Orion Telescopes & Binoculars

Since 1975, we have built our reputation on an unswerving commitment to quality, affordable telescopes and binocular products and unmatched customer care.

Approval Rate: 80%

80%Approval ratio

Reviews 43

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  • by

    fpirrone

    Fri Sep 06 2013

    I just had cause to claim a minor part that had failed under warranty. Company response was quick and satisfactory. I have a Mini Deluxe guide scope, Star Shoot auto guider, mirror diagonal, and three Stratus eyepieces. All are fine quality and perform well.

  • by

    numpty

    Mon Sep 02 2013

    I purchased some lens caps and dispatch was notified immediately. The items shipped on 27th August. 7 days have elapsed. No delivery. I checked the tracking code. They are scheduled for delivery on 5th September. If they arrive on schedule, it will have taken 10 days! This is a real crappy service - something called Surepost by UPS. Orion, your customers need a decent shipping service!

  • by

    amirsb0b

    Tue Jul 23 2013

    I was not asked to post a review nor was I given anything in order to do so. It is rarely when I find myself posting feedback on any service or experience I undertake as I _x000B_rarely think it is well worth my time. I recently purchased a StarBlast 4.5 telescope for my young son as an introduction level to the Topic. I find myself watching every night as an addict to the matter as I never thought I would. The product itself is wonderful. Before purchase I was hesitant as I saw many comments about the complexity in the assembly with the poor supplied instructions. The instructions are indeed not that helpful, BUT… who needs them when you have a unbelievably simple instruction video of the process. It say it should take about 20 to 30 minutes, I had mine up and running in 10!!!. Great job on that. But all this is not relevant to what I wanted to review. A significant part of my choice as to what product and where to buy is always my review of past reviews and their evaluation of th... Read more

  • by

    mikef1982

    Thu Jun 13 2013

    Ordered at 1pm Eastern time. Free shipping included. UPS was at my door the next morning at 9:45 am. You could not ask for more! Brand new Starblast 6 telescope in less than 24 hours with free shipping! You could not ask for more! Quality of Orion products is well above average even in the lower mid range like I purchased. I am very happy with my experience and plan to buy much more from them in the feature.

  • by

    fumei7b9

    Wed Jun 05 2013

    Products are good, but the OUTRAGEOUS brokerage fee (almost 50% of the cost of the item!!!!) added make puchasing anything else from Orion to be a non-starter. My final cost was double (including the rather pricey shipping cost) the advertised price. Unfortunately I will never buy anything from Orion again.

  • by

    williamfmciner_ny

    Fri Mar 22 2013

    On a scale of 1 to 10, where one is the absolute pits in all business matters and 10 is metaphysical perfection unattainable in our temporal plane, I score Orion as a solid 9! All of my dealings with Orion, whether on line or the customer phone number, have been excellent.

  • by

    jjes1488

    Tue Mar 19 2013

    Orion is a great company. I just bought the XX14I telescope and many other accessories for it. When I received the telescope UPS had broken two knobs. I contacted Orion customer support and they were fast to ship me out two replacement knobs. I love the telescope and I will always buy from Orion! ~James

  • by

    dhumpie

    Tue Mar 05 2013

    Orion is an all around awesome company to deal with. I have bought from them both online and in store and all times I have been taken care of very well. They have very knowledgeable staff that can assist you in all matters astronomy!. Highly recommended.

  • by

    sillerdrew49

    Tue Feb 26 2013

    i love a company that takes care of its customers, i orderd a space probe 3, and decided wanted a more powerful telescope so i returned the space probe 3 with the return and exchange form filled out with a space probe 130st EQ instead . i called customer service and they were very helpful on how to return the telescope,and all i had to do was fill out the form and bring it to the ups store. in 7 days they recieved the old telescope and sentme an email for the return back onto my card, then another email saying they had shipped the new order with the UPS tracking number included and the new scope will be here in 4 days!! no questions asked! Orion is a great company where the customer comes first!i will definetly be a lifetime customer! THANK YOU ORION!!!

  • by

    gwilson001

    Fri Feb 15 2013

    Even though my telescope is a Celestron I have purchased nearly all of my accessories from Orion. This is partly because Celestron does not have the deep accessory line that Orion does and telescope specs being equal, things like cases fit just fine. I bought cases for my OTA and tripod and am very happy with the quality and durability. Celestron does not sell any cases for tripod mounted Newtonian scopes. You can't go wrong with the Orion cases. I have also bought several other items such as lazer colimator, a 2" to 1.25" centering eyepiece, and other assorted accessories. Shipping is fast, prices are very good as they often have sales running on the website and if you need to return something they make that very easy and hassle free. I am so pleased with my experience with Orion that I will make my next scope purchase from them. Both Orion and Celelstron are very good companies but Orion has an edge in terms of accessories and customer service.

