Oh, how reminiscent of a post I made on the 114mm reflector version of
the same trash that I posted here on 2001 Jan 14:

There is no doubt in my mind that such scopes are poor choices and parts of
them are very poorly made.

I strongly encourage anyone reading to avoid these scopes. So before I get to
the heart of what I have to say, let me say this so that anyone doing a google
search may find it.

Begin: INTERNET Search Engine WARNING:

Parents, Friends, Loved Ones, Bosses giving bonuses, whomever might be wanting
to give a CHRISTMAS TELESCOPE, Please do not buy scopes at a department store
or even some Camera stores. Typically these will be made by Bushnell, Simmons,
CStar, Jason and others including some Meade and Celestron Scopes.

There are many nice telescopes available. One possibility is Orion (USA) has
made some wise choices with their inexpensive scopes so that they provide good
values. www.oriontel.com

Please feel free to post your questions to this newgroups or Email me
privately if you have any questons.

END OF INTERNET WARNING.

Now on to the heart of my thinking:

However I also think that given the choice between one of the Bushnell scopes
and nothing, there is quite a bit one can do to improve them. For some this
might be the only option, this is the scope they have and I believe that with
some attention and a small amount of cash they can be improved to the point
where they are worthwhile.

There are webpages on this and I will not attempt to cover the subject, I will
point out that often the basic optics are not so bad, the mounts need
stiffening, the eyepieces need replacing and the finder needs to be replaced as
well. Those "5x24" finders have washers in them because I think they have what
might be termed a "Chromat" for an objective.

So, my real point, if you have one of these scopes and cannot return it, then
don't dispair at Stephen comments, take charge and make the best of it.

Jon

PS: It occurs to me that a Christmas Telescope FAQ might be in order, anybody
else agree?