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$2,299

Lowest in 90 days

Price tracked by PolarisObserved 50 timesTracking since Jul 2026

Where to buy

Agena AstroProductsPartnerBest price$2,299→Sky-Watcher USA$2,299→Starizona$2,299→High Point Scientific$2,299→

Verified just now · prices tracked daily

01What it's good at

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

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.

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.

02The Polaris Score

How it scores, and why.

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

Ease of use

Portability

Upgrade potential

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.

03Who it's for

An honest fit check.

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.

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