A slight irony...

[Ben Ritchie]

A TMB80/480 has cropped up on UK AB&S - cracking 'scope, and along with it's 80/600 sibling a strong contender for 'best 80mm telescope ever'. Anyway, the bloke seems to have stumbled upon some notes I kept about mine, and first pinches my introduction before saying "just search the net and look at the reviews". Before linking to my notes.

Well, if he'd read a little further, he'd find me suggesting that for most people a SkyWatcher 80ED is better ... and costs less than the TRF-2008 flattener/reducer required to make the TMB80/480 usable for imaging...

With what is effectively a required TRF-2008 the TMB80/480 is four or five times the cost of a used Synta 80ED f/7.5 doublet, which, for a budget apochromat, is a very strong performer. The TMB80/480 is quicker, almost perfectly colour-corrected, comes with a much better focuser and gives a wider field of view for imaging. It's just about as good as an 80mm refractor can get, but you pay for the privilege.

...

For many though I think the 80ED with a few well-chosen upgrades (a good focal reducer and focuser upgrade) probably represents better value for money. On the used market it's only slightly more expensive than the retail price of the TRF-2008 focal reducer...

Lee, old chap, if you're reading (a) it's polite to ask, and ( read all the way through

Great 'scope though if you can afford the price of admission

[MartinB]

That's one of the things about posting on SGL. It is very google friendly and always pops up on searches. Can be quite spooky seeing a brief review you have written at the top of the pile.

[Ben Ritchie]

Was taken from my own website Martin, not SGL - I just found it mildly amusing that, of all the glowing reviews online for what is a great 'scope, he'd picked the one that pretty much ended "save your money, buy an 80ED instead"...

[GazOC]

I've Googled a query before now trying to find out some info and I've ended up back at a topic on SGL that I was involved in. Cue talking to the computer "Yes, I already know that, but......"