Is the ZWO AM3 still sold?

Not new. ZWO's store no longer lists the AM3, and the AM3N has taken its place. The last archived copy of ZWO's AM3 page, from May 2026, showed the head at $1,499 and the AM3 with the TC40 tripod at $1,798, both out of stock.

How much can the AM3 carry?

ZWO rates it for 8 kg without a counterweight and 13 kg with one. Past 8 kg it takes up to 5 kg of counterweight on a bar no longer than 20 cm.

What changed with the AM3N?

The AM3N keeps the 8 kg and 13 kg ratings and weighs 4.1 kg against the AM3's 3.9 kg. Its dovetail saddle carries Type-C and 12 V DC ports, and a magnetic hex key attaches to the mount.

How does the AM3 compare with the JUWEI-14?

Interestingly, the AM3 mount from ZWO has the exact same payload capabilities as the JUWEI-14. Both are rated for 8 kg without a counterweight and 13 kg with one.

How well does the AM3 guide?

I have no guide log or tracking figure of my own for the original AM3, so this page prints none. ZWO rates its periodic error under ±15 arcsec over a 288 s period.

What power does the AM3 need?

12 V through a 5.5 x 2.1 mm DC socket rated 12 V, 5 A. ZWO lists 0.5 A at standby and while tracking, 0.7 A on a go-to and 1.3 A in heavy load mode, and the mount beeps below 10.8 V.

What came in the box?

ZWO's list: the AM3 head in its case, a 2 m USB 2.0 cable, the performance sheet, a quick guide, the hand controller with its 2 m cable and an M6 Allen key. The tripod was sold separately.

ZWO AM3, now discontinued: the 3.9 kg harmonic mount

Where does it rank on our leaderboard

Nine of the 18 mounts on my board, against price
Rank	Mount	Stars for Your Buck	Recorded UK price
1	TeSeek NanoTracker	100 out of 100	£52
2	ClearSky ST25	94 out of 100	£1,259
5	JUWEI-14	89 out of 100	£632
7	JUWEI-17	85 out of 100	£669
10	ZWO AM7	58 out of 100	£2,599
12	EM31 Pro	52 out of 100	£1,679
16	ZWO AM3	34 out of 100	£1,599
17	Sky-Watcher GTi Mount	33 out of 100	£435
18	Celestron CG5	24 out of 100	£299

Contents

01 Where does it rank on our leaderboard
02 Specifications and features
03 What would you put on it?
04 Should you buy it?
05 Questions and more about this page

In 30 seconds

Stars for Your Buck 34/100

Recommended 26 Sep 2026 Updated 26 Sep 2026

Rank: #16 of 18 mounts
Verdict: With reservations

Written by Damon Scotting 3 min read

Buy it if

You are offered a used AM3 and your whole rig stays under 8 kg, or under 13 kg with a counterweight.
You image with an ASIAIR and want a small head it controls by cable or wirelessly.

Skip it if

You are buying new: ZWO no longer sells the AM3, and the AM3N has taken its place.
Your rig is over 8 kg and you do not want a counterweight bar.
You want the power and USB-C ports on the saddle: that arrived with the AM3N.

The ZWO AM3 is discontinued: ZWO no longer sells it, and the AM3N has taken its place with the same 8 kg without a counterweight and 13 kg with one.

Specifications and features

Against the mounts I have reviewed

Compare with

ZWO AM3 #16 of 18	ZWO AM3N #13 of 18	JUWEI-14 #5 of 18	TeSeek 11 #3 of 18
Recorded UK price	£1,599	£1,599	£632	£252
Stars for Your Buck	34/100	46/100	89/100	93/100
Average guiding RMS	Unknown	Unknown	0.98 arcsec	0.92 arcsec
Type	Harmonic drive (strain wave) German equatorial mount, equatorial or alt-azimuth mode	Harmonic drive (strain wave) mount, equatorial or alt-azimuth	Harmonic drive (strain wave) equatorial mount	Harmonic drive go-to equatorial mount, both axes
No-counterweight payload	8 kg	8 kg	8 kg	5 kg (TeSeek); 4 kg is my working limit
Counterweight payload	13 kg	13 kg	13 kg	not recorded
Mount weight	3.9 kg	4.1 kg	3.4 kg	1.3 kg
Periodic error	Under ±15 arcsec over 288 s, measured curve supplied	Within ±15 arcseconds, measured curve supplied	not recorded	not recorded
Gearing	Strain wave gear and synchronous belt, 300:1; NEMA35 stepper motors	Strain wave reducer with a synchronous belt, 300:1	RA 400:1; Dec 100:1	Harmonic reducers on both axes
Control	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB; ASI Mount app, ASIAIR, hand controller; ST4 guide port	Wi-Fi and Bluetooth app control; ASIAIR, ASCOM, INDI; hand controller included	USB-C, Bluetooth/Wi-Fi; controller/ST4 port	OnStep: phone app over Bluetooth or WiFi, ASIAIR, NINA and SharpCap
Power	12 V DC, 5.5 x 2.1 mm socket (12 V, 5 A); 0.5 A tracking, 0.7 A on a go-to	12 V DC, 3 A; Type-C and 12 V ports on the saddle	12 V DC, 3 A; 5.5 x 2.1 mm socket	5 V, 2 A from a USB power bank
Tripod or pier	Head only; ZWO sold it with its TC40 carbon fibre tripod as an option	Head only; ZWO sells it with the TC40 tripod	3/8 inch photo tripod; AM5 three-hole fixing	38 mm Arca clamp underneath; a latitude adjuster and a tripod needed
In the box	Head, case, 2 m USB 2.0 cable, hand controller with 2 m cable, performance sheet, quick guide, M6 Allen key	AM3N; foam case; hand controller and 2 m cable; 2 m USB-B cable; 1 m USB-C cable; PE report; guide; M6 hex key	Mount head	The mount

What would you put on it?

