Skywatcher & Celestron

[dazzst]

Are Skywatcher and Celestron the same company? They look incredibly similar if not the same. What are the differences or is Skywatcher a Chinese copy?

[Cornelius Varley]

Skywatcher telescopes are made by Synta. Synta purchased Celestron a couple of years ago. Synta telescopes are also branded as Orion in the USA and they used to supply Celestron with refractors and reflectors before they purchased the company.

Peter

[dazzst]

Thanks. Does that mean they are the same product or is the Skywatcher a 'cut down' version of a comparable Celestron product?

[Tribal-Wolf]

At the cheaper end of the price range the skywatcher scopes seem better quality.

[Cornelius Varley]

Skywatcher and Celestron are two different companies both selling a different range of telescopes. It just happens that the parent company Synta manufactures some of the telescopes that are sold under the brand names of Skywatcher and Celestron. The SLT 127 ota, for instance, is the same as the Skywatcher Skymax 127 ota and also the Orion Apex 127. Each brand is individual with some cross overs, Skywatcher do not sell cut-down versions of Celestron telescopes.

Peter

[dazzst]

Very confusing all of this for a noob. I think I'll still with a brand like Celestron or Meade. Am I wrong?

[LukeSkywatcher]

Very confusing all of this for a noob. I think I'll still with a brand like Celestron or Meade. Am I wrong?

Don't forget Skywatcher. Very good scopes.

I may be wrong here but i think Meade is a very popular brand in the States more so then on this side of the pond.

[SplintUK]

There are LOADS of posts about which starter scope to get, and lots of blogs too.

Most of them tend to be skywatcher for a reason, performance vs value.

I would start on this page for good places to start. The SW heritage 130p min dob at only £135 is a great place to start and see if it sticks as a hobby without too much outlay.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/news/stargazing-live-telescopes.html

What I will say is that what you think you want now will probably not be what you want this time next year so it's worth starting small and seeing where it takes you.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Its nice to see the Heritage getting so many mentions lately as a good starter scope. When i bought mine a couple of yrs ago it was new on the market and untried/untested.

It really does seem to be coming into its own as one of the better starter scopes. I guess this is because its 5" aperture for just over £100. Before the Heritage came along it was the SW Explorer 130 that was the top dog for starter scopes. They both retail at the same price.

[dazzst]

There are LOADS of posts about which starter scope to get, and lots of blogs too.

Most of them tend to be skywatcher for a reason, performance vs value.

I would start on this page for good places to start. The SW heritage 130p min dob at only £135 is a great place to start and see if it sticks as a hobby without too much outlay.

First Light Optics - Stargazing Live Telescopes

What I will say is that what you think you want now will probably not be what you want this time next year so it's worth starting small and seeing where it takes you.

Excellent and true reply. I do know we want GOTO.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Excellent and true reply. I do know we want GOTO.

Interesting read there from FLO. I bet they cant keep the Explorer 130 in stock for any amount of time.