exceedingly cheap refractor

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

found a $40 refractor at a goodwill today. will include some pictures, is it worth the money? has a EQ mount included, and for just 40 I'm seriously considering it. tips? it has no eyepeices included, but the mount looks sturdy and the i don't yet have a refractor so i really want it.. if its worth it. pretty sure its worth over $200 but idk 4 sure. 

 

remember that i know so little about refractors that i had to google how they worked.. again. but that mount alone would be worth it, even if the optical tube isn't. please feel free to tell me its not worth it, i don NOT want to waste money on this.

[John]

It's not a refractor, it's a newtonian reflector. It's certainly worth $40 but not $200 in my view. Probably around $80-$100 on the pre-owned market. The mount is an EQ1 which is rather lightweight for the scope tube that is on it.

[DeepSkyBagger]

Price is probably about right. As John says, it's not a refractor (so I don't know what you read on Google), but a Newtonian reflector. It's a very basic beginner's scope. The 'equatorial' mount it's on you will find to be pretty unusable as an equatorial. The tripod is lightweight but probably sufficient for the scope.

I'm guessing that the '114' refers to the mirror diameter in millimetres, making it the usual beginner's 4.5" reflector. My first scope was a 4.5" reflector with an inadequate pretend-equatorial head very similar to this one. I had a lot of fun with mine, and it served me well for some years.

I don't know what your experience level is, but if you have a grasp of the sky already, it's not bad for the price.

[newbie alert]

Refractors  use lenses..thats a newtionion reflector..worth $40 I'd say..

[Chris]

I'd get something with a better mount, this will only frustrate you with how wobbly it is.

[Stub Mandrel]

Amazon £99

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-PowerSeeker-114-EQ-Telescope/dp/B0017WVUCW

Worth $40, if complete with eyepieces.

 

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

On 11/17/2017 at 12:50, Lockie said:

I'd get something with a better mount, this will only frustrate you with how wobbly it is.

nope, its pretty solid. i shook it and it seemed unaffected. 

 

On 11/17/2017 at 12:51, Stub Mandrel said:

Amazon £99

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Celestron-PowerSeeker-114-EQ-Telescope/dp/B0017WVUCW

Worth $40, if complete with eyepieces.

 

where would i find eyepieces for this particular scope? should i try the celestron or orion website?

 

On 11/17/2017 at 12:01, DeepSkyBagger said:

Price is probably about right. As John says, it's not a refractor (so I don't know what you read on Google), but a Newtonian reflector. It's a very basic beginner's scope. The 'equatorial' mount it's on you will find to be pretty unusable as an equatorial. The tripod is lightweight but probably sufficient for the scope.

I'm guessing that the '114' refers to the mirror diameter in millimetres, making it the usual beginner's 4.5" reflector. My first scope was a 4.5" reflector with an inadequate pretend-equatorial head very similar to this one. I had a lot of fun with mine, and it served me well for some years.

I don't know what your experience level is, but if you have a grasp of the sky already, it's not bad for the price.

i realized the mistake just after i posted the photos, but i didn't get a chance to correct it. so make it known i was fully aware of my mistake for the past several days, and spent the whole time dreading my humiliation at the hands of those more knowledgable than me.. it was actually kind of a stressful situation.

 

On 11/17/2017 at 11:38, John said:

It's not a refractor, it's a newtonian reflector. It's certainly worth $40 but not $200 in my view. Probably around $80-$100 on the pre-owned market. The mount is an EQ1 which is rather lightweight for the scope tube that is on it.

really? the mount seemed really sturdy, i could've kicked it and i doubt it would've fallen over. its got some good weight to it, id guess it weighs a good 40 pounds.

 

so i think I'm gonna buy it tomorrow, and i think my eyepieces that i have will fit. it looked like it takes 1 1/2 in eyepieces, which i already have two of. for $44, i can't let it sit in the goodwill for some ten year old to buy and use as a imaginary bazooka.

[Luna-tic]

4 minutes ago, Some Dude With A Mak- Cass said:

where would i find eyepieces for this particular scope? should i try the celestron or orion website?

