[Robert_T]

Hi all, I've recently bought an ioptron CEM40 mount which is nearly half the weight of my Saxon AZEQ6 but with almost the same carrying capacity (well claimed anyway, 18kg versus 20kg).

Claims aside, the CEM40 separately handles even my larger refractor rig the fairly weighty Espirit 100ed (with Eagle PC and other odds and ends) well so no point keeping the AZEQ6 and so I'll be selling the AZEQ6 off with the aim of picking up a higher end, higher capacity (25kg min), AP mount for a future scope upgrade (with a total payload weight between 15 and 18kg, thinking a 5 to 6 inch F7 apo with all the trimmings). Nothing wrong with the AZEQ6 and it might handle such at a stretch just no point keeping it as well as the CEM40 and better to get something that can more than easily handle the next size up in scopes.

This is a wide open question, really more an invitation to share experience, for thoughts and outcomes from those who have dived into the world of acquiring more premium AP mounts into Australia; mounts such as AP Mach 1, Paramount MYT, Avalon Linear or Uno, 10 Micron 1000, Losmandy G11, Mesu 200, versus more available mounts like the EQ8 R or RH, or even I-optron CEM70 or 120. Hard or easy to import, performance met expectations or, etc?

I'm comfortable with guiding so the ability to do prolonged non-guided exposures is not a big deal to me; and I get the impression a lot of what you pay for with premium mounts is for the performance to do more non-guided AP. More important to me is performance with guiding so minimal negligible backlash is particularly important. I'm strictly a backyard AP'er and only need to bring mount out and back from under back deck, not travelling; and if I did travel would use the CEM40 anyway.

thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences.