Dobsonian telescopes are known for their portability, ease of use, and low manufacturing costs, however their designs still require some assembly in the field and can take up a lot of space in your home storage or during transport. Enter Zhumell’s Portable Z series, a set of lightweight, highly portable, tabletop Dobsonians that are designed specifically to be “grab and go” telescopes. This is in addition to Zhumell’s Dobsonian Z series, which feature the larger, more traditional Dobsonian design. While the Portable Z Series might not impress the seasoned amateur astronomer as a main piece of equipment, they are a great addition as a easy to set up scope for gatherings, or for beginners who are looking for a telescope that can provide easy access to the hobby without worrying about the more complex aspects of astronomy, at a very affordable price.
Currently, there are three telescopes in Zhumell’s Portable Z series. The first is the Z100, which we review here, features a four inch aperture, a light weight of just above six pounds, and a very affordable price of $145.94. Then, there’s the Z114, which features a four and a half inch aperture, a light weight of eleven pounds, and a price of only $244.93. Finally, there is the Z130, the largest of the Portable Z Series, which features an aperture of five inches, weighs in at twenty-one pounds, and has a price of $341.99. For comparison, the smallest of Zhumell’s traditional Dobsonian Z series, the Zhumell Z8 Deluxe Dobsonian Reflector Telescope, has an eight inch aperture, weighs in at fifty-four pounds, and has a price point of $664.37. The main difference to take into account here is the portability options as compared to the price, and for a grab and go tabletop telescope, Zhumell’s Portable Z series offers quality and a price that are practically unmatched for this style of telescope. On some websites, including Optics Planet and Highpoint Scientific, you can even find the Zhumell Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope priced lower than Zhumell’s MSRP, at an astonishing $99.
As for the company, Zhumell has been on the optics scene for a number of years, and although they are one of the smaller companies producing telescopes, they have made a name for themselves as a quality producer of affordable telescopes. While they might not stack up against industry leaders, such as Celestron, Orion, or Meade, they aren’t far behind. Much of this is to do with the small structure of the company, which is based out of Omaha, Nebraska, and their use of a small number of authorized dealers, those being the online retailers Telescopes Plus, Binoculars Plus, and Amazon, although their products can be found on sites such as Optics Planet and Highpoint Scientific as well. Overall, Zhumell is certainly considered one of the most trustworthy names in telescope manufacturing, even if they lack the brand recognition and size of the industry leaders.
Grab and go tabletop design
The portability of the Zhumell Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope is certainly one of the leading draws to the telescope. It’s compact size and weight allows you to easily transport it, or set it up for quick and easy viewing sessions, in a manner that is unparalleled by larger telescopes. The lack of a tripod mount means that the telescope will need a patio table or similar surface to rest on for best use, although it can also be set up on the hood of your car for use in the field. For those of us who would prefer a traditional tripod mount, the Zhumell Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope features a thread at the bottom of the mount for attachment to a simple photography tripod.
The built in altazimuth mount attaches to the optical tube assembly via a plastic Vixen dovetail saddle. While this certainly is not your traditional Dobsonian design, it is more than enough to support the light weight of the optical tube and to provide enough movement for tracking your celestial targets. The mount also comes with a built in handle for easy transport and control. Like most Dobsonians, the base of the mount is built out of a plywood alternative, and is protected by a simple laminate. This design works to keep the cost of the telescope down, and thankfully does not sacrifice the sturdiness or capability of the scope, which features Teflon bearings in the altazimuth, ensuring smooth fluid movement.
The tabletop design also means that the telescope is one of the most affordable and easy to use telescopes on the market. This makes the Zhumell Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope a perfect beginning telescope for both young and adult entrants to the hobby, or even seasoned amateurs looking for a telescope that can set up with ease.
100 mm parabolic primary mirror
You won’t often find a telescope of this price with such quality optics. The Zhumell Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope features a 100mm—or, four inches—parabolic primary mirror that is designed to focus all light intake into a single point, removing the likelihood of spherical aberration and creating a crisp, clear viewing environment. The primary mirror is also coated with Zhumell’s high-reflectivity coatings, allowing for over ninety percent transmission of incoming light. As most telescopes in this price range are simple department store refractor telescopes, the coated parabolic mirror allows the deep sky capabilities of this Newtonian reflector to handily outperform any telescope of similar price and aperture. For only $145.94, this telescope offers a limiting magnitude of 12.7, than enabled you to view nebulae, galaxies, and planetary details that are typically reserved for much more expensive telescopes. In fact, this telescope has topped many review lists for telescopes in this price range.
The Zhumell Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope features am f/4 Focal Ratio and a Focal Length of four hundred millimeters. Focal Ratios of this speed will typically suffer from a high amount of coma, and while coma does occur with this telescope, is reduced unless using lower magnification lenses. Still, the coma that does appear is very slight and exists only at the furthest edges of the field of view.
