Heads Up - Celestron 102ED XLT for grabs

[Skyline]

sorry 21092-1.

[Skyline]

an interesting read:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/celestron_XLT102ED_telescope.htm

[Chris]

6 minutes ago, Skyline said:

an interesting read:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/celestron_XLT102ED_telescope.htm

I read that, linked through a CN thread earlier. Good read  

[Chris]

Phew! a bit tense at the end but managed to win the bidding by the skin of my teeth!

Just need a mount for it now.

 I'm looking forward to doing a shoot out between the ED100 xlt and the 150p f/8 Dob my wife has kindly bought me for xmas. I've got a feeling I'd learn a thing or two over the coming months by doing such a shoot out.

[Skyline]

Congrats Chris. You have bought a great scope, rare as rockinghorse droppings. Now don't sell it, then kick yourself afterwards. If you decide to sell you can give me 1st dibs on it, before someone else puts a claim on it. I would love to do a comparison with my C100ED.

[John]

It seemed to go for a fair price in the end. A bit more than I paid for my ED100 when I bought one a few years back but I guess thats inflation !

Hope you enjoy it Chris

Same vendor has stuck another on e.bay now so maybe he has a crate full ?

[Skyline]

This reminds when Celestron had a number of surplus stored C80ED's somewhere in a warehouse. Then decided to sell them through the Astronomy Without Borders website.

May be DHINDS have the same or Celestron have found a batch still sitting in a warehouse.

[John]

D Hinds Ltd was / is the UK Celestron importer I believe. 

[Skyline]

Yes they are Celestron UK

[Chris]

10 minutes ago, Skyline said:

Congrats Chris. You have bought a great scope, rare as rockinghorse droppings. Now don't sell it, then kick yourself afterwards. If you decide to sell you can give me 1st dibs on it, before someone else puts a claim on it. I would love to do a comparison with my C100ED.

Thanks!   I'm really surprised I won the bidding to be honest! I usually I get outbid in the last seconds lol I'm really pleased, and think I got a good deal for an essentially brand new and rare aspheric version of an ED100  

You'll get first Dibs mate but really going to try not to sell unless I'm moving upto something like a Tak or by some miracle my 150p f/8 Newt beats it across the board (probably a slim chance) 

Just read John's post about them selling more! grab one !

[Chris]

22 minutes ago, John said:

It seemed to go for a fair price in the end. A bit more than I paid for my ED100 when I bought one a few years back but I guess thats inflation !

Hope you enjoy it Chris

Same vendor has stuck another on e.bay now so maybe he has a crate full ?

Thanks John  If it was brand new old stock of the C100ED I'd have probably stopped at about £270, but these are supposed to be aspherically figured by hand versions of the Synta ED100 with added XLT coatings and a better focuser, so thought it worth the bit extra. I believe their omni 120 xlt achro is also aspherically figured too?

You've got me curious now though, if you don't mind telling?how much did you pay for yours and which model?

[John]

3 minutes ago, Chris Lock said:

Thanks John  If it was brand new old stock of the C100ED I'd have probably stopped at about £270, but these are supposed to be aspherically figured by hand versions of the Synta ED100 with added XLT coatings and a better focuser, so thought it worth the bit extra. I believe their omni 120 xlt achro is also aspherically figured too?

You've got me curious now though, if you don't mind telling?how much did you pay for yours and which model?

I paid £280 delivered for a Skywatcher ED100, the original "blue tube" version. It was a superb scope and a step up from the TAL 100 and the Celestron C5 that were my scopes back then. I quickly added an ED80 to join it which was also excellent but I found that 100mm was the minimum aperture scope for me in terms of satisfying views so I didn't hang onto the 80 for too long. The ED100 was replaced by an 8" dob and the Vixen ED102SS.

I did discuss with Steve (FLO) sometime ago doing a comparison between an Omni XLT 120 and the Skywatcher Evostar 120 but we concluded that any differences in optical performance would be either very slight or non detectable.

I'll look forward to your 1st light report on your Omni ED102/100

 

[John]

PS: I managed to find this old photo of my old ED100:

 

[Chris]

26 minutes ago, John said:

I paid £280 delivered for a Skywatcher ED100, the original "blue tube" version. It was a superb scope and a step up from the TAL 100 and the Celestron C5 that were my scopes back then. I quickly added an ED80 to join it which was also excellent but I found that 100mm was the minimum aperture scope for me in terms of satisfying views so I didn't hang onto the 80 for too long. The ED100 was replaced by an 8" dob and the Vixen ED102SS.

I did discuss with Steve (FLO) sometime ago doing a comparison between an Omni XLT 120 and the Skywatcher Evostar 120 but we concluded that any differences in optical performance would be either very slight or non detectable.

I'll look forward to your 1st light report on your Omni ED102/100

 

Thanks John  I think I'm coming round to your way of thinking regarding 100mm fracs being minimum for visual, although I wouldn't say no to a Tak76 and my 76mm f/16 isn't going anywhere fast so I guess there are exceptions. When in visual mode which seems to be quite a sustained mode these days I too never seem to hang on to ED80's for very long and I've had a few over the years too!

I think you and Steve were probably right not to do a review/battle between the OMNI XLT and the EVO 120's, I think any difference would be mild and out towards the edge of the FOV. I just feel from an owner ship point of view that any advantage how small is an advantage when it comes to refractors. This must be true else folk wouldn't buy Tak's at 3 times the cost of a Synta ED for 10% gain in performance, which is what I've heard the gain is on numerous occasions. even though they are just 10% better at a massive price difference a Tak is well and truly still on mi-old bucket list

I think a report and comparison for this scope would be good, you don't see many! and it's a realistic goal for me to try and do

[Chris]

Doing some further reading I stumbled across this thread dated 2010 when FLO had some clearance stock of these scopes. They sold like hot cakes at £429 that's for sure, I wonder what they sold at before this promotion (guess they were packaged with the CG4 mount) and why Celestron stopped making them? They still sell the rest of the OMNI XLT range.

