niallk

A 250px was my first scope: I wholeheartedly recommend it It will show you so much - all sorts of targets solar system to DSOs. I can only expect that a 200p will also deliver the goods in accordance with its aperture. I was about to purchase an Orion (US) 8", when Wolfi R. at TS pointed out that the SW 250px was about the same price. I'm forever in his debt

Re 'high power' magnification: if you go for a 14" dob, you may well find yourself enjoying pushing 300x or more on planetary nebulae The bigger aperture will allow you to up the mag with the likes of an O-III in place, and tease out finer detail & structure. So deck stability could be an issue.

+1 for the Lacerta Simple to install, works superbly!

So to look like R2D2 is not a good thing??! Sheesh...

If you have somewhere to store a scope fully set up, and can roll out to view, I'd be tempted to think about getting the best new/2nd hand dob with detachable wheelbarrow handles. New within budget could be a >0.95 strehl 14" Deluxe Lukehurst. If you want a 2nd scope like a frac, save up at a later date

Very interesting report Alan, keep them coming! -Niall

Thankfully I love my SW 250px, Obsession 15" Classic, and my LS50DS. I haven't really looked through many other scopes, so ignorance may be my bliss What I haven't gotten on with is my Celestron 25x70 Skymaster binoculars. I bought an L bracket for my Az5 mount which I use for the Lunt: this may make them a bit more usable... but so far the views do nothing for me

I think I recognise that scope! Congrats

Btw @Nyctimene, just Googled it: very cool scope!!

Nice one! I had my first view of Mars this apparition last night and could also make out the dark 'flattened Y' I couldn't even properly get the Cassini division on Saturn in my 250px - poor seeing through so much atmosphere..., so was glad to see any features at all on Mars, given that my scope was pointed almost to the horizon!!

To the OP: fwiw, mine is the solid tube version, not the flex tube. It holds collimation embarrassingly well: I rarely have to adjust. Last night I just carried the whole thing assembled to my front garden to take a quick peep at Mars. Usually I pop the tube off and do it in two parts - I consider it a grab and go scope. The base is just a little bulky but fits in my car. I now have a truss 15" dob. I collimate every time - takes 1min in the dark with a laser. If going 12" or beyond, I'd also consider truss options - especially if you have to travel to dark skies. The ES 12" truss dob seems very light & portable... If you can observe DSOs from home then sure, a tube design can be very convenient indeed

A 250px was my 1st scope: the best money I've spent in this hobby The first 2 upgrades I'd recommend are a Telrad, and the Lacerta dual speed focusser upgrade (e.g. stocked by Telescope Service, not expensive). I made the mistake of purchasing a set of plossls, filters and a cheap barlow: wasted money. The single best EP I purchased was a 13T6 Nagler. After that I eventually - over the years with birthday + Christmas present money, I bought a Panoptic 24mm... stunning EP. Then after another while I eventually added a 2.5x Powermate and an O-III filter. There are cheaper options people can recommend: just sharing my own "no regrets" path. A 10" dob will show you so, so much: planets will be amazing (when they gain altitude), moon, comets, colourful double stars, planetary nebulae, galaxies, emission and reflection nebs, globular clusters, ... and with a bit of cheap Baader film, nice white-light close up sunspot detail

I came out of a pub in Allihies in the very dark skies of West Cork/Kerry, and was simply blown away by the late August Milky Way. When my 1st child arrived we moved from the city to a small village, and late at night was the only bit of 'free time' I had in my day. I thought back to that night in Allihies, and started toying on-line with Google searches for telescopes ... and quickly coming across SGL So, it's all thanks to the influence of Arthur Guinness!

Looking good! - Enjoy

Congrats John - you are a cornerstone in what makes SGL great