Orion 3x Tri-Mag Barlow

4.0 Good powerful barlow

Good quality, good performance

Long

This is a rather long barlow but it performs quite well. The magnification factor is a good amount for most scopes....you will get good quality high-power views of the moon and planets. The overall quality is great and the coatings are applied well.

The performance is good, but not quite a match for the Televue Powermates. The Powermates a just a hair sharper it seems, although there are fewer lens elements in the tri-mag so views might be a bit brighter. However, for really high-power viewing, I prefer the 5x Powermate....the 3x tri-mag just is not quite powerful enough. Then again, the tri-mag costs a fraction of the price of the Powermates. If you want high power, good quality, and a decent price then it is hard to beat the Tri-Mag from Orion.