 

So i think I'm gonna buy it tomorrow, and i think my eyepieces that i have will fit. it looked like it takes 1 1/2 in eyepieces, which i already have two of. for $44, i can't let it sit in the goodwill for some ten year old to buy and use as a imaginary bazooka.

For EP's try High Point Scientific; they will many times have used EP's for very reasonable $$.   1.25" diameter is what you want, I'd suggest a Plossl in the 25-30mm range.

First thing you should do when you get it home is clean it up and collimate the mirrors. This means to align them with each other, and the axis of the main tube and focusing tube. There are numerous youtube videos that show how.

[John]

28 minutes ago, Some Dude With A Mak- Cass said:

nope, its pretty solid. i shook it and it seemed unaffected. 

 

where would i find eyepieces for this particular scope? should i try the celestron or orion website?

 

i realized the mistake just after i posted the photos, but i didn't get a chance to correct it. so make it known i was fully aware of my mistake for the past several days, and spent the whole time dreading my humiliation at the hands of those more knowledgable than me.. it was actually kind of a stressful situation.

 

really? the mount seemed really sturdy, i could've kicked it and i doubt it would've fallen over. its got some good weight to it, id guess it weighs a good 40 pounds.

 

so i think I'm gonna buy it tomorrow, and i think my eyepieces that i have will fit. it looked like it takes 1 1/2 in eyepieces, which i already have two of. for $44, i can't let it sit in the goodwill for some ten year old to buy and use as a imaginary bazooka.

Well I'm sure nobody had any intention of humiliating you. Just trying to provide some information on the scope.

All the reviews I've read on this scope and the example that I've used indicate that the scope is decent but the mount is not adequate for such a long tube. On a more sturdy mount I believe the scope can deliver decent views for it's aperture.

I hope you have some enjoyment from it, if you decide to purchase it.

 

[carastro]

I used to own this scope when I first started and it does give some very good views through the optics, but the mount is another story, it's really difficult to find anything and keep it in the field of view, but the scope is worth having.

I paid £150 for it new.

Carole 

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

1 hour ago, John said:

Well I'm sure nobody had any intention of humiliating you. Just trying to provide some information on the scope.

All the reviews I've read on this scope and the example that I've used indicate that the scope is decent but the mount is not adequate for such a long tube. On a more sturdy mount I believe the scope can deliver decent views for it's aperture.

I hope you have some enjoyment from it, if you decide to purchase it.

 

hmm. the mount quality seems concerning, but it is a cheap EQ so i can't expect much. I'm surprised I'm even getting an EQ mount this cheap, most people who buy a scope on this budget wouldn't want a complex EQ mount, they would take a nice simple alt-az. for the money, and since i have no reflector, I'm gonna do it. its only 40 bucks.. for that i just can't say no. ill post here if i have issues with it. thanks for all your help, clear skys!

[Charic]

That scope is in the Goodwill store for a very good reason?

I remember being so excited driving home on my 3 hour round trip with my first scope which effectively cost the same although I had the larger 127 version.
If only I had discovered this site sometime prior to purchasing the scope, I could have saved myself the journey?

However, if it were not for that scope, I would not be the proud owner of my present Skyliner.
The 127EQ taught me how to set up an  EQ mount. which others have already mentioned is inferior, and the scope allowed me to see my first magnified  Moon image, which at the time seemed  most impressive, but beyond that for me and my needs, that telescope was a whole waste of time and effort and far from adequate in everyday use, compared to my present setup, for visual observations.

Even after much learning and re-evaluation, strip servicing and tweaking the setup on the 127EQ, it provided me............ nothing!!! 

Your not losing much, but 40 bucks is 40 bucks. It's worth 40 just for the experience, but then you won't know unless you try ?

 

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

10 hours ago, Charic said:

That scope is in the Goodwill store for a very good reason?

I remember being so excited driving home on my 3 hour round trip with my first scope which effectively cost the same although I had the larger 127 version.
If only I had discovered this site sometime prior to purchasing the scope, I could have saved myself the journey?

