Equinox 120 0r Evostar 120 ED

[vlebo]

I have been looking with some interest at maybe getting myself a refractor for general grab n go viewing and have been looking at these two trying to spot the difference.

As far as I can make out the only difference is the Equinox has a rotatable focuser while the 120ED comes with a dialectric 2" diagonal a 9x50 finderscope and a 28mm LET eyepiece for an eyewatering  £295 less.  As a former Equinox 120 owner I found the focuser to be awful so unless they have been improved buying a Equinox would involve changing the focuser to , most probably , a Monnlite.

Changing the focuser on the 120ED puts it £44 more expensive than the stock Equinox but you end up with a 120 ED apo with a moonlite focuser a 2" dielectric diagonal a 9x50 finder and a 28mm LET eyepiece thrown in with the same optics.  Am I missing something ?  If I am could somebody kindly enlighten me.

Thanks

Vlebo

[F15Rules]

I must be upfront and say I'm not a big fan of either of these scopes although I suspect I'm in a minority here. I've owned both the 120 Equinox and the ED100 and much preferred the ED100, even though the Equinox build was much better.

Purely on the maths you describe it seems like the Evostar plus moonlite plus bundled kit gives the best deal. Optically both scopes are identical glass and I think would both depreciate pro rata at a similar rate.

Good luck with your decision.

[John]

I have an ED120 Pro with a Moonlite focuser fitted to it. I think it's a great scope 

I believe the optics are the same in the Equinox 120 as they are in the ED120.

It's a little on the heavy and long side to be a true grab and go for me.  My Vixen ED102 F/6.5 on the AZ-4 mount is somewhat more easy to pick up and carry around.

I guess the definition of grab and go will vary from person to person though 

[Luke]

I have the Evo 100ED and the Equinox 120. It depends what you are looking for but for me the 100 feels more grab and go. It's almost effortless to carry out, while the Equinox 120 is that bit bulkier and heavier.

With the Evo you have a lighter tube compared to the same aperture Equinox. It does not look as nice nor feel as solid as the Equinox. However, it is relatively light, which is a nice plus. So I am mixed here. If you really like lighter, it could be +1 for Evo. If you like solid build, +1 for Equinox.

The Evo has a fixed dew shield, the Equinox has a retractable dew shield, so compacts down a bit more. Also it may sound a bit silly but if it's windy I like to keep the shield retracted, to hopefully help the scope cope better with wind. In practice I don't actually find the longer Evo with its fixed dew shield to be too much of a problem to carry around. It is a lighter tube, and that I certainly do notice and appreciate!

In theory the Equinox has a better focuser but I couldn't get it to work well enough for me and replaced it anyway. That's something I hoped I wouldn't feel the need to do when I got the Equinox and is partly what swayed me towards the Equinox, thinking that I would not have to fork out for a focuser upgrade... Some folks seem to manage with the original focuser though.

Optically, both my scopes are very good, no preference for me in terms of quality of view between the 100 and 120 relative to their aperture.

[Caldwell14]

The ED120 is a wonderful scope, just wonderful. I have owned both the ED100 and the ED120 and while I have to say that optically the ED100 is probably a little better, it really is only a little, the extra 20mm believe it or not does make quite a difference. The monetary difference between the Evostar and the ED is massive. Personally if you can afford the ED120 I would certainly plump for that scope. If money is an issue, and we all have our breaking point, then I personally would abandon the extra 20mm in favour of superior achromatic optics. I have said it many times and I am happy to be shot down the TAL100RS is just a wonderful scope, I am just about to buy a second TAL 100 RS myself. In some ways the best scope I ever owned

[nightfisher]

The ED120 is a wonderful scope, just wonderful. I have owned both the ED100 and the ED120 and while I have to say that optically the ED100 is probably a little better, it really is only a little, the extra 20mm believe it or not does make quite a difference. The monetary difference between the Evostar and the ED is massive. Personally if you can afford the ED120 I would certainly plump for that scope. If money is an issue, and we all have our breaking point, then I personally would abandon the extra 20mm in favour of superior achromatic optics. I have said it many times and I am happy to be shot down the TAL100RS is just a wonderful scope, I am just about to buy a second TAL 100 RS myself. In some ways the best scope I ever owned

Another person the knows just how good the TAL100 rs is, just a shame you cant fit a moonlite to a tal

[moriniboy]

When I got my Equinox 120 the focuser was badly adjusted by the previous owner.

