Celestron 8se Used good deal or not?

[SpaceColt]

Celestron 8se Used good deal or not? wondering if this scope is a good deal for me and if not recommendations on something that will have equivalent power.

The scope is used the person selling it works for a recovery company and got the scope because there was a house fire and he is responsible for disposing of the belongings he said it was in a different room and was untouched. he says its missing the cord and eye piece even though i think im going to buy to celestron eyepiece kit.

Wondering if the glass seems ok in the picture he sent me the glass looks slighty dameged or warped not sure if its the angle or a coating peeling off would appreciate any input thank you!!hes looking for 800 but said he would go lower im thinking i can snag it for 5, 6 or 7 hundred.

some pics attatched

[Messy Hair 101]

Really hard to tell from pictures if that's just dust, dirt or something worse. If it is just cosmetic, it's a bargain and can be calibrated out or cleaned if it's that bad and you're careful. A new power lead and eyepiece are no issue. If it is really damage, a new corrector plate isn't cheap...

Great scopes though. Is there any way you can see it or even test it out? Even a quick test in the daytime with a diagonal and eyepiece would tell you quite a bit. Try defocusing as well which will show issues more easily than an in focus image (If it looks bad in focus, might be best to walk away.

 

Edited January 11, 2021 by Messy Hair 101

[SpaceColt]

Hello Thank you for the reply and yes i can go look at it tomorrow. however im an extreme beginner picking it up for me the wife n kids (mostly me lol) not sure how to test it.  i was going to order the celestron eyepiece kit. Can i tell anything without a eye piece? 

If i didnt get this scope what would be a equivalent scope alternative or something better?

although i really want the 8se but if i cant test it appropriatley i dont wanto get stuck with a piece of junk

[John]

If it has been in a smokey environment the optics may well need cleaning and also the electronics will need to be tested fully.

I would want to see it working (demonstrated by the seller) before I committed to buy it. I would also want to examine the optics carefully for dirt or smoke residues.

I bought one of those a few years back in perfect condition, complete and in full working order for £700.00

Frankly, unless you are confident that it is in fully working order and the optics can be cleaned I would be very wary indeed.

Sorry to sound negative but I think the seller is being highly optimistic with the pricing and I doubt that they know anything about the telescope.

Very much a case of "Caveat Emptor" here I feel

 

Edited January 11, 2021 by John

[Messy Hair 101]

6 hours ago, John said:

If it has been in a smokey environment the optics may well need cleaning and also the electronics will need to be tested fully.

I would want to see it working (demonstrated by the seller) before I committed to buy it. I would also want to examine the optics carefully for dirt or smoke residues.

I bought one of those a few years back in perfect condition, complete and in full working order for £700.00

Frankly, unless you are confident that it is in fully working order and the optics can be cleaned I would be very wary indeed.

Sorry to sound negative but I think the seller is being highly optimistic with the pricing and I doubt that they know anything about the telescope.

Very much a case of "Caveat Emptor" here I feel

 

£700 for an 8SE is not too shabby. It feels like people are asking that for the 6SE atm. I only paid £300 for my 6SE but that's another story.

I agree with John, it's high risk, especially if you've never touched a scope before. The price would need to reflect that.

In terms of an equivalent scope, Meade and Celestron are probably the main players for large SCTs. A better question is probably the classic what do you want to do with it? If you want something the whole family can use visually for example, a dobsonian might be easier and cheaper.

[Cosmic Geoff]

I paid £650 for my C8 SE which was a bit scratched on the paintwork and had some dents in the legs but otherwise fine and no bits missing.

If this one looks like it will clean up OK, use your judgement on whether you want to put in an offer.   If the corrector plate is not cracked, it should be OK if it will clean up. To bring it up to the completeness of the standard package you will need to buy a prism star diagonal (which I do not see in the photos) a 25mm plossl eyepiece, and a long power lead to plug into a cigarette lighter type outlet.  That will cost you up to another £100.  The knob for securing the eyepiece tray does not show in the photos either.

I don't recommend buying an eyepiece kit - it is best just to buy the eyepieces etc that you actually want/need.

In addition to the above mentioned, you will need a power pack (many options) and a dew shield (which you might be able to make).

Used Celestron SCT outfits often sell at a large discount compared with the r.r.p. of a new one (typically 50% off), but the current scarcity may push up prices.