$50 discount on the Encalife ENTE501P refractor telescope

The Encalife SVBONY 501P 70 against a white wall backdrop
(Image credit: Jamie Carter)

Looking for an easy-to-setup refractor beginner telescope? Look no further than the Encalife ENTE501P which we reviewed earlier this year.

The Black Friday discount provides a generous 20% off this telescope (opens in new tab) to give a decent $50 saving. It ships with everything you need to get started including a 1.25-inch KM eyepiece, a collapsible aluminum alloy tripod, a handy backpack to transport the device and a 5x24 finderscope for locating night sky objects.

We like that this telescope is a good entry-level device that would suit those new to astronomy and comes in at a reasonable price. The 501P is an incredibly simple telescope. The 2.75-inch/70 mm refractor is mounted on a small, portable and lightweight aluminum tripod in a bid to make it utterly transportable. 

The telescope even comes with an erect image diagonal to bring the 20mm (20x magnification) eyepiece to a comfortable angle for viewing.

Svbony SV501P 70/400 Portable Refractor Telescope (opens in new tab)

Encalife ENTE501P refractor telescope: was $249.97, now $199.97 at Encalife (opens in new tab).
20% off this refractor telescope for beginners puts the ENTE501P at under $200 and with a 70mm aperture and 400mm focal length we're pleased to see this entry-level optic at such a low price. Take it anywhere with the collapsible tripod and backpack to enjoy observing the night sky.

The Encalife ENTE501P telescope has fully multi-coated optics that keep views clear and relatively bright. Astrophotographers and videographers will feel some familiarity with the tripod as it comes with a panhandle (not a traditional telescope mount) to move the telescope through 360 degrees. The finderscope helps to line up celestial objects approximately before fine-tuning through the 20mm eyepiece to find the best views of the cosmos.

We noted in our review of the telescope that when viewing the moon it's possible (and helpful) to remove the puck on the dust cap. Doing so reveals a 1-3/4 inch / 42mm hole that restricts the light that reaches the telescope cube. This helps when observing full moons because, otherwise, the glare can be overwhelming for some.

Be sure to check out Space.com's Black Friday deals page, or our guide to the Best telescopes, Best telescopes for deep space or the Best telescopes for seeing planets. Alternatively, take a look at our Best telescopes for beginners page if you want to search for other types of entry-level telescope optics.

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Jason Parnell-Brookes
Channel Editor

Jason Parnell-Brookes is an award-winning photographer, educator and writer based in the UK. He won the Gold Prize award in the Nikon Photo Contest 2018/19 beating over 90,000 other entrants and was named Digital Photographer of the Year in 2014. Jason is a Masters graduate and has a wealth of academic and real-world experience in a variety of photographic disciplines from astrophotography and wildlife to fashion and portraiture. Now the Channel Editor for Cameras and Skywatching at Space.com his speciality is in low light optics and camera systems.