What dob to buy... someone else

[HiveIndustries]

It took me a long time to get into astronomy but my sister has been dragging her son to "dark sites" in the deep wilderness for years to look at the sky with her naked eye. She doesn't even own a pair of binoculars! She's a high school science teacher who checks out "astronomy photo of the day" kind of things and passionately tries to get me to view them so of course as I'm seeing what you can see with a 4" reflector and now my 12" reflector and I'm like, "it's not fair that I'm getting to love and enjoy this and my sister has barely ever looked through a scope in her life." Anyways, I convinced some of the fam to go in with me on a scope for her for Christmas but I want to order now because of stocking reasons. I loaned her my 4" to make sure it was something she'd enjoy and of course she texts me asking if she can buy it from me the first night ;).

So we breed em short in my family and she's in her 40s. As far as size, I feel like 8" isn't too big to get around from an "I'm a small person" standpoint and is going to comfortably fit in whatever vehicle. I could be convinced about a 10" but, money and you can only buy someone else unannounced furniture so large no matter how well you know them and they'll appreciate it... Also when I say wilderness I mean wilderness so lugging around the 8" I think will be appreciatively easier from car to wherever. She's a solid Bortle 9 living within the borders of NYC, even worse than my Bortle 8 so car travel is key.

I was thinking of the AD8 because it just comes with everything she needs to start; collimation, fan, dual speed focuser, barlow, I feel like it covers it all.

What's a scope you'd buy for your sister in this situation? Any reason I'm going the wrong route?

[Pixies]

Speaking as an 8" dob owner, who likes nothing better than lugging it about in a car to a dark site. If that was my only option, living under the worse light pollution, it'll soon lose its appeal.

I'd suggest a small, light and portable setup that can be loaded, unloaded and set up in minutes. There's not much worse than facing packing everything up at 1am when you're cold and tired.

 

So: alu tripod, small alt-az mount (or AZ GTi) and a fast 4" refractor (no collimation even after lots of car journeys).

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

A lot depends on how she spends her time in the wilderness. Does she drive and camp near the car, or get out of the car and hike? Does she sleep in a touring vehicle or drive, park up and sit and watch the sky, returning the same evening?

In all those scenarios a decent pair of binoculars up to 10x50, a planetarium app and observers' guide would  keep her busy for a life time. However, if a telescope is really the thing to have, then a small travel sized refractor and tripod with a zoom eyepiece may suit. If she doesn't need to lug equipment too far then a 6-8" dob will fit into a decent sized car and leave space for other gear.

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by ScouseSpaceCadet

[Alan64]

There is the aspect of collimation associated with Newtonians, and Newtonian-Dobsons, the latter which you are considering.  The process entails a learning-curve, which your relation seems to be already set, and in learning how to collimate.  The 8" is at f/6, and easier to collimate than an f/5.  There is also this 6" f/8 Newtonian-Dobson...

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1141699-REG/sky_watcher_s11600_6_traditional_dobsonian.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gclid=CjwKCAjw_L6LBhBbEiwA4c46ukmDqcOTAPO8ENdTeJPsw_j22hiZU_dWwrTCo1cQa_Io2YSeP2lKDRoCEkMQAvD_BwE

At f/8, the 6" is even easier to collimate.  It's the same length as the 8", yet slimmer due to its 6" aperture.  A 6" f/8 Newtonian has been a classic choice for decades...

http://www.company7.com/library/criterion_rv6.html

That one would be the closest in ease of collimation in relation to a refractor which requires virtually no collimation at all.  The construction of a refractor is tighter, rigid, with virtually no maintenance.  Collimating a Newtonian has been compared to the fine-tuning of a stringed instrument, and in the playing of one perhaps.

You might also consider a refractor, a 4" for example...

https://www.highpointscientific.com/celestron-starsense-explorer-dx-102-mm-refractor-22460?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=CEL-22460&gclid=CjwKCAjw_L6LBhBbEiwA4c46ulrpsjg4GNBOFIJ8jgu6xbzI5ca6hdXN3xmzvucJMxr5QMcpQxxg3RoC8dsQAvD_BwE

That kit comes with a computerised push-to system, and for use with a "smartphone" app.  That might be just the thing.