The AM3's 8 kg and 13 kg ratings under a rig you can change part by part, then the same rig on six other mounts

Should you buy it?

34/100 Stars for Your Buck

Pros

8 kg without a counterweight, and 13 kg with up to 5 kg of counterweight, from a 3.9 kg head.
Strain wave gear and synchronous belt at 300:1, with periodic error rated under ±15 arcsec and a measured curve with every mount.
Equatorial or alt-azimuth mode, switched in the ASI Mount app or on the hand controller.
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB control, the ASIAIR by cable or wirelessly, and a hand controller in the box.
Losmandy and Vixen saddle, and latitude from 0 to 90 degrees.

Cons

Discontinued: ZWO's store no longer lists it, and no UK or US shop I checked sells it new.
Past 8 kg it needs a counterweight bar no longer than 20 cm, carrying at most 5 kg.
It wants a steady 12 V supply: it beeps an under-voltage alarm below 10.8 V.
The head came without a tripod: ZWO sold its TC40 carbon fibre tripod with it as an option.

Discontinued: the AM3's 8 kg and 13 kg ratings live on in the AM3N, the model ZWO sells today.

Who the AM3 is for

Buying a new mount

Skip

ZWO no longer sells the AM3. My recommendation is its replacement, the AM3N, with the same 8 kg and 13 kg ratings.

Offered a used AM3

Buy

Worth it if your whole rig stays under 8 kg, or under 13 kg with a counterweight.

ASIAIR user

Buy

A used AM3 joins the ASIAIR by cable or wirelessly, alongside the ASI Mount app and the hand controller.

Budget conscious

Skip

My recommendation is the JUWEI-14, rated for the same payloads.

Heavier rigs

Skip

Over 8 kg without a counterweight, my recommendation is the ZWO AM5N, rated for 15 kg.

Three alternatives I have reviewed

Questions and more about this page

Written by

Damon Scotting

The Telescope Man Verified

BSc (Hons) Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology, Loughborough University PGCE / QTS, University of Nottingham

About Damon About Damon Damon Scotting is The Telescope Man. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Physics with Astrophysics and Cosmology from Loughborough University and a PGCE with QTS from the University of Nottingham, and taught physics in secondary schools before becoming an astronomy creator. He is a contributing writer for BBC Sky at Night Magazine and the author of 42 Wonders of Our Night Sky, and his photograph of the galaxy M100 with the dwarf planet Ceres was Highly Commended in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2024 competition run by Royal Observatory Greenwich. He has appeared on the BBC's Blue Peter. More than 750,000 people follow his astronomy channels on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, and he has reviewed more than 140 telescopes, mounts, cameras, filters and accessories hands-on for this site. More about Damon · How I test · Damon's book

I review all kinds of gear: most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way. How this site is funded

Seven questions, answered

Questions about the ZWO AM3

Recommended 26 September 2026 ·Updated 26 September 2026

I review all kinds of gear. Most of it I buy, some is gifted and some is loaned, and all of it is reviewed the same way: no company sees or approves a review before it is published. Shop links marked Ad are affiliate links: I earn a commission when you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. How this site is funded

Is the ZWO AM3 still sold? Not new. ZWO's store no longer lists the AM3, and the AM3N has taken its place. The last archived copy of ZWO's AM3 page, from May 2026, showed the head at $1,499 and the AM3 with the TC40 tripod at $1,798, both out of stock. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
How much can the AM3 carry? ZWO rates it for 8 kg without a counterweight and 13 kg with one. Past 8 kg it takes up to 5 kg of counterweight on a bar no longer than 20 cm. What would you put on it? ↓
What changed with the AM3N? The AM3N keeps the 8 kg and 13 kg ratings and weighs 4.1 kg against the AM3's 3.9 kg. Its dovetail saddle carries Type-C and 12 V DC ports, and a magnetic hex key attaches to the mount. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
How does the AM3 compare with the JUWEI-14? Interestingly, the AM3 mount from ZWO has the exact same payload capabilities as the JUWEI-14. Both are rated for 8 kg without a counterweight and 13 kg with one. From my JUWEI-14 video review The specifications and the comparison table ↓
How well does the AM3 guide? I have no guide log or tracking figure of my own for the original AM3, so this page prints none. ZWO rates its periodic error under ±15 arcsec over a 288 s period. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
What power does the AM3 need? 12 V through a 5.5 x 2.1 mm DC socket rated 12 V, 5 A. ZWO lists 0.5 A at standby and while tracking, 0.7 A on a go-to and 1.3 A in heavy load mode, and the mount beeps below 10.8 V. The specifications and the comparison table ↓
What came in the box? ZWO's list: the AM3 head in its case, a 2 m USB 2.0 cable, the performance sheet, a quick guide, the hand controller with its 2 m cable and an M6 Allen key. The tripod was sold separately. The specifications and the comparison table ↓