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Diagonals

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25585

25585

Posted
Posted

OK, I am hoping that for myself and anyone else, the collected SGL can help clarify the signifigant differences which all the tags above cover, & any I leave out. 

There are many diagonals on the market. Some costing a large amount, some for not much at all. Most look very similar to each other, moreso than eyeypieces even. 

 

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johninderby

johninderby

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Most of the dielectric diagonals are very similar in performance. Mechanical,build quality can be an issue with the cheapest ones but there are plenty of good ones though. Revelation and Opticstar and Altair are very good. WO charges a premium but are excellent.

I’ve tried the quartz ones and can’t tell the difference.

I have had a Astrophysics Maxbright which to be truthful didn’t seem to be any better than the WO opticly but it was a work of CNC art. Incredible build quality. Haven’t used Televue diagonals but again top build quality. Baader do some great diagonals.

Generally when you pay more you get a better built diagonal but opticly it would be hard to tell the difference.

 

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alan potts

alan potts

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I have had 4 types of diagonal, Televue, Meade , WO and Sky Watcher. For build the Televue win hands down but for the cost should, I have 3 of them. The WO I still have  but I don't much like the sleeve design, it's tappered and don't sit well in my top piggyback 70mm ED scope but it's there nonetheless. As for visual differences I have yet to see any. For me the Meade looked the same as the TV's, and the WO and for that matter the SW. I am a snob though and like the TeleVue the most, you feel that it is the sort of build you could throw at the cat and not worry about damage, not that I recommend anyone tries doing this, you may miss.??

Alan

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Davey-T

Davey-T

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11 minutes ago, alan potts said:

you feel that it is the sort of build you could throw at the cat

I dropped my TV Everbrite on the obsy floor and it landed on the compression screw and bent it, couldn't get a replacement screw so tapped it out to fit one I had.
If it had landed on the cat it would have been fine :grin:

As you I have Meade, Revelation, WO, TV and the view is the same through them under my skies.

Dave

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RiponJas

RiponJas

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I've just purchased an Altair Lightwave dielectric one and it's got a solid build and improved my fracs viewing no end. Tis a nice item for a fair price, and it looks good with the colour scheme ?

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Sunshine

Sunshine

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Diagonal's are like refrigerators, there's a thousand different kinds and price ranges, this fridge will keep your food cold for $500, that one will keep your food cold for $5000.

Asside from build quality, I challenge you to see a difference between a diagonal costing $100 or $1000, I have tried many head to head.

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

Posted
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17 minutes ago, Sunshine said:

Diagonal's are like refrigerators, there's a thousand different kinds and price ranges, this fridge will keep your food cold for $500, that one will keep your food cold for $5000.

Asside from build quality, I challenge you to see a difference between a diagonal costing $100 or $1000, I have tried many head to head.

I bought the 5000 dollar fridge and it keeps food fresh about 3 weeks past its used by date

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nightfisher

nightfisher

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23 minutes ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

I bought the 5000 dollar fridge and it keeps food fresh about 3 weeks past its used by date

Eek!, you must have a cast iron stomach 

 

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LukeSkywatcher

LukeSkywatcher

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18 minutes ago, nightfisher said:

Eek!, you must have a cast iron stomach 

 

Apparently not. I got my recent bout of C Diff infection, which nearly killed me from a prepacked sandwich in a hospital. I'm not joking when I say it nearly killed me. Look it up. 

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Louis D

Louis D

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41 minutes ago, AndyH said:

Bill Paolini has done extensive reviews of various diagonals over the years.....

https://www.cloudynights.com/articles/cat/articles/mirror-vs-dielectric-vs-prism-diagonal-comparison-r2877

https://astronomyconnect.com/forums/articles/the-baader-bbhs-sitall-silver-diagonal.11/

Andy

Thanks for posting.  I was going to do the same, but you beat me to it over lunch (here in Texas).

6 minutes ago, RiponJas said:

Most things except dairy last far longer,  and I'll eat most things ?

With my $700, 20 year old Maytag side-by-side fridge, I found that if I keep my fresh milk at the back and up against the freezer side of the fridge, it keeps much longer because it's at least 4 to 6 degrees F cooler there.  I also realize most Europeans don't buy and drink fresh milk, so this is a non-issue for most of you.

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Stu

Stu

Posted
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56 minutes ago, LukeSkywatcher said:

I bought the 5000 dollar fridge and it keeps food fresh about 3 weeks past its used by date

I suspect you bought a freezer by mistake.... ;);)

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Stu

Stu

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15 minutes ago, Louis D said:

I also realize most Europeans don't buy and drink fresh milk, so this is a non-issue for most of you.

Europeans perhaps not, but us Brits certainly like cold fresh milk :)

 

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AndyH

AndyH

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 Milk is truly repugnant. I'll only use the see-through stuff that has been irradiated, so that it's not milk anymore. Even then I only use it with Corn Flakes or Rice Crispies and only a precise amount so that it fully soaks into the cardboard breakfast cereal. Usually a good 5 minutes and it's all soaked in. Yes, I'm weird !

Anyone remember primary school and those triangular shaped milk cartons that every classroom got? I can still remember the rank smell as they defrosted and stewed next to the giant cast iron radiators :icon_puke_r:

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Ben the Ignorant

Ben the Ignorant

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Even if all there is to know about diagonals was written in this thread, you still wouldn't know which mirror or prism fits your scope, optically. Some refractor objectives require a prism, some will degenerate with a prism (happened to me, not a subtle decadence!). The prism might need to be cut from BK-7 glass, BaK-4 or another type. It might have to be in the 2-inch format for a longer optical path, or in 1.25" size.

Some Amici prisms preclude high power, some allow it. Only simple and sure thing is all modern dielectric mirrors are very fine, the sole exception I saw was a William. Learn all you can find about diagonals but email your scope maker to know which will complement your scope.

And since we have this strange off-topic about fridges, mine is 21 years old, who can beat that? ?

Not that I didn't think of buying a new one but this old solid, and not even expensive "Made in Turkey" appliance is so incredibly silent, tombstone silent, I'm afraid to lose this advantage.

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PaulConfused

PaulConfused

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I almost replaced the diagonal on my SW Mak 127 as it was suggested it wouldn't cope well with the weight of my new TS binovioewers, but, some timely advice from Martin at FLO saved me unnecessary expense when he said it'll be just fine.

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