the AZ60350, use a much cheaper finder setup. This cheaper finder doesn’t really have a negative effect on its use, just on the ease of replacing it with something nicer. I doubt many people looking for a cheap travel telescope would be that interested in a nicer finder anyway.

The Gskyer AZ80400 80mm tends to do a better job with the 10mm eyepiece than the 70mm variant providing quite a bit sharper views. Although this is to be expected because of the larger aperture size, it appeared to me that it was even better than that, leading me to believe the glass used in the lens was either better formed or used better materials.

Review Conclusions

I really liked the performance increase of the 80mm over the 70mm but I did not think that the price increase was worth what I got out of the upgradable finder, and the increase in size and stability.

Overall I would probably prefer the 80mm over the 70mm if the prices were closer. This leads me to look for the 80mm used to get a good price.

Videos

Here is a video that covers assembly, use, accessories, and much more for these telescopes. It is a bit long, but worth the watch.

Best Gskyer Telscope Alternatives

There are some alternatives if you can’t find one of these telescopes, or if you decide that the Gskyer is just not for you. Below are a few that I think are excellent substitutes.

70mm refractors

If you can’t get, or don’t want the Gskyer 70mm then the best bang-for-your-buck in the 70mm category has got to be the Celestron 70mm travel scope. US-based support and a 2-year warranty top off the free astronomy software and much better than average quality accessories making this a winner.

80mm refractors

To save a few dollars and get a slightly better telescope with US-based support and some excellent astronomy software, I would pick up a Celestron 80mm travel scope. While the accessories and scope are a little better than the Gskyer, the mount is more like the Gskyer 70mm, a little cheap.

If you are looking for a quality, portable, 80mm telescope the Orion Observer 80ST is hard to beat. Not only is it a little cheaper than the Gskyer 80mm but it has a much better mount and comes with accessories you will really use. The moon map, planisphere, and observer’s guide will help you actually find things to look at which is way more important than a camera adapter and extra eyepieces. In addition, Orion has excellent support via email and on the phone.