Andy0306

Seems I now have two scopes lol. I got the 150p as above, but realised it's a little too much/big for my needs at the moment. After looking at what was around, I've now ended up with a Celestron XLT Omni AZ 102 as well 😅 Not sure what I'll do with the 150 at the moment, I'm not sure keeping it will be allowed by the better half

My mistake, I was expecting to see knurled bolt heads, but there's grub screws inside the threaded holes.............Still learning

I'm not overly worried about the collimation, well I wasn't until I realised the adjusting screws were missing 🙄 Didn't notice until I got it home. Not a big deal, I can get replacements. It only had one eyepiece which is a 'Super 10mm' The seller claimed it was almost new, but I suspect they bought it second hand. Apart from the missing screws, it is in very good condition, not a mark on it.

Thanks for the input. It came down to a choice of the 150 dob or a Celestron Omni 102 XLT. As the dob got the most votes, I went with it, but may still get a refractor in the future.

If all goes to plan, I'll be picking up a 150p tomorrow. Once I get it home, I'll start the panicking 😅

Thanks both for the replies. I get the reasons for the bigger scopes and I'm aware GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) could take hold, but for now I'm happy to stay small. Saying that, I know where there's a 150 Dob for sale locally. The one in your link is a little far to travel. So 2 votes for the Dob so far

Hi, This is my first post, so please forgive me for asking a question that has probably been asked a thousand times. I've spent a couple of days researching, reading and watching videos, but I am struggling to decide on a scope for my needs. I'm on a budget so my choices are limited, but as a complete noob to this hobby, I don't want to go blowing a fortune on 'the best' scope. Currently I'm only looking to view the moon, visible planets and maybe a DSO if it's possible with the scopes below. I'm not too worried about astro-photography at the moment, and if I did progress into this, it will be a few years down the road. So, with the above in mind I've narrowed it down to......... https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/skywatcher-heritage-130p-flextube-dobsonian-telescope.html The 130 has good reviews and is small. I quite like the idea of a small scope for portability and this one is apparently easy to set up. I'm not sure about having to wait for it to acclimatise before being able to use it, and the need for collimation. Admittedly, I haven't looked into the process of collimation as yet. https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/skywatcher-startravel-80-table-top-telescope.html I like the idea again of the portability of this scope. It is lightweight and until I invest in a 'proper' tripod, it will sit on my sturdy photography tripod. I also like the ability to use the scope for nature/landscape viewing, although this is not my primary use/need for the scope. I'm well and truly stuck, I came very close to hitting the buy button on the 130, but keep thinking that maybe a refactor would just as good and a little more versatile. A couple of other choices could be https://www.firstlightoptics.com/all-telescopes/skywatcher-skymax-90-ota.html but without a tripod, I'm not sure it is a good idea. Or a https://www.rothervalleyoptics.co.uk/bresser-messier-ar-80600-az-nano-telescope.html but I wanted to limit myself to £150 if possible. Thanks in advance for any help/advice, it will be greatly appreciated.