AR102 Update

I finally got to use the AR102 a couple times. Here are my thoughts so far:

• The Edmund Medium-Duty GEM and tripod, even when fully extended, are too short. The scope needs to be another foot off the ground for comfortable use.
• The included finder was wobbling so I threw it out. ES is sending me a new one soon. In the meantime I have put a Rigel Quickfinder on it.
• The included eyepiece and diagonal are junk. The 25mm eyepiece is constructed mostly of plastic and has a brittle eyecup; and the diagonal is plastic with a very cheap looking mirror. I replaced the diagonal with a Meade mirror diagonal. Unfortunately the Meade has issues with some eyepieces where it's hard to get them out. However it will be replaced in a few weeks with a nice Celestron prism diagonal.
• Chromatic aberration is minimal. Mars and most stars have no CA visible, Venus has a slight purple halo, and the Moon has a nearly monochrome fuzz around it that could be easily mistaken for dew on the lens.
• Image brightness is near that of my Super Space Conqueror. M42 shows a ton of structure.