Beware SkyTee 2 Mount

[iPeace]

[edgehduser]

3 hours ago, FLO said:

It was not us. FLO is not the supplier  

We have added your advice to our product description, just to be safe 

Though to be fair to OVL, our own records show we haven't seen a customer-return SkyTee mount since 2015 so they don't often fail. 

HTH, 

Steve 

Oh I am very happy and always used OVL (Skywatcher) for many many years.  Will continue to, and to be fair it isn't OVL it is Synta if there is a fault and I do know Robert

No not FLO

[FLO]

43 minutes ago, edgehduser said:

Oh I am very happy and always used OVL (Skywatcher) for many many years.  Will continue to, and to be fair it isn't OVL it is Synta if there is a fault and I do know Robert

It is interesting to hear you say this because OVL is not a retailer, OVL is an importer/distributor.

Your retailer is responsible for service and after-sales support, not OVL. 

Also worth noting the SkyTee-2 mount is not a Sky-Watcher/Synta product. 

HTH,

Steve 

[25585]

10 hours ago, John said:

I've advised this several times in other threads - the upper mounting point is not a good place to put a large heavy scope because it puts a lot of stress on that single screw. 

I hope the damage to your scope can be sorted out soon.

I agree that the Giro Ercole is better engineered than the Skytee II but when I recently owned both, I found the Skytee II a slightly more stable mount with my largest refractor - a 130mm F/9.2 triplet. I only use the side mounting point with an ADM clamp bolted to the mount with 8mm screws for this scope (and my others).

 

I have followed John's past advice and my heavier scopes only on the side. Fixing a clamp with 8mm bolts is good. Shame the SkyTee has no mount facility on the other side.

To the OP, might be worth insuring your scope, or making sure it's covered already.

[25585]

6 hours ago, iPeace said:

Can you fit your own clamps to the AZ8, I like long Losmandy D....

[Ricochet]

13 hours ago, FLO said:

Also worth noting the SkyTee-2 mount is not a Sky-Watcher/Synta product.

Whose product is it? I've seen it sold under the Skywatcher brand and hence assumed it was a Skywatcher/Synta mount. Even the FLO url has Skywatcher in it: https://www.firstlightoptics.com/alt-azimuth/skywatcher-skytee-2-alt-azimuth-mount.html.

I knew that some of the eyepieces sold under the Skywatcher brand were produced by other manufacturers but was not aware this could apply to other product types. Given that some of the eyepieces previously sold as "Skywatcher" are now listed under OVL, does this indicate a policy shift so that anything now sold as "Skywatcher" is actually a Synta product?

[johninderby]

Was available under the Sky Rover brand.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Skyrover-balancing-type-skytee-2-alt-azimuth-mount/1128583534.html

[FLO]

36 minutes ago, Ricochet said:

Whose product is it? I've seen it sold under the Skywatcher brand and hence assumed it was a Skywatcher/Synta mount. Even the FLO url has Skywatcher in it

We don't know who manufactures the SkyTee so are calling it the OVL SkyTee, after the company who imports/distributes it. 

When the SkyTee was released here in the UK Sky-Watcher retailers (ourselves included) wrongly assumed that because it was imported/distributed by OVL then it was a Sky-Watcher product. When we learned it wasn't we corrected our product description page (the old url remains). When OVL later noticed some retailers were still listing it as a Sky-Watcher product they sent a memo to all retailers asking them to update their websites. That was some time ago, I doubt there is anyone listing it as a Sky-Watcher product today. 

HTH, 

Steve 

[jock1958]

22 hours ago, johninderby said:

Ouch!!!!   ?

I no longer put anything heavy on that side of the mount as the holding screw is just too small and it can slip.

Having stripped my mount down a few times I’ve noticed a number of casting defects in the aluminium parts so I don’t overload mine either.

I messaged the original supplier with these concerns who passed it onto the manufacturer in China....so far I’ve heard nothing back!

 

[John]

Hmmm - I think I'm going to favour my Vixen GP DX over the Skytee for my big TMB/LZOS 130mm triplet from now on

 

[edgehduser]

I am also very unhappy that spending what i consider a fair sum I receive rusty low quality goods from Synta.

Deciding to modify the pier for my triplet I cut it in half, it is like a cheap carp rusty drain pipe, also the feet came off the EQ5 legs, rusted, NEW MOUNT, OVL said can I stick them back with glue, , I must say though that Robert, OVL did immediately offer to replace the mount, no quibble, I have NO complaints about OVL, what i do get annoyed with is SYNTA sending out carp to buyers, I have always had good quality from celestron.

 

[johninderby]

I get the feeling that the Skytee mounts are made in more than one factory as some seem fairly well made but others are a bit shoddy.  ?

[jock1958]

8 minutes ago, John said:

Hmmm - I think I'm going to favour my Vixen GP DX over the Skytee for my big TMB/LZOS 130mm triplet from now on

 

As far as my mount goes its a Quality Control fail. What to do next? live with it and accept its limitations or invest in something more expensive ?

[johninderby]

2 minutes ago, jock1958 said:

As far as my mount goes its a Quality Control fail. What to do next? live with it and accept its limitations or invest in something more expensive ?

Start looking for a T-Rex mount. Don’t come up for sale very often though. 