I also checked out the new listing for the next ED102mm XLT up for grabs on Flea bay, the starting bid has gone up to £159 but the next one is factory sealed so I'm guessing they have a batch of them and just opened the one I'm getting to check a sample? I'd do exactly that with the OMNI ED's looking so similar to the OMNI achros at first glance.

 

[Skyline]

Now I remember £429.00 is what I paid when I bought one, is that been that long.

[Chris]

Just now, Skyline said:

Now I remember £429.00 is what I paid when I bought one, is that been that long.

Yep doesn't time fly, 7 years! I see Martin picked one up also, I'll link him up for nostalgia lol @Grumpy Martian

[Skyline]

We both did at the same time.

[astro mick]

9 hours ago, Chris Lock said:

Doing some further reading I stumbled across this thread dated 2010 when FLO had some clearance stock of these scopes. They sold like hot cakes at £429 that's for sure, I wonder what they sold at before this promotion (guess they were packaged with the CG4 mount) and why Celestron stopped making them? They still sell the rest of the OMNI XLT range.

I also checked out the new listing for the next ED102mm XLT up for grabs on Flea bay, the starting bid has gone up to £159 but the next one is factory sealed so I'm guessing they have a batch of them and just opened the one I'm getting to check a sample? I'd do exactly that with the OMNI ED's looking so similar to the OMNI achros at first glance.

 

Hi Chris.

Glad you got the scope, see you are looking for a mount now.

Did,nt you sell a suitable mount a few months back?

Amazing we sell stuff, then look for a replacement(LOL).

I,ve just got back a lovely Celestron ED 80, with original focusser, which i actually like.

This now sits on top of my new Equinox 120ED scope, which i will not sell, she,s a beaut.

Funny how things turn out.

Put some picky,s up when you get the scope.

Mick.

[Chris]

51 minutes ago, astro mick said:

Hi Chris.

Glad you got the scope, see you are looking for a mount now.

Did,nt you sell a suitable mount a few months back?

Amazing we sell stuff, then look for a replacement(LOL).

I,ve just got back a lovely Celestron ED 80, with original focusser, which i actually like.

This now sits on top of my new Equinox 120ED scope, which i will not sell, she,s a beaut.

Funny how things turn out.

Put some picky,s up when you get the scope.

Mick.

Hi Mick,

Yes I sold a manual CG5 in the summer that would have worked nicely for this scope! I've also bought and sold 3x AZ4 mounts in the last few years and always regret selling them a few months later. When will I learn?

I should just pick up an AZ4 and a middle weight EQ mount with RA Drive and just stick them in the loft when not in use. Hopefully, I'm learning that these two types of mounts are ones that I keep buying and selling. I should just keep one of each and be done with it

Sounds like a great setup you have now, I have owned both the Equinox120 and teh C80ED, both really nice scopes. I don't mind the rustic R&P focuser on the C80ED for imaging because it isn't bad for keeping things still, but for visual they are a pain in the bum chasing the fine focus with a rough agricultural focuser like that. One day I might actually buy a Moonlite which is something I've never done.

Is you new setup purely for imaging or do you do both AP and visual with it, Mick?  

[astro mick]

5 hours ago, Chris Lock said:

Hi Mick,

Yes I sold a manual CG5 in the summer that would have worked nicely for this scope! I've also bought and sold 3x AZ4 mounts in the last few years and always regret selling them a few months later. When will I learn?

I should just pick up an AZ4 and a middle weight EQ mount with RA Drive and just stick them in the loft when not in use. Hopefully, I'm learning that these two types of mounts are ones that I keep buying and selling. I should just keep one of each and be done with it

Sounds like a great setup you have now, I have owned both the Equinox120 and teh C80ED, both really nice scopes. I don't mind the rustic R&P focuser on the C80ED for imaging because it isn't bad for keeping things still, but for visual they are a pain in the bum chasing the fine focus with a rough agricultural focuser like that. One day I might actually buy a Moonlite which is something I've never done.

Is you new setup purely for imaging or do you do both AP and visual with it, Mick?  

Dont worry Chris, just proves that your normal.(LoL).

Purely for imaging, and as you rightly say the ED 80, does have a stiff solid focusser,that holds rigidly.

Dont rate these crayfords at all for imaging, slip like hell when at the zenith.

Recently bought a new Atik 414 ex ccd, and have also just aquired a used Starlight SXV-H9, bought from ENs optical,(like new).

Need dual scope imaging, purely because the weather is so rubbish, just cant get the subs i need.

So another plan yet forms in me head, that many up there, dont know wether i,m comming or going!

Mick.

[John]

As to why the Celestron 102ED model was dropped, I seem to recall that they were also selling the C100-ED at around the same time which had the same optics in differently styled tube. When Synta took ownership of Celestron there was bound to be some rationalisation of ranges also I think.

[Chris]

33 minutes ago, John said:

As to why the Celestron 102ED model was dropped, I seem to recall that they were also selling the C100-ED at around the same time which had the same optics in differently styled tube. When Synta took ownership of Celestron there was bound to be some rationalisation of ranges also I think.

Ok thanks, yeah that makes sense. Shame they don't sell either the C100ED or the ED100 xlt now days, but I guess there are plenty of others on the market.

[Chris]

I've ordered an AZ4 mount from FLO to use with this scope, just to keep things simple

[John]

22 minutes ago, Chris Lock said:

I've ordered an AZ4 mount from FLO to use with this scope, just to keep things simple

Should be a very good pairing Chris