Which one

[Ambrose]

I’m in a bit of a pickle now, I had pretty much committed to a Bresser 10” dob @  £535, but now I’ve seen a 10” skywatcher for £440, is the Bresser worth the extra £95.

[Carbon Brush]

Hello and welcome to SGL.

I know there are at least two members on the site who have compared and used 'equivalent' Skywatcher and Bresser products.
From memory one was an 8" dob and the other Skymax 127 - or something like that.

However, the bottom line was that they were worth the extra money. I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will be along soon.

David.

[Ambrose]

Thanks David 

[Robindonne]

When keeping in mind that one day you will sell it for upgrading your arsenal i would go for the skywatcher.  In my opinion it sells easier then bresser.   So a lower startprice and a higher sellprice sounds the most obvious choice.  At least when quality is almost the same.  I do know my Quattro 8 has a very poor focusser, dont know the quality of the bresser one so cant compare.  But I always compare these issues with buying my woodworking tools.  Festool is a bit more expensive but the depreciation after some years is less then unknown/unpopular brands.  

[Ambrose]

Hi, yeah I appreciate that, but I’m looking to keep this long term, someone mentioned the Bresser is overall better as I’d pretty much have to upgrade certain things on the skywatcher straight away, I just don’t want to commit to the wrong one, in a year or two I’ll be treating my self to a go to, probably for a couple of thousand so I’ll be at you all again then ha ha 

[Dr Strange]

Keeping in mind that you plan to have this for the long term and that you will want to do some upgrades down the road I would suggest the Explore Scientific 10" Ultra Light. A 10" Dob is a heavy and bulky/large item. Storing it is a problem as is moving it around. Thus my suggestion. Adding Digital Setting Circles (DSC) to it is straight forward so you can have push to via the Astro Devices encoder kit and either the Nexus II or Nexus DSC. That really opens up possibilities if you are not interested in hunting via star hopping and would rather spend your time looking at things instead of finding things. It is a truss Dob that disassembles into much more manageable and storable parts. It is in the same budget range as the Bresser.

It can be found here: https://www.teleskop-express.de/shop/product_info.php/info/p7587_Explore-Scientific-Ultra-Light-Dobsonian-Telescope-10-inch---254-mm.html

[johninderby]

Interesting to note that you hardly ever see a used Bresser dob up for sale. 

And no quality isn’t the same. The Bresser has higher build quality as well as being better equipped. It costs more but you are getting a lot more scope for the money. Brilliant 2.5” R&P focuser on the Bresser. Also has a proper 10 point mirror cell on the 10”. Lot of other things as well. 

Also not too heavy and is easy to move around. The big alt bearings make great carry handles.

 

Edited April 29, 2020 by johninderby

[John]

Optically they will perform the same I think.

If the additional features of the Bresser are worth the additional cost to you then go for it.

The Skywatcher works fine out of the box though. I've owned a couple of them.

The Bresser finder is rather poor so that might need upgrading.

 

 

[Ambrose]

Hi

i got a deal to upgrade the finder to an 8x50 for an additional £40

[Ambrose]

Oh and it’s only gonna be used in the garden so moving it about is not gonna be an issue really 

[johninderby]

The finder on the 10” Bresser is actually a pretty good optical one but straight through unfortunately. 😁

The 8” has an RDF but never used that one so no idea of what it is like. 🤔

9 minutes ago, Ambrose said:

Hi

i got a deal to upgrade the finder to an 8x50 for an additional £40

A right angle RACI?

[John]

If / when you upgrade the finder, you will want Right Angled Correct Image (RACI). Much easier to use in my opinion.

 

[John]

37 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Interesting to note that you hardly ever see a used Bresser dob up for sale. ....

 

 

Apart from yours recently.....

.....but you had a special reason I think

[johninderby]

5 minutes ago, John said:

Apart from yours recently.....

