calling on 250 and 300 flextube owners.

[thunderchild]

Good evening, i am asking for your personnel opinion about these two scopes, the reason being i am thinking of getting one but not sure if the extra 2 inches in mirror size while make much difference in average skies. This will be my last purchase for a very long time and so i want it to last, i only want it for observing only and i have tv plossol to use with it,will these be suitable. I would be grateful for any opinion's good or bad.Thank you for looking.

[Neilius]

Its only 2 inches but the difference in light gathering power is 77%, I believe.

I note that you are using 150mm now - the jump in aperture if you get this will literally floor you the first time you point it upwards! I did me, and I only went from 130 to 200!

If you've got the bucks for a 300, I would go for that, imho.

[Pingster]

Dont make my mistake, i went for a 8se, it almost gives me a wow factor. I now know from experience using the 8se, that a 300 would make the DSO look a lot better than mine, go bigger and you will be happier.

*Weeks after getting my 8se, it left me with aperture fever.... so i ordered an Skyliner 400p auto. Should be delievered anytime this week.

[Paulb3098]

Hi, I went from a SW150PL to a SW250PX and the views are fantastic. As I have to carry it into the garden the 250 is just about manageable, I'm not too sure about the 300 ?

[Starlight 1]

I use the 250pds and its a handfull to keep moving in and out the garden and a lot of the time I just use my sw130 still as the uk is not the best for seeing.

But I do love the 250 pds as its a f4.7 and on the right nights it is fantastic.PS I an useing the Heq5 pro mount and it do not like windy days.

[russ]

If you think the extra size and weight won't be a problem, go for the 12". Views are worth the effort most of the time.

I don't regret my downsize to the 10" though. Views are still amazing from the dark site. That 77% extra light gathering figure is sooooo misleading. The jump from 10" - 12" is quite a small difference at the eyepiece. Nothing like you would imagine 77% to look like.

If you go with the 10" there's no real reason to go for the flextube. The solid tube will fit across almost any car back seat. There's no need to flaff around with a shroud, raising and lowering the tube. And the tube itself is lighter and better balanced. In the end there is a huge difference in cost. Not just the £150 difference in purchase price but then the additional £65 for the shroud. That's a TV Nagler in difference.

I only went with a Flextube because there were no solid tubes available secondhand. Or at least not until the day after i bought mine.

[russ]

Oh one thing to consider between the 250 and 300:

The 250 uses Teflon pads rubbing against the particle base board for the Azimuth bearing.......its not a brilliant solution. Suffers with stiction. Which makes high power viewing a chore and annoying.

But the 300 uses a Lazy Susan bearing which on the one i used, worked a lot better than the 250 teflon pad effort.

The 250 can be made to work perfectly with a little money (only a little) and a bit of effort. Just fitting an Ebonystar ring transforms the Azimuth bearing. Why Synta couldn't do this is beyond me because we really only talking a couple of £s.

[thunderchild]

thanks for your views, so the solid tube 300 would be better but will my eye pieces be ok , i did not even think about the solid tube just liked the idea of easier transportation of the flextube.

[russ]

thanks for your views, so the solid tube 300 would be better but will my eye pieces be ok , i did not even think about the solid tube just liked the idea of easier transportation of the flextube.

Not the solid tube 300, that's huge and right pain to put in the car Definitely go with the Flextube 300 if you want a 12".

The solid tube 250 is perfectly fine and easy to transport, slightly lighter and represents quite a cost saving. Enough of a cost saving to add a brand new Nagler too. The 13mm would be awesome with the 250.

[Starlight 1]

The 250 sold tube is 18kg its a big tube as well .I use eye pieces 32 down to 5 and I do get black rings some times.

[russ]

The 250 sold tube is 18kg its a big tube as well .I use eye pieces 32 down to 5 and I do get black rings some times.

Isn't 18Kg the boxed weight for shipping? I thought the ota weight was around 14-15kg bare.

