Sky-Watcher Wave 150i Strainwave Mount Head — image 1
Sky-Watcher

Sky-Watcher Wave 150i Strainwave Mount Head

Sky-Watcher's answer to the AM5-class harmonic mount: ~15 kg of no-counterweight payload in a 5.8 kg head, running in equatorial or alt-az mode, with built-in WiFi. A grab-and-go imaging mount that carries far more than it weighs.

86/ 100
Polaris Score
Performance · ease · portability · upgrade path
See the breakdown ↓
GoTo
Yes
Head Weight
5.8 kg
Imaging Payload
15 kg
Mount Type
Harmonic (strain wave)
Payload Capacity
25 kg
Tracking
Yes
From$2,495

$196 above 90-day lowLast $2,299 in Aug 2026

Price tracked by PolarisObserved 97 timesTracking since Jul 2026

01What it's good at

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

33 lb (15 kg) no-counterweight payload from a 12.8 lb head, a big scope on a mount you carry one-handed, thanks to strain-wave gears
Best at
✓33 lb (15 kg) no-counterweight payload from a 12.8 lb head, a big scope on a mount you carry one-handed, thanks to strain-wave gears
✓Runs in equatorial or alt-az mode with built-in WiFi and broad software support (SynScan, ASIAIR, StellarMate)
✓Undercuts much of the harmonic competition while matching the core no-counterweight capability
Trade-offs
!Standard loads are counterweight-free, but the full 25 kg rating needs the optional counterweight kit
!Some strain-wave periodic error (a small repeating wobble), fine for guided imaging, not literally zero
!Sold as a head, you supply the tripod
02In plain English

The numbers, in plain English.

25kg payload
Payload
25 kg visual, 15 kg imaging
Fifteen kilograms of imaging payload with no counterweight covers almost any amateur rig short of a large SCT. The higher visual figure is for eyepiece use, where a small tracking error does not matter.
Head weight
5.8 kg
Under 13 lb for a head that carries 15 kg is the harmonic advantage in one number. The mount stops being the reason you leave the telescope at home.
Drive type
Harmonic (strain wave)
Strain-wave gears hold an unbalanced load without slipping, which removes counterweights entirely. In exchange the periodic error is higher frequency than a worm drive, so guiding is assumed rather than optional.
Modes
Equatorial or alt-azimuth
It works as an equatorial for long-exposure imaging and switches to alt-azimuth for casual visual sessions, where you skip polar alignment entirely. One mount covering both habits is genuinely useful.
Tripod requirement
Rigid tripod essential
The whole load hangs on one side with no counterweight to settle it, so a light tripod will flex. Treat a solid tripod or pier as part of the mount's cost, not an accessory.
03The Polaris Score

How it scores, and why.

86/100
86/ 100
Sky-Watcher Wave 150i Strainwave Mount Head

High marks for portability and capability-per-weight; performance and upgrade a notch below the premium harmonic mounts.

Performance
86
Ease of use
85
Portability
90
Upgrade potential
85

Polaris weighs tracking and payload capability, how easy the mount 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.

Imagers who want AM5-class no-counterweight capability inside the Sky-Watcher / SynScan…
Buy it if you
✓Imagers who want AM5-class no-counterweight capability inside the Sky-Watcher / SynScan ecosystem
✓Grab-and-go deep-sky shooters running a refractor or small SCT
✓Anyone cross-shopping the AM5N who wants equatorial-or-alt-az flexibility
Look elsewhere if you
!Observatory rigs past ~25 kg, step to a large GEM or the NYX-101
!Budget visual beginners who don't need GoTo imaging
!People who want the biggest third-party accessory ecosystem (that's still ZWO's ASIAIR world)
05The numbers

Full specifications.

7 measured and stated values
Mount & drive
Payload Capacity25 kg
More
GoToYes
Finds objects from a built-in database and points the mount at them automatically, then tracks.
Head Weight5.8 kg
Imaging Payload15 kg
Mount TypeHarmonic (strain wave)
TrackingYes
A motor turns the mount at the sky’s speed, holding your target still for long exposures. You still aim it yourself.
weight lbs12.8lbs
Editor’s Take

The Wave 150i is Sky-Watcher's harmonic (strain-wave) mount, and it works on the same principle as the ZWO AM-series: the gears are strong enough to hold your scope with no counterweight, so a 5.8 kg head carries a 15 kg rig and setup is drop-it-on-the-tripod-and-go rather than a balancing ritual. It's a full GoTo, autoguided imaging mount, with two nice touches, it runs in equatorial mode (for long-exposure imaging) or alt-az (simpler for visual and casual use), and it has WiFi with broad app support (SynScan, ASIAIR, StellarMate), so it drops into most people's existing setup. The pitch is mostly value and ecosystem: if you like the no-counterweight, carry-it-one-handed idea but want to stay in Sky-Watcher's world, and pay a bit less than some rivals, this is the obvious pick.

— The Skynocular verdict