I got one these last month, and I'm very excited as to the prospects...

https://telescope-warehouse.com/shop/ols/products/meade-708010-s102-102mm-refracting-telescope-complete-kit-excellent-condition

The kit is second-hand but in very good condition.  They won't be available for too much longer.  The seller is a liquidator for Meade products, and has been in business for decades.

But the refractor is permanently tethered to that mount, I'm afraid.  You can remove the telescope from its mount, for storage, travelling, but it can't be used with other mounts.  I'm in the process of enabling that aspect at present.  It requires removal of the fittings from the optical-tube, then to add tube-rings and a Vixen-type dovetail-bar.

At that price, you could get that refractor alongside a "Dobsonian", but be forewarned, as your relation might come to prefer the former over the latter.  The refractor can also be used during the day, as a spotting-scope, for birds in trees, ships at sea, that sort of thing; and in my case, for surveillance, day and night.  A Newtonian cannot be used for such.

Whatever you choose in the end, I know that your relations will be beyond thrilled.

[Tiny Clanger]

2 hours ago, HiveIndustries said:

It took me a long time to get into astronomy but my sister has been dragging her son to "dark sites" in the deep wilderness for years to look at the sky with her naked eye. She doesn't even own a pair of binoculars! She's a high school science teacher who checks out "astronomy photo of the day" kind of things and passionately tries to get me to view them so of course as I'm seeing what you can see with a 4" reflector and now my 12" reflector and I'm like, "it's not fair that I'm getting to love and enjoy this and my sister has barely ever looked through a scope in her life." Anyways, I convinced some of the fam to go in with me on a scope for her for Christmas but I want to order now because of stocking reasons. I loaned her my 4" to make sure it was something she'd enjoy and of course she texts me asking if she can buy it from me the first night ;).

So we breed em short in my family and she's in her 40s. As far as size, I feel like 8" isn't too big to get around from an "I'm a small person" standpoint and is going to comfortably fit in whatever vehicle. I could be convinced about a 10" but, money and you can only buy someone else unannounced furniture so large no matter how well you know them and they'll appreciate it... Also when I say wilderness I mean wilderness so lugging around the 8" I think will be appreciatively easier from car to wherever. She's a solid Bortle 9 living within the borders of NYC, even worse than my Bortle 8 so car travel is key.

I was thinking of the AD8 because it just comes with everything she needs to start; collimation, fan, dual speed focuser, barlow, I feel like it covers it all.

What's a scope you'd buy for your sister in this situation? Any reason I'm going the wrong route?

If she really liked using the 4" you loaned her, I'd say go for something of similar size rather than a bigger 'scope. You can be confident that she will be able to carry, store and use it. If that means there is some money left over, a few nice eyepieces , maybe a UHC filter and even a kit case for the gear to travel safely in would make a good total package.

What 'scope would I buy for my sister ? I wouldn't, she's hate anything of the kind and would instantly return it for a refund to buy something she actually wanted 🙂

Heather

[HiveIndustries]

This is a tough one to gauge. Am I truly making a mistake chasing aperture with a reflector?

The truth is she's both a hiker and a waiting to be born amateur astronomer. She would 100% travel to the middle of PA to look at the sky through a telescope and that kind of person I think would benefit from the biggest reflector on a dob they'd be willing to "easily" travel with. But yeah she also doesn't stick to the parking lot either and would totally benefit from something more portable after a short hike.

Binoculars are a really great idea tbh because you can't go wrong. A telescope is so personal in terms of knowing what you'll go through to set it up and use it but a good set of binoculars there's almost no chance she doesn't really appreciate it and use it in all circumstances, even if she winds up having a 20" dob some day.

[Tiny Clanger]

58 minutes ago, HiveIndustries said:

This is a tough one to gauge. Am I truly making a mistake chasing aperture with a reflector?

The truth is she's both a hiker and a waiting to be born amateur astronomer. She would 100% travel to the middle of PA to look at the sky through a telescope and that kind of person I think would benefit from the biggest reflector on a dob they'd be willing to "easily" travel with. But yeah she also doesn't stick to the parking lot either and would totally benefit from something more portable after a short hike.

