Celestron CGEM II Edge HD Telescope (11" OTA)

The Celestron 11 inch OTA is probably a good telescope but I have no way to fairly review since the mount I received was defective. I worked with Celestron and Focus Camera to get the mount replaced. I received the second mount today. The declination shaft is bent. I had to wait extra time for this replacement mount to be approved by QA. Again the second mount approved by Celestron QA. Celestron clearly has manufacturing and quality assurance issues. I have now disputed the CC charge and will be working with the retailer and Celestron to return the entire package. I cannot recommend this telescope based on my experience.

The specs on this sound great (CGEM II 1100 EdgeHD Telescope) but the problem is that none of it works-- I have built several telescopes, and I've never had any issue or difficulty until this one-- the parts are misfit and unbalanced (several of them were designed for older scopes but re-used), and even worse, the software cannot calibrate and sends the scope into a contortion that tries to damage it. Even though I am an engineer and have always fixed any problem thrown at me, this kit is completely unfixable. More enraging, when I sent in a specific list with photos/videos documenting the problems with their equipment and software within 3 days of receiving it, they ghosted me and refused any refund or any customer service or any technical support. It's clear that the people at Celestron couldn't care less about quality or their customers, and very sad that they would take advantage of people's love of astronomy just to make a quick buck and run away.

I ordered this telescope through Celestron's web site. When you plunk down $5000 on a telescope, you might think that it comes with everything you need to use it once you've got it set up properly. However, I was extremely unhappy to find that the power cord which ships with this telescope essentially assumes one has a car.Imagine my disappointment when I found that I could not use this telescope because Celestron thought it was okay to ship it with a power cord that only works in a vehicle cigarette lighter receptacle. And then to find that if I want to just plug the telescope into a regular wall socket it's going to cost me another $67 + shipping (a ridiculous price), and require me to wait several more days for said item to arrive.Some two weeks after I ordered it, I haven't been able to use this telescope because I'm still waiting for the extra adapter. Maybe I will update this review when I can actually use it.