  • by

    jaydakota

    Sun Jan 06 2013

    It was great, absolutely great. 1: quality The quality of the Orion 4.5 Starblast equatorial telescope. I can clear crisp images, and it came with quality eyepieces for wide and narrow views. 2: shipping they arrived on time, it was well packed and nothing was broken. The reason i rate it as four stars is the fact that the directions included were very hard to read and I did not know alot of the terms used, i used a YouTube video to put it together. Over all i have been exceptionally pleased with everything My two favorite things to observe through this is the Andromeda galaxy and M42 in the constellation Orion

  • by

    trevorkempf

    Mon Nov 19 2012

    The 2" Orion Variable Polarizing Eyepiece Filter really works alot. I have it hooked up to my 26mm Meade Eyepiece and anything I look at through looks so more detailed. Like stars you'sd to look like a shiny ball but now I can see more detail of the star. works best on the moon and the Planets

  • by

    jimbonner

    Wed Sep 19 2012

    I recently ordered the Paragon Bino mount (sans tripod) I set it up with an existing tripod. It works GREAT, but I really want the tripod that I should have ordered with it. I just didn't have the finances at the time to buy it. Perhaps Orion will cut me a deal for there tripod. I also ordered a precision manual control for an older telescope I inherited from my dad (and older Celestron C-90). The precision device works like a champ when tracking stars manually, giving an older scope a new lease on life for at least another year or two. If I can get a good price on the Paragon Bino mount(tripod) I could become a long time customer. I had no issues with ordering or getting my shipments ontime and in excellent shape. I never had to call customer service as I had NO problems with the products I ordered and they are now in use (for the most part), I just need more tripods, or mounting adaptors to hold more gear. Northern Washington State is a crap shoot where weather is concerened. However... Read more

  • by

    rainguy

    Tue Sep 11 2012

    Orion is a model for what a company should be. Everything Orion sells is high quality in both build quality/fit/finish and performance, a definite cut above similar products by their rivals. Fast delivery and outstanding customer service and support. Moreover, when you phone them you get an actual person immediately, none of the nonstop key punching you too often get when phoning a customer service line.

  • by

    thoya08f

    Tue Sep 04 2012

    Years ago I was given a very large, very expensive telescope (XT8i dobsonian) for my birthday, after about 3 years, the cheap plastic bearings broke. I tried calling to order new ones and nobody knew what I was talking about. After a week I finally got an e-mail back saying then had the part number. It cost me 30+dollars (with shipping) to buy 4 new plastic bearings that will probably break again, in which I will have to purchase more. I also tried buying an upgraded motorized mount to upgrade my telescope but they told me I was unable to buy just the mount because I don't now the motorized version, yet the telescope tube is the same! I also tired to order new screws for my main mirror since mine seam to be bent. They told me to go to a hardware store. They customer service is lacking, and even when I tried throwing money at them they refused. Also if you don't own any of there products, or there is no evidence of YOU actually purchasing from them, Orion will NOT help. As it was hard t... Read more

  • by

    cheddarpuff

    Thu Aug 30 2012

    Orion has terrible customer support. A few months ago I bought a Orion XT8g from them and they sent a damaged panel. It's been three months now and countless chats with customer support reps, and I still haven't received the correct piece.

  • by

    warrenwolff

    Mon Aug 20 2012

    This my second attempt to comment on my new ASTROVIEW 120ST EQ. This site is obstinate in allowing me to register/comment. The scope optics seem to be just fine after just a few peeks. Too many clouds this week in AZ. Shipping time was as announced - - interestingly, I got a scam email from UPS which I ignored. NOW >>> the assembly instructions are SUBSTANDARD! SHAMEFUL! The figures therein are INSUFFICIENT for ease of interpretation. SIMPLE FIX: Hire a college freshman to use the instructions to assemble one and to edit as he goes. VOILA! The mount seems to have some significant slop in it. Maybe I did something wrong? ? ? Will review all the steps. Will consider purchasing other items IF shipping charges are NOT outrageous. Warren in Lake Havasu City AZ

  • by

    cattastic

    Tue Aug 14 2012

    I want everyone to know, the telescope was very good for a beginner scope, it was a birthday gift for someone very special to me. Unfortunately the main scope was dented slightly under the bubble rap. I will say this was not because of the shipper UPS, it was packaged damaged that way. How wonderful it was to have the special person say it's alright as long as it can view the stars I love it. It was my first order from ORION and my last, I hope everyone else has a better experience than me. Sincerely Edward Ricino Dunmore PA

  • by

    lavashoreman

    Tue Jul 31 2012

    Purchased a Skyquest 4.5 XT Dob telescope. It arrived promptly and was well packaged. I had a concern relating to the mount's ground plate and they instantly shipped a replacement without my even requesting it. The replacement was correct and solved the problem. Outstanding customer service.