However, if it were not for that scope, I would not be the proud owner of my present Skyliner.
The 127EQ taught me how to set up an  EQ mount. which others have already mentioned is inferior, and the scope allowed me to see my first magnified  Moon image, which at the time seemed  most impressive, but beyond that for me and my needs, that telescope was a whole waste of time and effort and far from adequate in everyday use, compared to my present setup, for visual observations.

Even after much learning and re-evaluation, strip servicing and tweaking the setup on the 127EQ, it provided me............ nothing!!! 

Your not losing much, but 40 bucks is 40 bucks. It's worth 40 just for the experience, but then you won't know unless you try ?

 

this is my first EQ mount and also my first reflector. i am getting it more for the learning experience, not because of the views. i have my $500 mak-cass for real observing, this is for learning about a mount and a scope i know little to nothing about. if i already knew how reflectors worked, i would probably ignore it. 

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

well, i just went back to the goodwill and its SOLD!!!! somebody else bought it.. so now I'm in the mood to buy a reflector. i guess ill just find one online to buy instead, since it will be newer and less likely to be damaged. i might have some questions, if i do ill put them in a different discussion called "reflector purchase questions" or something. thanks for all your help!

[Dave In Vermont]

I'm glad you found it sold. I didn't like how the secondary-mirror was attached. Not too pleased with the mount. And you'd likely have torn your hair out trying to figure out how to operate it - leave alone the frustration-factor in collimating it.

Learn more about Newtonians prior to considering a purchase of one. They are excellent telescopes - with a little knowledge attached!

Dave

[Charic]

4 hours ago, Some Dude With A Mak- Cass said:

i have my $500 mak-cass for real observing, this is for learning about a mount and a scope i know little to nothing about.

Ah! ok........I thought maybe you were getting your first scope. 

Its a pity its sold, but at the same time, maybe a blessing in disguise?( for that particular scope) though  not all reflectors on an EQ or GEM are  a total  waste, far from it. 
 

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

1 hour ago, Charic said:

Ah! ok........I thought maybe you were getting your first scope. 

Its a pity its sold, but at the same time, maybe a blessing in disguise?( for that particular scope) though  not all reflectors on an EQ or GEM are  a total  waste, far from it. 
 

it kind of is, after all it did remind me i still have a lot to learn, and i sure won't learn it if i don't actually go out and buy a reflector to learn how to use one. isn't a dobsonian basically a huge reflector? some day i hope to buy a dob, so i better learn how they work now. either way, i need to learn more and venture outside my bubble of goto mak-casses.

[Some Dude With A Mak- Cass]

1 hour ago, Dave In Vermont said:

I'm glad you found it sold. I didn't like how the secondary-mirror was attached. Not too pleased with the mount. And you'd likely have torn your hair out trying to figure out how to operate it - leave alone the frustration-factor in collimating it.

Learn more about Newtonians prior to considering a purchase of one. They are excellent telescopes - with a little knowledge attached!

Dave

i think if it wasn't at a goodwill, i would've taken the time to learn more. the goodwill where i live is continually scoured by bargain hunters, and I'm sure one of them snatched it up thinking it might be galileos.. hopefully it will end up with somebody who will use it.

[Charic]

30 minutes ago, Some Dude With A Mak- Cass said:

isn't a dobsonian basically a huge reflector?

Thats how its often portrayed, yes.

A guy called  John Dobson designed a base to hold a Newtonian type reflector telescope, there's plenty of info here.......... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Dobson_(amateur_astronomer).

Again apologies, your avatar 'with A Mak' does make it quite obvious now!

There are various sources available to buy 'bits & bobs' even mirrors, so why not build one whilst you learn about them. I have watched some videos of the late John crafting his own mirrors (beyond my skill set) but would be worth considering, I know I have considered before, there's  plenty of carpet stores with hardboard tubes for the telescope tube, a bit of diy with some ply to frame the ends, and  either fix to a Dobsonian base (in my case) or inherit/buy a cheapish second hand EQ mount and use the scope on that, so many options.