Firstly, the most well packaged item I have ever bought, russian doll style triple boxing, even the paper manual comes in it's own box with polystyrene packing, you know this is a good start. The telescope itself is beautifully made, fit and finish are top notch, but to be fair, you are expecting a Takahashi to be built like this , and it doesn't disappoint. The only two things that surprised me was how light it was and how little travel there is in the focus drawtube compared to my other scopes. No there was a third surprise, I purchased the optional accessory pack everything is all well made perfect fitting, as expected, but the finderscope is astoundingly good for a finder, although thinking about it, it isn't cheap so really it shouldn't be a surprise at all. I have only had chance to use it once through a giant gap in the clouds, and it was just what I was wanting it to be, crisp and contrasty. I am a definite refractor guy and I think I have got about the best one in my price range, I really haven't had chance to put it through it's paces properly, but I know it's going to be good at everything I want it for ( visual only ). If you are thinking of getting one, go for it, I now understand why everybody who review scopes rate this so highly and the brand in general.

If you know, you know. This scope has certainly lived up to the Takahashi name. I bought this scope as a SIGNIFICANT upgrade from my previous scope. It did not disappoint. The first time I looked through the eyepiece, I was lost in a literal sea of stars that I had no idea were there when looking through my other scope.

This is a beautiful instrument. I've only had a brief opportunity in-between constant rain to try it out since it arrived but i can already say that it handles nicely, it is lightweight and produces beautiful sharp images with excellent contrast. I had my reservations about the clamshell tube cradle (optional, but comes with the accessory pack), however bolting it to a dovetail bar (also ordered with the telescope) works absolutely fine. The build quality is, well, beautiful. I'm definitely looking forward to spending more time with the FC-100DC.

Excellent service as always from the FLO team. They were responsive and helpful in emails and once in stock it was shipped and with me in a flash.

I have always been interested in astronomy and now since retirement I've been lucky enough to have the time and resources to actually do something about it. As a novice I sought advice from the FLO query desk and have always been dealt with promptly and thoroughly. Many thanks for your patience! Deliveries have always been rapid and you are kept up to date with your order's progress. As for the gear I have bought - at this level you can't go too far wrong regarding quality, but mistakes can be made by buying gear that may just not be appropriate. The equipment I now have is a good fit for what I want to do, that is to setup a permanent observatory at home (Celestron C11 on an iOptron CEM70 mount) and have a grab and go setup for expeditions to Exmoor. The FC-100DC is a great telescope that has lived up to what other owners with way more experience than me say about it. If it could just see through clouds ...

I had a Skywatcher Startravel 102. I thought it was a great telescope. I wanted to upgrade. I wanted more aperture. However, when I started to research, it seemed that four inches was a great compromise between aperture and portability. And the more I researched, it seemed to me that those who didn't own a Takahashi coveted one and those who did own one fell in love with it! So I went for one and I love it! The views of the moon and the major planets are stunning! And I can see deep sky objects I simply couldn't see with my Skywatcher, despite not having any more aperture. Takahashi have their own way of doing things; don't expect all your existing accessories to work, some people don't like the focusers. But when you delight in the stunning views, nothing else matters. I love this scope so much I bought another Takahashi; an FS60Q (mostly used in FS60CB mode) as a travel scope. I use the Takahashi star diagonal and a mixture of Tak and Teleview eyepieces. Expensive, yes, but if you're lucky enough to be able to afford one, you have a scope for life that will give you the best views possible for the given aperture.