  • by

    catseye

    Sat Jul 28 2012

    As a volunteer at a I contacted Orion Telescopes to get some parts for a couple of Newtonian Dobs which had been donated to a major university's outdoor learning program. The scopes had been pretty severely abused and needed a few screws and some parts for the spiders. After running through a gauntlet of Customer Service Representatives who all told me that I could not get any parts unless I was the original purchaser. I explained that the scopes had been donated many years before, and that nobody even knew who it was. I got nowhere with any of these people, so I asked to speak to a supervisor. I was put through to a guy named Rich, who identified himself as a Customer Service Supervisor. He told me he would try to find the parts to help me out, and call me back the next week. That was the last time I was able to talk to the jerk. When Rich didn't call me back after a week, I tried several times over the next two weeks to get through to him. Every time, I was told that Ric... Read more

  • by

    ddug8dbc

    Fri Jul 06 2012

    Customer Service is great! Returns are easy and you can speak to a real person with a simple phone call. I'm a repeat customer and will continue to be an Orion customer. Not many online businesses treat their customers as good as Orion does. Give it a try, order something, and if you don't like it, return it! 30 days return policy is nice. I know calling someone may sound like ancient caveman communications, but if you ever have a problem or Question, call Orion, they'll help you! This excellent customer service helps newcomers get started in Astronomy.

  • by

    obiron

    Wed Apr 25 2012

    I’m happy to review the Service offered by Orion Telescopes and Binoculars. Their service with on-line support; informative phone assistance; and quick delivery times are most likely envied by their competitors. I say this because every order I’ve place is delivered as promised, with the product always exceeding expectation levels. I’ve already referred friends and family to their support, and great product lines. Did I mention their return policy? Great news with warranty issues as well. Top notch Corporation; thanks for this opportunity; . . . 5 Stars across the board, you can’t go wrong; you’ll be glad in this hobby you found them. Thanks again Orion!

  • by

    astrobuff

    Thu Apr 05 2012

    I purchased the bino-mount for my 10x50 roof prism binoculars. The bino-mount itself is of very good quality, and a well constructed parallelagram mount. I was very pleased with it. However the part that attached the binocular to mount did not fit onto the binoculars. After calling customer service, they did finally call back and sent the required attachment. They were quite courteous and did not charge me for the for the replacement adaptor parts. I have ordered accessories for my 8" SCT in the past and have always received great service.

  • by

    stridle

    Sat Mar 10 2012

    I bought my first modern telescope from Orion nearly 2 years ago. Was completely satisfied with the store selection and customer service helped me purchase the telescope. They answered the few technical questions I had about the mount and setup. Few months later a part broke on the telescope and Orion was quick to send me another replacement part in little over a week. Just bought a 14" Dob from them every thing was great except they had a shipping issue and the secondary mirror was damaged in the shipping. Orion was quick to fix the situation and has since shipped me the parts to replace the damaged ones. Their technical support staff went above and beyond trying to get the issue resolved A.S.A.P. even with the shipping problem I fault UPS more for the damages then then ORION. All in all they have most of what I need for my astronomy needs and I will continue to use them

  • by

    alexander_abreu

    Thu Feb 23 2012

    No sure why I buy from orion. Staff untraned on customer satifaction. product not on time, next time order it from Amazon or anyone besides Orion. that was my first time doing business with orion and my last.

  • by

    mennis1

    Thu Feb 09 2012

    I return to Orion after Fifteen plus years.Orion is still a good company selling great telescopes and assories at afordable prices. Keep up the good work Orion will be buying many more assories for my xt8i and injoying the night skies for years to come with your great products.

