I still remember being a child, lying on the cool grass of my back garden on a clear summer night, staring up at the pinpricks of light scattered across the inky blackness. The Moon, however, was my true obsession. It wasn’t just a distant light; it was a world. I could see dark patches and bright spots, and I desperately wanted to see more. I wanted to trace the jagged edges of its craters and imagine walking across its vast, silent seas. That childhood yearning, that innate human curiosity to look up and wonder, is a powerful feeling. The problem, for most of us, is that the cosmos feels impossibly far away. The tools to bridge that distance seem complex, expensive, and intimidating. This is the exact barrier the ESAKO Portable Beginner Telescope aims to demolish, promising a simple, affordable entry point into the awe-inspiring hobby of amateur astronomy.
- 【Premium Quality Optics】Fully coated lenses with low reflection loss and high light transmission creates stunning images. 70mm aperture provides excellent light gathering power and a wide field of...
- 【High Power Telescope】Comes with 3 eyepieces to achieve different magnifications and a Barlow lens which can triple the magnification up to 150X. Star diagonal is included to give a right side up...
What to Consider Before Buying a Beginner Telescope
A telescope is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for unlocking a deeper connection with the universe. It’s an educational tool for a curious child, a meditative device for a stressed adult, and a portal to wonders that can put our daily lives into perspective. For families, it’s an opportunity to create shared memories under the night sky, sparking conversations about science, space, and our place in the cosmos. The main benefit is accessibility—transforming abstract concepts from textbooks into tangible, breathtaking sights like the rings of Saturn or the moons orbiting Jupiter.
The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing the “where do I even start?” dilemma. This includes parents looking for an engaging and educational gift, adults seeking a new, relaxing hobby without a steep financial or technical learning curve, or even educators needing a simple tool for demonstrations. It’s for the absolute beginner who values ease of use and portability above all else. Conversely, it might not be suitable for those who already have some experience and are looking for more advanced features like GoTo computerized tracking or the light-gathering power needed for faint galaxies. For those individuals, a larger Dobsonian or a more robust equatorial mount telescope would be a more appropriate, albeit more expensive and complex, next step.
Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:
- Aperture & Optics: This is the single most important factor. The aperture is the diameter of the main lens or mirror (in this case, 70mm). A larger aperture collects more light, resulting in brighter, clearer, and more detailed images, especially of faint deep-sky objects. For beginners, a 70mm to 80mm refractor is an excellent starting point for viewing the Moon, planets, and bright star clusters. Also, look for terms like “Fully Multi-Coated” optics, which means the lenses have special coatings to increase light transmission and reduce glare for better image quality.
- Mount & Tripod Stability: A telescope is only as good as its mount. A wobbly, unstable mount will make it impossible to keep an object in view, especially at high magnification, leading to immense frustration. An Altazimuth (Alt-Az) mount, which moves up-down and left-right, is the simplest and most intuitive for beginners. While convenient, the tripods included in budget-friendly kits are often the weakest link, so it’s vital to have realistic expectations about their stability.
- Focal Length & Magnification: Focal length (here, 300mm) determines the telescope’s magnification potential. While manufacturers often advertise huge magnification numbers like “150x,” this is often “empty magnification” that results in a dim, blurry image. A telescope’s useful magnification is limited by its aperture. A good rule of thumb is a maximum of 50x per inch (or 2x per mm) of aperture. For this 70mm scope, the practical maximum is around 140x, and even then, the best views will be at lower powers (20x-80x).
- Ease of Use & Accessories: For a first telescope, simplicity is paramount. A “no-tool setup” is a massive advantage, getting you from unboxing to observing in minutes. A good starter package should include multiple eyepieces (for different magnifications), a finder scope (to help locate objects), and ideally, modern bonuses like a smartphone adapter for basic astrophotography and a Moon filter to reduce glare when observing our closest celestial neighbour. These accessories significantly enhance the initial experience.
Exploring the cosmos is a journey, and picking your first instrument is a critical first step. It’s about finding the right balance of performance, portability, and price to match your enthusiasm.
