IAS Show Discount Bargains.

[David Smith]

Think of this not as a complaint, more as an observation

I was wandering around IAS this morning, checking out the discounts. Had a few items on my wish list and found a couple of them on show and available. One of them £339 discounted from £400+! Ooh, very nice I thought and went off to get a cuppa to mull it over. Whilst there I checked both items on FLO website and both are a few quid cheaper even without splashy discounts! I came home with my credit card un-damaged and will order from @FLO when the time is right.

 

[xtreemchaos]

 great morning Dave, yer mate I find Flo hard to beat, bet the show was good, it would be like a kid in a sweet shop for me. charl.

[John]

I'm going to be visiting the show tomorrow. FLO are hard to beat though

 

[Uplooker]

Your right, FLO is hard to beat on price and delivery charges.

I suspect that comes with economy of scale. I think I am right in saying that they are the largest Astro retailer in the U.K.

Some people do love to knock people at the top of the tree ?

[souls33k3r]

You see the word "Sale" and buy 2 of something that you already have or don't need ... human nature i'm afraid

[Craney]

22 hours ago, souls33k3r said:

You see the word "Sale" and buy 2

Yup....  I really should have thought a bit more about the two 150mm Hydrogen Alpha Lunts I duct taped together into  solar binoculars..

Still, the Bentley wasn't geting much use.

[xtreemchaos]

11 minutes ago, souls33k3r said:

You see the word "Sale" and buy 2 of something

I fall for that all the time, that's why I'm running out of room in my obsyroom, I should get a bigger room . charl. 

[Craney]

38 minutes ago, Craney said:

 

 

[souls33k3r]

2 minutes ago, Craney said:

Yup....  I really should have thought a bit more about the two 150mm Hydrogen Alpha Lunts I duct taped together into  solar binoculars..

Still, the Bentley wasn't get much use.

Eeek! that's too much money for just one star but i bet you're loving it mate

 

2 minutes ago, xtreemchaos said:

I fall for that all the time, that's why I'm running out of room in my obsyroom, I should get a bigger room . charl. 

Admittedly, we all do at some point. My CFO hates it when i do that so now i have devised a cunning plan, i take the first or the last digit off the marked price and inform that number. Works every time 

[Mark at Beaufort]

I was not expecting to visit IAS today but I took a detour because of heavy rain and i did not fancy loading my canal boat in the rain. Had a walk around for about an hour and saw a 25mm Fujiyama Ortho on offer for £69. I have wanted this EP for a little while but most suppliers have been out of stock.

So I bought it - can't test it until I return home in about a week.

However, I did have chance to look at the new AZ5 mount and tripod which I fancy using as a quick grab and go for my Heritage 130P. Really liked it.

[Bukko]

Promise this is not a criticism, only another observation from a different POV...

Maybe some of the differences between retailers is having, or not, a shop. I think FLO trades from their own warehouse, so does not need to gear up with shop assistants, etc. No high street rents, business rates are also probably less too. I am always sceptical about discounts and not prone to being pulled in by a "bargain" but with a wish list, it is worth something to me to actually see the items, rather than just purchasing from the internet, unseen. I do put a value on that and the effort from the retailers to spend the time showing and explaining the items deserves some reward, otherwise, we will lose them.

So, for those sellers present, the offers might be genuine, as they see it. For example,  Widescreen Centre are based in London, not known for low cost real estate...

OO was there and offering good discounts against their published prices, so I would claim it is not all bad.

Gordon.

[Paz]

Im going tomorrow, it feels like christmas eve!

Ive got a strict list of items of interest and i know my prices.

The main risk is seeing something i had not planned on getting and did not research.

Regarding the widescreen centre they have moved premises - i cant remember  where to because the last time i was in london i detoured to have a look and the building was closed with a sign saying they had moved.

[souls33k3r]

They've moved to Cambridgeshire but their prices are still crazy. I bought a few things first because they were the only shop in London but ever since I realised there were a few other vendors, I've never done business with them. Purely because of their price point. 

[F15Rules]

I buy good quality used items wherever I can. I do buy new now and then though.

Buying used I tell myself I'm not only getting an item I might not be able to afford new, but also helping feed the new item market too - helping create demand for new stock for those who can afford it or who just prefer new, pristine purchases that no one else has ever used before them..rather like the car market?.

And I think most of us know when a "deal" is really a deal or not - mentioning no names of course..

Dave

[ronin]

15 hours ago, Bukko said:

Widescreen Centre are based in London, not known for low cost real estate...

Widescreen moved to a bit West of Ely, Sutton I think it says on their site. Oddly I think it is a bit west of where Scope'nSkies were based

Bit confused as they say a showroom but I heard they were operating from home, garage maybe, which is what Green Witch did after they closed their shop in Dry Drayton. Suppose they could have used a home setup until they open a shop/showroom. Never been over although easy to reach (A10).

