Buying used telescope

[Dave scutt]

Is it worth buying an 12" skywatcher dob for £680

[lenscap]

Hi Dave, and welcome to SGL.

I think £680 is a fair price for a used 12" Skywatcher flextube dob.

Two of these sold recently with asking prices of £700 &£750 on UKAB&S;

https://www.astrobuysell.com/uk/results.php

New 12" dobs list for about £1100 at FLO and 2/3 of the new price is a typical rule of thumb for used kit in good condition.

Good luck.

[Dave scutt]

It's a solid tube but weight or storage is no problem 

[Carbon Brush]

Hello and welcome to SGL.

Are you sure about a 12" scope. They are BIG. That is really BIG.

An 8" dob will still have the wow factor on DSOs and be a lot easier to handle and store.

I speak having owned dobs and EQ mounted reflecotrs in 8" & 10" varieties.

HTH, David.

[Dave scutt]

It has a custom made trolley I only want it for my garden as I live in rural Ireland no need to travel dark skies storage is no problem 

[Alan64]

Often, the reason for selling a telescope of that size is due to its being rather large in the first place; a case of biting off more than one might chew.  It may, perhaps, have seen very little use, if any at all.

Their loss is your gain, so go for it.  But be forewarned: its parabola will hunger for corrected and therefore costly eyepieces.

Edited August 1, 2021 by Alan64

[Dave scutt]

Thankyou all for your help 

[jacobingonzo]

I made a wheeled trolly for my 12" Flexitube Dob but still it is a heavy and unwieldily beast to move around- even in your garden I would suggest making a smooth track or paving slabs as even on a trolly, uneven ground or grass is a nightmare!!

Make sure its bought from a reputable site if not from a reputable astro home- generally FB et al can be a minefield , classified here on SGL or UK Astronomy buy and sell are well regarded- If you are not sure of its pedigree list the specs on here and the SGL massive will keep you straight

And yes a 12" Dob will reward you in spades, just be patient .......

Edited August 2, 2021 by jacobingonzo

[Dave scutt]

Thankyou for your post jacobingonzo I'm in Ireland the site I'm buying from is called done deal there is pictures and specs on it to look at

[Dave scutt]

[jacobingonzo]

hey Dave

Its not a site ive heard of before -

From what I can see the scope looks in reasonable condition- hard to tell from photos-nice selection of no frills extra bits and bobs that will get you up and running with maybe only a small purchase or two required . Judging by the prices I can see on some of the items they look a little dated but its the scope thats the important bit . Really like the trolly and would be ideal for this heavy beast. A little perplexed by the marks inside the top of the tube .

The most important bit is the primary - hard to see what condition it is in. Would you have an opportunity to see the scope in person before committing? if you cant I would not be willing to part with the readies 

 if you can inspect,look closer at the primary- its common to have dust and a reasonable amount of grime which is fine - you dont want any scratches or gouges in the surface 

make sure the focuser operates smoothly and doesn't slip, try the adjusting screws at the foot of the scope to ensure they are adjusting the primary Look at the secondary for the quality of the optic surface too, make sure its well seated and not hanging on for grim life lol- swing the scope back and forth and up and down- should be reasonably smooth and hold its position. 

Look at the eyepieces for obvious scratches etc- they are extras so it wouldn't be a deal killer 

talk to the seller and ask about it, has it any issues , how long have they had it ,why is it being sold. you should get a feel from their answers

other than that its its your gut-

J

 

 

Edited August 4, 2021 by jacobingonzo

[Dave scutt]

Thanks jacobingonzo went round had a look every thing in excellent condition well looked after. So I had to buy it all I need now is clear skies. But buying a new scope curse has struck  and going to be raining till next week

[jacobingonzo]

Thats Grand news Dave-

I had to laugh at " So I had to buy it" !!

Cloudy skies are the curse of the casual astronomer- you will soon get used to it- just use the time to read up on astro stuff