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Meade Lightbridge any good?

emadmoussa

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rwilkey

rwilkey

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Hi Emad, would this be an upgrade?  I see you already have a SW 300P Flextube, you can't get much better than that, unless greater aperture is in the mix.  I have seen and used Lightbridges (16"), they are pretty good, but I would say SW have the edge on optics.

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emadmoussa

emadmoussa

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Hi Emad, would this be an upgrade?  I see you already have a SW 300P Flextube, you can't get much better than that, unless greater aperture is in the mix.  I have seen and used Lightbridges (16"), they are pretty good, but I would say SW have the edge on optics.

This is the old signature, I had to sell the scope almost after I bought to finance the house purchase and now I'm getting the same size aperture back. And yes, the 300P is magnificent, but was looking for a second hand scope of a similar size. We'll see...I'm personally not keen on the Lightbridge and thought it's worth checking what the others thought first.

I was going for the Flextube 14", but thankfully I had the chance to see it in the flesh. while manageable by one person...I can see myself injuring my back or having a very expensive accident. Plus the base is massive and I don't think the Mrs will appreciate such a beast sitting in the lounge :D

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rwilkey

rwilkey

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Hi Emad, personally I would hold out for a SW, they also hold value better.  Portability is another issue you must consider, not worth breaking your back over a large heavy scope, nor upsetting the Mrs for that matter - do what I did - buy her a telescope first (then I got hooked after).

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SimonfromSussex

SimonfromSussex

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Hi Emad, I have a 16" lightbridge and I've been very happy with it.

The mirror is excellent and given me some amazing views. Horse head, veil, crescent and the galaxies are all really good through it.

I think the older lightbridges needed some tweaks to get the best out if them, the truss tubes didn't used to be flocked and balance was a bit of an issue. I have a newer version and it's not too bad. I have added weights to balance my 21 ethos but it's fine (doesn't need weights) with my Delos.

The base is a massive beast and I can understand why others have modded them. I use wheel barrow handles to move it about so it's been ok for me.

Let me know if you need to know anything else specific?

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paul mc c

paul mc c

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I had a 12" LB and it was a very good scope,nice and smooth movement,i replaced the springs which made a great improvement.Balence can be an issue with heavier eyepieces, but there are plenty of mods for that.The focuser isnt bad either,i thought.

Paul

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John

John

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I've owned a Meade LB 12" but I'd go for a Flextube 12" if I was in the market for something of that type again. The LB was not a bad scope but needed a lot of modifications to make it really useful. Having seen and used a few 12" Flextubes thats what I'd go for now. Plus I do feel the Skywatcher mirrors are just a bit more consistently good than the GSO ones that the LB uses.

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emadmoussa

emadmoussa

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I was going for it, and even tried it, I could manage it...but I already strained my back after an accident during the house move. Frankly while the 350p is magnificent, the weight and size are too much an increase just for 2" of aperture. I used the rest of cash to get decent accessories for the 12". Also was thinking since I had a limited chunk of the sky due to streetlight, it was more ideal having a smaller scope that you can move from one side of the garden to the other.

Anyway, I can always upgrade when needed...

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emadmoussa

emadmoussa

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I don't need first light :)... I had the same scope before. Brilliant piece of kit. I simply needed some cash during the house move that's why I had to let it go shortly after I bought it. Now I am back...hasta la vista, baby!!

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faulksy

faulksy

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I don't need first light :)... I had the same scope before. Brilliant piece of kit. I simply needed some cash during the house move that's why I had to let it go shortly after I bought it. Now I am back...hasta la vista, baby!!

you will soon be saying," ow my back ", or is " it ill be back"  :grin:

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michaeldurban

michaeldurban

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I'd love to upgrade to a 12" SW..

But I'm OCD when it comes to mods...can see myself going through the

whole process again

new springs, flocking, setting circle..etc etc...

I'm 6.1" and 200lbs but still the OTA feels heavy!!!

My 10" seems to be the right mass and size...

My wife doesn't complain at all though..before I bought y 10" she actually said:

"Wouldn't a 12 or 14" be better, you can see much more.."

What a wise woman I have...

:)

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emadmoussa

emadmoussa

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I don't think you'll require a great deal of mods with the Felxtube 12".

All I did was: changed the secondary collimation screws and flocked the top part (£10). Most importantly I got rid of the stock focuser -- some people find it OK, I on the other hand find it uncomfortable using a single speed focuser especially with 2" heavy eyepieces and suffer from collimation OCD like most Dob owners. I guess I caught the bug.

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