Heartbeat check on Takahashi mounts

[giorgio_ne]

I'm the happy owner of a couple of Taks mount and nearly every day log into this forum to notice that Takahashi related threads are as rare as hen's teeth.

Are you still using them? Are you having any problems? Have you 'downgraded' to something else maybe?

Just curious...

[ollypenrice]

I have an EM200 Temma Jnr and cannot call myself all that happy. It looks nice but is lamentably short on features. No real handset, only two speeds, very slow slewing even when fed 24 volts. (And, note, who really wants a 24 volt socket which is compatible with all their 12 volt ones as well? An accident waiting to happen.)

When it guides well it guides very well. When it guides to a so-so standard it is no better than an EQ6. This is often the case.  Despite its absurd price the Jnr turns out to have some nasty plastic gears in the primary drive. These have been the subject of some considerable discussion on the Tak forums and elsewhere.

In short I think these mounts have priced themselves into obsolescence. They are in Mesu 200 territory and the Mesu 200 (certainly the Argo Navis version) is several orders of magnitude ahead of the EM200. It carries several times the payload and will deliver a guide trace typically with half the error.

SInce I'm an astronomy provider by profession I have to be totally honest when I sell kit and I've accepted that I'm going to take a big hit if I sell the EM200. It is a great mount for quick portable setup, though. Apart from needing 24 volts!!

Would I recommend the Tak mounts? Certainly not. They need a 50% price reduction to stand a chance.

Olly

[Earl]

From what I have read TAK and some little experence, Tak make fantastic scopes. But there ae a handfull of issues IMO.

A scope designed for Imaging should have a Electronic focuser option from the manufactorer and not a 3rd party bolt on only.

The adapters should not be practically every size around. There needs to be more accpeted sizes (that can be said about the whole astro field though to be honest). and not cost the earth.

The mounts are more prestige than great mounts, I have read multiple threads dealing with issues that you should not have at the price point they are, again lots of mounts have issues, but id not expect them on a premium name.

[giorgio_ne]

I have an EM200 Temma Jnr and cannot call myself all that happy. It looks nice but is lamentably short on features. No real handset, only two speeds, very slow slewing even when fed 24 volts. (And, note, who really wants a 24 volt socket which is compatible with all their 12 volt ones as well? An accident waiting to happen.)

I have a Temma2M and it runs at 12V. I'm sorry to hear that yours has some problems, mine runs like a clock. Yes, it might be short on features but honestly all I need from my mount is quick setup time, accuracy and reliability.

They are in Mesu 200 territory and the Mesu 200 (certainly the Argo Navis version) is several orders of magnitude ahead of the EM200.

Takahashi prices in the past have been quite high because the strenght of JPY. At current prices however the EM-200 Temma2M is about £1,000 cheaper than the Mesu 200. Still a lot of money more that an EQ6 but I do not think it's fair comparison.

Regards,

G.

[Ibbo!]

I'll hang on to my NJP thank you very much

[ChrisLX200]

It's old-tech rather than new-tech, good quality components (bearings, shafts, castings) well put together and a world apart from budget Chinese mounts in fit and finish, but functionally I don't think Tak mounts shine in any department. They are more 'competant' then 'excelling' and at the prices asked they really should be better performers. I have nothing against plastic gears though, if the tooth pressures are modest then with the right engineering plastics there will be less wear than metal gears. Plastic gears get a bad name because they are often used inappropriately (like in the headstock of Chinese lathes where tooth pressures are huge).  Within this price bracket there are surely better options if buying new, but if you drop across one on the s/h market then it could be a good deal depending on your needs. However if you need to buy spare parts you might regret the purchase because Tak sell some of the most expensive spare parts in the business.

ChrisH

[dweller25]

I like Tak refractors but the mounts are too expensive.

[JRWASTRO]

I have an EM400 mount would not trade it in as yet. It is very very good and have experienced no problems with it at all. This mount has always carried a heavy load and is definitely not portable. The EM400 is mounted on a custom made pier.

I will be buying a new mount and pier for a portable setup in the next couple of months to use in our spring and summer. This will be a Skywatcher Alt-Az mount and bought because it is so cheap and appears excellent value for money.

Jeremy.

[ollypenrice]

It's old-tech rather than new-tech, good quality components (bearings, shafts, castings) well put together and a world apart from budget Chinese mounts in fit and finish, but functionally I don't think Tak mounts shine in any department. They are more 'competant' then 'excelling' and at the prices asked they really should be better performers. I have nothing against plastic gears though, if the tooth pressures are modest then with the right engineering plastics there will be less wear than metal gears. Plastic gears get a bad name because they are often used inappropriately (like in the headstock of Chinese lathes where tooth pressures are huge).  Within this price bracket there are surely better options if buying new, but if you drop across one on the s/h market then it could be a good deal depending on your needs. However if you need to buy spare parts you might regret the purchase because Tak sell some of the most expensive spare parts in the business.

ChrisH

The plastic gears in the Temma Jnr are known to be a problem that gets worse with age. People have even converted to the metal ones from the more costly Temma but this is a massive undertaking because several other things are different as well. Spoiling the ship for a ha'porth of tar? I think so. The backlash builds up, making the perfect 'out of balance' essential. I know you're a good engineer, Chris, but I've argued with a material scientist friend over the use of nylon etc. He insists that, used well, it is excellent. I insist that, in every application I've ever encountered, it has been an infernal nuisance! Bushes, motorcycle sprockets, Tak mounts...

I have had a friend's full Temma EM200 here as well  this year. That is a better mount. The difference in primary gear quality is simply audible because the mount sounds lovely in slewing, like a dentist's drill. (Maybe a bad simile since not everyone likes that sound!!!  )

Used with 12 volt the full Temma slews fine. Used with 12 volt the Temma Jnr doesn't 'slew' at all. You would never consider using it to move between objects. It would be dawn before you got there. You can, though, declutch and move by hand to a nearby bright star the resynch easily.

It's also good to hear that other people are happy.  I remain disappointed and feeling ripped off.

Olly

[NickK]

My dream mount is a ASA DDM not a Tak. Completely surjective statement but objectively it's not something I aspire to own or use.

[ollypenrice]

My dream mount is a ASA DDM not a Tak. Completely surjective statement but objectively it's not something I aspire to own or use.

You might be alright with one, Nick. One owner said to me that unless you are an electrical or electronics engineer (he is) then you shouldn't consider them. They are too difficult to render operational. I reckon this rules me out, eh???     

Olly