Which dob?

[Olli]

Hi,

I am thinking of upgrading my current scope to a dob either be a 200p or 250px. I have bortle 4 skies and mainly look at Dso's and the moon.

.i just wanted to know is there a big difference in the two and also in terms of weight. If i were to get the 10' it would be the flextube version. ( ive heard the flextube is heavier?)

Another thing is i have read that the 10" is harder on eyepieces so i dont know which ones would be best for it.

Lastly how much of an improvement will it be over my 130p?

Any help will be much appreciated.

[kev100]

Hiya,

I went from a 130P to a 10-inch and haven't looked back. If you have the budget for a 10 go for it. It has more light gathering power than an 8, and you won't be plagued by 'what if' thoughts.

Yes, EP choice needs care, but there's plenty of advice here on that front. 

The 8 is a good scope, and easier on EPs, but DSOs will be noticeably brighter in a 10, and the difference between a 10 and your current scope will be very, very noticeable ...

Kev

[MarsG76]

+1 to the difference between a 130mm and a 10" being very noticeable.. go for the 10...

[bingevader]

I have an 8" and it's super.

The two big differences will be the light gathering power and the weight.

Why don't FLO publish the weights?

The 10" OTA is 4kg more than the 8" OTA.

But, according to FLO has 56% more light gathering power than the 8".

Do you intend travelling far or is it mainly for the back garden?

If you don't mind the extra 4kg then the 10" would seem like the sensible option.

Having said that, when I grow up I'd like a 12" ('scope that is)!

[domstar]

I don't have the experience to help you but astroshop.eu has a great list of specifications. For example, the skywatcher 10 inch flextube weighs in at 15kg. 

[Alien 13]

The weight of a scope in not the only issue, you have to consider its bulk too and if it can be easily maneuvered into position without any major obstacles.

Alan

[bingevader]

Indeed!

Again FLO let us down!

365astronomy has the following for the 10":

Actual Size of the telescope
Tube diameter: 28.5cm
Tube lenght:  113cm
Base width: 52cm
Base hight: 74.5cm
Full hight when tube on: 134cm

If the base fits through your shed door, you're laughing!

[johninderby]

To me the 10” is medium sized and not to big or heavy to move around and does offer enough of a performance advantage to make it worthwhile instead of the 8”. The 12” is a lot bigger and heavier and may be difficult for some to carry around.

You might also consider the Bresser Messier dobs. About the same optically as the Skywatcher but do have a much better alt bearing. arrangement and the focuser is very, very good and can be fitted with a 1:10 microfocuser upgrade.

 

[bingevader]

Beg your pardon, that wasn't the flexi, this is:

Other unboxed sizes/weights:
Height when collapsed (tube only): 81-82cm
Top section of tube length: 23cm
Lower section of tube length: 55cm
Width of tube at trunnions: 33cm
Weight of tube: 32 1/4 lbs (14.6kg)
Overall height of mount: 76cm
Diameter of mount base: 52.4cm
Weight of base: 39 lbs (17.7kg)

[Ricochet]

5 minutes ago, johninderby said:

You might also consider the Bresser Messier dobs. About the same optically as the Skywatcher but do have a much better alt bearing. arrangement and the focuser is very, very good and can be fitted with a 1:10 microfocuser upgrade.

Indeed. In fact when I bought my dob, seeing the two models side by side meant that I ended up choosing the 8" Bresser over the 10" Skywatcher (there was no 10" Bresser at the time). In terms of weight I think the 8" I have is at the limit of what you want to be carrying in one piece. For the 10" I think you should definitely split it into two sections (OTA, base) for transport because even if you find that you can lift it as one, once your back goes it is gone and so you should protect it. At the end of a cold night when you've been sitting at the eyepiece for hours this is even more relevant  (I should probably even apply this to the 8"!).

[johninderby]

Putting locking castors on your dob is a great idea if observing from a hard surface. So easy to move around then. 

I always carry the OTA seperately from the base as it only takes seconds to fit it on the base.

[PaulM]

Bought a 8" 200p last week and yes its bulky and cumbersome to carry in one piece but as already said it takes seconds to dismount the telescope from the base and reassemble and knowing this now I would have gone for the 10" for the extra £150 

[cloudsweeper]

+1 for the Bresser Messier 10".  Good alt bearings and focuser, and the solid tube is arguably better at holding collimation.  I recently got one, and am very happy with it.  It is quite easy to manage - although the mount and tube have to be moved around separately.  Using it and collimating it are also easy.  I had thought of getting a 12", but am glad I didn't!  Large 'scopes need either a semi-permanent set-up, or some means of wheeling them about.

Doug.

