Features:

  • Quality x-cel lx 2x Barlow doubles the magnification of any 1. 25" Eyepiece.
  • 3-Element apochromatic, fully multi-coated Optics offer up bright, sharp images.
  • A rubber grip helps to avoid accidental drops
  • Barrel is threaded to accept standard 1. 25" Filters.
  • A brass compression ring holds the eyepiece firmly in place.
Best in Class

This replaces a very good 1990s vintage Celestron Ultima Barlow. The Ultima was considered perhaps as the best short Barlow on the market for its time. Both this and the Ultima are quite similar in certain respects: 1) They are designed to work in star diagonals 2) They are three element Barlows I purchased the X-Cel 2x based on the performance of the 3x version, which featured class leading contrast and sharpness, and the ability to deal with difficult eyepieces with a bit more grace than the Ultima. Key to the contrast performance is the hollow top, which eliminates a major potential source of reflections. The 2x is a bit shorter than the 3x and handles difficult eyepieces a little better. Contrast and sharpness is exceptional. People often comment that a good Barlow should act as if it wasn't there, except for the increase in magnification. By that definition there are no good Barlows, but of the many I have tried, these come the closest. I have tried Meade, Explore Scientific, Baader, and Televue (earlier models). Some general thoughts on Barlows for beginners. 1) Know your telescope's limits. If your scope is well collimated, your magnification limit will fall somewhere between 30x-60x per inch of aperture. A 10mm eyepiece will give you 200x (25x/inch) in a telescope like the C8. Putting a 2x Barlow in there boosts the power to 400x (50x/inch). A C8 tends to do best around 30x/inch. A 3x Barlow simply makes the situation worse. Try using a 2x Barlow with a 15mm to 20mm eyepiece with this scope. 2) Know your viewing conditions. To use high magnifications, the air you look through must be fairly steady. The overall steadiness of the air is called "seeing." If you rarely get steady nights, limit your eyepiece purchases to those magnifications you are likely to use frequently. You can then use the Barlow on those uncommon, steady nights. 3) A bad eyepiece is a single bad eyepiece. A bad Barlow has the potential to mess up a bunch of eyepieces. Don't cheap out. If you use a star diagonal, avoid two element, short Barlows, even if they are cheaper. They simply don't work that well. That third element makes a difference. Some short, two element Barlows let you thread off the optical elements, and thread them directly into an eyepiece, giving a 1.3x to 1.5x boost in magnification. That arrangement is usually worse optically than the two element Barlow attached to its own tube. 4) If you just use a Newtonian reflector, consider a longer Barlow, as they are easier to make well. Amateur astronomers have high praise for the Televue 2x and the Orion Tri-mag (3x).

Really nice barlow

Used with a Orion SkyView 6 telescope, 26mm plossel & 8mm Baader Hyperion. This is a great bang-for-buck barlow. There is a slight, but noticeable loss of light that is completely expected/normal for barlows. That's the worst I can say. The clarity is excellent. Overall quality & design are great too. I'm very happy with this purchase.

Great pricepoint

Very good affordable barlow. I pair this with my skyris 236c for imaging planets

Great Barlow.

Wonderful clear Barlow. The eyepiece clamp is a different way of looking at things. It holds the eyepiece very securely.

Great quality, views are clear and sharp. Brass collar to grip the EP so no marring of surfaces

Well constructed and of high quality with a beautiful finish. Works well and views are clear and sharp. You can't beat this for the price. Uses a brass collar to grip your EPs so no worry about marring the surfaces.

Great addition to your toolbox

You can double magnification without buying another eyepiece. Search the internet for more info on these lenses. I like to pair it with a zoom eyepiece at times when trying for max magnification. I did have to refocus once the barlow was attached, that is expected.

Works well

Works well for holding eye pieces to the star diagonal No complaints

Excellent optics

Excellent item for my vintage Meade telescope. Good quality item purchased for use with new and old eye pieces on an 1990 Meade 395 scope. Highly recommended.

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