Any familiar with Orion UK AG 8 for EEVA ?

[Gary Shaw]

Hi All

I’m considering purchasing an 8”aperture, f3.8 newtonian ( primarily for EAA) from Orion UK and would appreciate any input or feedback from anyone familiar with the product, the company or the purchasing process - and how to assess the compatibility with my current cameras.

This is would be a step up from my current equipment and entails selecting components that I’ve never used and know little about such as a rack and pinion focuser and components (ACU-3L), and coma corrector (Wynne Corrector). I’ve added links to these items below.  I’m also feeling unsure of how to mate up my Zwo 178 and 294 cameras to the 3” focuser and whether there will be an acceptable match between the scope optics and my sensors.

I’m sure the folks at Orion UK will assist with all this but I’d sure welcome input from the Stargazer's Lounge community before starting the dialog with Orion UK.

thank you in advance for any help you can provide!
Gary

ACU-3L Focuser selection Info: https://www.orionopt...sers.html#ACU3L

Wynne Corrector selection Info: https://www.orionopt...torsfittin.html

 

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2019 by Gary Shaw
wrong group used

[Mr niall]

Personal opinion:

Great scopes, amazing mirrors.

"Variable" customer service, rarely answer emails, almost never return phone calls.

Scope quality extremely variable; good one's are spectacular - the best there is. Many others have issues that take a while to rectify.

For some reason, nothing takes a hit in terms of value like the resale value of an OO scope. They seem to crash in value the moment they leave the factory.

I nearly bought an OMC 140 about 18 months ago but the focus knob stuck and made a grinding noise every revolution, felt like the mirror was going to fall out... Looked amazing in carbon though.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Mr niall

[Carbon Brush]

Another personal opinion.

I bought direct from OO many years ago and the post above reminds me of my experience.
There were lots of arguments and the 'person who can make the decision' not being available when I phoned.

The first scope was poorly packed and damaged in transit. They tried to blame me!
Then on inspection, the focus tube didn't line up with the secondary mirror. A manufacturing defect!
Eventually a second attempt by OO produced a scope that gave excellent results. But I still had to straighten out a bent part - more transit damage.

I would though buy OO again subject to certain conditions.

Buying new, only from a dealer. Pay a small deposit when ordering and check the product in the dealer's shop.
If it isn't right, the dealer can argue for you. Or you can walk away with the usual methods of obtaining refund.

Buying used. From a seller you have some confidence in, and a personal inspection. 

At the Kettering show this year, I spent some time having a look over the various OO products.
Nobody approached me, despite there being staff on the stand doing very little.

Maybe my experiences were unusual?

David.

[Gary Shaw]

17 hours ago, Mr niall said:

Personal opinion:

Great scopes, amazing mirrors.

"Variable" customer service, rarely answer emails, almost never return phone calls.

Scope quality extremely variable; good one's are spectacular - the best there is. Many others have issues that take a while to rectify.

For some reason, nothing takes a hit in terms of value like the resale value of an OO scope. They seem to crash in value the moment they leave the factory.

I nearly bought an OMC 140 about 18 months ago but the focus knob stuck and made a grinding noise every revolution, felt like the mirror was going to fall out... Looked amazing in carbon though.

Hi Mr Niall - thank you for sharing your experience...sorry to hear of your problems. I’m struggling here in US to find a quality scope so, after discovering the OO scopes and finding they are made in the UK, I was encouraged. OO sales have responded nearly instantly to 2 emails already and we are about to schedule a call to address my questions. I’d say a far better response than I’ve had anywhere except at iOptron where their tech support is outstanding.

regards

Gary 

[Mr niall]

Just now, Gary Shaw said:

Hi Mr Niall - thank you for sharing your experience...sorry to hear of your problems. I’m struggling here in US to find a quality scope so, after discovering the OO scopes and finding they are made in the UK, I was encouraged. OO sales have responded nearly instantly to 2 emails already and we are about to schedule a call to address my questions. I’d say a far better response than I’ve had anywhere except at iOptron where their tech support is outstanding.

regards

Gary 

That's great news - maybe they've made some changes over the last couple of years. Would be great if they had cos the scopes are amazing. Best of luck.

[Gary Shaw]

1 hour ago, Carbon Brush said:

Another personal opinion.

I bought direct from OO many years ago and the post above reminds me of my experience.
There were lots of arguments and the 'person who can make the decision' not being available when I phoned.

The first scope was poorly packed and damaged in transit. They tried to blame me!
Then on inspection, the focus tube didn't line up with the secondary mirror. A manufacturing defect!
Eventually a second attempt by OO produced a scope that gave excellent results. But I still had to straighten out a bent part - more transit damage.

I would though buy OO again subject to certain conditions.

Buying new, only from a dealer. Pay a small deposit when ordering and check the product in the dealer's shop.
If it isn't right, the dealer can argue for you. Or you can walk away with the usual methods of obtaining refund.

Buying used. From a seller you have some confidence in, and a personal inspection. 

At the Kettering show this year, I spent some time having a look over the various OO products.
Nobody approached me, despite there being staff on the stand doing very little.

Maybe my experiences were unusual?

David.

Hi David

I appreciate hearing your story. Being in the US, I don’t have an easy dealer option. If I go ahead with the purchase, I’d take your advice and go through a dealer although one in the greater London area might be a good idea if I’m going to fly over to inspect the scope before accepting delivery. They only list international dealers on their website, including one in London. Are there additional local dealers I should consider working with? Thank you!

regards,

Gary

[Freddie]

On 08/09/2019 at 21:10, Gary Shaw said:

Hi All

 

I’m sure the folks at Orion UK will assist with all this but I’d sure welcome input from the CN community before starting the dialog with Orion UK.

thank you in advance for any help you can provide!
Gary

 

 

 

 

You’ll need to post this on the CN forum if you want input from the CN community!!!😀

[Gary Shaw]

1 hour ago, Freddie said:

You’ll need to post this on the CN forum if you want input from the CN community!!!😀

Thanks Freddie. I started there  and then added the topic post here where its possibly more effective.

[ollypenrice]

PM sent.

Olly

[jetstream]

On 09/09/2019 at 08:54, Mr niall said:

maybe they've made some changes over the last couple of years.

[DaveS]

It will be interesting to see how things work out as I have an ODK12 on order, buying direct. This has been taking quite a while as I placed my order and deposit at Astrofest back in Feb!  but TBH wasn't fussed as I was waiting on a house sale (Which also rook a stupidly long time). My experience so far is that OOUK have updated me when they had anything worth updating, and John has been fairly quick to pick up the 'phone and answer emails.

I may actually travel to pick up the 'scope in person, as that way I know who's been handling it in transit, and know it won't get kicked across a courier's warehouse by a mentally retarded gorilla. Hopefully I'll be able to check over the work that's been done to mount my ASA dovetail (A lot bigger than a Losmandy type) and discuss collimation.