Sky-Watcher

Sky-Watcher Flextube 350P SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian

Fourteen inches of observatory-grade aperture that still breaks down for the car, a dedicated deep-sky scope that shows faint galaxies and planetary nebulae direct, with GoTo to find them fast.

85/ 100

Polaris Score

#1 of 1 14" GoTo Dobsonian

See the breakdown ↓

Aperture

355mm

Focal Length

1600mm

Focal Ratio

f/4.5

Mount Type

Dobsonian (GoTo)

Optical Design

Dobsonian

Weight

57 kg

From$3,995

Lowest in 90 days

Price tracked by PolarisObserved 48 timesTracking since Jul 2026

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Where to buy

Agena AstroProductsPartnerBest price$3,995→Astronomics$3,995→Starizona$3,995→High Point Scientific$3,995→

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What it's built forOpen these in the simulator →

This telescope was built to gather light.

355 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 270–440×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 →

Where else it shines

Rewards a dark sky

Andromeda Galaxy

Galaxy structure starts revealing — bright core, extended halo

Open view →

Easy first target

The Pleiades

Densely packed showpiece — hundreds of stars across multiple magnitudes

Open view →

Within reach

Orion Nebula

Stronger structure — embedded stars plus dark lanes within the core

Open view →

Also excellent on

Saturn

Sharp planetary detail — multiple bands, festoons, and surface variation

Open view →

✦

It is a light bucket, not a travel scope — the reach comes with real bulk and a dark-sky drive out of town.

01What it's good at

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

Best at

✓355mm collects nearly 2x the light of a 10-inch, the reach that makes faint galaxies and dim planetary nebulae obvious rather than suspected

✓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/4.5 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

Aperture

355 mm (14 inch)

Fourteen inches gathers about 2,500 times the light of your eye and roughly 36 percent more than a 12 inch. At this size, galaxy groups show individual members, globular clusters look three-dimensional, and nebula filaments appear without averted vision.

Focal length

1600 mm

Long enough for 320x with a 5 mm eyepiece while a 30 mm eyepiece still gives 53x. The large aperture supports high magnification more consistently than smaller scopes because there is light to spare.

Focal ratio

f/4.5

Fast, which is what keeps a 14 inch tube from becoming a ladder-and-scaffolding project. It also means premium eyepieces and a coma corrector are close to essential to see sharp stars across the field.

Optical design

Collapsible truss Newtonian

The truss collapses for transport, which is the only reason this aperture is movable by one determined person. Collimation after each setup is part of the routine, not an occasional chore.

Weight

57 kg total

About 126 lb across the tube and base. Realistically this is a two-person setup or a permanent garden installation, and eyepiece height means a step stool for objects near the zenith.

Mount

SynScan GoTo Dobsonian base

Motorised GoTo and tracking on both axes, which at this aperture turns a night into a tour of dozens of faint objects instead of a search. Alt-azimuth tracking still rules out long-exposure imaging.

02The Polaris Score

How it scores, and why.

85/ 100

Sky-Watcher Flextube 350P SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian

#1 of 1 14" GoTo Dobsonian

Performance

Ease of use

Portability

Upgrade potential

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.

03Who it's for

An honest fit check.

Buy it if you

✓Deep-sky observers who want 14" 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

04Build your rig

What to buy next — and where it leads.

Recommended upgrades

See wider, brighter deep-sky views★ Top pickExplore Scientific 68deg 28mm 2-inch

Commonly paired with Sky-Watcher Flextube 350P SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian

$169View details →

Pinpoint stars across the whole fieldApertura 1x Photographic Coma Corrector

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

$269.95View details →

Make nebulae popOptolong UHC Filter 2″

Improves contrast on nebulae and planets with this setup

$85View details →

Observe better

Tame lunar glareGSO Moon Filter 13pct 1.25-inch

Improves contrast on nebulae and planets with this setup

$11.95View details →

Make nebulae popSVBony UHC 1.25-inch

Commonly paired with this telescope

View details →

Sharper planets & lunar detailCelestron X-Cel LX 7mm

Commonly paired with this telescope

$109.95View details →

A sharper everyday viewCelestron X-Cel LX 18mm

Commonly paired with this telescope

$109.95View details →

Show all compatible gear (5) →

Accessories

Double your magnificationTele Vue 2x Barlow 1.25-inch

Doubles magnification for closer planetary detail with this telescope

$153View details →

Lunar & planetary

Excellent

Deep-sky visual

Excellent

Astrophotography

Not its purpose, a visual scope

05The numbers

Full specifications.

Optics

Optical DesignDobsonian

Aperture355mm

Focal Length1600mm

Focal Ratiof/4.5

Mount & drive

Mount TypeDobsonian (GoTo)

Physical

Weight57 kg

06Alternatives

For a different goal, start here.

Lighter & cheaper

Sky-Watcher Flextube 300P SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian

The 12-inch is meaningfully easier to handle and store for most people

→Maximum aperture

Sky-Watcher Flextube 400P SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian

The 16-inch for the deepest views Sky-Watcher's Flextube line offers

→Far more portable

Sky-Watcher Flextube 250P SynScan GoTo Collapsible Dobsonian

The 10-inch if you want serious aperture you can still move alone

→

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