Revelation Dobsonians

[jdg600]

I'm thinking of upgrading my  Skywatcher 8" dob and have been looking at the Revelation 12" which seems very competitively priced - much cheaper than the Skywatcher flextube version. I have no experience of Revelation scopes however, are they optically of similar quality to the Skywatcher ones. I'd appreciate any views on this.

[sbooder]

There is a review here.

[sbooder]

And here on SGL

[John]

I've owned a Revelation 8" and a Meade Lightbridge 12" (which uses the same mirror cell and mirrors that the Revelations do) and I've also owned the Skywatcher 8" and 10" dobs. In my examples I felt the optical quality of the Skywatchers was slightly better but the focuser of the Revelation and Meade was smoother than the Skywatchers.

The 1/12th wave quoted for the Revelations is an RMS figure by the way which equates to around 1/4 wave PV. It's generally thought that the Skywatcher mirrors average around 1/5th - 1/6th wave PV so slightly better. There will be some variation with both brands though so a good Revelation could be optically better than an average Skywatcher and vice versa.

I agree that there is quite a price gap between the 12" Revelation and the 12" Skywatcher Flextube so unless you want the sliding tube facility I can see that the former would be tempting and I'm sure it would be an enjoyable scope.

I wish Skywatcher still did their solid tube 12" dob. It used to be somewhat cheaper than the Flextube and had the same optics.

[swamp thing]

I wish Skywatcher still did their solid tube 12" dob. It used to be somewhat cheaper than the Flextube and had the same optics.

I guess they did that to make people opt for their flagship flex tube range. It does seem a shame though I will admit. The solid tubes appealed to a lot of people.

[jdg600]

Thanks for all the replies. Interesting reviews Simon, the build quality of the Revelation looks good but somehow I still find myself leaning towards the Skywatcher. I think it's because I have been so impressed with the views through my 200p (my first big reflector) that I'm worried that I may upgrade and then be dissatisfied with the optical quality of the new scope in comparison.

As you say John there is quite a differential in price between the Revelation and the flextube. The portability of the Skywatcher does appeal to me but I worry that I may be constantly having to collimate it. My 200p seems to never need collimating, I do tweak it every now and again but it basically always seems good to go.

Oh well, decisions, decisions...

[catburglar]

I'm not sure the 'Flex tube' adds so much to the portability of a 12 inch dob. Sure the tube is a bit shorter, but the bulkiest/heavies element is likely to be the particle board base- the non goto models can't easily be dismantled.

[John]

The Skywatcher Flextubes are actually a little heavier than their solid tube counterparts. It's the ability of the tube to become quite a bit shorter for storage and transport that is their main feature.

[JED-E3]

I've got both the 8" Skywatcher and the 12" Revelation dobs, I kept the smaller one because I can carry it out from my shed fully assembled and be setup in minutes, the bigger one takes a bit more commitment and I generally only use it when I know I'm going to be out for a couple of hours.

In terms of mirror coatings it's a bit early to say, I've had my Revelation for about 14 months and it looks as good as new, I've had my skywatcher for 2 and a bit years and there are some water marks on the primary but there's no damage as such. I think the way you store the scope will probably have a bigger impact than any minor differences in coatings.

You really need to be sure you can handle the bigger scope as the tube is very bulky.

James.

[jdg600]

How would you compare the views through the two scopes James? I imagine the 12" would be considerably better than the 8" but I am worried by your comment about the 12" needing more commitment.  It seems that already there are far too few occasions when I feel confident that the clear skies are going to last long enough to get the 8" out, I don't want to upgrade to a bigger scope and then find that I never use it. So now I'm wondering...

Has anyone got any views on the 10" Skywatcher? Either the solid tube or the flextube? Is it significantly more portable than the 12"? And would I notice a significant improvement in views over my 8"

As usual any views would be much appreciated.

John

[swamp thing]

John. Rather than upgrade why not "add" to your scope collection.

A medium scope like your 8" is a perfect 'second' scope to a big un. If you look at my sig you'll see I've kept my 10" scope as its the perfect companion to a large aperture scope. One can grab the small second scope for short sessions or when the moon is intrusive, reserving the larger scope for those times when one haas more time at a proper dark sky to take full advantage of it.

I don't think one has to be observing with ones larger scope at every opportunity to justify ownership. Big scopes are fun not a chore. On that note why not consider an even larger 14' or even bigger, at dark skies this is about as much fun as you can get IMO. 

Good luck with your decision.

[jdg600]

I like your thinking Steve! My idea had been to sell the 8" to part-fund a bigger scope but on reflection perhaps I'd be better saving my pennies up a bit longer and buying something t compliment it. I do like the look of the new Skywatcher Stargate 450 

[swamp thing]

Now your cooking with gas John.

[JED-E3]

How would you compare the views through the two scopes James? I imagine the 12" would be considerably better than the 8" but I am worried by your comment about the 12" needing more commitment.  It seems that already there are far too few occasions when I feel confident that the clear skies are going to last long enough to get the 8" out, I don't want to upgrade to a bigger scope and then find that I never use it. So now I'm wondering...

Has anyone got any views on the 10" Skywatcher? Either the solid tube or the flextube? Is it significantly more portable than the 12"? And would I notice a significant improvement in views over my 8"

As usual any views would be much appreciated.

John

I've never really had both scopes out side by side to do a direct comparison but the 12" is noticeably better on dso's, a clear dust lane in Andromeda when high enough overhead and m51's spiral arms are tantalisingly enough to make me want to seek a darker spot to observe from.

In terms of planetary or lunar views the 8" dob would probably be as good or better unless you had exceptionally steady seeing.

Another factor to consider, The 12" Revelation has a focal length of around 1520mm and means a 40mm 68 degree eyepiece has an 8mm exit pupil and a meagre 1.8 degree true field. The same eyepiece in the 8" dob would give a 6.7mm exit pupil and 2.25 degree view. So unless you want to invest in ultra wide eyepieces or have very dark skies the wide views are going to be more washed out in the bigger scope.

Size comparison (with base cut down, was round)

I don't want to sound too down on the 12" Revelation, I love mine and there are lots of good points to it, the eyepiece height, smooth focuser to name just two, Also I've done lot's of mods to mine since the above photo so I must like it, right...

James.