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Best of both ?


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Do you think this is a good compromise for weight saving and portability.

http://www.orionopti...onianmount.html

http://www.firstligh...00p-ds-ota.html

I like the idea of the OO dob mount , and if it fits ok , I save a considerable amount on the Orion Optics OTA allowing me to get a couple of extra eyepieces.

It comes to approx £997 which is £150 more than the Flextube 300p but with a much lighter more portable mount.

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Nice idea and the Orion Optics dob mount is a good one (though pricey !). Bear in mind though that the Skywatcher tube is a bit fatter than an Orion Optics 12" is so the mount may need modification to fit the Skywatcher tube.

One of the main things that saves the weight with the Orion Optics scopes is that the optical tubes are quite a bit lighter than the Skywatcher equivalents - I have a 12" F/5.3 Orion Optics optical tube and that weighs around 16kg which is about the lightest 12" I've come across.

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do bear in mind that you may need to buy other bits from OOUK as they seem to want to sell the whole thing even though e.g. tube rings and trunnion blocks are 'optional' also, don't forget to add VAT.

all that said, the OOUK mount is superb. I used one on a 12" f5.3 I had and it was great. in fact I liked it so much I now make all my dob bases in the same kind of style but from 12mm and 18mm birch ply.

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If you go this route, one thing to watch is that OO tubes are smaller in diameter than the SW equivalent, so you may need the next size up OO Dob mount from what you may think.

But it's doable with a bit of adaption.

Regards, Ed.

Edit - so many typing together :grin:

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do bear in mind that you may need to buy other bits from OOUK as they seem to want to sell the whole thing even though e.g. tube rings and trunnion blocks are 'optional' also, don't forget to add VAT.

all that said, the OOUK mount is superb. I used one on a 12" f5.3 I had and it was great. in fact I liked it so much I now make all my dob bases in the same kind of style but from 12mm and 18mm birch ply.

It comes in at £392.40 with the tube rings and trunion blocks. I get the impression they are well made and should last for years.

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Nice idea and the Orion Optics dob mount is a good one (though pricey !). Bear in mind though that the Skywatcher tube is a bit fatter than an Orion Optics 12" is so the mount may need modification to fit the Skywatcher tube.

One of the main things that saves the weight with the Orion Optics scopes is that the optical tubes are quite a bit lighter than the Skywatcher equivalents - I have a 12" F/5.3 Orion Optics optical tube and that weighs around 16kg which is about the lightest 12" I've come across.

I was under the impression they wete both the same diameter. I will call OO to see if it is a straight fit or wether I need the next size up which is quite a big jump in cost.

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I was under the impression they wete both the same diameter. I will call OO to see if it is a straight fit or wether I need the next size up which is quite a big jump in cost.

If it's any help, the Orion Optics 12" tube is 326mm in diameter.

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If you go this route, one thing to watch is that OO tubes are smaller in diameter than the SW equivalent, so you may need the next size up OO Dob mount from what you may think.

But it's doable with a bit of adaption.

Regards, Ed.

Edit - so many typing together :grin:

This is indeed true. You will need the next size up, I.e 14 inch mount for a 12 inch SW tube.

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One thing I would certainly recommend is that you advertise for a used 12" OOUk. They go for quite reasonable money used and sometimes people get great bargains - just ask John! I have bought all my OOUK scopes used and they have all been great value - as long as you check the condition of the mirrors (usually good) then there's not an issue.

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One thing I would certainly recommend is that you advertise for a used 12" OOUk. They go for quite reasonable money used and sometimes people get great bargains - just ask John! I have bought all my OOUK scopes used and they have all been great value - as long as you check the condition of the mirrors (usually good) then there's not an issue.

Yes, the market responds to the fact that a new SW is so much cheaper than a new OO, so driving down the used value of the OO. I had a French guest visit with an OO Dob and I thought it was splendid on all counts.

Olly

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I got my OO tube and rocker box for £350...a bargain. All comes to he who waits...

Yes, OO's can be real bargains - I recently got a 12" F/5.3 SPX optical tube with .987 strehl / 1/8.8 th wave PV optics (according to the Zygo report) for £250. The new price would be around £1,200 ....... :shocked:

Just waiting for a craftsman I know to make me a nice dobsonian mount for it :smiley:

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Yes, OO's can be real bargains - I recently got a 12" F/5.3 SPX optical tube with .987 strehl / 1/8.8 th wave PV optics (according to the Zygo report) for £250. The new price would be around £1,200 ....... :shocked:

Just waiting for a craftsman I know to make me a nice dobsonian mount for it :smiley:

Oh yes the bargains are out there, mine also came with exactly the same optics upgrade. The best astro purchase I ever made. I even have the original receipt.

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