  • by

    dave4451

    Sat Jan 14 2012

    I shopped for a 2" lunar filter and found the Orion on several sites, but all on back order. But I found it on the Orion site as "In Stock" - which it was. I ordered the filter on 12/31/2011, and it shipped the same day. Good process, good customer service! Orion apparently chose the cheapest shipping method possible (USPS), even though they charged me nearly $10.00 for shipping a little 4 oz. filter in a paper bag. So it took 11 days to arrive at my address in NC. Are you kidding me? Eleven days? To North Carolina? I can order just about anything you can imagine from just about anywhere in the world and get it in 3-5 days - unless my vendor chooses to "ship" by USPS. Every competing shipper in America can get a 4 oz. envelope from any warehouse to NC in 2-4 days - unless they hand it off to USPS. --Dave

  • by

    hazi581f

    Thu Dec 29 2011

    After much research, I settled on Orion but couldn't decide on model. Then several back and forth emails to the sales department, they suggested a model for my specific needs, a GoScope 80 bundle with tripod I ordered at 12:30 pm on the 22nd and found the telescope packages at the front door at 10 am the 23rd. 20 hours later? Sure, I live in CA, but still, 20 hours? I know UPS had a hand in it. It was a snap to set up and killed me to wait until it got dark. Finally without aligning the EZ Finder, I pointed it at Jupiter with the 20mm eyepiece saw the planet with it's moons. Wow. I did have one concern though. The diagonal was stripped on one of the holding screws. I emailed Orion asking if one of the screws was enough or if there was a fix as I hated to send anything back. They said a new diagonal was ordered and would be shipping soon. This is how customer service is supposed to be. I now have the complete unit and am completely satisfied. I will be ordering some filters from Orion ... Read more

  • by

    khellian

    Mon Dec 19 2011

    I had been on the Orion mailing list for a while and finally decided that I would take advantage of their Christmas offers. I chatted online with one of their representatives and asked which one of a few different scopes she would recommend to a rank amateur just starting out. My first pleasant surprise with this company was that she recommended one of the least expensive telescopes that I was comparing and gave me an accurate description of what I could expect from it. On that day I purchased the AstroView 90mm refracting telescope. That was on Friday - the scope arrived the following Tuesday with free shipping ! My second pleasant surprise ! Naturally the next five nights were full of clouds in sunny Southern California and it was impossible to see a thing. But when it was clear and I pointed it skywards, it exceeded all of my expectations -- and then some. The belts of Jupiter were clearly visible together will the four closest moons, the Orion Nebula was there in all it's glory a... Read more

  • by

    kc2egl

    Thu Apr 14 2011

    This past week I ordered my second telescope from Orion(9.25" Schmidt Cass). Due to a limit set by my bank I ran into a bit of a delay. Everytime I spoke with a Orion rep I was treated as if I was their most important customer. They gladly held my order until I was able to let my bank know I was the one placing the order. I will continue to conduct business with Orion. Keep up the great work Orion. Michael Brennan Brookville, Pennsylvania.

  • by

    nasenebenhoule

    Thu Mar 31 2011

    I have ordered several items from Orion. Most recently, their 10 X 42 monocular. As usual their shipping was fast, well packaged and the monocular was $50.00 and performance exceeded my expectations for a $50.00 monocular. Orion always sends a follow up "How are we doing?" e-mail. I am shortly going to purchase an eight inch Dobsonian telescope from Orion. Given my excellent prior interactions with Orion, they have a customer for life! Thanks Orion for your superb old fashioned ethical business practices! J R

  • by

    fargon

    Wed Feb 16 2011

    Well I always had great service on other items. But after ordering a 14 inch Dob in January they didn't tell me it was back ordered untill I called in February. They then said mid March and and now it's mid April. Not a good thing for those responsible on that end. Not good for the person who has to explain to people like me why there is this issue. They have to take the flack while having no role in the screw up. Not good for Orion. Michael

  • by

    goodnigh

    Sat Jan 01 2011

    I have been an Orion customer for several years and here is a good reason why. Once wanted to buy a telescope so I called Orion's retail store and asked if they had one in stock to which they answered "Yes". I went to the store the following day only to learn "my" 10" Dob had been sold. The sales staff asked if I had put my name on the box, which I had not. They had the exact model I was looking for on the showroom floor and said I could take that one. They also told me when a new scope in box arrived just bring back the floor display and they would exchange it for the new one. THAT'S customer service. Never went back for the new scope they offered me. No need to as I am very happy with floor model and Orion service. mike

  • by

    vita73

    Thu Dec 23 2010

    After reviewing all the big-box/department stores for a beginners telescope I was plesantly surprised to find that Orion offered far better products at great prices. When I needed to divert the shipment from one place to another, the customer service department was both accomodating and very pleasant. It's hard to find that kind of service anymore. These folks are on my 'nice list' this year!

