Skywatcher Heritage 150p or SW Skyliner 150p?

[JoeS81]

Hi everyone,

I'm completely new to telescopes and know nothing but I want to learn and I need some advice!

I have a budget of £200 which I can't stretch. I really like both the Skywatcher Heritage 150p and SW Skyliner 150p which I believe has been along longer than the Heritage.

I would like to take the scope out occasionally to dark skies (so the heritage would be easier to transport) but with 2 very young children at home the reality is that I will mostly be using the scope in the back garden.

Obviously both scopes are 150p but come with different accessory spec (specs below).... please could someone advise which would give me the most bang for my buck?!

 

Heritage 150p:

Magnifications (with eyepieces supplied): x30 & x75
Highest Practical Power (Potential): x300
Diameter of Primary Mirror: 150mm
Telescope Focal Length: 750mm (f/5)
Eyepieces Supplied (1.25"): 10mm & 25mm
Parabolic Primary Mirror
3-arm Secondary Mirror Spider Support
Red Dot Finder
Wooden Alt-Azimuth Mount
Collapsible/ Extendable Tube Assembly
Weight Approx 7.5kg
Supplied with Gift Box
33% more Light Gathering than 130mm

Skyliner 150p:

• Magnifications (with eyepieces supplied): x48 & x120
• Highest Practical Power (Potential): x306
• Diameter of Primary Mirror: 153mm
• Telescope Focal Length: 1200mm (f/8)
• Eyepieces Supplied (1.25"): 10mm & 25mm
• Parabolic Primary Mirror
• 0.5mm Ultra-Thin Secondary Mirror Supports
• 6x30 Finderscope
• Direct SLR Camera Connection
• Wooden Alt-Azimuth Mount with Accessory Tray
• 73% more Light Gathering than 114mm

Many thanks!

 

[JeremyS]

If you don’t need the ability to compress the scope for transport or storage, @JoeS81,  go for the Skyliner. Longer focal length is more forgiving and will help to achieve higher mags on planets. It’s much better engineered too.

I have both and they are both excellent.

[JoeS81]

Thank you @JeremyS.

Storage would be something to factor in as I will be lugging it up and down the stairs  to the spare room when not in use but I can manage if the Skyliner is the better scope. Would I be shooting myself in the foot if I went for the Heritage?

 

[dweller25]

4 minutes ago, JoeS81 said:

Thank you @JeremyS.

Storage would be something to factor in as I will be lugging it up and down the stairs  to the spare room when not in use but I can manage if the Skyliner is the better scope. Would I be shooting myself in the foot if I went for the Heritage?

 

The Heritage will give you portability.

The Skyliner will give you a slightly more performance.

What suits you ?

Edited November 2, 2020 by dweller25

[happy-kat]

lugging up and down stirs, would you bother if the weather was patchy

do you have a table or bucket to use the heritage from

have you read the heritage 150p users thread for the reviews and feedback

[JeremyS]

7 minutes ago, JoeS81 said:

Thank you @JeremyS.

Storage would be something to factor in as I will be lugging it up and down the stairs  to the spare room when not in use but I can manage if the Skyliner is the better scope. Would I be shooting myself in the foot if I went for the Heritage?

 

I wouldn’t contemplate lugging the Skyliner up and down the stairs. Too heavy, too bulky and you will do yourself an injury sooner or later.

I,m lucky enough to store mine in the dining room and lift it out onto the patio via the French doors.

The heritage is a lovely scope. I store mine in an upstairs wardrobe. Going for this is not shooting your self in the foot. It is a practical way forward.

[JoeS81]

12 minutes ago, dweller25 said:

The Heritage will give you portability.

The Skyliner will give you a slightly more performance.

What suits you ?

The ability to make a decisive decision would suit me 🤣

[JoeS81]

13 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

lugging up and down stirs, would you bother if the weather was patchy

do you have a table or bucket to use the heritage from

have you read the heritage 150p users thread for the reviews and feedback

I do have a table to use the Heritage from, the spare room does have a skylight to use the scope from but of course you don't get access to the full sky from there. I have seen reviews from the scope and want to make the best decision with the money I have... perhaps I need to be a bit more rational in how I will use it!

