Farpoint 650nm Laser Collimator — 1.25"/2" Combo Barrel

Product Overview

The Farpoint 650nm Laser Collimator is the fast first step in collimating a Newtonian or Dobsonian reflector: it sets the focuser axis and brings the secondary into position in seconds, then gives the primary a quick check. This version uses a combo stepped barrel, so it seats in a 1.25" drawtube or a 2" one without an adapter.

The body is machined from a single piece of aluminum in one machining step, and the 650 nm diode is held by an eight-screw alignment system. Farpoint manufactures it in the USA and backs the alignment for the life of the tool. It ships with a mirror center-marking template, triangle center spots, and a foam-fitted carrying case.

Who It's For

This is a good match if you own a Newtonian or Dobsonian reflector — a solid-tube Dob, a truss or collapsible Dob, or a Newtonian astrograph on an equatorial mount — and you want a collimation check that takes seconds rather than minutes. It suits a visual observer setting up at a dark site, where the illuminated return spot reads clearly without a flashlight, and it suits an imager who wants the focuser axis squared before a session of long exposures. The combo barrel makes it a sensible single purchase if you own more than one reflector with different focuser sizes.

Key Features & Design

• 0.76 mm (30/1000") beam aperture: the smallest Farpoint publishes for any collimator on the amateur market. A narrower beam speckles less and puts a tighter spot on the center mark, so the reading is easier to judge.
• Eight-screw alignment system: two sets of directly opposing screws lock both ends of the laser diode, rather than the three-screw arrangement common in less expensive collimators. Holding the diode at both ends is what keeps the beam on the barrel axis.
• Single-piece machined body: the barrel and the diode housing are cut in one machining step from one piece of aluminum, which keeps them concentric.
• 1.25"/2" combo stepped barrel: one tool covers both standard focuser drawtube sizes.
• Protected switch: positive action, shielded by an aluminum ring, so it is not switched on by a bump in a case.
• Red anodized aluminum finish: a durable surface that stays legible under a red observing light.
• Lifetime alignment guarantee: Farpoint warrants the laser's alignment for the life of the tool.

Mechanical Design

A laser collimator is only as accurate as the relationship between its beam and its barrel. If the beam leaves at an angle to the barrel axis, every adjustment it suggests is wrong by that angle — and the error is invisible, because the tool looks like it is working. Farpoint addresses this at two points. Machining the barrel and diode housing from a single aluminum blank in one step removes the stacked tolerances you get when a barrel is pressed or threaded into a separate body. The eight-screw arrangement then constrains the diode at both ends with directly opposing pairs, so it is clamped rather than pushed against a spring or a single bearing face, and it stays put when the tool is handled or dropped into a case.

The 0.76 mm beam aperture works on the same principle from the other direction. Laser light scattered off a mirror surface produces speckle, and a wider beam produces a larger, noisier return patch that is harder to center against the mark. Narrowing the aperture tightens the returned spot, which is what makes a small residual error visible instead of lost in the glare.

Recommended Uses

• Secondary mirror alignment: the primary job. The beam shows immediately whether the secondary is centred under the focuser and tilted correctly.
• Rough primary alignment: gets the primary close before a Cheshire or autocollimator refines it.
• Field checks in the dark: the illuminated return reads without a white light, so a check between targets does not cost you dark adaptation.
• After transport: a collapsible or truss Dob that has just been reassembled, or any reflector that travelled in a car, is worth checking before the first target.
• Pre-imaging setup: squaring the focuser axis before an imaging run, where coma and elongated stars in the corners follow directly from a misaligned secondary.

Compatibility and Accessory Notes

• Focuser fit: the stepped combo barrel seats in either a 1.25" or a 2" focuser drawtube. No adapter is needed for either.
• Telescope types: Newtonian and Dobsonian reflectors. Refractors, SCTs, Maksutovs and other catadioptric designs use different collimation methods and different tools.
• Mirror center mark required: a laser collimator aligns to a mark on the primary. The supplied acetate template and triangle spots cover mirrors up to 12.5".
• Mirrors over 12.5": the LARGE center-marking template covers 12" to 26" and is sold separately.
• Pairs with a Cheshire: a laser sets the secondary and gets the primary close; a Cheshire finishes the primary using reflected light. The Farpoint collimation kits bundle both.

Good to Know Before You Order

• Reflectors only. This is built for Newtonian and Dobsonian optics. If you have a refractor, SCT or Maksutov, get in touch and we will point you at the right tool for it.
• Your primary needs a center mark. The template and spots to do it are in the box, and marking a mirror is a one-time job that takes a few minutes.
• The template in the box fits mirrors up to 12.5". Larger mirrors take the LARGE template, which we also stock.
• A laser gets you most of the way, not all of it. For the last of the primary alignment, a Cheshire reads more precisely — which is why Farpoint sells the two together as a kit.
• It is a laser. The beam is bright by design; the usual care around not looking into it or pointing it at anyone applies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it difficult to set up?

No. It drops into the focuser like an eyepiece, and the switch turns it on. The one preparatory step is marking the centre of your primary mirror, and the template and spots for that are supplied — you do it once and the mark stays for the life of the mirror.

Which barrel size do I need?

This one covers both. The stepped combo barrel seats in a 1.25" drawtube or a 2" drawtube, so it fits whichever focuser your reflector has — and both, if you own two scopes.

What does the 0.76 mm beam aperture actually change?

It tightens the spot that comes back off the mirror. A wider beam returns a larger, speckled patch that is harder to judge against the centre mark; a narrower one returns a smaller spot, so a small residual misalignment is visible rather than lost in the glare.

Do I still need a Cheshire?

For a quick check before a visual session, the laser on its own is usually enough. For the tightest primary alignment — and for imaging, where the corners show every error — a Cheshire reads more precisely. The Farpoint 2" and 1.25" collimation kits pair a laser with a matching Cheshire in one case.

Will it work on my SCT or refractor?

No — those designs collimate differently. Send us your make and model and we will tell you what the right tool is.

How does it differ from a cheaper laser collimator?

Three things: the single-piece machined body, the eight-screw diode mount that holds both ends of the diode, and the 0.76 mm beam aperture. All three exist to keep the beam on the barrel axis and to make the return spot readable. Farpoint backs the result with a lifetime alignment guarantee.

Bottom Line

In short: a USA-made 650 nm laser collimator with a 1.25"/2" combo barrel, a single-piece machined body and an eight-screw diode mount, for Newtonian and Dobsonian reflectors. It needs a centre-marked primary — the template is in the box — and it pairs with a Cheshire when you want the primary finished to the last fraction.