[johninderby]

I’ll probably be getting a 10” Bresser at Xmas as it ticks all the boxes for a not too big dob. Having bought a new mount the other week the Astro budget is a bit wiped out for now.  ?

[Olli]

5 hours ago, Alien 13 said:

The weight of a scope in not the only issue, you have to consider its bulk too and if it can be easily maneuvered into position without any major obstacles.

Alan

Hi alan,

It will be stored in my garage next to the garden and only a small step get past.

[Olli]

5 hours ago, johninderby said:

To me the 10” is medium sized and not to big or heavy to move around and does offer enough of a performance advantage to make it worthwhile instead of the 8”. The 12” is a lot bigger and heavier and may be difficult for some to carry around.

You might also consider the Bresser Messier dobs. About the same optically as the Skywatcher but do have a much better alt bearing. arrangement and the focuser is very, very good and can be fitted with a 1:10 microfocuser upgrade.

 

Hi,

I have looked at them bit they seem to be more expensive?

[Olli]

4 hours ago, Ricochet said:

Indeed. In fact when I bought my dob, seeing the two models side by side meant that I ended up choosing the 8" Bresser over the 10" Skywatcher (there was no 10" Bresser at the time). In terms of weight I think the 8" I have is at the limit of what you want to be carrying in one piece. For the 10" I think you should definitely split it into two sections (OTA, base) for transport because even if you find that you can lift it as one, once your back goes it is gone and so you should protect it. At the end of a cold night when you've been sitting at the eyepiece for hours this is even more relevant  (I should probably even apply this to the 8"!).

Hi, 

Im still on the fence on which one, even if i get the 8 i will carry each part seperatley just for the saftey of me and the scope i guess i have to look into the bressers more unfortunately i have no shops where i can have a look or astro club

[johninderby]

2 minutes ago, Olli said:

Hi,

I have looked at them bit they seem to be more expensive?

It’s the old thing about you get what you pay for. The focuser and alt bearings alone are worth the difference. People that have the chance to compare them side by side seem to go for the Bresser. 

[Olli]

1 minute ago, johninderby said:

It’s the old thing about you get what you pay for. The focuser and alt bearings alone are worth the difference. People that have the chance to compare them side by side seem to go for the Bresser. 

I guess, just looked at the prices and the 10 inch is the same as the 10 inch fllextube version so still around my budget. As said before dont have anywhere to compare so will have to do more research

[johninderby]

I’ve owned a few of the Skywatcher dobs but found that while they were nice scopes which I liked I needed to spend over £100.00 for a decent focuser. Also prefer a solid tube for the 8” and 10” as they are just more solid and keep collimation better. Also with the flextube you’ll want to get a light shroud to cover the gap.

Yes so much better if you can look at one before deciding but I can say that whichever you get it will do a great job albeit with a few small tweaks in the Skywatcher case.

[Olli]

3 hours ago, cloudsweeper said:

+1 for the Bresser Messier 10".  Good alt bearings and focuser, and the solid tube is arguably better at holding collimation.  I recently got one, and am very happy with it.  It is quite easy to manage - although the mount and tube have to be moved around separately.  Using it and collimating it are also easy.  I had thought of getting a 12", but am glad I didn't!  Large 'scopes need either a semi-permanent set-up, or some means of wheeling them about.

Doug.

Hi doug,

I guess people like the Bresser's more than the skywatcher ones. Can i ask , what eye pieces do you use with them? 

[Olli]

5 hours ago, domstar said:

I don't have the experience to help you but astroshop.eu has a great list of specifications. For example, the skywatcher 10 inch flextube weighs in at 15kg. 

Hi, im guessing thats just the scope itself? 

[Olli]

Think i have decided to go with the 10 inch bresser messier, just not sure what eyepieces would be good for it. I was going to get a uhc filter as well.

[johninderby]

The Bresser comes with a good quality 25mm plossl eyepiece unlike the cheap ones that normally come with a dob. 

Perhaps something in the 8mm to 12mm range. Say a BST Starguider.

https://www.firstlightoptics.com/search/for/Starguider/

[cloudsweeper]

8 minutes ago, Olli said:

Think i have decided to go with the 10 inch bresser messier, just not sure what eyepieces would be good for it. I was going to get a uhc filter as well.

Good choice!  I have several EPs - see signature.  The main ones I use with the Bresser at least are: 

36mm Hyperion Aspheric, 20mm Meade 5000 UWA (discontinued), 11mm 82 deg Explore Scientific ( a good range of EPs), ditto 8.8mm and 6.7mm - and occasionally a 5mm Celestron XCel LX and a 4mm Skywatcher Nirvana.

A UHC filter is a good extra!

Doug.