FLO

We will know for sure after Boris has delivered his address to the nation (watching BBC news as I type!). We didn’t need to close last time so don’t anticipate needing to this time. Our premises in Exeter is not a retail showroom, it is a warehouse. All staff that can work from home are doing so, myself included. Other than postmen and couriers we are not receiving visitors at the warehouse. We have also been COVID-19 risk assessed. I am confident we are doing everything possible to stay safe and stay open. HTH, Steve

Adam assures us he and his team will continue importing and distributing Celestron and Baader Planetarium products to the best of their ability until they close. Following their closure Celestron will continue to be distributed in the UK by Celestron Global. I would like to say the transition will be seamless but that is unlikely. The timing (leading up to Christmas!) and pandemic will result in more disruption. This situation affects all UK astronomy retailers. Hopefully most of our existing customer orders will be fulfilled from stock already enroute to us but thereafter we predict there will be a shortage of Celestron products (especially mid-high value items) until around Jan/Feb, when Celestron Global should have enough stock to continue distribution. We will begin contacting our customers with existing backorders tomorrow. Thank-you for your patience and understanding. Steve

David Hinds Ltd, a family business that has traded in one form or another since 1965, has announced they will close mid-late November. David Hinds was originally a manufacturer of mirrors for Newtonian telescopes that remain highly regarded amongst collectors. He and his family later opened a retail store for astronomy products then became UK distributor for Celestron and Baader Planetarium accessories. From myself and everyone at FLO we want to thank Adam, Orla, Daniel & Nicki Hinds for their service and support over the years. We wish them well in whatever paths they choose to take. These are extraordinary times! Steve

Received via PM 🙂 I see when you placed your order our website provided a dispatch estimate up to 5th November so, assuming nothing changes at Bresser, your order will be good to go in approx ten days. HTH, Steve

Without your name, email or order number I cannot answer that. Please email us, we can then find and check your orders progress. If you prefer us to check then update you here please PM me your order number. HTH, Steve

Based on information received from Bresser, I think our websites current dispatch estimates for their telescopes are realistic. If you email us your order details then myself or a colleague will happily find your order then reply with an update. Generally speaking, the dispatch estimates displayed on our website product pages are for new orders so it is the dispatch estimate provided when you place your order that matters. When you place an order, if an item is in stock then it will be automatically reserved for you then dispatched. If an item is out of stock then it will be automatically assigned to your order when it becomes available. Items are assigned according to date (our inventory system monitors your position in the queue for each and every item). We dispatch orders when complete so if you have ordered multiple items (some in stock, some out of stock) but need an in-stock item urgently, please email us. If asked to split an order we might request a small payment to cover the increased delivery cost. Our website displays a dispatch estimate on every product description page. Also when viewing your shopping cart you can see dispatch estimates for every item. It is not possible for someone to place an order at FLO without seeing our dispatch estimates but we freely admit they are only estimates based on information available to us. During the pandemic information from manufacturers and distributors often changes with little or no notice so if you suspect your order might be delayed please email us for an update. HTH, Steve

Thank-you for your kind comments 🙂 Steve

We were expecting and preparing for a large delivery of Sky-Watcher to arrive at our warehouse around the 28th. Unfortunately the importer/distributor says IT problems at Felixstowe will likely delay unloading so we are now expecting the delivery around the first week of November. Deliveries from ZWO and IOptron are also expected to arrive over the next week or two. HTH, Steve

Please email questions@firstlightoptics.com saying which CEM40 interests you, we will then do our best to provide an ETA 🙂

I don’t know, I haven’t compared them. ^ In our first post in this discussion we made it clear StellaLyra CC & RC telescopes are manufactured for us by GSO in Taiwan. Retailers do not manufacture telescopes. HTH, Steve

For these telescopes GSO provide mirrors with ‘enhanced Al coating to 95% reflectivity’. As far as we know there are no alternative specifications available for these models. HTH, Steve

We are the vendor. We have provided a telescope that has been tested by Es Reid so are confident it will perform well. We offered to accept the telescope back for refund because after he received it Jaxon posted here saying he also wants a report/certificate. We don't offer that. All telescopes sold at FLO are covered by our 30-day return policy. HTH, Steve

