Paragon XHD tripod question

Does anyone know anything about the quality of this tripod and head that Orion shows in their catalog? It seems that it should have no trouble with a 6 lb. load.

I've had the Paragon XHD for about a year now (bought it used), and find that it's a very nice unit. Not a really heavy-duty affair, but well-made and finished, with smooth movements. A good value for the money. The Paragon has been around for a while, so it has found its niche. I use it with a 10 lb. binocular, and it is taxed with this weight, but I'm sure it would be fine and solid for a 6 lb. load.

Hi Darian,

I have both models of the paragon tripods, the HD-F2 & the XHD. The XHD is quite good and solid. The head is actually the weak link IMHO. If you're only gonna use it for terrestrial spotting, where you'll mainly be panning left-right(Azimuth), with the scope fairly level, then it should suffice. For pointing the scope up at the night sky it probably won't be that good, especially with a narrow FoV of a Mak.

On my XHD I actually removed the head and replaced it with a Universal Astronomics microstar, alt-az, mount. With this combo, I mount either my Orion 80ED or my AT-66ED. I have been able to use magnifications of over 200X with the 80ED, even on my second story, wooden deck. Vibration suppression pads make a notable improvement on the deck. Set up on the ground, I probably wouldn't need the VS pads at all.

At the current sale price from Orion, or as a "2nd", it is a great deal, and it doesn't seem as painful, economically, to replace the head.

Take care,

Joe