Binoculars are a really great idea tbh because you can't go wrong. A telescope is so personal in terms of knowing what you'll go through to set it up and use it but a good set of binoculars there's almost no chance she doesn't really appreciate it and use it in all circumstances, even if she winds up having a 20" dob some day.

Okay, so how about this : some decent 10x50 binoculars ( a good compromise between light gathering and weight) with a monopod and suitable bracket and head to steady 'em  ( see binocular sky's website for excellent info https://binocularsky.com/binoc_mount.php# ) , it's not easy to hold binoculars really steady for long without some support. That takes care of wide field , DSOs, clusters etc.

And to complement the binoculars , showing objects at magnifications hand held binos can't manage, a 102 mak is small, compact, packable, and can be carried on a fairly modest alt az mount , so would be an eminently portable device for narrow field,  high magnification views of planets and the Moon.

Heather

[doublevodka]

Since you're in the US, what about - https://shop.astronomerswithoutborders.org/collections/frontpage/products/awb-onesky-reflector-telescope ?

Small, and portable enough to be carried, but a very well thought of scope. Being a science teacher I'm going to go out on a limb and say she's not going to have an issue learning collimation and already seems to like the 4 inch newt 👍

Paired with a set of 10x50 binos it will give her a solid start to the hobby

[Stu1smartcookie]

Firstly , What a great gift you will be giving , whatever scope your sister receives will make her happy i am sure . I was  definitely in the 100mm refractor camp on this one as travel is the key here . 

BUT 

Of course aperture is king when it comes to scopes but , reality has to play a big part in what we buy and more importantly what we use and how often its used  . A refractor will be a really fast set up, and easy to transport ... of course an 8" Dob would be more beneficial under a dark sky ( think about all that lovely aperture  ). The choice will come down to practicality . The dob would require collimation each time its moved in the car to site . ( but to be honest that is  not a problemas it takes only 2 minutes, but factor in a collimation tool to the price ).  

[HiveIndustries]

I came in here thinking I'd get easy confirmation that I was making the right choice and all you guys have done is scramble that confidence equally among all the avenues you're bringing me down with valid points. Including the without borders scope. I can't even confidently eliminate a grab and go refractor at this point.

I will say this - she will at a minimum drag this scope out to Bortle 2/3 skies 2-3 times per year.

She is a smaller person in NYC so one thing I was kind of surprised at is she only goes with her son or my father so even with the 4" on a dob that's obviously the extreme in portable she texts me, "nah he's got too much homework" when I ask her if she caught Venus that night. I had predicted she'd take it out solo every night but in hindsight it makes sense. What woman seeks out the dark wooded places in a city to sit quietly at 1:00AM?

I think the above reality talks me out of a grab and go refractor setup for opportunistic stargazing because if she's traveling for stars multiple hours, I think the 8" dob is the best bet.

So maybe the leading two options are the largest dob that's reasonable (currently 8" in my head) or a nice pair of binoculars.

There's another non-astronomy factor, do I want to bring in my entire family and monopolize her Christmas? Something like the aforementioned without borders scope, maybe I can bring it down to me and my other sister or something splitting.

Edited October 22, 2021 by HiveIndustries

[doublevodka]

4 minutes ago, HiveIndustries said:

I came in here thinking I'd get easy confirmation that I was making the right choice and all you guys have done is scramble that confidence equally among all the avenues you're bringing me down with valid points. Including the without borders scope. I can't even confidently eliminate a grab and go refractor at this point.

I will say this - she will at a minimum drag this scope out to Bortle 2/3 skies 2-3 times per year.

She is a smaller person in NYC so one thing I was kind of surprised at is she only goes with her son or my father so even with the 4" on a dob that's obviously the extreme in portable she texts me, "nah he's got too much homework" when I ask her if she caught Venus that night. I had predicted she'd take it out solo every night but in hindsight it makes sense. What woman seeks out the dark wooded places in a city to sit quietly at 1:00AM?

I think the above reality talks me out of a grab and go refractor setup for opportunistic stargazing because if she's traveling for stars multiple hours, I think the 8" dob is the best bet.

So maybe the leading two options are the largest dob that's reasonable (currently 8" in my head) or a nice pair of binoculars.