While the ESAKO Portable Beginner Telescope is an excellent choice for newcomers, it’s always wise to see how it stacks up against the competition. For a broader look at all the top models, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:
- High quality optics: Our F30070 astronomical refracting telescope with Phone Adapter an aperture of 70mmand a focal length of 300mm,and a large objective lens plus multi-layer broadband coating, can...
- 🌕🌕 EXPAND YOUR FIELD of VIEW 🌕🌕 The astronomical telescope has a 70mm aperture and a 400mm focal length, which provides a wider and clearer field of view than 60mm/50mm focal lengths....
- Beginner telescope: Explore the Moon's craters and star clusters in vivid detail with a 70 mm glass lens, sparking curiosity and enhancing every stargazing moment.
First Impressions: Unboxing the Universe
The arrival of the ESAKO Portable Beginner Telescope was met with an immediate sense of excitement. The box is compact and surprisingly lightweight, reinforcing its “portable” claim right from the start. Inside, each component was neatly packed and protected. Pulling out the main optical tube, the tripod, and the box of accessories, the first thing we noticed was the emphasis on simplicity. The telescope tube itself feels solid enough for its purpose, with a smooth-turning manual focuser and a clean, glossy finish. The included accessory kit is genuinely impressive for this price point. You don’t just get the telescope; you get a full starter pack: three eyepieces (H6mm, H12.5mm, H20mm), a 3x Barlow lens to triple their power, a 90-degree star diagonal for comfortable viewing, a Moon filter, a 5×24 finder scope, and the increasingly essential smartphone adapter. This comprehensive package means a beginner has everything they need to start observing on their very first clear night, a feature that really sets it apart from more spartan kits. Assembly was, as promised, a tool-free affair that took less than ten minutes, a huge win for impatient kids (and adults!).
Key Benefits
- Excellent value for money with a comprehensive accessory bundle included.
- Extremely easy and quick tool-free setup, perfect for absolute beginners.
- Very lightweight and portable, ideal for travel or taking to dark-sky spots.
- Good optical quality for its class, providing clear views of the Moon and planets.
Potential Drawbacks
- The included tripod is flimsy and prone to vibrations, requiring a gentle touch.
- Some users have reported quality control issues with components upon arrival.
A Deep Dive into the ESAKO Telescope’s Performance
A telescope’s worth is ultimately measured not by its specs on paper, but by the views it delivers and the experience it provides under the stars. We put the ESAKO Portable Beginner Telescope through its paces over several nights of observation, focusing on the key areas that matter most to a budding astronomer: optical clarity, ease of use, stability, and the value of its bundled accessories.
Optical Performance: Your Window to the Cosmos
The heart of any telescope is its optics, and here, the ESAKO performs admirably for its category. The 70mm aperture, combined with fully multi-coated lenses, does an excellent job of gathering light from our solar system’s brightest inhabitants. Our first target was the most obvious and rewarding: the Moon. Using the low-power 20mm eyepiece, the entire lunar disc fit comfortably in the field of view. Switching to the 12.5mm eyepiece brought the craters along the terminator (the line between light and dark) into sharp, three-dimensional relief. We could clearly distinguish the vast dark plains of the lunar maria from the bright, heavily cratered highlands. The included Moon filter proved invaluable, cutting the overwhelming glare of a near-full moon to a comfortable level, revealing more subtle surface details and preventing eye fatigue.
Turning our attention to the planets, Jupiter was a small but distinct disc, with its four Galilean moons appearing as tiny, sharp points of light lined up alongside it. Saturn’s rings were just visible, appearing less like distinct rings and more like “handles” on the side of the tiny planet—a sight that is nonetheless guaranteed to elicit a gasp from any first-time viewer. While this telescope won’t resolve the cloud bands on Jupiter or the Cassini Division in Saturn’s rings, it successfully reveals them as other worlds, not just stars. The 300mm focal length provides a very wide field of view, which also makes it surprisingly capable for sweeping through the star-rich areas of the Milky Way or observing larger star clusters like the Pleiades. It’s a view that can genuinely spark a lifelong passion, and you can check the latest price and availability for this entry-level wonder. We did find, as expected, that the high-power 6mm eyepiece, especially when combined with the 3x Barlow lens to achieve the advertised 150x magnification, produced a dim and soft image that was difficult to focus. For the best experience, we recommend sticking with the lower-power eyepieces, which provide crisp, bright, and satisfying views.