I stripped it down to see how it worked and also found that one of the top 4 roller bearings was loose. Reassembled using threadlocker including the other 3 bearings and now it easily takes a 31 T5 Nagler.

Don't feel the need to swap over for anything else.

If you are still suffering with slippage you could also try Dion's oilstone suggestion on the focuser flat, worked a treat on my TAL 100RS

[Caldwell14]

Another person the knows just how good the TAL100 rs is, just a shame you cant fit a moonlite to a tal

I thought the single speed Crawford on the TAL was really very good, certainly a cut above the SW numbers. The only thing I would have changed on "comrade scope" was the plant pot dew shield

[Caldwell14]

Wouldn't a TAL 100 RS look lovely mounted on the other side of my Giro III along side my Newton?

[vlebo]

When I got my Equinox 120 the focuser was badly adjusted by the previous owner.

I stripped it down to see how it worked and also found that one of the top 4 roller bearings was loose. Reassembled using threadlocker including the other 3 bearings and now it easily takes a 31 T5 Nagler.

Don't feel the need to swap over for anything else.

If you are still suffering with slippage you could also try Dion's oilstone suggestion on the focuser flat, worked a treat on my TAL 100RS

I did think after I sold my Equinox 120 for a ridiculous price because of the focuser that maybe I should have had a look at it first. Thanks evryone for your input.

[nightfisher]

I thought the single speed Crawford on the TAL was really very good, certainly a cut above the SW numbers. The only thing I would have changed on "comrade scope" was the plant pot dew shield

Yes Karl, my thoughts entirely regarding the "plant pot" dew shield...........it works but is not pleasing to look at.......i keep thinking i will make a new dew shield for my 100rs, i even considered a metal sliding one, if i still worked in engineering i would be on this like a flash

[Caldwell14]

Yes Karl, my thoughts entirely regarding the "plant pot" dew shield...........it works but is not pleasing to look at.......i keep thinking i will make a new dew shield for my 100rs, i even considered a metal sliding one, if i still worked in engineering i would be on this like a flash

It think it's the only way to go Jules. I often considered seeing if a local engineering company might make one out of an alloy of some kind and then getting it powder coated.

[nightfisher]

It think it's the only way to go Jules. I often considered seeing if a local engineering company might make one out of an alloy of some kind and then getting it powder coated.

I have a huge roll  of white plasti-board stuff that i blagged for making a dewshield, i have been thinking a double roll bonded and then flocked inside so it slips on over the objective cell would work well, must get round to trying it...........think we have taking this thread well off topic, so best leave it at that

[Caldwell14]

I really do think its worth doing for a TAL, they really are lovely things to own... I will have to buy another for the winter. That said refractors really come into their own in the summer I think. Much, much better contrast when you need it most, trying to observe faint fuzziness against a light grey background is a waste of time, doubles and planets are king in the summer. If that's the way you go there is no waiting up till 2.30am to get a half decent view. June should be called "Refractor Season"

[Caldwell14]

Indeed....ooppps

[John]

I had one of the early TAL 100's and that had a nicely machined metal dew shield. A scope that I wish I still owned

[Marki]

Lovely scope - the plastic dewshield really lets the 100rs and my 125r down, I think. Is that the original TAL mount, John?

[John]

Lovely scope - the plastic dewshield really lets the 100rs and my 125r down, I think. Is that the original TAL mount, John?

Yes Mark, I bought this scope new in 1999. The model was the TAL 100 RT. There were no reviews on it back then so I bought it "blind" so to speak for £249 delivered (in a trunk from Siberia !) hoping that it would be a half decent scope. It turned out to be very much a 100% decent scope, much to my pleasure 

The only downsides to it were that it was limited to 1.25" eyepieces and the focuser travel was a little on the short side. 

[Jim Smith]

I have the Evostar-120ED DS-PRO and recommend it.  I use the original focuser and it holds the weight of a Pentax XW 40mm, pointing near the zenith, without any problems.  The fine focus knob may be plastic,  but the focusing is smooth and effective. Optically I haven't critically compared it to anything else of the same size, but I used to have a TV85 and I don't think I lost anything significant in terms of image quality when I moved up in aperture.

[Jim Smith]

...and only a few days after posting the above, I realise that when my new bino viewer arrives I probably will have to replace the focuser to support all the weight.  We shall see!