There's another non-astronomy factor, do I want to bring in my entire family and monopolize her Christmas? Something like the aforementioned without borders scope, maybe I can bring it down to me and my other sister or something splitting.

Welcome to any astronomy forum 🤣 Always more options 😉

If you really, really want to go for an 8 inch there is another option although slightly less portable - https://www.amazon.com/Sky-Watcher-8-Collapsible-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B004Q78OII?th=1

One thing I would say, check out the used market locally, there are still bargains to be had and you have some time

[HiveIndustries]

Just now, doublevodka said:

Welcome to any astronomy forum 🤣 Always more options 😉

If you really, really want to go for an 8 inch there is another option although slightly less portable - https://www.amazon.com/Sky-Watcher-8-Collapsible-Dobsonian-Telescope/dp/B004Q78OII?th=1

One thing I would say, check out the used market locally, there are still bargains to be had and you have some time

I've seen that in the shop and I thought to myself that at 8" the collapsible part is almost a gimmick. The 10"+ though, kind of amazing. For me personally, at that point I'd rather the simplicity of the tube and you're paying a few hundred dollar premium for that collapsibleness

This is why this is so hard, everything is so damn personal. The collapsible part could be the deal breaker for whether or not it fits in the boot for some people and the premium is a small price to pay.

[doublevodka]

1 minute ago, HiveIndustries said:

I've seen that in the shop and I thought to myself that at 8" the collapsible part is almost a gimmick. The 10"+ though, kind of amazing. For me personally, at that point I'd rather the simplicity of the tube and you're paying a few hundred dollar premium for that collapsibleness

This is why this is so hard, everything is so damn personal. The collapsible part could be the deal breaker for whether or not it fits in the boot for some people and the premium is a small price to pay.

The 8 would be great, if the price was right and smaller car etc.

And you've hit the nail on the head, it is all very personal, that's why most astronomers end up with multiple scopes 😉 (I currently have 3 and looking at them all the time 🤣)

So, so many options out there, like if you have deep pockets and want collapsable  https://www.obsessiontelescopes.com/

[HiveIndustries]

1 minute ago, doublevodka said:

So, so many options out there, like if you have deep pockets and want collapsable  https://www.obsessiontelescopes.com/

I look at Obsession and things like Teeter and they're fun to look at but I'm the kind of guy if I'm going to be trucking a 24" dob, I'm going to want to build it myself.

I have a carpenter brother-in-law (his house: Bortle 3) who spent a year creating the damn most gorgeous canoe you've ever seen out of wood, just flat out gorgeous. I know nothing about canoes so maybe he had good reason but he wound up selling it for "only" a few thousand dollars and giving up on boats. He's also the kind of guy who does chainsaw sculpting. If I ever have a 24" dob it's going to be by getting someone like that in my life to look at his sky and providing him mirrors and weekends of unskilled labor+beer

Or whatever, give lengths of Cedar and I'll make a 24" dob that looks like a Khan's trebuchet that takes 6 people to move. Point is I want to feel like a constructive ape if I ever get to this point in my hobby

[Louis D]

I put together a camping outfit for my grown daughter two Christmases back.  It's a 127mm Synta Mak (Orion/Celestron/etc.) riding on a spare DSV-1 mount I had laying around.  I put it on a barely used Manfrotto 3033 tripod from ebay for stability.  It takes up very little room in the back of her Chevy Equinox which is important considering all the other camping gear back there.  I also mounted a 60mm finder scope I had laying around to it to bring in wider fields of view for finding objects.  Everything fits in two bags, a mid-sized gym bag and a long tripod bag.  Neither attracts much attention with the rear hatch open at campsites.  The tripod and mount are way heavier than the telescope, but both are super rugged.  They're easy to carry slung over the shoulder in the padded tripod bag.  You don't want a wobbly alt-az mount as it will ruin the entire stargazing experience.

[Alan64]

I'm curious as to mysterious nature of the 4" reflector.  4" reflectors are a bit rare.  I have this one...

There are also the 4.5" Newtonians.  I have this long-focus one...

