Z114 is the sweet spot of portable tabletops.
Summary Review
Z114 has great build quality and optics. It is extremely portable. It is absolutely recommended for beginners who are just starting out and intermediate astronomers who would like a telescope to scan the sky for just a few minutes.
The great thing about the Zhumell Z114 is the low price. For just 150$ you get a build quality that is at the level of 10” to 12” telescopes, which is amazing. It is sturdy, stable, the mount is smooth and the optical tube feels surprisingly solid and well made. It has a tabletop design that provides even more stability. But be sure you have a stable surface to put your telescope on. There are rubbers on the bottom of the mount so don’t worry about scratching the table or any other surface you put the telescope on.
The optics are good enough for Solar System objects. Of course, you won’t get incredibly detailed, sharp, bright images that you would get from a 10”-700$ telescope. But it is guaranteed that they will mesmerize a beginner and they will be good enough for an intermediate who is just looking for a grab-and-go telescope.
The optics of Z114 is one of the bests in its price range.
Both of the eyepieces are suitable for a 114mm scope.
The accessories are surprisingly good for the price. The 17mm eyepiece is quite good and will provide great image quality. The 10mm has a little narrow viewing angle but works just fine and can be changed in the future. A Barlow lens is recommended if you want to get the most out of your telescope.
Z114 is just a phenomenal beginner scope. It is hard to find something wrong about this device.
In-Depth Review
It is clear Zhumell Z114 is designed to be the perfect beginner telescope. To be honest they’ve come really close. It is only 150$. It is well-built, has solid optics and accessories. It is definitely not a powerhouse, but beginners shouldn’t look for that in their first telescope. They should look for ease-of-use and good value in optics for the price. Zhumell Z114 definitely provides that.
Zhumell Z114 also has the potential of a great grab-and-go telescope. It weighs only 11 lbs which makes it incredibly easy to carry out to the backyard or someplace at any moment. If you are an intermediate astronomer and looking for a telescope that you can pick up and start observing in seconds, Zhumell Z114 is a really good choice.
Optics
10
114mm(4.49″) Aperture
465mm Focal Length
f/4
Deep Space Performer
It has a 114mm aperture which is 4.49 inches. The aperture length gathers enough light for observing Solar System objects in great brightness. It is also wide enough for deep space objects such as star clusters and galaxies. But for that, you will need extra accessories such as a 2x Barlow lens.
The 465mm focal length creates a f/4 focal ratio. This creates enough sharpness for craters on the Lunar Surface, Jupiter’s 4 Galilean Moon’s and the Great Red Spot. You can also see Saturn’s largest moon Titan in detail if you upgrade the eyepieces.
Z114 has a wide-field view, ideal for deep-space observations.
The 17mm eyepiece included is of great quality and provides 24x magnification. It is good for wide-field observations and Solar System objects. This eyepiece is surprisingly good and will last you for long years if looked after carefully.
The 10mm eyepiece provides 40x magnification. It is not bad but it has a little narrow viewing angle and is also a little uncomfortable to look into. So we recommend changing this eyepiece in the future. But don’t worry, it does its job and will be enough for high magnification observations in the beginning.
Mount
10
Altazimuth
TableTop
Sturdy Build
Smooth Connections
The base is perfectly made.
The Dobsonian mount is incredibly easy to use. It moves up, down, left and right; which makes it perfect for a beginner. It has a very smooth motion to it which is great for following fast moving objects. The tabletop design requires a stable surface. This might sound like a drawback but it is definitely better than a shaky tripod.
Accessories
7
Red Dot Finder
1.25″ Focuser
Lens Cap
The red dot finder is a simple device. Just align it with the telescope and point to the celestial you want to focus on. Of course, there are better finder scopes but the red dot finder is perfectly fine for beginners. It also drives the price down which is always welcomed.
There is also a lens cap included to cover your optics when you are not using it. The optics of the telescope may get dusty, especially with an exposed telescope such as Z114. Therefore the lens cap will come in handy in the future.
Recommended Accessories
A well-corrected, wide-field eyepiece like the Agena 25mm Starguider (18x) is great for starry vistas and easy low-power sweeping with the Z114. At the higher magnification end, a 6mm redline (75x) and 2.5mm planetary eyepiece (180x) allow you to zoom in for smaller targets like planetary nebulae, Solar System objects, globular star clusters, and double stars.
Drawbacks
Low Power
Zhumell Z114 might come across as low powered to some people. Zhumell Z130 has 130mm aperture therefore has better optics if you are willing pay a little more. Adding to that, better accessories are needed to use the telescope to its full potential.
Conclusion
Zhumell Z114 is great value for the price. It has all the qualities a beginner telescope requires. It has good optics, a solid build, a smooth and easy-to-use mount. The accessories are also good and will satisfy a beginner. For 150$, it is definitely a great gateway to the astronomy community.