[Starlight 1]

I just put it on the scales 14.9

[todd8137]

hi there go for the 300 i have the solid tube and its a mega scope i have chesp eps and exspensive they all perform as exspected also i have uw eps and they sem ok the 300p should be great at a dark site it really does excell ,even ion my back garden i can see faint nebs (with filters) and most things that people look at its great for pics as well and webcaming were they do excel is with dso's i love mine and it was my first purchase have looking threw many newts i settled on that and its great go for the 300p imho

pat

clear skies

[russ]

I just put it on the scales 14.9

Still pretty hefty

But manageable. I could just about lift and carry the complete 250 dob (base and tube) but it was more of a stumble and could just about manage the 100ft to the bottom of the garden.

[Starlight 1]

Hi Russ The things I do not like about it taking the mount down the garden seting up then back in for the weights +1 more to get the balancing right, cool down time about a hour then the clounds roll in and then taking it all back in again.Work out at £20 a night to see nothing at all.

[russ]

Hi Russ The things I do not like about it taking the mount down the garden seting up then back in for the weights +1 more to get the balancing right, cool down time about a hour then the clounds roll in and then taking it all back in again.Work out at £20 a night to see nothing at all.

It has to be the most frustrating thing to happen in this hobby. I used to find it worse with the imaging. So much to get setup and get ready, only for it to cloud over just as i had got everything set.

[thunderchild]

thats done it now i am confused,let's see if this helps, i would like a easy transported dob that will give me great views of dso with the eps i have and no need to upgrade in the very near future. sorry to be a pain in the *** but i want to get it right.cheers

[russ]

Go with the 300P Flex

With the tube retracted it will slot easily in the car......Shaun got his in a Mini!!!!

Views with the 12" are well worth any effort. From Turf Hill the views in the 12" are staggering. July/August last year with Shaun's 12" and my 12", M31 was jaw dropping under dark skies. And the Veil (with an OIII filter) really comes alive, almost a digital image view.

And it will work well with the TV Plossls too.

Has that convinced you

PS plus we need a 12" scope up at Turf Hill again as we all ditched ours

[Starlight 1]

PS plus we need a 12" scope up at Turf Hill again as we all ditched ours

That say to me its to big. lol

[russ]

That say to me its to big. lol

whoops, so it does

but to qualify my earlier statement:

Shaun - sold his to do imaging

Tim - sold his as he bailed from the hobby

Me - had a solid tube which took up the whole car, which meant when i gave someone a lift i had to leave the scope at home

[swamp thing]

Hi

My 2p's worth:

If it's gonna be your only scope: I would go for the 10" It's a more convenient size.

If it's gonna be your second scope: I would go for the 12" you won't have to heave it about every time you wanna observe.

If you ever intend to go even bigger: Get the 10" it's a great second grab n go scope.

I will upgrade my 16" to something larger but I will always keep the 10". It's just to convenient to ever sell.

Regards Steve

[moriniboy]

300 is manageable at the moment but i'm designing a wheeled base to make moving it easier.

Theres no way I can move it without the OTA being seperated from the base, its just too heavy and unwieldly.

But the views, oh boy!

[Madhatter]

Im not sure if i should post here or not as its flexitube owners your interested in, but i recently bought a 250px solidtube whats a lovely scope, but its the limit id personaly want to go with a solidtube, its perfectly managable, but the 12" would have been a struggle, not so much the weight but the shape-also its easier moving heavy objects with little value-when they have significant value and one drop ruins that value it becomes a whole different ball game.

[astroeddie]

I'm a recent new owner of the 300mm Flexitube auto.

I've had scopes from 60m - 278mm before. The 300 overwhelms the others hands down. DSO's are amazingly visually, whcih ios what we all want.

Now available for £950 ( got mine from FLO). They collapse down and are easily moved from house to garden etc with little effort.

Fit into cars for transportation. Solid tubes are not as easy to twist,turn around doors.

Choice of eye pieces for such scopes is a whole different ball game.

Ed

[Space Cowboy]

10" solid tube best value for money. I have the 10" flextube auto and I'm certainly glad I did not go for a 12". Flextube OTA is easier going through doors but it weighs more and as Russ says you've got the light shroud business plus more dust getting on the mirrors.