.....but you had a special reason I think

Came to my senses and found another way to raise the money. 😁😁😁

Edited April 29, 2020 by johninderby

[Second Time Around]

I'd second what John Inderby posted.  The Bresser is easier to carry around thanks to the altitude rings.  In fact I found that a 10 inch Bresser is as easy to carry around as an 8 inch from most other makes.  This design also results in a lovely smooth movement in altitude.

You also get other features as well that more then justify the extra initial cost.  In the future you're likely to spend a lot more on accessories, and so the small extra cost will soon be forgotten.

On the other hand, for those on a really tight initial budget the Skywatcher might be the right answer.

I'd also echo what the other John said about a RACI finder.  I find them hugely more comfortable to use than a straight through finder, although some do prefer the latter.  However, you'll still find the red dot finder useful to get in the rough area before switching to the RACI.  Many experienced observers end up with both for this reason.  A very popular alternative to the red dot finder is to use a Telrad or Rigel Quikfinder 1x finder.  For more information on finders there are 2 excellent articles on the website of US supplier Agenda Astro. Dinner is being served but I'll post links afterwards.

Here are the links: 

https://agenaastro.com/articles/guides/finders-and-guidescopes/choosing-a-magnifying-finder-for-your-telescope.html

https://agenaastro.com/articles/guides/finders-and-guidescopes/choosing-non-magnifying-finder-for-your-telescope.html

Edited April 29, 2020 by Second Time Around

[johninderby]

Yes the Skywatcher is a good choice for those on a budget as they can have a good scope to use now and improve and upgrade it as funds allow over a year or two. 👍🏻

I think a lot who have only seen the pics of the Bresser won’t realise the quality of the scope. If they could get their hands on one they would know what Bresser owners are talking about. 🙂 

[John]

I have owned a couple of Bressers but not the dobsonians.

My first was back in the 1980's - made by Vixen in Japan and a top quality refractor

 

[Stardaze]

Can't comment properly just yet, but due to he same question posed, I've gone with the Bresser. Hopefully due to be delivered tomorrow. I was considering SW 250PX, but the focussed swung it for me, it's German built so has to be good. Nowhere has them in stock it seemed for me last week, so Telescope House are the main UK dealers and ship them directly from the factory.

John, you should be taking commission 😀

 

Edited April 29, 2020 by Stardaze

[John]

13 minutes ago, Stardaze said:

Can't comment properly just yet, but due to he same question posed, I've gone with the Bresser. Hopefully due to be delivered tomorrow. I was considering SW 250PX, but the focussed swung it for me, it's German built so has to be good....

 

I think the Bresser dobs are Chinese ?

 

 

[CraigT82]

5 minutes ago, John said:

I think the Bresser dobs are Chinese ?

 

 

Yup... Jinghua optical company I think? (JOC)

[johninderby]

Yes the Bresser and Explore Scientific dobs are made by Jinghua Optical & Electronics Co., Ltd.

Edited April 29, 2020 by johninderby

[FLO]

7 minutes ago, johninderby said:

Bresser owns Explore Scientific 

It might feel that way here in the UK but, as far as I know, Bresser don’t own Explore Scientific. They are Explore Scientific’s European distributor. Similarly Explore Scientific distribute Bresser products in the US. 

We don’t currently stock the 10” Bresser Dobsonian but, after reading your enthusiastic endorsement, it sounds like we should 🙂

Steve

[Pixies]

I've noticed at FLO that the 8"  Bresser Dobs now have a 6x30 finder, rather than the old RDF. Have their specs changes in any other ways, recently?

Edited April 29, 2020 by Pixies

[FLO]

3 minutes ago, Pixies said:

I've noticed at FLO that the 8"  Bresser Dobs now have a 6x30 finder, rather than the old RDF. Have their specs changes in any other ways, recently?

That was a recent change, only week or two ago. I am not aware of any other changes. 

HTH, 

Steve 

[FLO]

2 hours ago, FLO said:

We don’t currently stock the 10” Bresser Dobsonian but, after reading your enthusiastic endorsement, it sounds like we should 🙂

Ta-daaaah! 😊

Bresser Messier 10" Dobsonian Telescope