6SE or not 6SE?

[Dunkster]

Chaps and chapesses...

I've been hooked up with a fellow astro colleague who bought a Nexstar 6SE a while back, but what with work pressures and all has barely got to use it. Had a chat with the chap at work yesterday and figures-wise he's looking for barely half the list price of a new one.

I'm going round for a demo tonight - weather permitting - as it's only an inch more than my 127... my back of the envelope calcs put that around 50% more light gathering power.

What should I look out for, and I guess more importantly, given that I already have a 127, would I be chucking my money away? I should add I'm only interested in visual for now.

Talk me in or out of it, please! It could be my 'christmas bonus' to myself

[CGolder]

optically i doubt your see much between them, the Maks always seem sharper than an SCT on planets, the mount is a big big leap up but if the mount you have now is fine for you then i wouldnt bother

[smudgeball]

Personally (and owning a 6SE)

I would say hang tight !

I think the 127 is an excellent scope

Regards

Neil

[Dunkster]

Sadly, I was too weak to resist The 6SE was immaculate and really enjoyed demoing on Jupiter. The mount is a good bit more sturdy than the 127 and there's less wobbling while focussing. By the time I got home it'd clouded over of course

Question is, should I now sell the 127 or keep?

[Matt2011]

I am in the same situation as I want a Nexstar 6SE as the 8SE will be beyond my budget but I could try a Skywatcher Skyliner 200p but I do not know how they compare to the 6SE or my Skywatcher 127 Mak but I am thinking of selling my CG-5 GT Mount for funds to put towards the 6SE Nexstar but I am not sure what to do.

[Dunkster]

From what I've read (here and elsewhere) the 6SE/8SE are good scopes, but relatively expensive compared to a 200p dob without goto (even with!). The shorter FL of the dobs mean you can get a bit wider FoV than the SE.