refractor Which Focuser?

[angusb1]

I just bought an Istar 150mm F12 lens and cell and will be building the telescope to hold it. The guy I bought it from has generously given me some excellent advice, so I know where I will get the aluminium tube and how I will cut it, how I will plan the light path and baffles, and how I will flock it internally. He also suggested a couple of focusers that he has used and likes.  I think I will probably go for a Moonlite focuser as I have one on a newtonian and I really like the smoothness and precision of it, but I am also considering a couple of others. Do any of you have either the TS Monorail or the Baader Steeltrack? What do you like and dislike about them?

I will be using the scope for visual observing only and the heaviest eyepiece I will use on it will be my Explore Scientific 30mm 82° at 1.4kg.

Thanks.

[Moonshane]

I have all three and like the Baader best followed by Moonlite and TS Monorail which is by far the weakest of the three. The only thing that lets the Moonlite down for me are the tracks that always seem to develop of the drawtube. To my eyes the Baader has no faults and I believe the new version is even better. Without going to Feathertouch I cannot see (or have not used) a better option.

[Davey-T]

A minor annoyance with my Moonlite is the lack of a graduated scale on the drawtube.

Dave

[angusb1]

58 minutes ago, Moonshane said:

I have all three and like the Baader best followed by Moonlite and TS Monorail which is by far the weakest of the three. The only thing that lets the Moonlite down for me are the tracks that always seem to develop of the drawtube. To my eyes the Baader has no faults and I believe the new version is even better. Without going to Feathertouch I cannot see (or have not used) a better option.

Cheers Shane, now you've told me this I'm going to have a look at my Moonlite and see if it has developed these tracks.

[angusb1]

44 minutes ago, Davey-T said:

A minor annoyance with my Moonlite is the lack of a graduated scale on the drawtube.

Dave

Thanks Dave. I have a graduated scale on a scope I bought a few weeks ago but I haven't used the scale yet as I usually just have a widefield eyepiece in it on the few occasions I've used it so far. It would definitely be a nice thing to have.