I bought this to use as a grab-and-go support for smaller telescopes – there are lots of reviews here from a photography / videography perspective, but none for astronomy that I could find, so I thought I’d chime in.The tripod arrived quickly and well packaged, no complaints on that front. I’ll join many others here and say that for the price, I am quite stunned at the sturdiness of this item. I work in TV production so am familiar with the more industrial tripod brands, and while this doesn’t match something that would set you back hundreds of pounds, it’s astonishingly close. The build quality itself is good – again, far better than expected for the price. Legs and majority of body and head are metal, as is the pan arm; tension adjustment knobs, pan handle, nifty carry handle around the centre pillar, extension clasps and winch handle etc. are plastic. The only part that feels a bit cheap on mine is the L/R tension control, which has very little travel between very loose and locked, but this minor complaint aside all controls operate smoothly enough and feel sturdy when locked in place. The quick release plate is also plastic, but has no wobble with the kit I tested, and had no problems attaching to any of my ‘scopes. Set-up and take-down is swift, and the tripod packs down into a genuinely compact size. It also comes bundled with a decent soft carry case for tidy storage and ease of transportation – though the unit also has a carry handle built into the tripod, though I wouldn’t use this to carry the mount around with a telescope still attached, as that does feel like it’s pushing the limits of what the handle can support.So far I’ve tested this with a 70mm mini-Mak spotting scope (approx. 1kg) and an 80mm short-tube refractor (approx. 2kg) – I also own a 100mm reflector, but this is the lightest of my collection so for testing didn’t bother. I'm definitely a budget backyard astronomer, so I'm not fixing huge, thousand-pound light buckets onto this, but people with pockets as deep as that are unlikely to be shopping in this aisle! Both scopes are well within the weight rating for the mount as advertised, and performance reflects this! Alt-az directional panning with both ‘scopes was smooth, and the alt especially stays where it is without having to overtighten the tension adjustment. I was especially surprised that this was the case with the 80mm, which I’d deliberately overloaded with the heaviest diagonal I have, plus a barlow, plus the heaviest EP, at full focuser extension – it stayed right where it was pointed! Even at relatively high magnifications (x67), the image settled for both scopes within 2 seconds after kicking the tripod legs with all but the last set of leg extensions used; with the legs fully deployed, the last extension degrades visual stability a fair bit with the heavier scope, but that’s to be expected. I’m six foot tall and found no need to extend the last set for a comfortable viewing angle so for most I don’t expect this to be a serious issue for most. I imagine it will worsen further with the upward height extension fully deployed, but as a rule I avoid using those for astronomy as they impact stability too much.I can happily say that now I own one of these, my grab’n’go setup for those impromptu sessions when the weather suddenly turns clear, or for travelling abroad, is perfected. I’ve ordered a slow-motion control gearhead adapter to try out, and if that combines effectively with this tripod, I won’t have any need for the Vixen Mobile Porta mount I already have either – this thing is *that* steady, and at a tiny fraction of the cost. Is it as exquisitely crafted as a Manfrotto? Of course not, but it’s less than £30. And for that price tag, the stability this mount provides is – again – just astonishing. I’ll be wholeheartedly recommending a purchase to any astronomer enthusiast who’ll listen.PROS:PriceExcellent stability (tested up to 2kg)Head motion smooth; holds position wellPacks down to genuinely compact size, decent quality carry case includedLargely metal constructionCONS:Some plastic parts - though to be expected for the priceCan't comment on lifespan (yet)