HEQ5 dual saddle upgrade (not ADM)

[nfotis]

Hello everyone,

 

I am thinking about upgrading my second-hand HEQ5 Pro to a dual saddle which can accept both Vixen and Losmandy dovetails. The ADM saddle/puck is prohibitively expensive (almost half the price I paid the the used mount!), so I stumbled upon this one:

https://www.telescope.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=132366

Trouble is, the shop is located in the USA and I am in EU. Ordering from them means being stabbed with a fifty EUR charge from the courier company to process the order (really!), *then* a VAT and import tax etc., which could almost triple the cost.

Is there a EU retailer who sells this adapter or an equivalent?

N.F.

 

 

[TerryMcK]

I have this one from Primaluce https://www.primalucelab.com/astronomy/dovetail-clamp/big-dovetail-clamp-vixen-losmandy-plus-heq5.html

They are in the EU.

[Budgie1]

The latest HEQ5's come with a dual saddle as standard and look very much like the one in your Orion link. Do you have a Skywatcher dealer locally who could get you one on a spares order or something?

[nfotis]

4 hours ago, Budgie1 said:

The latest HEQ5's come with a dual saddle as standard and look very much like the one in your Orion link. Do you have a Skywatcher dealer locally who could get you one on a spares order or something?

 

Sent an email to a Greek astronomy equipment shop (I think that they're the main dealer in Greece) about the Orion part. I suppose that Skywatcher doesn't offer this part in EU separately.

 

N.F.

 

[Padraic M]

I have to say, looking at that US one, the Losmandy lip on the far side looks very short. Compare that to the PLL one (which I have). I'd happily hang the heaviest of scopes from it. It's excellently made and worth the money. The ADM one looks the same. I would be slow to trust your first option. Makes me nervous just looking at it.

[nfotis]

By the way, I checked at the Orion site and this saddle isn't available anymore (no positive response from the local dealer when I discussed that).

So, it's an ADM or similar (Altair does give an "Out of stock message" for their offerings) I guess...

N.F.

 

Edited October 4, 2022 by nfotis