Sky-Watcher Flextube 300P SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian — image 1
Sky-Watcher

Sky-Watcher Flextube 300P SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian

Twelve inches of aperture with GoTo tracking, the point where globulars resolve to the core and galaxies show spiral hints, still (just) transportable thanks to the collapsing truss.

86/ 100
Polaris Score
#1 of 1 12" GoTo Dobsonian
See the breakdown ↓
Aperture
305mm
Focal Length
1500mm
Focal Ratio
f/4.9
Mount Type
Dobsonian (GoTo)
Optical Design
Dobsonian
Weight
45.0 kg
From$2,499

Lowest in 90 daysLowest ever tracked

Price tracked by PolarisObserved 97 timesTracking since Jul 2026

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Where to buy

Verified 13h ago · prices tracked daily

What it's built forOpen these in the simulator →

This telescope was built to gather light.

305 mm of aperture pulls in the faint light that galaxies and clusters live or die on. Point it up under a dark sky and objects that are rumors in smaller scopes resolve into real structure.

Sweet spot 230–380×Rewards dark skies
The view people remember

The Sombrero, brim and all.

A bright edge-on galaxy crossed by a sharp dark dust lane — the brim of the hat — one of the most distinctive shapes in the entire deep sky.

See The Sombrero Galaxy through this telescope →
01What it's good at

What it's best at — and the trade-offs.

305mm pulls in roughly 45% more light than a 10-inch, the jump that starts resolving detail in fainter galaxies and globular clusters
Best at
✓305mm pulls in roughly 45% more light than a 10-inch, the jump that starts resolving detail in fainter galaxies and globular clusters
✓SynScan GoTo motorizes both axes: align on a few stars and it slews to and tracks any of 42,000+ objects, so a big Dob stops being a hunt and starts being a tour
✓The Flextube truss collapses the tube for transport, then extends and holds collimation, the only way a scope this size fits in a normal car
✓It keeps the Dobsonian payoff intact: aperture-per-dollar nothing else touches, on a stable, intuitive alt-az base
Trade-offs
!It's heavy and bulky: plan on a two-part carry and, at the larger sizes, help or a wheeled setup
!The GoTo base needs stable power (a battery pack or supply) that a manual Dob does not
!The open truss lets stray light and dust reach the mirror, so a shroud helps at real sites
!At f/4.9 it's demanding on eyepieces and shows edge coma without a corrector; alt-az tracking suits visual use, not imaging
02In plain English

What These Numbers Mean

305mm · f/4.9 · 1500mm FL · Dobsonian (GoTo)
Aperture
305 mm (12 inch)
Twelve inches gathers about 1,850 times the light of your eye, roughly 44 percent more than a 10 inch. That shows as spiral structure in brighter galaxies, colour in planetary nebulae, and globulars resolved to their cores.
Focal length
1500 mm
Long enough for 300x planetary work on steady nights while a 30 mm eyepiece still gives 50x. Large aperture plus long focal length is the classic deep-sky pairing.
Focal ratio
f/4.9
Fast optics keep the tube shorter and the fields wide, at the cost of demanding good eyepieces and careful collimation. A coma corrector visibly improves the outer field.
Optical design
Collapsible truss Newtonian
The collapsing truss is what makes a 12 inch transportable at all, cutting the packed length nearly in half. Collimation should be verified after each setup, and a shroud helps on dewy nights.
Weight
47 kg total
Around 104 lb across tube and motorised base. Both pieces are heavy, the base especially, so this is a two-person load or a job for a trolley and a flat path.
Mount
SynScan GoTo Dobsonian base
Full GoTo with tracking, which matters more at this aperture because you can spend the night on faint targets instead of star hopping. Alt-azimuth tracking rules out long-exposure imaging.
03The Polaris Score

How it scores, and why.

86/100 · #1 of 1 12" GoTo Dobsonian
86/ 100
Sky-Watcher Flextube 300P SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian
#1 of 1 12" GoTo Dobsonian
Performance
90
Ease of use
80
Portability
50
Upgrade potential
55

Polaris weighs optical capability, how easy the scope is to live with, how portable it is, and how far it takes you before you outgrow it — not list price or brand.

04Who it's for

An honest fit check.

Deep-sky observers who want 12" of light-grasp and let the mount find and track objects for…
Buy it if you
✓Deep-sky observers who want 12" of light-grasp and let the mount find and track objects for them
✓Anyone chasing faint galaxies, globulars, and planetary nebulae that smaller scopes only hint at
✓Observers with the space and a way to move a large two-part scope who want maximum aperture without a permanent pier
Look elsewhere if you
!Anyone who needs a light, one-hand grab-and-go setup, this is a deliberate haul
!Deep-sky imagers, since an alt-az Dob base can't do long exposures
!Observers short on storage or without a way to transport a bulky base and tube
05Build your rig

What to buy next — and where it leads.

8 pieces of gear, ordered by what changes the view most
Recommended upgrades
See wider, brighter deep-sky views★ Top pickExplore Scientific 68deg 28mm 2-inch

Commonly paired with Sky-Watcher Flextube 300P SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian

Pinpoint stars across the whole fieldApertura 1x Photographic Coma Corrector

Sharpens stars to the very edge of the field at fast focal ratios

Make nebulae popOptolong UHC Filter 2″

Improves contrast on nebulae and planets with this setup

Observe better
Tame lunar glareGSO Moon Filter 13pct 1.25-inch

Improves contrast on nebulae and planets with this setup

Make nebulae popSVBony UHC 1.25-inch

Commonly paired with this telescope

A sharper everyday viewCelestron X-Cel LX 18mm

Commonly paired with this telescope

Sharper planets & lunar detailCelestron X-Cel LX 7mm

Commonly paired with this telescope

Show all compatible gear (5) →
Accessories
Double your magnificationTele Vue 2x Barlow 1.25-inch

Doubles magnification for closer planetary detail with this telescope

Lunar & planetary
Excellent
Deep-sky visual
Excellent
Astrophotography
Not its purpose, a visual scope
06The numbers

Full specifications.

6 measured and stated values
Optics
Optical DesignDobsonian
Aperture305mm
Focal Length1500mm
Focal Ratiof/4.9
Mount & drive
Mount TypeDobsonian (GoTo)
Physical
Weight45.0 kg
07Alternatives

For a different goal, start here.

3 alternatives, each mapped to the goal it wins at
Lighter & cheaper

Sky-Watcher Flextube 250P SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian

The 10-inch is far easier to move and still a serious deep-sky scope

→
Go bigger

Sky-Watcher Flextube 350P SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian

The 14-inch for even more reach if transport and storage aren't limits

→
Grab-and-go

Sky-Watcher Flextube 200P SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian

The 8-inch GoTo if a one-person setup matters more than maximum aperture

→
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