Even better for beginners is that the telescope comes with locked in primary optics, which means that the telescope does not require collimation as with any other reflector telescopes, and will hold the factory collimation for the length of its life. While the secondary mirror can be collimated, it also is designed to hold its place for long periods of time, requiring much less fuss. This makes this grab and go telescope one of the easiest reflector telescopes for children and beginners to use, as it drastically reduces the labor and maintenance involved.
The Zhumell Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope also comes with a built in rack and pinion focuser that is compatible with a number of different accessories, a dust cap, and two eyepieces— a seven millimeter Kellner eyepiece with twenty-four times magnification and a ten millimeter Kellner eyepiece with forty times magnification, as well as a red-dot finder to help locate your celestial targets with ease.
Features and specifications
- The Zhumell Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope is priced at a very affordable $145.94, making it one, if not the, best performing reflector telescopes for the price
- The telescope can be found for $99, lower than the MSRP, at both Highpoint Scientific and Telescope Plus online retailers
- The telescope features a simple to use grab and go design which requires no set up
- The telescope can be mounted onto a simple photography tripod
- The locked in primary optics remove the need for collimation of the primary mirror
- The four inch aperture coated primary mirror allows for deep sky views typically reserved for much costlier telescopes, with a limiting magnitude of 12.7
- The Zhumell Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope come with a number of accessories including a built in rack and pinion focuser, a dust cap, two eyepieces—one 10 mm and one 17mm, as well as a red-dot finder.
User impressions
The Zhumell Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope is featured on a number of different retailer sites, including Telescopes Plus, Highpoint Scientific, and Amazon. Boasting a 4.8/5 on Telescopes Plus, a 5/5 on Highpoint Scientific, and a 4.7/5 on Amazon, consumers and reviewers agree that this is the highest quality tabletop Dobsonian in its price range.
Regarding the Portable Z series, users agree that “Zhumell has done a fantastic job with this line of scopes” and that there’s “not a better product on the market for this price.” The Zhumell Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope offers an “affordable price, top-quality build, and ease of use”, all of which makes the telescope an “ideal” purchase for “anyone looking to get into astronomy or as an educational gift for a child.”
The Zhumell Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope is “a nice little ‘scope for both the beginner and for the experienced user who just wants to go outside and take a look at something quickly,” and users “can’t believe Zhumell put this much quality” in a scope in this price range. This telescope is so easy to use and capable that even children have no issues operating it. Reviews also comment on the ease of setup, and that the telescope comes ready to use right out of the box, and is ready to go within five minutes. Most users also comment on the fact that the telescope came perfectly collimated upon shipping, and has held its collimation throughout use.
One user said that the telescope makes a great “conversation piece when not in use”, and with the sleek black design of the optical tube assembly, they find the telescope “so attractive [they] have it on display in [their] sitting room.” Thanks to the design, the telescope is easy to just pick up and show off its capabilities to family or friends.
On the other hand, no telescope is perfect, and as this is small telescope for under $200, it does have its faults. Managing your expectations is a must, and that includes acknowledgement that “this is not a powerful instrument, but it is well designed for a clear survey of the moon, planets and more stars than visible through field binoculars” and thanks to the limiting magnitude of 12.7, a large number of nebulae and other deep space objects can be viewed as well.
Users also mention that the dust cap “comes off pretty easy,” one user claiming that “twice I’ve found the cover not on the tube in my trunk” after transport. Another user mentions the plastic focuser, a “shortcoming of any scope in this range,” which “has a bit of rollback when you let go of it.” Users have also experienced some issues with the collimation process of the secondary mirror, as the screws are “very tight and hard to turn,” an unfortunate side effect of Zhumell’s efforts to reduce the need for Collimation.
To summarize, the Zhumell Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope is a very affordable telescope that is ideal for beginners, children, or enthusiasts looking for an east grab and go tabletop telescope. It offers a fantastic viewing experience for the MSRP of $145.94, although it can be found for as low as $99 on sites such as Optics Planet and Highpoint Scientific. The telescope is designed to be lightweight, highly portable, and easy to use, and as such does not require collimation near the complexity of more advanced reflector telescopes. While this telescope will not serve you well as your permanent main telescope, it is a great starting point or grab and go addition to your collection.
Comparable telescopes
While we endorse the Zhumell Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope, you might also consider the following products:
- Orion SkyScanner 100mm Tabletop Dobsonian Reflector Telescope
- Sky-Watcher Heritage 130 Tabletop Dobsonian
- Orion FunScope 76mm Tabletop Dobsonian Reflector Telescope
Additional accessories
Here are some accessory suggestions that will improve your experience with the Zhumell Z100 Portable Altazimuth Reflector Telescope:
- Zhumell 1.25″ High Performance Urban Sky Filter
- Apertura 2x 1.25″ Barlow Lens
- KobraTech Apex A70 Tripod
