Skywatcher 130P or AstroMaster 130EQ?

[bakajoel]

I'm looking to buy my first telescope. I've been doing a lot of research and it seems like the skywatcher 130p is the most recommended telescope in my price range, the only thing is it's 300 dollars, which is 90 dollars more the the astromaster 130eq. Is it worth it? I hear the astromaster is a little cheaply made and has a crappy mount, is there anything that really sets the skywatcher apart that would make it worth paying the extra 90 dollars?

[Guest Tuomo]

What about 8" Skywatcher Dobsonian?

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html

[Stu]

1 hour ago, bakajoel said:

I'm looking to buy my first telescope. I've been doing a lot of research and it seems like the skywatcher 130p is the most recommended telescope in my price range, the only thing is it's 300 dollars, which is 90 dollars more the the astromaster 130eq. Is it worth it? I hear the astromaster is a little cheaply made and has a crappy mount, is there anything that really sets the skywatcher apart that would make it worth paying the extra 90 dollars?

If you are looked at this for visual observing then I think the 130P would be the better bet. The mount is much simpler and more stable.

[mikeyj1]

Definitely the 130p skywatcher of those two.  it also works for astrophotography, whereas the astromaster wouldnt achieve focus with my dslr (not enough inward travel of the focuser)

I also found the astromaster focuser to be sloppy compared to the SW one on my old 150p

[happy-kat]

^ did you personally achieve focus with the 130p plus DSLR ? Or did you use a barlow or are you thinking of your 150p?

[bobro]

What about the Meade 130 EQ at $160 from ebay? It's the one I use and the tripod reasonably stable.

[bakajoel]

14 hours ago, Tuomo said:

What about 8" Skywatcher Dobsonian?

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/dobsonians/skywatcher-skyliner-200p-dobsonian.html

Do you know of any telescopes of equivalent performance to the skyliner 200p that I can get in the U.S.? Shipping from the UK costs over 200 dollars which is a little high lol

[Guest Tuomo]

3 minutes ago, bakajoel said:

Do you know of any telescopes of equivalent performance to the skyliner 200p that I can get in the U.S.? Shipping from the UK costs over 200 dollars which is a little high lol

I think I do: Link

 

[Alan64]

19 hours ago, bakajoel said:

Do you know of any telescopes of equivalent performance to the skyliner 200p that I can get in the U.S.? Shipping from the UK costs over 200 dollars which is a little high lol

The 8" f/6 Dobsonian that is most often recommended in the States is the Zhumell Z8...

https://www.telescopesplus.com/products/zhumell-z8-deluxe-dobsonian-reflector-telescope

The Zhumell Z8 is much better equipped than the Orion and Sky-Watcher variants.  Here's another to consider, and with the ability to rotate the optical-tube for a more comfortable focusser position and thereby a more comfortable observing experience...

https://explorescientificusa.com/collections/dobsonians/products/firstlight-8-dobsonian

The Orion Spaceprobe 130 and 130ST(Short Tube) kits are exactly the same as the Sky-Watcher 130 and 130P(Parabolic) kits...

https://www.amazon.com/Orion-9851-SpaceProbe-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B0000XMSWK

https://www.amazon.com/Orion-SpaceProbe-Equatorial-Reflector-Telescope/dp/B00D05BKOW

Both brands, including Celestron, are manufactured by Synta Optical of mainland China.  The short-tube versions feature the greater parabolic primary mirrors, whilst the long-tube versions use the lesser spherical primary mirrors.  The kits with the longer tubes are not as stable on their EQ-2 mounts, but they perform quite well nonetheless, and are perhaps better suited for observing the Moon and planets at the higher powers, despite their spherical primaries.  In any event, it is easier to effect the higher powers with a longer focal-length, hence a longer optical-tube.

Avoid the Celestron AstroMaster 114EQ and PowerSeeker 127EQ, as those are Jones-Bird simulations and of poorer quality.  The 5" f/5 Newtonians of the AstroMaster 130EQ kits may now be equipped with spherical primaries to cut costs, especially those sold by big-box stores, like Costco for example.  It may be prudent to simply avoid that model altogether.  The best values among the Celestron AstroMaster and PowerSeeker series are not reflectors at all, but refractors instead...

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/485264-REG/Celestron_21062_AstroMaster_70_EQ_70mm_2_7_70mm.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/485273-REG/Celestron_21064_AstroMaster_90_EQ_90mm_3_5_90mm.html

...particularly the 90mm.

[bakajoel]

Thanks a lot guys. I decided to go with the orion skyquest xt8 plus