Manufactured by Beigle/Bryant Engineering
14826 Willow Glen Court
Canyon County, CA 91351
800-330-8339
I ordered my SopeSaver from Shutan Camera, they call it the "Easy-Mount" but it is the ScopeSaver observing table. The table came well packed; the instructions were simple and straightforward. I was impressed with the quality of the observing table, it is made of heavy aluminum, and all edges are chamfered and appear polished. The flat black anodized finish compliments the Meade adjustable field tripod.
I followed the directions assembling the table and mounting it to the tripod. I noticed one difference between my tripod and the instructions. My center threaded rod did not have the nut on the inner side of the tightening knob as illustrated. This became an issue when I did not have enough length in the threaded rod to properly grab the LX200 when mounted on the table. It appears Meade has eliminated that bolt and shortened the rod slightly since the Scopesaver instructions were written. A trip to the hardware store corrected this problem with a longer length of ½"-13 threaded rod. I used a lathe to turn the notch for the "C" clip, but I could of easily just used a hand file in a vise.
Alignment of the LX200 is a snap using the table; the guide pins center the scope every time. The eyepiece holders built into the table comfortably hold 9-1 ¼" and 3-2" eyepieces. The built in holder for the LX200 keypad is both a convenient and safe place to rest the keypad. The only drawback to the table I saw was that the cables running from my Kendrick dew heater occasionally catch on the rectangular corners of the table or on a 2" eyepiece, however the cable has so far always ended up freeing itself without binding or incident. The Eyepieces are secure in the table so I don’t have a fear of them being pulled out by a cable.
I’ve been so satisfied with the ScopeSaver observing table that I ordered two of their optional accessories, the Beverage holder and the reference/laptop table. I ran into several minor issues with both of the accessories. The beverage holder, without incident, mounted onto the ScopeSaver table as shown in the instructions. Additionally, it is supposed to be able to be used on the reference table as well, but the reference table is made out of a thinner aluminum than the ScopeSaver. The bolt that holds the beverage holder to the table bottomed out in the threaded hole of the mounting bar before it tightened to the reference table. I had to add washers to the bolt to get it to mount to the reference table.
The reference table would not mount perpendicular to the Scopesaver Table as shown in the assembly diagram without removing one of the mounting pins that hold the keypad onto the table. In this position though, it is awkward to view through the scope at certain angles, because of the length of the reference table. The reference table can be mounted at various angles to the ScopeSaver table; there are predrilled holes in the table to allow this movement. I found that around a 45-degree angle to the Scopesaver worked best for my viewing needs. At this angle however, I could not mount the beverage holder on the ScopeSaver table, I had to move it to the reference table, but that did not cause any issues except the needed washers for tightening up the holder. The last issue I found with the reference table was the brace that mounts to the leg of the tripod. With the table at 45 degrees and the leg brace set for what in my opinion is the best support, I cannot fold the tripod without turning the brace on the leg. The mounting brackets hit the tripod’s center braces when they fold up in that position. Any other position of the reference table and leg brace combination does not cause this issue, so it is minor in my opinion.
In conclusion I rate the ScopeSaver table as a perfect "10" and the reference table and beverage holder a solid "9". The Scopesaver observing table and accessories can be ordered direct from the manufacturer and they accept major credit cards.