enlighten me meade ETX 125

[Daniel-K]

ive never owned a mak or sct so i maybe be missing something but whats the big deal about the mead ETX 125 and why are they still so expensive?  ones just up for sale on ABS for £599!! i was only talking to my fried about these scopes the other week as he's got one that he never use's  and was thinking about selling it. so what so special?

[NGC 1502]

Unless the ETX 125 on ABS has a whole lot of accessories and is pristine, then it's expensive at £599, new ones here brand new with a guarantee for £699 http://www.telescopehouse.com/acatalog/Meade-ETX-Telescopes.html

When they first came out, 125s were over £1000.

Optically the ETX Maks are good, but a lot of owners have suffered electronic issues. ( I'm sure there are owners out there that have had no problems )

If buying used, a thorough check to make certain all's ok is essential.

Regards, Ed.

[ronin]

As they are only £649 new from Telescope House it seems a bit optimistic.

Advert is a little odd as well - it mentions the thumb screw to keep the eyepiece in place as an item and even the fork arms.

No idea what the "panel of computer control for audios and videos" is as the handset is a #497 handset and audio and video do not come into it.

Bits of the description appear to have come from the TH site, the rest is simply odd.

Just realised that the ABSUK one say ETX-125EC, that one doesn't have the #497 handset and from the Amazon description and picture is not a goto. As it says barely used then it should be the ETX-125PE variant.

I think I would avoid it.

The ABSUK picture, one of them anyway, shows both the limited EC and the #497 handset. So if both are part of the package then goto should be available.

[Pete Presland]

i used to own one and the true level north technology is very clever, but give me aperture for my money any day of the week!

[JimmyC]

I had owned a 105PE in the past. I found the optics ok. Good for planets and the moon, but it didn't really perform that well with the fuzzies, surprisingly didn't do clusters that well either for me. I also had trouble with alignment. It's not something i personally would buy again, but lunar/planetary won't leave you disappointed.