ZWO PE200 review: 200 mm of clearance, rated to 50 kg
Where does it rank on our leaderboard
| Rank | Accessory | Stars for Your Buck | Recorded UK price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GEMINI EAF | 100 out of 100 | £42 |
| 2 | Generic Dew Heater | 93 out of 100 | £9 |
| 4 | Telescope Cover | 90 out of 100 | £25 |
| 20 | ToupTek EAF | 75 out of 100 | £170 |
| 30 | Celestron 0.63x Reducer | 62 out of 100 | £165 |
| 32 | ZWO PE200 | 53 out of 100 | £219 |
| 40 | ZWO EAF (legacy) | 44 out of 100 | £199 |
| 45 | SKY ROVER 2x54 Binoculars | 28 out of 100 | £139 |
| 46 | 365 Solar Telescope Cover | 5 out of 100 | £73 |
Contents
- 01 Where does it rank on our leaderboard
- 02 Specifications and features
- 03 In use
- 04 Watch it in my videos
- 05 Should you buy it?
- 06 Questions and more about this review
In 30 seconds
Stars for Your Buck 53/100
Reviewed 18 Dec 2024 Updated 26 Sep 2026
- Rank
- #32 of 46 accessories
- Verdict
- With reservations
Written by Damon Scotting 2 min read
Buy it if
- A long refractor or a camera clips your tripod legs or your pier as it swings past the meridian.
- You run a ZWO AM3, AM5 or AM7 on the TC40, a 1.75-inch iOptron or Sky-Watcher steel tripod, or a pier.
- Your rig is heavy: ZWO rates the PE200 for up to 50 kg.
Skip it if
- Your rig already clears the legs or the pier at every angle.
- You want the lowest price: a budget extension column does the same job for far less.
“A pier extension is an essential piece of gear, especially when using big refractor telescopes. The issue of your telescope clipping your tripod legs is extremely dangerous and yet frustratingly common.”
Specifications and features
| ZWO PE200 reviewed #32 of 46 | |
|---|---|
| Recorded UK price | £219 |
| Model | ZWO PE200 |
| Height | 200 mm |
| Diameter | 124 mm |
| Weight | 1.6 kg |
| Load capacity | Up to 50 kg |
| Material | Aircraft-grade aluminium, CNC machined |
| Construction | A tube with locking knobs; three optional pillars can replace it (a PE160, 13 kg) |
| Made for | ZWO AM3, AM5 and AM7 heads |
| Tripods | ZWO TC40; 1.75-inch iOptron and Sky-Watcher steel tripods; the Celestron Advanced VX 2-inch tripod |
| In the box | The PE200, two M6 x 25 screws and a Sky-Watcher adapter plate |
In use
Under the ZWO AM5 on a concrete pier
Under the ZWO AM7
Two piers at night, a PE200 on each
Watch it in my videos
CHEAP v.s EXPENSIVE Telescope Gear?! · published 18 December 2024 · 14:15 · Watch on YouTube · 66,557 views, 1,854 likes on 2 Oct 2026
Jump to
- 9:29 Why a pier extension matters
- 9:42 The ZWO PE200
- 10:05 The cheapest is the dearest
- 10:16 The budget extension column
Should you buy it?
53/100 Stars for Your Buck
Pros
- “In hindsight this is an essential piece of kit.”
- 200 mm of extra height, so a long refractor clears the legs near the meridian.
- ZWO rates it for up to 50 kg, from a 1.6 kg aluminium tube.
- One step to fit: set the mount on it and tighten the locking knobs.
- Fits the TC40, the 1.75-inch iOptron and Sky-Watcher steel tripods and the Celestron Advanced VX tripod, with a Sky-Watcher adapter plate in the box.
Cons
- It costs far more than the budget extension column I set against it, which also fits the TC40.
- At 1.6 kg it weighs more than the 1 kg PE160.
- ZWO's optional pillars turn it into a lighter PE160, but then it carries 13 kg at most, 10 kg recommended.
This is one of the times that I do agree with the old saying, the cheapest is the dearest, because the thought of watching my gear crash under the collapse of a less than sufficient pier extension would be beyond devastating.
Questions and more about this review
Reviewed 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
Five questions, answered
Questions about the ZWO PE200
Reviewed 18 December 2024 ·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
- What does the ZWO PE200 do? It lifts a ZWO AM3, AM5 or AM7 head 200 mm above the tripod or pier, so a long telescope or camera clears the legs as it swings past the meridian. The specifications ↓
- How much can the PE200 carry? ZWO rates it for up to 50 kg. With ZWO's three optional pillars in place of the tube it becomes a portable PE160, rated for 13 kg at most and 10 kg recommended. The specifications ↓
- Which tripods does the PE200 fit? ZWO's TC40 carbon fibre tripod, the 1.75-inch steel tripods from iOptron and Sky-Watcher (the Sky-Watcher adapter plate is in the box), and the 2-inch tripod of the Celestron Advanced VX. The specifications ↓
- Is there a cheaper alternative? Yes: a budget extension column that also fits the TC40. It weighs 1.1 kg and has carried about 18 kg for me without trouble. Watch it in my videos ↓
- What have I not tested on the PE200? I have not measured how much the PE200 flexes or rings under load.