Hi I recently bought a Skywatcher 300p dob from the for sale section here, I keep it in the garden shed and drag it out every time I want to use it. From the excellent info I have read on the forum about collimation I know it will need collimating almost every time I use it and it seems easy to do

I want to know if it is worth spending a little more and getting the SCA Hotech laser collimator or go for a mid range one. I only have 1.25" eyepieces at the moment but may get some 2" in the future.

Any feedback much appreciated.

All the best
Steve

I've had my 300P a couple of years now and I haven't been tempted. I use a Cheshire I got second hand. Dragging the scope out to the garden isn't enough to make it need collimating every time, IMHO.

I have the 10" and I check the collimation every now and then but it seems to hold it pretty well and certainly doesn't need doing every time. Normally I do it for fun if it's cloudy and I'm bored (but then again I am very sad)

I find my scope needs collimating every time but then it is a truss tube dob and is very easy to knock it out of collimation.

I bought the Hotech and it works really well indeed, dead simple to use and you can get collimated in minutes.

I check my 12" every time I use it. It occasionally needs a small tweak. If you are going to get a laser, unless you have a superbly engineered focuser, you probably won't get repeatable results with the mid range laser. Also, you will need to collimate the collimator (i.e. make sure that the laser output is parallel with the sides). This can normally be achieved with a V block and distant area and rotating the collimator and adjusting accordingly.

If I was going to buy a laser collimator, it'd be the Hotech...

Playing devils advocate here, I would buy a decent collimater like the Antares one and get one of the orion self centering eyepiece holders, it works out cheaper than buying a hotech but because ot the self centering adapter it works like a hotech and you end up with a really good piece of kit in the deal as you use the self centerer for your eyepieces.

Thank you all for the replies, I think I'll probably go with the Hoteck laser idea and I like the idea of the self centering adapter for the eyepieces at a later date.

All the best
Steve

I'd go with the hotech, I had a go with Doc's and I was staggered at how easy it was. Guess what my next purchase will be

John

The lasers make it dead easy to collimate, and you can do the primary alone while watching the laser dot, so much easier than going back to the chesire or asking a friend to fiddle with the knobs.

Isn't that what got George Michael into so much bother?

If you set the slider locking screws correctly on the 300p (firm but not overtight), then the secondary will slide up on the trusses very easilly with a gentle "click" into place, and will hold the collimation well for several sessions - tape them in place to retain the setting. Then even if it goes out it'll only be a minor adjustment.
A laser collimator makes it very easy - I spend no more than 30 secs nowadays - I understand the hotech is the one to go for.
Cheers

Hotech it is -Thank you everyone

I'm sure it will work fine for you - it claims to overcome the problem of focusser slop which is the downfall of most lasers.

I have a 300p flextube which I collimate every time I use it (3 minute job). I use an Antares laser for the secondary, then a cheshire for the primary. The other night, just as an experiment, I decided to use the laser to collimate the primary as well. And guess what - when I checked with the cheshire it was miles out.

Barlowed laser is one way to overcome the slop problem, Hotech is apparently another, but personally I'll stick with what I've got. Lasers I will always doubt - the cheshire never lies.