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Apo Refractors


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So for a few days now i've been trying to find a "Refractor" Telescope. Problem is i'm having difficulty in differentiating between two of them, plus i'm kinda torn as to which one to choose as neither has that much info on them from what i've been able to search and find from peoples experience with them. The two telescopes in question are: William Optics Star 71 ii and the Meade 6000 series quad 70mm Apo. So if anyone can help with this would be much appreciated. 

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I can't say I have seen much on the Meade product other than it exists but the WO 71mm I believe is sold by First Light Optics, our sponsor and their site is full of good and well presented information, they would always be happy to answer questions you have to ask about it.

Alan

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I would personally go for the WO, buy from FLO, pay for their Es Reid testing and their customer service is second to none if you have any issues with it. For me it's not only about the scope but where you buy it from and how good they are at sorting issues.... should they arise ??

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I agree with Sara. The apo market is so competitive that many manufacturers are squeezing their costs down to an absolute minimum. When this happens quality control tends to be one of the first casualties. The designs are usually excellent but will your particular example realize the potential of the design? FLO's testing proposal is a good one.

FLO versus Meade in the customer service stakes? Not much doubt about that one! Go with the FLO.

Olly

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I agree the test from FLO is a superb idea, and I would probably go for that next time I buy...

But I have the Meade series 5000 80mm triplet apo, and find it superb all round, so I would only assume the 6000series is better..! But i understand what the others say regards if issues arise, so it is a little bit of a risk buying from another dealer.. :)

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There's also the TS-Optics Imaging Star71 and Starwave 70 EDQ-R Quad APO which both appear to be very similar to those two.  Have you considered them as well?

From what I've read, keeping the rear Petzval flattening/reducing element collimated with the main triplet objective can be troublesome and can lead to stars with red/blue fringes due to lens tip.

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1 hour ago, FLO said:

Thank-you everyone for the endorsements but we no longer stock the William Optics Star 71.  Sorry :blush:

Steve 

The V2 is showing on your website, although unavailable..... is it not made anymore? I thought it was quite a new model.....

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6 minutes ago, swag72 said:

The V2 is showing on your website, although unavailable..... is it not made anymore? I thought it was quite a new model.....

It is still made and the V2 is the current model but we no longer stock it at FLO. 

HTH, 

Steve 

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7 hours ago, Louis D said:

From what I've read, keeping the rear Petzval flattening/reducing element collimated with the main triplet objective can be troublesome and can lead to stars with red/blue fringes due to lens tip.

"Affordable" multiple lens designs are typically fraught with issues, and can vary enormously one scope to the next.

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On 26/02/2018 at 15:14, Louis D said:

There's also the TS-Optics Imaging Star71 and Starwave 70 EDQ-R Quad APO which both appear to be very similar to those two.  Have you considered them as well?

From what I've read, keeping the rear Petzval flattening/reducing element collimated with the main triplet objective can be troublesome and can lead to stars with red/blue fringes due to lens tip.

yeah i was having a look at the starwave quad think i may go with the altair instead

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13 hours ago, Alien 13 said:

I am absoluteness gobsmacked that the Star 71 is no longer stocked by FLO does this mean its another dont touch with a barge poll thing because I cant think of any scope at any price that came close.....

The more elements a design has, the more difficult it is to manufacture. Doublets are relatively easy, triplets are more difficult and 4 & 5-element designs even more so. And the difficulty increases exponentially, not incrementally! That is why they are normally so expensive. The WO71 (and it's clones) is an exception, it is surprisingly affordable but it is no secret here at SGL the return rate is higher. With this in mind we added another level of quality control (Es Reid) to ensure ours performed well. This arrangement resulted in some very good telescopes but was more expensive and time consuming than we anticipated so we no longer stock the Star-71. 

This shouldn't put you off buying one (a good Star-71 will perform very well) but do buy from a retailer you trust and check their return policy. 

On 26/02/2018 at 23:02, Tim said:

"Affordable" multiple lens designs are typically fraught with issues, and can vary enormously one scope to the next.

See, that's why he writes for magazines. Short and succinct B)

Steve 

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15 hours ago, Mitten said:

yeah i was having a look at the starwave quad think i may go with the altair instead

I looked at the Starwave quad but went for the Starwave 70EDT and a reducer/flattener. Main reason, you can use it for visual. The quad won’t come to focus with a diagonal. It’s also cheaper even including the reducer.

My husband and I own 6 Altair scopes between us and we’re very happy with them.

Anne

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