At FLO we must be careful not to change something for the sake of change. @Seelive referred to market forces: Currently FLO is responsible for the majority of Esprit telescopes purchased in the U.K. Most owners want Es to check their telescope before dispatch. Returns are very low and very few owners request a ‘certificate’ (those that do, perhaps 3-4x annually, usually live outside the U.K. so are not familiar with Es’ reputation). We like the idea of a holo-sticker but are reluctant to ask Es for anything that might increase the time/cost necessary for him to test a telescope. Steve

You are welcome to return your telescope for a full refund. Steve

Regarding the Es Reid optical bench test. To keep the price low we ask only that Es' confirms the telescope is a good example and performs as it should. He checks the optics are well figured and properly aligned. I.e. he checks for star-shape, colour, spherical aberrations and astigmatism. If he finds a misalignment/aberration he corrects it on the bench. If this is not possible the telescope is rejected. Es doesn't provide a test report or certificate. Think of it as an extra layer of quality control. For more info regarding the Es Reid test please see here: Some time after that post we made the Es Reid test available for Esprit telescopes. Then about a month ago we decided to Es Reid test ‘all’ our Esprit telescopes. Our customer receipts make this clear but perhaps we should also consider adding a holo-sticker or similar to the telescopes, so they are easily identifiable. Will give that some thought. It is Sunday and my lunch is on the table so will log off now 🙂 Steve

Hi Jaxson, Delays during the pandemic are due only to the pandemic. Manufacturers continue to struggle with high demand, materials shortages and reduced shipping channels. More info can be found at our website. We close for weekends but myself or a colleague will see your email then respond when we reopen tomorrow/Monday. Enjoy your weekend 🙂 Steve

No problem and no need for a snip 🙂 Reviews on other forums are interesting but we are more interested in new reviews of StellaLyra telescopes. Reviews posted by owners here at SGL. Sales are good so I don't think it will be long. At FLO our understanding of these designs comes largely from Ian King. Ian is a colleague but prior to him joining FLO he sold (through his website, Ian King Imaging) these designs for around a decade so has plenty of knowledge and experience. Steve

For visual use we recommend one of the the Classical Cassegrain models. They have a hyperbolic secondary and parabolic primary. Their high contrast and long focal ratios make them especially good for lunar and planetary observing, and imaging. They don't need a large glass corrector so are less prone to dew than a SCT or Maksutov. The open tube design also cools quicker and the fixed primary means no mirror flop. They are also less collimation sensitive than the Ritchey-Chrétien models. There is a lot to like 🙂 They don't include a case. We will look at making cases available separately. HTH, Steve

Don’t worry, we can’t hear you over the till’s ‘ker-ching’ 🎶 🙂

Also available here 🙂 StellaLyra 10" f/8 M-LRC Ritchey-Chrétien Carbon Truss Telescope OTA

No problem 🙂 Would you mind if we loan you one of our reducers (it is made by GSO, like the telescope)? It will be good to know how it compares. Please PM me if you are willing. Steve

^ What he said 🙂 Perhaps when Johninderby posted a link to the same telescope at 365astronomy it was to demonstrate what we said in our original post is true. “Manufactured by Guan Sheng Optical in Taiwan”. You can of course buy these same designs wearing other brand names like Orion, TS, Omegon, etc. We have always been transparent regarding who manufacturers our telescopes (retailers do not manufacture telescopes). GSO enables retailers who meet their criteria and are able to order in sufficient quantity to brand their designs. Some simply use their own company name or logo. Others, like us, launch unique brand names. Having our own brand enables us to identify telescopes sourced and sold by us and support them (FLO is the only UK astronomy retailer with a fully equipped/staffed workshop and Es Reid handles optical work if necessary). You can buy with confidence. HTH, Steve

We don't have a x0.5 or x0.33 but we do have a 0.75x Reducer for StellaLyra / GSO Ritchey Chretien OTAs.

Oops. Sorry. The text now says 3.25" focuser top and bottom 🙂 Currently we don't think that is necessary but will monitor and review our decision over time. We have had our eye on these models for some but waited until the designs had matured. A good example ^ Collimation has improved too 😎 Steve

Thank-you 🙂 Will find and correct the typos ASAP. If you notice any others please say.