laser collimator

I agree with Michael and Philip that don't rely on the laser for final collimation. The best you will obtain is about 1 arc minute. This will not show you the Airy Disc, which is required if you want to resolve stars, get down to lower magnitudes, etc.

Michael is absolutely right about the focuser, it is a critical item for alignment, very few amateurs realise this important aspect in collimation. I still had to use shims to align a Van Slyke focuser, which is top of the market.

If you are serious about observing, I would do what Philip is suggesting. I use the sight tube, Chesure eyepiece and the autocollimator in that order.
The results are spectacular as compared to laser collimation. For example, a 6 inch newtonian using a Chesure eyepiece will out perform larger telescopes in the 12-14 inch range using a laser collimator.

Eamonn A

I just ordered a Colli-Mate collimating eyepiece with “glow-in-the-dark” target face from Astro Engineering. Bit like Michaels 35mm film canister only you expose the photoluminescent target face to a light for a few seconds before you put it in the focuser and it glows in the dark.

Probably a gimmick but for ST£8 you cant go too far wrong. I'll let you know if it works.

Damon