Educational Insights GeoSafari Vega 600 Telescope: 50mm Objective Lens, 150x Magnification, Tripod Mount
$86.99
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$149.99 - $169.99
3.5 out of 5 stars with 15 reviews
broad age appeal: 3 out of 5
educational value: 3 out of 5
length of play: 3 out of 5
quality: 2.33 out of 5
value: 2.33 out of 5
33% would recommend
3 recommendations
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
26 December, 2024Verified purchase
Terrible
Terrible quality not worth the money
1 reply from Learning Resources team - 1 year ago
Oh no, sorry to hear that! Please visit us on our Educational Insights site under the “contact us” page and we will be happy to take care of this right away!
1 out of 5 stars
Thumbs down graphic, would not recommend
25 December, 2023Verified purchase
Screws stick into the view.
Very poorly made. The screws holding the viewing tube on were too long, so giant screws are in the viewing area. The eyepiece is loosely connected. I could not get the device to focus using any of the lenses. I wasn’t expecting superb quality for the price I paid but this is going back. Now I gotta explain to my 5 year old how Santa messed up on her wishlist item.
1 reply from Learning Resources team - 2 years ago
No need to return, we will take care of this for you. Please visit us on our Learning Resources site under the “contact us” page and we will be happy to help.
5 out of 5 stars
Thumbs up graphic, would recommend
27 November, 2023Verified purchase
Great Christmas gift
I have a very science minded grandchild and this looks perfect. He can c.eck out the heavens and it is small enough for him to handle,
1 out of 5 stars
9 March, 2023
originally posted on schoolspecialty.com
Low Quality - Not as advertised - Not recommended
I purchased four of these telescopes for my STEM classroom lab through my school district with a grant. Unfortunately, none of the telescopes worked during our first Stargazing party as advertised on the website. Product did not meet expectations. Details: •One telescope came with a loose object inside the optical tube. I was not able to tighten it to the tripod. •Tightening knobs in all four telescopes are very flimsy which makes very difficult to adjust the focus. Telescopes do not stay in place and move from the initial set position by themselves. •Optical finder scopes do not align with any magnifying lenses. Targets were completely off. •One telescope has a dark view. •Three out of four telescopes do not produce bright, clear images as advertised. •Unable to focus objects with Barlow tubes and 8mm or 20mm lenses. •Difficult to interchange eyepieces because of the mobility of the telescopes.
1 reply from Maureen team - 3 years ago
We are so sorry to hear that these telescopes did not live up to your expectations. We have reached out to the manufacturer with your concerns and they are looking into it. Please watch for communication from our Customer Care team who will be reaching out to make sure this issue is resolved. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
2 out of 5 stars
16 March, 2018
originally posted on http://www.educationalinsights.com
No basic replacement parts or repair assistance!
I'm very frustrated right now about this. My son really enjoyed this telescope but he put a little too much pressure on the tripod one time and the plastic piece that holds the 3 support arms in the middle at the bottom of the tripod broke. I called customer support to try to order a replacement piece to fix it or even a new tripod and they said they don't sell any replacement parts for this and had absolutely no suggestions for how I might fix it or get it fixed. So I now have a $90 telescope that is unusable because a chinsey piece of plastic broke on the tripod and I have no way to fix it. If you're not going to sell replacement parts or even offer any helpful advice for getting a part fixed then don't use cheap plastic parts for a kid's telescope! Seriously how much more would it have cost to make that tiny piece a little more duarable? Now if I want to salvage this telescope I'm going to have spend a bunch of my time trying to figure out how to either repair or replace the tripod. Thanks for nothing there, Educational Insights.
4 out of 5 stars
27 February, 2016
originally posted on http://www.educationalinsights.com
Good starter telescope for kids
This product was nicely packaged and was ready to go out of the box with only a few steps required. Assembly took very little time for me and as the age recommendation is 8 and up (my kids are a little younger but I want to get them started), I could easily see how kids would have no problem (and would even enjoy) selecting and tightening all the pieces. One suggestion here would be to add a small bag (perhaps to tether to the tripod) which could hold the other pieces not in use while keeping them close enough to switch out. Here's the tricky part...the telescope and tripod are lightweight which is great for kids, but at the same time troublesome because the slightest tap knocks the alignment out of whack which can be frustrating for impatient, young scientists. However, I believe this is a good starter telescope and my girls are enjoying exploring the night sky (when Los Angeles' climate allows). :)
4 out of 5 stars
14 January, 2016
originally posted on http://www.educationalinsights.com
Good value telescope
I received this product as a sample in exchange for my honest review. My husband was able to set up the telescope easily, and it worked well. No issues with the tripod either as some people have noted. My in-laws have a much heavier (and expensive) telescope in their living room. While this one can't see as far, for the price point difference this strikes me as a good deal if you are looking for a simple way to get children into astronomy.
5 out of 5 stars
12 January, 2016
originally posted on http://www.educationalinsights.com
A great family Telescope
This is a great family telescope! It is sturdy yet lightweight and great for use with kids, but attractive enough to reside in my living/dining room for stargazing indoors during the winter months. Set up was very easy - my kids (ages 6 and 8) barely needed the directions. Even my 3 year old figured out where the lenses went. The finder scope was a little tricky to set up, but now that we have it in just the right place it makes finding things much easier. The focus adjustment knobs are quite smooth. You do have to be careful while looking through the eye piece. Because the telescope is lightweight, it is easy to move or shake while looking and you could lose the image you were searching for and have to re-align. After reading several reviews on this product, I was very nervous about the tripod, but it seems the tripod must have been improved because we have not had any problems with the tripod. It is sturdy and is easily adjusted. Overall this is a wonderful telescope!
4 out of 5 stars
12 January, 2016
originally posted on http://www.educationalinsights.com
Happy mom
I think its a great things for kids but its just hard to look into.
4 out of 5 stars
6 January, 2016
originally posted on http://www.educationalinsights.com
Excellent telescope at a great price!
I have always worried about getting a telescope for my son. I was worried that it would be too heavy or cumbersome. I was worried that it would be hard to put together. I was worried that he would not be able to handle it because it would break easily. This telescope was the perfect thing to change my mind! The Vega comes with incredibly simple directions to follow for assembly. I was able to put it all together by myself in about 10 minutes. The directions were both clearly written and illustrated. The telescope is remarkably light and easy to adjust and handle. My 10 year old is able to adjust the tripod very easily on his own and can take the telescope outside at night with no problems carrying it. The other nice thing about this piece is that it comes with 2 different lenses so that you can try out different magnifications. It also comes with an attachment that allows for terrestrial (land) viewing as opposed to exploring the skies. My son has really enjoyed using this on clear evenings to view the constellations. Overall, this is a great quality piece for the price.
5 out of 5 stars
4 January, 2016
originally posted on http://www.educationalinsights.com
I would buy this again!!!
My seven year old son and I used this telescope to look at the moon and stars. He loved it as did I!