This is a 4.5" Newtonian-Dobson, sold only by Orion...  https://www.telescope.com/Orion/Orion-SkyQuest-XT45-Classic-Dobsonian-Telescope/rc/2160/p/102009.uts

There are also short ones, like that 4"... https://www.telescope.com/Orion/Orion-StarBlast-45-Astro-Reflector-Telescope/rc/2160/p/102010.uts

...and... https://www.telescope.com/Orion/Orion-StarBlast-II-45-EQ-Reflector-amp-AstroTrack-Motor-Drive/rc/2160/p/116990.uts

However, the shorter ones are not as optically performance-driven as the longer ones are.

A 5"/127mm Maksutov is "thinking out of the box" among the still-affordable kits.  Maksutovs have rather long focal-lengths, and perform best when mounted on go-to mounts.  They can be used on manual mounts, but a Maksutov needs a capable and reliable finder to help it find its way round the sky.

As examples, to illustrate, in the U.S., there are the Orion and Sky-Watcher models...

https://www.telescope.com/Orion/Orion-Apex-127mm-Maksutov-Cassegrain-Telescope/rc/2160/p/9825.uts

https://www.highpointscientific.com/skywatcher-127mm-maksutov-cassegrain-telescope-ota-s11520?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=SKY-S11520&gclid=CjwKCAjw5c6LBhBdEiwAP9ejG5Dkk5nFEzIWDmiNtQrPh1yusEMgOF91B3kHsTZS6t--fKm8nefuFxoC6uYQAvD_BwE

Curiously, of all the astronomical-equipment vendors throughout the world, Orion, of California, seems to be the least affected by shortages, I've noticed.

You then find a suitable mount for the telescope, for example...

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1046130-REG/explore_scientific_maz01_00_twilight_i_adjustable_head.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gclid=CjwKCAjw5c6LBhBdEiwAP9ejG7DGvBgT8XI8EgdY5zliGqxbXVkI8J7qhtXNSPXisIFn5OEADS6XohoC8PMQAvD_BwE

Or, there is the option of a go-to kit... https://www.highpointscientific.com/celestron-nexstar-127-slt-computerized-telescope-22097?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=CEL-22097&gclid=CjwKCAjw5c6LBhBdEiwAP9ejG8O_RyZ2FuYyZCixfqgsYU3Y634G0TkDjvhyQFcFPeCk1yIveY59GxoCTKQQAvD_BwE

Then, my own 127mm Maksutov is even longer than those three, and blind as a bat.  I can't use a go-to mount, as I have too many trees...

Instead, I'm in the process of readying this 70mm f/4.3 refractor, and to help the Maksutov "see", to find its way round the sky...

Others make do with a red-dot finder or other.

Among the more economical kits, the manufacturers throw in a mount, and oft unsuitable for supporting the telescope that comes with it, like that long-focus 4.5" Newtonian above, within the second image.  Here, I have that same telescope on a sturdier, alt-azimuth mount...

  

Then, the Orion 4.5" Newtonian-Dobson comes with just that, a simple, Dobson alt-azimuth base.

There is this Celestron 6SE...

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/440825-REG/Celestron_11068_NexStar_6_SE_6_0_150mm.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gclid=CjwKCAjw5c6LBhBdEiwAP9ejGyfC1cB93lojF5t5hVipu2eoytMpCnM-DuYyQd4sF4dHhkiZ7InnFxoC2SwQAvD_BwE

That being a Schmidt-Cassegrain, and a relation of the classical and Maksutov Cassegrains.

Edited October 23, 2021 by Alan64

[HiveIndustries]

It's this. It's actually a pretty amazing little thing for what it is. I'm probably going to buy a little tripod for it as pictured (not mine)

https://www.telescope.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=102007&gclid=CjwKCAjw5c6LBhBdEiwAP9ejG_ZnHnCXF0_hxWfHvcufcgbn9w-wLP2hlzPWAjtrxY8uMOdg4PJBUhoCxQoQAvD_BwE

Edited October 23, 2021 by HiveIndustries

[Alan64]

Yes, I've seen that one many times before.  It's identical to my own, other than the colour and the position of the focusser.  I got my own specifically for observing the galaxy in Andromeda, and at 13x with a 32mm Plossl.  Here's the Moon through my own, and at 13x...

I would suggest a telescope with a bit more focal-length than 400mm.  It's difficult to reach the higher powers with one that short.  The planets become interesting at 150x and higher...