[JoeS81]

9 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

I wouldn’t contemplate lugging the Skyliner up and down the stairs. Too heavy, too bulky and you will do yourself an injury sooner or later.

I,m lucky enough to store mine in the dining room and lift it out onto the patio via the French doors.

The heritage is a lovely scope. I store mine in an upstairs wardrobe. Going for this is not shooting your self in the foot. It is a practical way forward.

Thanks again, it does sound like a sensible option. Just need to let the head prevail rather that the heart... tbh as a first time user, I am sure that I would be amazed by what I could see from either scope!

[Girders]

If your budget is firmly fixed and the weight/size is OK for you I'd go for the Skyliner due to the focal length/eyepiece combination.   Just using the supplied eyepieces the difference of a max of 75x and 120x is significant when you're considering looking at planets -difference between seeing Saturns rings as bumps/ears and as small but distinct rings.  Both great scopes but I think you would need to spend more on additional eyepiece/barlow quicker with the heritage 150.

[JeremyS]

4 minutes ago, JoeS81 said:

I do have a table to use the Heritage from, the spare room does have a skylight to use the scope from but of course you don't get access to the full sky from there. I have seen reviews from the scope and want to make the best decision with the money I have... perhaps I need to be a bit more rational in how I will use it!

The skylight is not a good idea. When closed the glass will distort image and when closed, the heat rising through it will distort the image. As you say, the field of view will be tiny. You must go outside.

[Tiny Clanger]

Be sure you appreciate the size (both diameter of the base and length of tube ) and weight of the solid tube version. I was sad to realise back when I started looking for affordable 'scopes as a step up in quality from a cheap 114 newtonian on a wobbly eq , that there was no way I could safely store the skyliner in my small house. I was about to give up and spend my £200 on yet another second hand camera lens instead when the 150 heritage arrived in the shops. I'm very happy with it.

Both scopes come with the same pair of eyepieces by the way, and the 10mm is poor, you will want to replace it whichever scope you buy. The difference in magnification is due to the focal length of the telescope.  Whatever you buy, it needs to be used outside, there's really no point paying for a decent 'scope and then pointing it through window glass.

[JoeS81]

Thank you to everyone for your advice and guidance. So after a conversation with my wife (full of promises to complete odd jobs etc) I would be able to commandeer the under the stairs cupboard  near to the back door to the garden which would keep it safe and far more practical. Does anyone know the height of the skyliner with stand? I'm about to measure the space!

[Louis D]

From Agena Astro's Sky-Watcher 6" Dob webpage:

• OTA length: 44.5"
• OTA width: 7.125"
• OTA weight (with accessories): 15 lbs
• Base weight: 25 lbs
• Base dimensions: 29 x 20.5"
• Zenith eyepiece height: 44.5"

Since the focuser is at least 6" from the end of the tube, figure it sits about 50 inches tall or slightly more.  Remember, though, it could be stored in two parts to save a bit of height or with the tube at an angle to save some height.  You could also store it to the side toward the front of the closet but just back a bit with the coats up against it since it's less than 8 inches wide.  That's how I store my 8" Dob in our other downstairs closet.  Literally no one ever notices it in there.

I also store a bunch of astro gear in our under-stairs closet at the back where it's too low for hanging coats.  It's really surprising how much space there is back there.

[JoeS81]

37 minutes ago, Louis D said:

From Agena Astro's Sky-Watcher 6" Dob webpage:

• OTA length: 44.5"
• OTA width: 7.125"
• OTA weight (with accessories): 15 lbs
• Base weight: 25 lbs
• Base dimensions: 29 x 20.5"
• Zenith eyepiece height: 44.5"

Since the focuser is at least 6" from the end of the tube, figure it sits about 50 inches tall or slightly more.  Remember, though, it could be stored in two parts to save a bit of height or with the tube at an angle to save some height.  You could also store it to the side toward the front of the closet but just back a bit with the coats up against it since it's less than 8 inches wide.  That's how I store my 8" Dob in our other downstairs closet.  Literally no one ever notices it in there.

I also store a bunch of astro gear in our under-stairs closet at the back where it's too low for hanging coats.  It's really surprising how much space there is back there.

Thank you @Louis D.

Really good suggestions on how to store.... that would definately work 👍👍👍