Neil27

See post from Skipper Billy, second hand the Mesu can offer a substantial saving over new.

My 2 cents, if your thinking of dropping 3k down for a mount I would seriously consider friction drive, either Gemini, JTW or Mesu (S/H). Zero backlash and the quality may be slightly higher, reflected in the slightly higher price.

It might be worth contacting JTW directly yourself to get the necessary information if it’s not forthcoming from this forum. The manufacturer may be able to put you into contact with new owners as well to get the relevant first impressions and their own experiences of what is still a very new mount. The load capacity for my own uses is way over what I plan in the future so although I am interested in the Trident, if JTW chose to develop and manufacture a similar design with say 30 to 35 kg load capacity at a competitive price around the new CEM70 price point, that would be of great interest to me.

Lol 😂 you can’t leave this post alone can you! Out of curiosity are you still looking for a mount to replace your EQ8? I believe from reviewing the JTW website and Facebook page, JTW have machined and painted several components for the first production run of the Trident several months ago, so like you I would expect deliveries of the mount to be either just starting or possibly well underway. Due to obvious constraints with the current COVID-19 situation it may have impacted delivery of these first mounts possibly, again speculation on my part. I am intrigued by the mount though and often see if they have any further updates on their social media channels. The mounts certainly look well finished, machined and appear similar in design to the MESU, again no bad thing! Another Mount I have my eye on is the Gemini, E-Fric although weight capacity isn’t as much as the Trident again it uses friction drive and appears beautifully machined and solid. An update of the previous Gemini G53 I believe which is no longer available, several good reports from a thread on CN indicate several happy recipients of the mount. It also has the uniqueness of being able to be ordered with either Gemini own controller system or one of a similar design. Back on track, like you I hope to hear of people’s experiences of the new Trident Mount - good times (Hopefully) to be in the market for a good quality Mount at the moment 😊👍 I’m hoping to purchase next year, 55 and pension pot is looming!

I admire your persistence Richard 👍😊 Looking at coming in around 2.3k for the basic version and 2.6k for the guide / usb3 version. I’ll be interested to see first reports of it performance.

Now that would be of enormous interest to me Alain, I was looking at the CEM60 until it sadly had been withdrawn so am very interested in the CEM70 or equivalent mount in that weight capacity. A similar design (friction drive) as the Trident would be very marketable. I believe the Gemini has similar weight capacity, another one I have my eye on. Thanks for the update Alain 👍

I agree 100% with your sentiments Phil. It would seem that certain members on this forum relish bashing the guy and what he is trying to achieve. I think the gestation period and birth of this mount is well documented and we all need to move on from those earlier issues. I retire in 3 or 4 years time and am obviously keen to have as many mounts available to choose from, and along with other mounts on the market, Gemini, Ioptron, Sky Watcher, Mesu and now JTW we are in a great era of affordable high end, high capacity mounts. I for one welcome that state of affairs and wish Mark and JTW every success as I do all the other manufactures. Peace and clear skies everyone.

Understood, apologies for the confusion.

Sorry Andrew, can’t see anywhere in my post about making a celebration regarding late delivery or poor customer service just posting a fact that popped up on my Facebook feed.

Well put Derek. And just for the naysayers in this thread, here is some evidence at least that the Trident mount (previously OGEM) has been spotted in the wild. At least another mount brought to the market can only benefit us, the end user for having more choice.

James you read my mind, for the price quoted for the CEM70, and the CEM60 now discontinued I feel the CEM120 basic flavor is the sweet spot in the Ioptron range now. Maybe I discredit the CEM70 but for a little gain in payload and a few 'gadgets' it certainly seems a strange move by Ioptron, only time will tell I suppose.

Ummm, CEM60 showing unavailable on the FLO website ..... 🤔

Looks great, hope you have clear skies. What scope will you be using? Very interested in your thoughts as you use the mount 👍

These are fairly new on the market and provide a comprehensive Package possibly for your needs. https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/rvo-horizon-72-ed-doublet-refractor-full-imaging-package.html

Hi Richard, I'm reminded of that song, 'should I stay or should I go' by the Clash. If I was in your position then I would go ahead and purchase the CEM60, a proven mount and for the price a steal I believe in its basic format. Nothing comes close on the market for the price, the SW EQ6 may lay claim but I personally feel the mount is a bit better quality and finish. Others may obviously have a different opinion but if i were in your shoes I'd go ahead and get the mount you originally intended to get. You could wait forever for each new update and spend many months with nothing. Just my 2 cents.

Wow is that really a C14 on a CEM60? 😮 The CEM is on my radar I wish you clear skies.

Can someone tell where these are 'quality' wise against the Esprit range? Thanks,

Great looking scopes can I ask where these sit with regards to the SW Esprit range? Similar specs but slightly higher price. As a Yorkshireman I have to enquire ... 😉

That sounds great NovaTJ, hope your friend receives it soon and has many years of enjoyment with it. If it succeeds we have another quality high performance mount to choose from which can only benefit us, the end user. Along with the usual suspects I have a keen eye on this mount to see how they perform in the field, I truly hope it’s a success.

Stunning scope Rob and a great story and write up. I hope you have many clear skies and a long retirement.

I'd rather wait and see what they are like when released to the market. I will be in position to purchase a high quality mount in 18 months or so, so time is in my favour. I personally echo Henrys comments above, another mount with a reasonable gestation period to help iron out any issues is far more preferable to releasing something not ready. I think it is brave of JTW to take that stance. If some people get cold feet, fair enough, we are all different.

Another great value mount can only be a good thing in my mind. I’m looking forward to the early adopters thoughts and experiences of the mount. Certainly at the price they are proposing to sell the mount for and with a Sitech controller now being used it should provide reasonable competition to the ‘other’ mount. I just hope they can maintain a decent level of quality control and provide good back up when things will go south.

Apologies must check on other threads before posting 😳

Just popped up on my FB feed.

If I understand the requirements of EEA you don’t really need an EQ mount at all as the exposures are so short- an alt az mount is adequate I believe - so something like the AZgti or the Ioptron cube may suffice. Obviously if you wish to progress to AP in the near future then future proofing your purchase by going the EQ route may be the best bet, an EQ5 is more than adequate for a 80mm refractor. The rest is a camera, leads, software and possibly a laptop to capture the data and stack your subs. I would think if you go the second hand route this is very doable for under £1000. The key to EEA is shortish focal length to maximise the smallish sensor you will have. I may have missed some points but as I understand EEA that would be my route to take. Good luck and if you have any more questions feel free, SGL are a great bunch of people. HTH