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Bresser FirstLight 100/1400 Maksutov review

A 100/1400 Maksutov-Cassegrain on an EQ3 equatorial mount, supplied with a 25 mm Plössl eyepiece (56x), a 90° star diagonal and a smartphone holder.

A long ratio in a short tube

A Maksutov folds its light path with a curved mirror and a thick meniscus corrector. This one packs 1400 mm of focal length behind a 100 mm aperture, which is f/14, in a tube far shorter than a refractor of the same focal length.

Long focal ratios suit the Moon, planets and double stars: high magnification with ordinary eyepieces, very little false color, and a sharp, contrasty image.

An equatorial mount with fine control

The kit sits on an EQ3 equatorial mount. Once its polar axis is pointed north, a single slow-motion knob keeps a planet in the field as the Earth turns. At 140x and above, that is the difference between observing and chasing.

One eyepiece is the gap

Bresser supplies a 25 mm Plössl, which gives 56x (1400 / 25), a 90° star diagonal and a smartphone holder. For planets the telescope needs a second eyepiece of 7 to 10 mm (140x to 200x). See the first three eyepieces.

The price on Amazon.com

On November 7, 2026 the only offer on Amazon.com was a third-party one at about $734. At that price, Celestron’s NexStar 4SE, a 102 mm Maksutov with a computerized GoTo mount, cost less. Check the live price before buying.

What the listing leaves out

Tube weight, central obstruction, back focus and cool-down guidance. The listing text also carries a stray line of translation-tool residue; the figures above are the ones it states clearly.

Price and availability

On November 7, 2026, Amazon.com listed it at about $734 from a third-party seller, with no offer from Amazon itself.

Figures as Keepa reported them on the day this page was last updated. Stock and pricing shift without warning.

Prices quoted in this text were read on November 7, 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.

Its two nearest scopes on price

Same aisle, closest price — what the same spend else shows.

What it publishes, and what it withholds

Strengths

  • f/14: very little false color and high power with ordinary eyepieces
  • An EQ3 equatorial mount, so one slow-motion knob follows a planet
  • Compact tube for its 1400 mm focal length

Compromises

  • One eyepiece only, the 25 mm at 56x
  • About $734 from a third party on Amazon.com, a high price for this kit
  • No tube weight, obstruction or cool-down advice published

Specifications

Aperture100 mm (3.94 in), stated
Folded focal length and ratio1400 mm (55.1 in) · f/14, the quotient of the two published figures
Corrector designMaksutov-Cassegrain (meniscus corrector), stated
ObstructionNot published by the maker.
Back focusNot published by the maker.
Cool-down guidanceNot published by the maker.
Tube weightNot published by the maker.
Mount suppliedEQ3 equatorial mount · 25 mm Plössl eyepiece (56x, stated) · 90° star diagonal · smartphone holder
Amazon referenceB0967Z38C8
EAN4007922071671

What observers ask about this one

What magnification does it reach?

With the supplied 25 mm Plössl, 56x (1400 / 25). A 10 mm eyepiece would give 140x and a 7 mm 200x, the useful planetary range for a 100 mm aperture on a steady night.

Can it be used from a city?

Bresser says so, and for the Moon, planets and double stars it is right: those are bright enough that light pollution matters little. Faint galaxies are a different matter at any aperture.

Why does a Maksutov need time outside?

Its thick corrector and closed tube hold heat. Until the optics reach the outside temperature, warm air inside the tube blurs the image. Thirty to sixty minutes outside before observing is the usual habit.

Our score

7.2/ 10

A long, compact planetary optic on a proper equatorial mount, priced on Amazon.com well above what its single eyepiece and thin listing justify.

The price on Amazon.com

This model is listed on Amazon.com, at ≈ $734 at the last reading. Listed is not the same as in stock: availability changes daily, and the buy box shows the live price.

Details checked on November 7, 2026.

This one and its buyer, among astronomy instruments

Moon, planets and double stars from a town, on a mount with real slow-motion controls

Sources

Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for telescopes and observing optics and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.

The way we judge these astronomy instruments