The Double-Edged Sword: Portability and Stability
One of the main selling points of the ESAKO Portable Beginner Telescope is its “grab-and-go” nature. Weighing very little and packing down into a compact form, it’s the kind of telescope you can easily store in a cupboard, throw in the back of the car for a camping trip, or carry out to the garden at a moment’s notice. This is a massive advantage over larger, bulkier scopes that often end up gathering dust due to the hassle of setting them up. The no-tool assembly is a testament to its user-friendly design; the optical tube attaches to the simple Alt-Azimuth mount, which then screws onto the lightweight aluminium tripod in minutes.
However, this extreme portability comes at a cost: stability. The tripod is, without a doubt, the weakest component of the package. It is lightweight and adjustable in height, but it is also susceptible to vibrations. A slight breeze or an accidental bump can cause the image in the eyepiece to shake for several seconds, making focusing a delicate operation. This is a common trade-off in beginner telescope kits. More importantly, we confirmed the issue highlighted by one user: a noticeable “droop” when aiming. After you centre an object and tighten the lock, the telescope’s weight causes it to sag slightly, moving the target out of view. Our expert workaround was to anticipate this, aiming slightly above the target before tightening the altitude knob. It’s a quirk one can learn to manage, but it’s a clear indicator of the mount’s budget-conscious construction. It’s a compromise that keeps the telescope accessible, but one that prospective buyers should be aware of.
Accessories and Astrophotography: The Value-Packed Bonus
Where the ESAKO Portable Beginner Telescope truly shines and punches above its weight is in the accessory bundle. The inclusion of three eyepieces and a 3x Barlow lens provides a wide range of magnifications to experiment with right out of the box. While the Huygens eyepieces are a basic design, they are more than adequate for introducing a novice to the concept of changing focal lengths. The star of the show for the modern beginner, however, is the smartphone adapter. This simple plastic clamp allows you to attach your phone’s camera directly to the eyepiece, turning the telescope into a telephoto lens for capturing and sharing your celestial discoveries.
We found the adapter easy to use, though it requires a bit of patience to align the phone’s camera lens perfectly with the centre of the eyepiece. Once aligned, we were able to capture surprisingly good images of the Moon’s craters. This feature is a game-changer for kids and teens, instantly making the hobby more interactive and shareable on social media. It transforms a solitary observation into a “look what I found!” moment. The phone’s weight does, as one user correctly noted, exacerbate the tripod’s stability issues, pulling the telescope down significantly. We found that by using a remote shutter app or the phone’s built-in timer, we could take a picture without touching the screen, dramatically reducing vibrations and resulting in sharper photos. This accessory alone adds tremendous value and makes the entire package feel incredibly complete for its price point. To see the full kit and what’s included, you can explore its product details online.
What Other Users Are Saying
Scouring user feedback provides a real-world chorus that often harmonizes with our own expert findings. The sentiment surrounding the ESAKO Portable Beginner Telescope is largely positive, with most users recognizing it as a fantastic value proposition, especially as a gift for children or as a first foray into astronomy. One user who received it as a Christmas present captured this perfectly, stating, “it’s great and definitely good value for money,” despite acknowledging its flaws. This highlights the product’s success in hitting its target market.
However, the criticisms are just as consistent and align directly with our own tests. The most common complaint centres on the tripod’s flimsiness. As one reviewer detailed, “the telescope will drop as soon as you let go,” requiring a learning curve to compensate for the sag. Another pointed out that the phone adapter’s weight “pulls the telescope down by quite a lot.” There are also isolated reports of quality control issues, such as a user who experienced lenses falling out of the eyepieces or another who received a unit with a broken tripod leg. It’s encouraging to note, however, that in the latter case, the user updated their review to praise the company’s customer service, which “promptly sent out a new one.” This suggests that while some units may have defects, the company is responsive in resolving them.
How Does the ESAKO Compare to the Alternatives?
The beginner telescope market is competitive. While the ESAKO offers a compelling package, it’s wise to consider some popular alternatives that might better suit your specific needs or budget.