[edgehduser]

People forget that most suppliers have NEVER manufactured their own goods,  PRINZ dixons were all re badged years ago Often Hanimex, Hamimar, Soligor etc, Nikon/canon/Pentax don't make their own battery grips they are made by a third party, SkyTee are a generic mount badged for whoever want's to sell it (Duo-T in Canada)

I do think that OVL should start opening boxes and checking gear before sending it out, not just take the boxes from Synta pile them in a warehouse and then distribute.  I would be happy to wait an extra day, but i don't see why I should pay top price and let's face it, for what it is the items are not cheap, for rusted damaged goods.

 

[GavStar]

16 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Start looking for a T-Rex mount. Don’t come up for sale very often though. 

I think the T-Rex is the best manual slo-Mo alt az Mount. Mine is staying put! It’s such a shame that it’s no longer produced. Hopefully one day a quality manufacturer will start making something similar again. The Losmandy AZ8 is nice but from some reports on cloudynights does struggle with larger/longer scopes.

[jock1958]

3 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Start looking for a T-Rex mount. Don’t come up for sale very often though. 

Love the look and reviews of the T-Rex but like you say they are difficult to get hold of.  Have ironed out all the bugs in my Skytee apart from the manufacturing defects! ?  

[johninderby]

Passed up a T-Rex a while ago. Have regretted not finding the cash for it ever since. 

[edgehduser]

3 minutes ago, jock1958 said:

Love the look and reviews of the T-Rex but like you say they are difficult to get hold of.  Have ironed out all the bugs in my Skytee apart from the manufacturing defects! ?  

It is listed on the Widescreen Centres site but their website has been down for almost two weeks ???????

[John]

26 minutes ago, edgehduser said:

People forget that most suppliers have NEVER manufactured their own goods..., 

 

Er, I think that is pretty well known actually. There have been many threads on this forum discussing the origins of items.

It's not a new thing either. Vixen made products for Celestron, Tele Vue and Bresser in the past. Synta made stuff for lots of brands including Vixen. Orion (USA), Celestron and some Meade lines seem to be Synta made. Celestron are owned by Synta now. GSO have made stuff for Meade, Bresser and many other brandings. The list goes on and on

The T-Rex is out of production now, alas. The last one I saw for sale was around 6 months ago, a pre-owned unit from APM in Germany. Around 1800 Euros I seem to recall.

APM make their Maxload alt-az mount to order for around 1000 Euros.

 

[edgehduser]

1 hour ago, John said:

Er, I think that is pretty well known actually. There have been many threads on this forum discussing the origins of items.

It's not a new thing either. Vixen made products for Celestron, Tele Vue and Bresser in the past. Synta made stuff for lots of brands including Vixen. Orion (USA), Celestron and some Meade lines seem to be Synta made. Celestron are owned by Synta now. GSO have made stuff for Meade, Bresser and many other brandings. The list goes on and on

The T-Rex is out of production now, alas. The last one I saw for sale was around 6 months ago, a pre-owned unit from APM in Germany. Around 1800 Euros I seem to recall.

APM make their Maxload alt-az mount to order for around 1000 Euros.

 

It may be well known by communities like this but not people in the street

[FLO]

1 hour ago, edgehduser said:

I do think that OVL should start opening boxes and checking gear before sending it out, not just take the boxes from Synta pile them in a warehouse and then distribute. 

If you want an item checked before dispatch then you need to ask your retailer, not OVL.

Manufacture's manufacture, distributors (OVL) distribute and retailers retail. 

HTH, 

Steve 

[edgehduser]

24 minutes ago, FLO said:

If you want an item checked before dispatch then you need to ask your retailer, not OVL.

Manufacture's manufacture, distributors (OVL) distribute and retailers retail. 

HTH, 

Steve 

AND as we know retailers don't stock everything. Items are ordered from the retailer and then sent direct from OVL or Celestron etc unless you have them sent to you first (retailer) then on to the customer, few if any work like that, it would be impossible for ANY, retailer including FLO to stock everything, or do you suggest one orders from the seller and they have the distributor send to them for checking first, that would double deliver costs to the end user or increase the retail price to cover duplicate delivery charges.  (In the business    )

I believe all distributors should be liable for sending below quality poor quality, faulty goods out in the first place, if they did the checks and returned them to the manufacturer Synta etc would make more effort at QC before packing and distribution.

[FLO]

If you believe the distributor should be responsible to the customer for after-sales service, QC and of course distribution. Then what is the retailer responsible for? 

Steve 

[iPeace]

2 hours ago, GavStar said:

I think the T-Rex is the best manual slo-Mo alt az Mount. Mine is staying put! It’s such a shame that it’s no longer produced. Hopefully one day a quality manufacturer will start making something similar again. The Losmandy AZ8 is nice but from some reports on cloudynights does struggle with larger/longer scopes.

It's good to realize that the T-Rex and the AZ8 are not the same class of product. Nothing currently available really compares with a T-Rex - and that itself is not available, either.

It seems to me that the AZ8 is expected to have more capacity than it actually does - based on its price. This is understandable. You pay more, so you want more. As for myself, I'm satisfied that the build quality is worth the price differential - and happy to resort to a different solution for any scope I may care to use that's beyond its capacity. It does what it does, and will not fall apart.

It also seems to me that the SkyTee is expected to have more capacity than it actually does - and it's not entirely clear to me what that's based on. It does what it does, and...it seems prudent not to expect more.