Astromania 3X Barlow Lens 1.25 inch Fully Multi Coated Metal Short Focus Barlow Lens Internal Brass Ring & Two Fixing Thumbscrews, M42 Thread Camera Connect Interface for Telescope Eyepiece

This is a review on the general quality of astromania products. I have purchased a focal reducer, a double helix focuser, a 3x barlow and a UHC filter.The material quality of these products is exceptional, in their machanical design and manufacture. They are well built, sturdy, perform their function well, and if used properly will last at least as long as any of these products made by any top shelf competitors.That said, their actual optical performance is, in my experience ( I am a retired electrical engineer not trained in such things, however, I am a somewhat experienced amateur astronomer) adequate for my eyes ( I've used those eyes for 65 years so I've learned not to expect miracles from my optics) . However they are comparable with higher priced competitors, within my ability to judge these things.Now, if you want to compare their products with top shelf manufacturers of optics ( Astromania's hardware by itself, is top notch) costing as much as 3x's the price, they will invariably fall short. This is a comparison that should really not be made. Of course, high end optics are materially ( high quality optical lenses, and their coatings are costly) and technically (research & development costs $), labor intensive. And as much as I believe that these high end manufacturers are trying to be competitive, I am forced to conclude that there is a real gap in designed specs & cost such that a comparison cannot, and shouldnt be made.Bottom line, I am satisfied that I'm getting value for my $ . I would encourage others to as least check into their products and see themselves.

A great asset for getting great views.

The 3x Barlow is must have in your eyepiece kit. You’re able to see more details of the objects you’re looking at. I was able to see the bands of Jupiter in more detail, the moons really appeared more brighter. The rings of Saturn was impressive and in focus. It’s made of metal instead of plastic so it will last a long time.

Very satisfied with product. My kids enjoy looking at the moon.

Barlow lenses are fairly simple and there's not a whole lot of quirks about this one. It's sturdy, well constructed, and magnifies without any noticeable loss in color or quality. Yes, objects will appear slightly dimmer, but that's a drawback for ALL Barlow lenses.I've seen a few reviews on other Barlow lenses where people complain that they can't get objects to focus. Before buying a Barlow lens (or any lens) be sure to calculate the maximum magnification on your scope and see if your lens/barlow combination will exceed that. If you have 400x magnification on a 4.5" telescope that can handle 225x, you're going to have a bad time.

Very difficult to focus. The optics seem ok but the image is poor even when focused with a mask.

I received the "new" version, but was disappointed with the vignetting.See the attached flat field image and daytime moon image which shows the (quite bad) hotspot in the center. It does provide the advertised 3X magnification, and I thought that perhaps the hotspot was an artifact of zooming my telescope that much, but later when I compared it to a 3x teleconverter I found that the hotspot was entirely the fault of the Astromania 3X barlow.If you decide to buy it anyways, note that it is "short focus" so you may need an extender depending upon your optical path to pull focus.

Don't have much to compare it to cause this is all I have but I believe it works just fine. Easy to take apart to clean. Idk if it's 3x but it sure does bring you alot closer to the planets if used on a telescope. With this little sucker I was able to see Jupiters great red spot with ease on my Celestron starsence 130DX