If you’re looking to upgrade your telescope set up, then a Barlow lens would be a fine choice. One of the most popular telescope accessories, a Barlow lens is a cost-effective way to increase the magnification of your telescope.
Owning a Barlow lens in effect doubles the number of eyepieces you have. Let’s say you have two eyepieces in your accessory case, a 10mm and a 25mm. Add a 2X Barlow Lens to the mix, and now you have four magnifications to choose from.
Combining this lens with the 25mm provides double the magnification, or the equivalent of a 12.5mm eyepiece, while the 10mm gives you the power of a 5mm eyepiece.
The most popular Barlow lenses for your telescope tend to be the ones which give either a 2- or 3-times magnification. You can also buy a 5x Barlow lens but depending on the telescope you have, these can present focussing problems and/or a narrow field of view.
For most beginners a good quality 2x power Barlow, or close to that, is recommended
Note: When buying your Barlow Lens, it’s important to get the size which fits the tube of your eyepiece. There are two standard sizes, 1.25 inch and 2 inch. You just have to pick the one that’s right for you.
The Top Picks For Best Barlow Lens
Celestron Omni 2x Barlow Lens
- DOUBLE THE MAGNIFICATION: Perfect for owners of fast, short focal length telescopes
- KEEP THE EYE RELIEF OF YOUR EYEPIECES: While getting 2X the power
- COMPATIBILITY: Slides into 1.25 inch focuses and diagonals and accepts 1.25 inch eyepieces
- FULLY MULTICOATED OPTICS: With blackened edges for good light transmission and minimal reflections
- METAL THUMBSCREW: A metal thumbscrew locks the eyepiece firmly in place
Celestron 2x Omni Specifications
| Model Name / Number : | Celestron 93326 Omni Barlow Lens |
| Magnification : | 2 Times (2x) |
| Barrel Size : | 1.25 Inch |
| Lens Coating: | Fully Multi-Coated |
| Colour : | Silver |
| Rating : | 9.8 / 10 |
One of the most popular and highly rated Barlows, the Celestron Omni 2x comes from a respected manufacturer at a very reasonable price. Considered by many as a must have item for your telescope accessories, you can double the magnification of each eyepiece you own.
The Celestron Omni has fully multicoated optics with blackened edges for excellent light transmission and minimal reflections. The 1.25” barrel will fit in standard 1.25” focusers and diagonals, and the Barlow will accept 1.25” eyepieces. A metal thumbscrew locks the eyepiece firmly in place.
Bresser 2x Barlow Lens
Bresser 2x Barlow Specifications
| Model Name / Number : | Bresser 4950110 Barlow Lens |
| Magnification : | Two Times (2x) |
| Barrel Size : | 1.25 Inch |
| Lens Coating: | Fully Multi-Coated |
| Colour : | Silver/Black |
| Rating : | 9.7 / 10 |
A manufacturer of astronomical equipment for over 60 years, Bresser have produced this high quality multi coated Barlow lens at a low price. The Bresser 2x Barlow lens has a four-lens design which provides an excellent image quality throughout the whole field of view.
The black coloured Barlow element cell in this Bresser Barlow Lens can be unscrewed and has the same thread as 1.25″ filters, allowing it to be mounted in 1.25″ eyepieces, t-adapters and other accessories. This gives you flexibility of use and the ability to vary magnification in different accessories.
Svbony SV137 2x Barlow Lens
- Double the power of any 1.25inch telescope eyepiece with the Svbony SV137 barlow lens
- Cemented doublet and FMC film enhanced light transmission and achromatism; Unique matting ink around the glass lens decrease the stray light
- Brass pressing ring is built in the barlow lens to effectively protect the inserted eyepiece from being scratched; Connect DSLR or SLR camera to telescope easily via a separate sale t ring adapter
- Two covers to protect your eyepiece and convenient to carry and storage; metal material extend the service life
- Matting design; the Barlow lens edge of the lens is matted and blackened; and the inner wall of the lens barrel is matted and painted; which can effectively prevent stray light from entering and obtain high-quality images
Svbony 2x Barlow Specifications
| Model Name / Number : | Svbony SV137 Barlow Lens |
| Magnification : | Two Times (2x) |
| Barrel Size : | 1.25 Inch |
| Lens Coating: | Fully Multi-Coated |
| Colour : | Silver/Black |
| Rating : | 9.7 / 10 |
The Svbony 2x Barlow lens is another quality product with a high rating. Made of metal material, this user-friendly Barlow lens has a brass pressing ring in the junction of eyepiece and Barlow to help prevent the eyepiece from scratching.
The 1.25″aluminium barrel of the Svbony 2x Barlow lens is internally blackened to avoid internal reflection and to maximize contrast. It also comes with two dust covers (one for each end) to protect the optical lens and make storage more convenient.
