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Vixen Super Polaris 100L

SmurpH

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SmurpH

SmurpH

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Hi everybody,

Just wondering if anybody has any experience or knowledge of a Vixen Super Polaris 100L. I have the opportunity to buy a secondhand one for £100, which is apparently in as new/mint condition.  Its 13 years old and on an EQ mount but with not a lot else other than what came with it as new.  I understand that Vixen make good scopes and I  was just curious as to whether 1. This scope is a good scope, 2. Worth the money and 3. If accesories/spares can be bought for adding to it. I have done a bit of digging on the 'net but cant find an awful lot other than a manual which doesn't specifically cover this scope.

Thanks in advance.

Keith

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SmurpH

SmurpH

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Thanks folks. I am going to see/buy it tomorrow. I just wasn't sure,being a newbie if i'd be wasting my money but clearly that's not the case. I'll let you know here if I get it.

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John

John

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Vixens are great quality scopes and that one is a bit of a rarity I fancy. The optics will be excellent quality too but it's worth checking that they are clean and that the mirror coatings are in good condition. Check to see that it has a 1.25" adapter too. Vixens of that era came with .965" eyepieces as standard.

£100 is a good price if the mirrors are in good condition but bear in mind that it is a 4 inch scope rather than a light bucket.

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SmurpH

SmurpH

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Vixens are great quality scopes and that one is a bit of a rarity I fancy. The optics will be excellent quality too but it's worth checking that they are clean and that the mirror coatings are in good condition. Check to see that it has a 1.25" adapter too. Vixens of that era came with .965" eyepieces as standard.

£100 is a good price if the mirrors are in good condition but bear in mind that it is a 4 inch scope rather than a light bucket.

Thanks for that John,

The manual I had a look at on the 'net certainly suggested that the eyepiece might be smaller i.e. 24.5mm, as you suspected, would that be a problem for me as I do intend to use it. The seller has no other accessories with it other than what came with it, so I'm assuming that there will be no adapter.  Is such an adapter available and if not should that be a consideration for not buying it? I do appreciate that it's quite small aperture wise, but was hoping it would be good enough to get started with. As in a previous post I had intended buying an 8 inch Skywatcher scope but think I might be as well starting off smaller for learning purposes. 

Keith.

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davkt

davkt

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Thanks for that John,

The manual I had a look at on the 'net certainly suggested that the eyepiece might be smaller i.e. 24.5mm, as you suspected, would that be a problem for me as I do intend to use it. The seller has no other accessories with it other than what came with it, so I'm assuming that there will be no adapter.  Is such an adapter available and if not should that be a consideration for not buying it? I do appreciate that it's quite small aperture wise, but was hoping it would be good enough to get started with. As in a previous post I had intended buying an 8 inch Skywatcher scope but think I might be as well starting off smaller for learning purposes. 

Keith.

Think of the mount and telescope seperatly, that mount will cope with anything an EQ5 would take (and will likley track better, the EQ5 is a copy of the slightly never version of this one). The mount is worth the £100, last one I saw go on ebay was very battered, had bits missing and still fetched £135 (just for the mount), its worth buying it for that and then you can upgrade the telescope on top later.

You can get adapters for eyepeices google threw up http://www.skiesunlimited.com/Orion-.965-to-1.25-inch-Telescope-Eyepiece-Adapter.html but I'm pretty sure some of the UK astro suppliers will have them.

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SmurpH

SmurpH

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:grin: Thanks again for the above posts, I am going to see the scope tomorrow night.  Will check the mirrors as best I can.  The seller says its hardly been used, what causes the mirrors to go out of condition/coatings to deteriorate, is it cleaning incorrectly or do they just go bad over a period of time? Sorry to be a pest with all the questions  :embarrassed:

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davkt

davkt

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If its been stored indoors and kept dry the mirrors will probably be OK, if they look shiny and reflect well they are probably fine, at that price I'd still buy it if the coatings are shot, its pretty easy to get them recoated http://www.orionoptics.co.uk/OPTICS/mirrorrecoating.html and even though that'd take the cost to £160ish you'd still be getting a bargain!

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spaceboy

spaceboy

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I agree with Jules. Shining a light on a mirror if the fastest way to put you off buying a scope that might otherwise be in perfectly normal condition. There is no doubt going to be a layer of dust over the mirror but as long as it gives a good reflection of yourself staring down the ota and there are no obvious scratched or dinks. I also agree with Davkt in that even if the mirror coatings are shot as long as the mirror itself is in good order you can have the coatings re-done and in effect have the best parts of a  new scope for only £160-£180 all in. All you would have to bear in mind is that a 4" f/10 is going to be more suited to observing planets and if you do have to invest a total of £160-£180 in to the deal then this puts you in the same ball park of a used 8" dob which is going to show you a lot more. So you really need to think what you intend to observe in the night sky.

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SmurpH

SmurpH

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Thanks Spaceboy. My original budget was a lot more than the £100 but given the apparent bargain I may be getting I'm gonna start off with this scope. All being well and I enjoy the hobby, I may well go back to what I wanted originally (an 8" Skywatcher) and either keep the Vixen or sell it on. Thanks, all for your contributions and help.

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SmurpH

SmurpH

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Hi all,

Just a wee update, I've purchased the Vixen scope and the primary mirror, from what I can see is in good nick, although has a bit of dust and some larger particles on it, to be expected after 13 years I suppose. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and would prefer that its cleaned, or should I leave well alone? The mount is in very good condition and has only a couple of marks on it with all parts seeming to work as they should. Now comes the learning curve, which I'm looking forward to. Thanks again for your help. ^_^

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nightfisher

nightfisher

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Hi all,

Just a wee update, I've purchased the Vixen scope and the primary mirror, from what I can see is in good nick, although has a bit of dust and some larger particles on it, to be expected after 13 years I suppose. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and would prefer that its cleaned, or should I leave well alone? The mount is in very good condition and has only a couple of marks on it with all parts seeming to work as they should. Now comes the learning curve, which I'm looking forward to. Thanks again for your help. ^_^

Have you managed a little look at the moon yet?

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SmurpH

SmurpH

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Hi Jules,

Yep the night I got it I had a look and its fantastic - as I'd never seen it before, even tho the EQ mount wasn't anything like setup properly. I've looked at the moon through my 10 x 50 binoculars before but this made a huge difference. I think the scope needs collimated however, having had a look at the manual that came with it. I have ordered an adapter as per John's post above and will now also, eventually be able to upgrade the eyepieces in the future.  Waiting for the next clear night to try to setup properly and use the mount as it should be. Really chuffed with my buy.

Keith

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SmurpH

SmurpH

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Just had a look on FLO, and saw Skywatcher plossls for £20. Or can you recommend any other brand. Also saw a Celestron set for £137 including a case and filters or ir is that ott for me at my experience level.

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Dave In Vermont

Dave In Vermont

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An excellent purchase! From the side-plate, it appears to be made in Japan - not China. If the mirror is Japanese, it's likely capable of some truly impressive views. And as was stated earlier in the thread - the mount alone is easily more than worth the price.

Clear Skies & Enjoy!

Dave

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