1. Celestron Travel Scope 80mm Refractor Telescope
- ALL-IN-ONE TELESCOPE KIT: The Celestron 80mm Travel Scope features fully-coated glass optics, a potent 80mm objective lens, and a lightweight frame
- POWERFUL EYEPIECES FOR UP-CLOSE VIEWING: Our telescope for astronomy beginners is equipped with two eyepieces (20mm and 10mm) that provide low- and high-power views, which means you can observe...
The Celestron Travel Scope 80 is perhaps the most direct competitor to the ESAKO. Coming from one of the most respected brands in amateur astronomy, it offers a slightly larger 80mm aperture, which translates to a 30% increase in light-gathering ability. This means brighter images and the potential to resolve slightly more detail on planets and brighter deep-sky objects. It also comes with its own travel backpack, reinforcing its portability. While it generally has a reputation for slightly better optical and build quality, it may come at a slightly higher price point and sometimes includes fewer “bonus” accessories like the full set of eyepieces and filters found with the ESAKO. This is an excellent choice for someone willing to spend a little more for a trusted brand name and superior light-gathering power.
2. Celestron 127EQ Reflector Telescope
- PERFECT BEGINNERS TELESCOPE: The Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ is an easy-to-use and powerful telescope. The PowerSeeker series is designed to give the first-time telescope user the perfect combination...
- MANUAL GERMAN EQUATORIAL MOUNT: Navigate the sky with our Newtonian Reflector telescope. It features a German Equatorial mount with a slow-motion altitude rod for smooth and accurate pointing. Adjust...
The Celestron PowerSeeker 127EQ represents a significant step up in capability and complexity. As a reflecting telescope, it uses a large 127mm mirror to gather light—a massive jump from the ESAKO’s 70mm lens. This gives it vastly superior performance on fainter objects like nebulae and galaxies. It sits on an equatorial (EQ) mount, which, once aligned with the North Star, can track celestial objects with the turn of a single knob. However, this power comes with a steeper learning curve. The EQ mount is less intuitive for beginners, and the entire setup is much larger, heavier, and less portable. This telescope is better suited for the dedicated beginner who is willing to invest more time and effort to unlock significantly more powerful views.
3. Slokey Discover The World 40070 Telescope
- Explore The Night Sky: This telescope for kids and adults offers 16x-120x magnification, perfect for stargazing, Moon viewing, and planetary exploration with sharp, detailed celestial images
- High-Quality Optics: Featuring a 70mm aperture and 400mm focal length, this telescope for astronomy delivers clear, high-resolution views of stars, planets, and deep sky objects for immersive viewing
The Slokey 40070 is remarkably similar to the ESAKO in its core specifications: a 70mm aperture and a short (400mm) focal length, aimed squarely at the same beginner and family audience. Like the ESAKO, it emphasizes a complete “all-in-one” package, including eyepieces, a Barlow lens, a tripod, and a phone adapter. The choice between the Slokey and the ESAKO will likely come down to subtle differences in accessory quality, tripod design, current pricing, and brand reputation. It serves as a great direct comparison for shoppers looking to get the absolute most for their money in this specific category, making it essential to compare their feature sets side-by-side before making a final decision.
Our Final Verdict: Is the ESAKO Portable Beginner Telescope Worth It?
After extensive testing and careful consideration, our verdict on the ESAKO Portable Beginner Telescope is a confident, albeit qualified, recommendation. This telescope is not for the seasoned astronomer, nor does it pretend to be. It is, however, an outstandingly effective and affordable gateway into the hobby for the genuinely curious. Its greatest strength lies in its all-inclusive, user-friendly package that removes nearly all barriers to entry. The setup is effortless, the accessories are plentiful, and the ability to snap a photo of the Moon with your phone on your very first night is a truly magical experience that can ignite a lifelong passion.
You must, however, go into the purchase with your eyes open to its primary compromise: the lightweight and somewhat wobbly tripod. If you can learn to work around its quirks—to use a gentle touch and to anticipate the “droop”—you will be rewarded with views of the cosmos that are worth many times the modest investment. For parents, grandparents, or any individual looking to take their first step into a larger universe without breaking the bank, this telescope is a brilliant choice. If you’re ready to start your journey to the stars, we highly recommend you see its full feature set and outstanding user reviews online.
Last update on 2025-11-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API