Concerning the IAS I tend to use shows like that to simply look at the goodies and if something I want happens to be there then take advantage of obtaining whatever. Not really a case of expecting a "sale" item, more a case of locatiing a specific item. Often things kind of turn up.

Decided against the IAS this year as I just could be bothered with a 1.5 to 2 hour drive to it then then same back.

[Bukko]

4 hours ago, ronin said:

Widescreen moved to a bit West of Ely, Sutton I think it says on their site. Oddly I think it is a bit west of where Scope'nSkies were based

For sure, I am out of touch with Widescreen centre, so possibly not an ideal example to use, but there is quite a few suppliers out there and they all have to compete. Either on price, or service (added value) and then it is for the customer to decide where to spend money.

I was interested in the new Alt-Az SW AZ GTi, new to me, but looks ideal for a travel mount for my Lunt.

Couldn't see it working through the phone ap and it is not yet available as a stand-alone, so left empty handed...

Apart from OO taking some money off me...

If only the ASA DDM85 on show was heavily discounted...

Gordon.

[oobydooby]

On 13/10/2017 at 17:49, xtreemchaos said:

I fall for that all the time, that's why I'm running out of room in my obsyroom, I should get a bigger room . charl. 

Nah! Get two while they're at a bargain price.

[Highburymark]

22 hours ago, Mark at Beaufort said:

I was not expecting to visit IAS today but I took a detour because of heavy rain and i did not fancy loading my canal boat in the rain. Had a walk around for about an hour and saw a 25mm Fujiyama Ortho on offer for £69. I have wanted this EP for a little while but most suppliers have been out of stock.

So I bought it - can't test it until I return home in about a week.

However, I did have chance to look at the new AZ5 mount and tripod which I fancy using as a quick grab and go for my Heritage 130P. Really liked it.

Snap Mark - I couldn't resist a pair of Fujiyama 25s from the Astrograph stand for binoviewing

[TSRobot]

3 hours ago, Bukko said:

I was interested in the new Alt-Az SW AZ GTi, new to me, but looks ideal for a travel mount for my Lunt.

I was very disappointed not to see the AZ GTi working. All they needed to do was stick some batteries in it and i would have ordered one then and there after trying it out. I can only assume that the retailer doesn't trust it enough for demos. I gave the tripod a look over and it does seem a little bit flexible. I think they need to sell it without the tripod.

[Bukko]

I agree about the AZ GTi tripod, it does look like the weak link.

Also, no-one seems to have them available; under-estimated the demand for the new mount, so no UK stock expected until the end of November and I would have wanted it before then...

TS Optics in Germany look to offer a head from stock, but I am not sure of the connection and what alternative tripod we could use... The supplied tripod has a small pier section to allow for zenith pointing and this is not common in a small tripod..

More research still needed, I think.

Gordon.

[GavStar]

Re the AZGti the pier section of the supplied tripod is actually a separate piece and can be bought separately. It's easily attached to an alternative sturdier photo tripod (which is what i have done since the supplied tripod is a bit weak). Holds my 4 inch frac very well. Very impressed with the az gti. Only issue is that sky safari cannot be used unless you use two iPhones (or an iphone and iPad)

 

[Highburymark]

On 16/10/2017 at 03:36, GavStar said:

Re the AZGti the pier section of the supplied tripod is actually a separate piece and can be bought separately. It's easily attached to an alternative sturdier photo tripod (which is what i have done since the supplied tripod is a bit weak). Holds my 4 inch frac very well. Very impressed with the az gti. Only issue is that sky safari cannot be used unless you use two iPhones (or an iphone and iPad)

 

The mount looks very nice Gavin - but as with the new AZ5 the single screw clamp doesn't inspire me with great confidence. Is it robust enough?

[Stu]

22 minutes ago, Highburymark said:

Is it robust enough?

From what I've experienced it seems fine and gives a firm hold. Whilst it would be nice if it were upgradeable, the benefits of the mount outweigh any negatives for me.

[GavStar]

3 hours ago, Stu said:

From what I've experienced it seems fine and gives a firm hold. Whilst it would be nice if it were upgradeable, the benefits of the mount outweigh any negatives for me.

Ditto from me. As you can see from the photo I have some safety screws on the dovetail bar just in case. Overall it seems fine but agree it would be nice if it was upgradeable.

[Bukko]

From what you say, Gavin, the mount does look capable. I only wanted it for an upcoming assignment abroad and did not wany my baggage allowance taken up with a heavy mount. As I am likely to leave before the end of November, going onto Back Order from a UK supplier is not worth the risk.

But hopefully, before I get another opportunity to travel all will be sorted out.

Gordon.