14" or 16"

[vlebo]

Hi , I am thinking of going back to a large dob and I was looking at the Flextube 14" and 16". My question is if I am going to go for the 14" and going by its size and what I have read here regarding the need to dismantle the base to get it out of most doors I may as well go for the 16" as there is probably just as much effort involved moving one compared to the other. Has anyone had any experience of both scopes and is there a significant difference in size between them or , actually , any significant difference in viewing between the 14" and 16" ?

[Daniel-K]

no just turn them on the side and the roll through i use to do it with the 16

[Peter Drew]

The light grasp is in the ratio of 49:64 so this could be quite noticeable on DSO's under similar conditions.

[Carbon]

One major deciding factor for me is being able to reach the EP of the 16 with my feet on the ground.

[alan potts]

This is a question I have often mulled over in my mind. Of the 14 inch type the only one I would have is the Orion US Inteli scope I think it is called. I like the look of this very much. But I think size wins every time and of them all I like the GSO 16 inch, I think it is also the cheapest, but I have not seen it for a long time on TS website.

So it is 16 inch for me but I tallish and strong, this is not for small weak people unless you have help. The 14 inch is more peason friendly but still will not blow away in a stiff breeze.

Alan.

[Luke]

The big issue for me with the 16 flextube is whether you're okay with the weight of the tube. According to Teleskop Service, the tube is 38kg for the 16:

http://www.teleskop-...n-Telescop.html

I'm okay with the weight of the 16 tube on my own. Though it is heavy, I find I can get a good grip as per the instructions (take the cap off the lower tube section and grip the edge of the open tube with the other hand on the base).

The base itself I find pretty quick to take apart, maybe 1 minute, and the parts look as though they are made for regular take apart (wish my imaging gear setup was as quick!).

I haven't seen any weights quoted for the 14 tube.

I just get away without having to use steps to look through the eyepiece, though I am 6ft5. The missus has to use steps a fair bit.

Very, very happy with this scope, all three Skywatcher dobs we've had have been good optically. We have the goto, and I keep being shocked when it puts Jupiter decently in the field of view at 200x mag from a quick two star alignment done nowhere near the planet! The goto is a noisier than our HEQ5, but not too loud overall, nothing that worries me anyway.

Nice problem you have there to decide!

[acey]

The difference in view between a 16" and a 14" is the same as the difference between a 4" and a 3.5", i.e. about two sevenths of a magnitude. The difference in weight is a lot more. So it all depends how much you want that extra 0.29 magnitude. How much you'd notice it depends on your level of experience and the quality of your sky.

Luke - your description of the 16" makes it sound very tempting. Maybe some day I'll upgrade to that from my present 12" flextube. But the 12" is so easy to transport, and there's so much for me still to see with it, that I'm in no hurry yet.

[vlebo]

The big issue for me with the 16 flextube is whether you're okay with the weight of the tube. According to Teleskop Service, the tube is 38kg for the 16:

http://www.teleskop-...n-Telescop.html

I'm okay with the weight of the 16 tube on my own. Though it is heavy, I find I can get a good grip as per the instructions (take the cap off the lower tube section and grip the edge of the open tube with the other hand on the base).

The base itself I find pretty quick to take apart, maybe 1 minute, and the parts look as though they are made for regular take apart (wish my imaging gear setup was as quick!).

I haven't seen any weights quoted for the 14 tube.

I just get away without having to use steps to look through the eyepiece, though I am 6ft5. The missus has to use steps a fair bit.

Very, very happy with this scope, all three Skywatcher dobs we've had have been good optically. We have the goto, and I keep being shocked when it puts Jupiter decently in the field of view at 200x mag from a quick two star alignment done nowhere near the planet! The goto is a noisier than our HEQ5, but not too loud overall, nothing that worries me anyway.

Nice problem you have there to decide!

Thanks for your answers . I have not seen many write ups on the 14" so I guess most people go for trhe 16" which kind of answers my questions. Luke , you being 6'5" makers it easy for you to look through the eyepiece of the 162 at zenith but us more vertically challenged (5'10") may struggle a bit so steps would be needed. Are there any 142 owners out there that can tell me the height of the eyepice when looking at zenith?