ZWO TC40 Tripod review: 2.3 kg carbon legs, 50 kg rated
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 |
| 6 | Generic Guide Scope 50mm | 88 out of 100 | £41 |
| 17 | Red light headlamp | 77 out of 100 | £6 |
| 24 | ZWO Camera Angle Adjuster | 72 out of 100 | £399 |
| 31 | ZWO TC40 Tripod | 60 out of 100 | £342 |
| 38 | Celestron 3x Barlow | 45 out of 100 | £145 |
| 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 60/100
Reviewed 7 Nov 2024 Updated 25 Sep 2026
- Rank
- #31 of 46 accessories
- Verdict
- Worth a look
Written by Damon Scotting 2 min read
Buy it if
- You own a ZWO AM5 or AM7 head
- You carry your mount to dark sites and want light, stiff legs
- Your mount has a 3/8 inch thread and needs a tripod rated well above its payload
Skip it if
- You image from a permanent pier
- You need more than 800 mm of height without a pier extension
“It is recommended to purchase the TC40 carbon fibre tripod legs alongside the mount, and to be fair, I would highly recommend these because they are infinitely better than the icy cold metal tripod legs of the past.”
Specifications and features
| ZWO TC40 Tripod reviewed #31 of 46 | |
|---|---|
| Recorded UK price | £342 |
| Material | Carbon fibre |
| Legs | Two sections, with a spreader plate |
| Height | 470 to 800 mm |
| Folded length | 500 mm |
| Weight | 2.3 kg |
| Load capacity | 50 kg |
| Mount connection | 3/8 inch centre spindle, reversible |
| Made for | ZWO AM5 and AM7; other mounts with a 3/8 inch hole |
| In the box | Tripod, weight bag, three stainless steel spikes, 2.5 mm and 6 mm hex keys |
In use
Beside the AM5 on my bench
The ZWO head plate
Watch it in my videos
Why it is BETTER than most Mounts? | AM5N Review. · published 7 November 2024 · 9:24 · Watch on YouTube · 18,802 views, 578 likes on 2 Oct 2026
Jump to
- 7:32 The TC40 carbon fibre tripod legs
- 7:50 Lighter carbon legs with small refractors
Check out more videos on the ZWO TC40 Tripod
I Tested the $1099 MLAstro SAL-33 Mount!
24 Jan 2026
Should you buy it?
60/100 Stars for Your Buck
Pros
- 2.3 kg of carbon fibre rated for 50 kg
- Folds to 500 mm and stands 470 to 800 mm tall on two-section legs
- A reversible 3/8 inch centre spindle takes ZWO heads one way up and other mounts the other
- A weight bag, three steel spikes and both hex keys come in the box
Cons
- At 800 mm a long refractor can still clip the legs: that needs a pier extension on top
- ZWO's own store price of $349 includes a $50 oversize shipping charge
- Its top plate is made for ZWO heads: other mounts rely on the single 3/8 inch spindle
They weigh only 2.3 kg and can carry total payloads of up to 50 kg, which is more than enough.
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 TC40 Tripod
Reviewed 7 November 2024 ·Updated 25 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 mounts fit the ZWO TC40 Tripod? ZWO's AM5 and AM7 heads bolt to its top plate. Turn the 3/8 inch centre spindle upside down and it holds other mounts with a 3/8 inch hole: FLO lists iOptron, Celestron, Rainbow Astro and Sky-Watcher. The specifications ↓
- Do you need the TC40 for an AM5? It is the tripod ZWO recommends with the mount, and I would highly recommend it. With small refractors I have also stood an AM5 on the lighter carbon legs that came with my Seestar S50, and it did the trick, but for balance and weight distribution I would not try that with a bigger telescope. Watch it in my videos ↓
- Is it steady enough for guiding? The MLAstro SAL-33 spent its first night on a TC40 on the grass, with periods of guiding at 0.4 arcsec RMS. The spikes that night came from the mount's DEC aggressiveness setting, not the legs. Watch it in my videos ↓
- Where can I buy the ZWO TC40 Tripod? The prices I recorded: £342 at First Light Optics (UK), in stock; $349 at Agena Astro (US), in stock; $349 at ZWO store (Global), in stock. A record, not a live price The verdict, the readers and the sellers ↓
- What have I not tested on the TC40 Tripod? I have not measured how quickly it damps vibration or loaded it anywhere near its 50 kg rating.