iOptron MiniTower - looking for user experiences

I am heavily considering the iOptron MiniTower mount. While the reviews elsewhere have been glowing I would like to hear more more user experiences "on the street". Of key importance to me is ease of leveling, presence of backlash (compare with Nexstar/others), initial alignment, and go-to accuracy. It would also be nice to see a comprehensive review of the iOptron MiniTower on Astromart.

Thanks for reading.

James,
I purchased the MiniTower. Everything worked fine, EXCEPT, it had the jitters. When the motors pulsed, the tube would jump, just like you bumped the tube with your hand. Returned it for another one, same thing...no longer a fan....I can't believe its advertised with a 25 pound capacity, LOL...
Dave P

I just came across this thread after doing a google search on this mount. Ok, so it looks like there are some problems with this one. So can anyone offer an alternative. I need an alt/az goto mount that can handle a TEC 140. I basically hate GEMs. I won't go into all my complaints here, but it mainly has to do with the hassle of the constant releveling of binoviewers as the scope rotates during long observations. That is never a problem with alt/az scope mounts. There is also the issue of more radical changes in the eyepiece height slewing to various points from near the horizon to zenith with a GEM. Any ideas out there?

DanL

Hmmm. I've had this mount for several months now. Works like a charm. Easy to level, easy to align. Excellent goto performance. Excellent tracking. Flawless GPS.

I use a WO M110, so weight is approx 13 lb with heftier EPs.

I'm surprised by all the negative experiences.

Update: I was out with this rig last night (Jan 20) at -18 degress C (0 degrees F) and after a quick alignment on Venus the unit worked flawlessly. Even with medium power EPs in the scope, every object I selected was in the field of view. The mount tracked perfectly. No jitters whatsoever.