Celestron X-Cel LX 3x Barlow Lens
- TRIPLE THE MAGNIFICATION OF ANY 1.25” EYEPIECE: Perfect for owners of fast, short focal length telescopes
- BRIGHT SHARP IMAGES: 3-element apochromatic, fully multi-coated optics offer up bright, sharp images with excellent colour correction
- RUBBER GRIP: A rubber grip helps to avoid accidental drops
- THREADED BARREL: accepts standard 1.25” filters
- BRASS COMPRESSION RING: The brass compression ring holds eyepiece firmly in place
Celestron X-Cel LX 3x Barlow Specifications
| Model Name / Number : | Celestron 93428 X-Cel LX Barlow Lens |
| Magnification : | Three Times (3x) |
| Barrel Size : | 1.25 Inch |
| Lens Coating: | Fully Multi-Coated |
| Colour : | Black/Orange |
| Rating : | 9.8 / 10 |
If you’re looking for a high-end Barlow lens and value for money, then the Celestron X-Cel LX Barlow lens would be a great choice. It boasts advanced features and great optics at a price that is still reasonable for what you get.
The Celestron X-Cel LX Barlow lens housing is made of black anodized aluminium which gives it a solid, well-constructed feel. The well thought out design is enhanced by a rubber grip around the housing which helps to avoid accidental drops.
The X-Cel LX has 3-element apochromatic, fully multi-coated optics which offer up bright, sharp images with excellent colour correction. The barrel holds standard 1.25″ eyepieces which are kept firmly in place with a brass compression ring.
The 2x magnification version of this top-quality Barlow lens is also available at a reduced price.
- TRIPLE THE MAGNIFICATION OF ANY 1.25” EYEPIECE: Perfect for owners of fast, short focal length telescopes
- BRIGHT SHARP IMAGES: 3-element apochromatic, fully multi-coated optics offer up bright, sharp images with excellent colour correction
- RUBBER GRIP: A rubber grip helps to avoid accidental drops
- THREADED BARREL: accepts standard 1.25” filters
- BRASS COMPRESSION RING: The brass compression ring holds eyepiece firmly in place
Explore Scientific 3x Focal Extender
Explore Scientific 3x Focal Extender Specifications
| Model Name / Number : | Explore Scientific 0218790 Focal Extender |
| Magnification : | Three Times (3x) |
| Barrel Size : | 2 Inch (Inc a 1.25 inch adaptor) |
| Lens Coating: | Fully Multi-Coated |
| Colour : | Silver/Black |
| Rating : | 9.8 / 10 |
The first of two top quality offerings for those looking at the 2-inch barrel size range is actually a focal extender.
While a focal extender and a Barlow lens serve similar purposes—extending the effective focal length of a telescope to increase magnification—they are not exactly the same.
In essence, while both tools enhance magnification, a focal extender is a refined, higher-precision version of a Barlow lens.
A focal extender uses more complex optical elements (often telecentric designs) to minimize distortions, offering superior image quality and edge-to-edge clarity.
The Explore Scientific 3x focal extender features a sophisticated 4-element fully multi-coated lens design. This provides excellent colour correction and minimal distortion, and a great viewing experience with regard to sharpness, clarity and brightness.
This design from Explore Scientific scores highly for versatility as it includes a 2 inch-to-1.25-inch step-down adapter. This allows use of both big 2-inch eyepieces and the smaller more common 1.25-inch eyepieces.
The design also incorporates a rubber grip around the housing which helps to avoid accidental drops.
Celestron Luminos 2.5x Barlow Lens
Celestron Luminos 2.5x Specifications
| Model Name / Number : | Celestron 93436 Luminos 2.5x Barlow Lens |
| Magnification : | 2.5 Times (2.5x) |
| Barrel Size : | 2 Inch (Inc 1.25 Inch Adaptor) |
| Lens Coating: | Fully Multi-Coated |
| Colour : | Silver/Black |
| Rating : | 9.8 / 10 |
The Celestron 2” Luminos Barlow lens boasts premium 4-element apochromatic optics that are fully multi-coated for optimum light transmission and yield high contrast, giving true colour images.
A matching 2” to 1.25” adapter is included so that you can increase the magnification of all of your eyepieces, both 1.25” and 2” sizes. This versatile Barlow lens is also the only one on our list offering a 2.5 magnification.
The build quality is excellent with a housing of hard-anodized aluminium and a centralized rubber grip.
This excellent Barlow also has a brass compression ring which works in tandem with the oversized thumbscrew offering a better grip of your eyepiece and protection of the barrel from scratches.
Conclusion
You may be looking to add a Barlow lens to your telescope accessories for the first time. Perhaps you’re aiming to upgrade an existing Barlow lens. Either way, you can choose a great performing Barlow, at a price to suit you, from the list above.
If you are on a budget a great choice would be the ever-popular Celestron Omni 2x Barlow Lens which provides high quality optics at a very reasonable price.
If you’re looking for a high-end Barlow for a 1.25-inch barrel, the Celestron X-Cel LX Barlow Lens is hard to beat. With its advanced features and excellent optics, you have the choice of either the 3x magnification Barlow, or the 2x version.
The choice in the 2-inch range is a closer call. Both the Explore Scientific 3x Focal Extender and the Celestron Luminos 2.5x Barlow Lens both have a host of great features and excellent optics which would make either a fine choice for a top-quality purchase.
