BST Explorers - some queries

[sheridangj]

Hi folks,

I'm in the process of choosing which set of 60 deg AFOV EPs to go for and I've come across many mentions of the BST Explorers in previous SGL threads.

Two things stand out - why so cheap and why do they only seem to be available from one retailer in the UK? How do they compare with equivalent EPs such as Celestron X-Cel LX and Meade 5000 HD-60s which are considerably more expensive? Is the price difference apparent in the performance and under visual scrutiny or are they simply a great bargain?!

Sorry if this is something that's been trawled over before but I guess people will have had plenty of time by now to make good comparisons as new ranges have been introduced.

Many thanks.

Gav

[Stephen]

In short, yes, you get what you pay for. The LX and HD have better edge correction, and better contrast than the BSTs. (They are the same EP it is believed.)

However the BSTs are very good value for money, hard to beat at that price. Will you see the difference? Hard to say, EPs are a very personal thing and depending on the speed of your scope, it may not be visible at all.

BSTs are actually sold under five different names in 4 countries that I am aware of. BST (being rebranded as something else,) just happens to be the UK branding that Skysthelimit sell.

As to why they are the only retailer, have to ask them I guess

[faulksy]

i asked the question and alans reply was there was another dealer well known on here not flow by the way and they sell them with a different name and charge 2x the price

[Stephen]

Astro-Tech Paradigm 8mm - 60 Degree Field - Dual ED Wide Angle 1.25" Eyepiece ATPARA08 | High Point Scientific

There's one alternative branding off the top of my head.

[John]

These look very similar to the BST Explorers:

Orion Epic II ED Telescope Eyepieces - SCS Astro

But whether the quality of lens coatings, internal light scatter control and manufacturing QA is the same is impossible to tell of course.

[cs1cjc]

And Olivon(?):

http://www.green-witch.com/acatalog/olivon.html

[proflight2000]

I have the 15mm and the 25mm and I think they are excellent. They give me wonderful views through my refractor and I cant fault them at the price. They have a quality feel too, of course if you have the funds then top class eye pieces are a godsend, but the BST at 41 pound is a real bargain.

[Bart]

I have a fast Dob and even at x250 with the BST 5mm the view was crisp enough to observe a GRS transit clearly. I also have the 8mm, and am very happy with it.,

At that price you have nothing to lose.

Bart

[rory]

i have the 12mm bst explorer, im happy with it. ive read full report side by side with the x-cel lx. the later came out on top (just about) but they are around £65-£70 a pop. the baader hyperions get the thumbs up from quite a few members too.

[Capricorn]

Sold under different names by G-W, SCS and StL. 3 different prices also, fairly wide differences.

That difference in price seems to be a significant variation from the StL cost. If you want a little better then look at ones possibly like the Celectron X-Cel, but the little better performance will be around twice the cost.

The reason for the many mentions is that for the price they are good, there are better but they will cost more, and Alan had a good supply so they became well known. Aided a lot by Alan having the approach of sending you one to try, if it didn't suit then you sent it back. Makes choosing an eyepiece very easy and nice. From the posts not many were sent back.

If you get them from Alan at StL then they will probably come out branded and SkyGuider, there was a dispute over the name "Explorer". They got changed.

Ultimately I suspect that whoever designed them just got it right, and being mass produced in China the production cost was kept reasonably low for what has ended up as a good quality, for cost, eyepiece.

[cotterless45]

I have the 25, 12 and 5mm. They are excellent not only for value , but for the wide and crisp contrast filled views. The 12mm in particular is extremely useful on deep sky objects. It gives a clearer and brighter view than my Vixen NLV 12mm.

If you need just two EPs for searching and detailing DSOs then I can recommend the 12 and 25mm BSTs, nice.

[Cubemaster]

I just got the 12mm and all I can say is WOW! Being boxed with a lens cloth impressed me enough but the crispness of the image even more

[Capricorn]

I just got the 12mm and all I can say is WOW! Being boxed with a lens cloth impressed me enough

He used to include a small pack of sweets as well but these stopped some 6 months back.

[rory]

ive noticed new stock ( 5mm and 8mm) at the moment, under starguider name is going up in price £47 on e-bay from skies the limit. so no doubt all the other sizes will go up soon too. still exellent value though i recon .