Aldi telescope again - really dodgy advert!

[AuntyCis]

I got the latest Aldi leaflet through the door last night and spotted that they were doing the National Geographic mini Dob telescope again -discussion about this offer on here last year:

http://stargazerslounge.com/topic/169479-aldi-telescope/

But this year, as well as the amusing advert copy blunders, there is a more serious blunder. There is a banner on the ad that suggests 'watch comet Ison on November 28th with a Dobson telescope'

Now that seems to me to be *very* bad advice! Nov 28th would be a really bad day to try and spot Ison with a telescope (It even goes on to say, elsewhere in the ad, that Nov 28 th is the day that Ison will be 'entering the Sun's atmosphere').

I have contacted them through Facebook/Twitter to point out the problem - wonder what the response will be?

[emadmoussa]

My first telescope was one of these...even though I wasn't exactly experienced then, I noticed it was complete rubbish. So..yes...department store telescopes are worth squat.

[allcart]

No mention of the dangers of pointing a telescope at the sun I assume. Doesn't sound like a good idea to me unless you really know what you are doing.

Maybe someone knowledgable can work out the FOV with this scope and evaluate the risk of getting the sun in the FOV while trying to see ISON.

[emadmoussa]

They're too bad...I doubt pointing at the sun will cause any damage But nah seriously, it's rather a dangerous toy in the wrong uneducated hands.

[Stargazer_00]

Every telescope/binocular I've ever bought stated very clearly in the documentation, do not point at the sun.

I'd expect this would have that inside it too, despite the stupid advert.

[DaveS]

And unfortunately, "Wrong un-educated hands" are what it wil end up in.

[sbooder]

I can't believe they are selling this thing for £85!! on Amazon.

[AuntyCis]

They have replied to my Facebook comment to say that they will 'pass my thoughts to the relevant department'. I think that's probably a polite way of telling me to go away.

So, not only are they selling a rubbish telescope, they are cheerfully telling people to point it at the sun. Great stuff.

[Paul73]

So. Other than a apparent disregard the accuracy of their marketing material, or for users safety. (Very surprising for a big organisation - suggest a note to Aldi on this. Looking for a comet that isn't there isn't going to cause any lasting damage......)

Is the scope any good (for the money)???

Paul

[Davey-T]

I see Maplin are doing a lot of scopes for Christmas

Dave

http://www.maplin.co.uk/search?menuno=130988&page=1

[peterjtmorris]

I bought one last year in the New Year Sales just to see how good (or bad) it was. As cheap telescopes go, it is not too bad. I had trouble moving the tube up and down initially (don't ask), but once I sorted that out, it was OK. There is no finderscope unlike the Skywatcher version (not really necessary given the field of view) and I found finding something to rest it on tricky (this would be less of a problem for children as they are shorter). The mirror seems all right, but the key thing is that it is very fast, f = 4.6. This means that the stars have (small) comas and Jupiter was so bright I could not see it properly (will use a filter next time). The big advantage is that there is no dodgy mount to contend with and all the money goes into the optics. While I would not slag it off, I would not recommend it and I certainly would not pay £85, I got it for £25 which is probably reasonable value. But there are better alternatives, including the Celestron Travelscope 70 for about the same price.

[peterjtmorris]

I might add that there is a big eye crossed out warning symbol on the tube and it  is mentioned in the documentation, but will everyone read it (or realise what the symbol means)? I hope so! But this is a problem with any scope at the end of the day.

[allcart]

My immediate concern With the scope and advertising blurb was the FOV and looking for Ison when it is so close to the sun. Will both objects be in the FOV at the same time? and even with or without a finder, what are the risks of actually hitting the sun while viewing through the scope. In young inexperienced hands, the risk of eye damage could be massive.