  • by

    janetl

    Sat Dec 04 2010

    I have purchased several items from Orion. The first time, I totally screwed up my order, but they got it corrected. Great customer service. We had to send our binoculars back for repair, after dropping them. They performed the repair promptly and very cheaply. Again, great customer service. We will continue to use Orion.

  • by

    jlopinot

    Tue Nov 23 2010

    I have purchased a couple of scopes and a number of accessories from Orion over the last two years. All of my dealings with the company have been professional, thorough and satisfying. The only item i ever returned (a filter that was loose in the ring) was handled quickly with no questions asked...I had a new filter in less than a week. The equipment is all top notch with pricing that is hard to beat. The website is easy to navigate and ordering is a snap....not so with other online astronomical suppliers that I have dealt with. Kudos to Orion Telescopes and Binocular, when the time comes to purchasing my astrophotography gear, it will be at the top of my list.

  • by

    ralphthewonder_llama

    Sat Nov 13 2010

    I do like their Dobsonian teles. I want the XT10; a ten-inch reflector for only five hundred bucks. Fun stuff!

  • by

    ericzeiner

    Sat Nov 13 2010

    Been dealing with Orion for about five years now and they have always provided great products at great prices with great service. My only complaint is that Orion charges a lot of money for shipping where most competitors charge little or none. Also the shipping times could be faster. Other than that, a great company which I will still do business with for many years to come.

  • by

    rickepo

    Tue Oct 19 2010

    I purchased a Starshoot black and white CCD Camera from Orion about a year ago, and have been delighted with the product, images are very sharp. (I'm sorry to see the product discontinued, it would seem to be a great starter camera for many people, I'm using it primarily in classroom outreach and also as a wide field imaging device for students to get used to imaging the real sky.) I managed to misplace the CD-ROM with the camera control software two weeks ago and emailed Orion asking where I could download a copy or obtain a replacement CD. I received prompt replies from two of the Orion service staff (Rich and Marshall), and they not only furnished URLs, but also mailed me a new CD free of charge. What great service! Fortunately the skies were cloudy when my initial dilemma happened, but with clear skies this week, you've saved the day (or night)! Thanks much, gentlemen, and Orion! Rick in Oregon

  • by

    starryeyed

    Fri Sep 17 2010

    We just purchased a 10" basic Dobsonian telescope from Orion upgrading from our last large 8" scope purchsed from Meade several years ago. We had to rebuild the Meade scope before we could really enjoy it but this Orion is great right out of the box. Their service has been excellent with rapid email notifications, very good instructions, & superb packaging. The quality of the telescope itself is obvious. It is VERY well made with a focuser that is massive and able to handle 2" eyepieces. Well designed and well built with customer service to match! We will be very happy to continue shopping with Orion for our astronomy needs. Keep up the great work Orion!

  • by

    tgrnts

    Sat Sep 11 2010

    Orion's acknowledgement email stated an order date of 9-7-2010. My order was placed online on 9-5-2010. At any rate, I find their shipment via UPS exclusively to be a bit pricey and very slow for the small items that could be shipped via the USPS Priority Mail for less money and/or faster service. This includes the majority of the accessories associated with telescope purchases. Orion, being located on the West Coast and servicing customers on the East Coast makes for a long delivery wait, unless you are willing to pay exhorbitant prices for faster delivery. I ordered an eyepiece for my telescope from Orion and an eyepiece from another merchant in Las Vegas, NV, on the same day. I paid $4.00 shipping for the eyepiece from Las Vegas,NV. It was sent via USPS on 9-7-2010 and recieved on 9-9-2010. Orion "sent" their eyepiece on 9-7-2010 for a price of $9.95; it will not be delivered until 9-14-2010. I did not order a computer cable from them for the same reason: $9.95 to ship a cabl... Read more

  • by

    vrusso1208

    Wed Aug 18 2010

    I have sent an easier and cheaper way to ship your products but you insist on using ups as your shipper. why dont you try using the usps to ship, try using priority mail and you can have items shipped on saturday and for the same amount of money sent express mail.They dont charge for pickup or fuel charges,also can handle up to 70lbs. I recentlt retired from the usps and dont make anything on this referral talk to them ,just call your local p.o. and they will give you the rite number to call.Also express mail might cost alittle more but no more than i paid to receive my dob in 6 days. thank you vincent p russo

  • by

    demarksman

    Sat Jul 10 2010

    Orion is a role model for American companies. Superb customer service, knowledgeable and friendly staff, great value on their products - this is what the best companies in this country used to be (before losing their way recently) and should be again. I'm not shopping at any other telescope company. Go Orion!