400mm ÷ 150x = a 2.7mm eyepiece, or an 8mm eyepiece combined with a 3x-barlow

The sweet-spot among entry-level telescopes is a 900mm focal-length...

900mm ÷ 150x = a 6mm eyepiece

With 900mm, you have the lowest power of 28x, and with a 32mm Plossl.  By that, you can see how better balanced a 900mm focal-length can be.

Look at the secondary-obstruction of our 4"/400mm Newtonians, then that of my 4.5"/900mm Newtonian...

Secondary-obstructions cause a loss of contrast and sharpness.  It's akin to a cataract of the human eye.  The smaller the "cataract", the better the image quality.  Needless to say, the unobstructed, albeit smaller, apertures of refractors exhibit the best-quality images.

[HiveIndustries]

Yeah you know I find the sweet spot on that scope to be about 10mm so you're spot on. I find it to be my "I'm nauseous and don't feel like setting crap up, oh wait, I can just walk outside with this" extreme grab and go setup. I just plop it on the floor in the driveway and bam I'm lookin at the moon or a planet. I'll some day wind up with a tube 6" or tube 8" for that spot in my life but right now I kind of like walking around with a scope that cost me next to nothing that I actually get use out of.

It's been literal months I've been trying to plan a cloudless trip to a nice dark sky but I really want to see what things like Orion and Andromeda look like at 10mm. If those pay off nicely I may keep it forever as it's kind of the ultimate "show someone how to use a reflector on a dob" setup. Nice red dot finder scope, not intimidating at all, it's like people can't fail and will always get the payoff.

For my sister, she's related to me so she's kind of as crazy in willingness to do things, (but not as crazy!) so I'm kind of leaning towards the 8" dob at this point. Gonna actually have to make a decision within the next few days though cause of stock reasons. Man I used to hate October Christmas shopping people and here I am.

[Alan64]

8 hours ago, HiveIndustries said:

 I'll some day wind up with a tube 6" or tube 8" for that spot in my life...

...so I'm kind of leaning towards the 8" dob at this point. 

Yes, during these troubling times, what little is available is flying off the shelves.  I'm oft frustrated by that myself; not just for myself, but for many others as well.

Edited October 24, 2021 by Alan64

[bingevader]

On 22/10/2021 at 14:27, Louis D said:

I put together a camping outfit for my grown daughter two Christmases back.  It's a 127mm Synta Mak (Orion/Celestron/etc.) riding on a spare DSV-1 mount I had laying around.  I put it on a barely used Manfrotto 3033 tripod from ebay for stability.  It takes up very little room in the back of her Chevy Equinox which is important considering all the other camping gear back there.  I also mounted a 60mm finder scope I had laying around to it to bring in wider fields of view for finding objects.  Everything fits in two bags, a mid-sized gym bag and a long tripod bag.  Neither attracts much attention with the rear hatch open at campsites.  The tripod and mount are way heavier than the telescope, but both are super rugged.  They're easy to carry slung over the shoulder in the padded tripod bag.  You don't want a wobbly alt-az mount as it will ruin the entire stargazing experience.

The skies sound good, so I think I'd go for a Mak too!

I have a Meade ETX90 which fits in a tool bag and so can go anywhere with me very easily.

I also have an 8" dob.

Whilst I can fit the dob and all the kit in the car, it does take some planning.

With work, homework commitments, etc. it sounds like spontaneity might be the key.

A 105 or 125 Mak might be an easier option.

Above all, you want it to be used!

[HiveIndustries]

So the shop had an Orion XT6, used in new condition, saved everyone a few bucks and I don't have to worry about the 8" being too big.

We've had cloud covered days for like over a month with very very little clearing and she targeted the one clear night this week and was like, "Can I come over and use the big scope?" So I know this is going to be a well received gift, can't wait!

 

[Alan64]

On 28/10/2021 at 05:46, HiveIndustries said:

So the shop had an Orion XT6, used in new condition, saved everyone a few bucks and I don't have to worry about the 8" being too big.

We've had cloud covered days for like over a month with very very little clearing and she targeted the one clear night this week and was like, "Can I come over and use the big scope?" So I know this is going to be a well received gift, can't wait!

 

All's well that ends well.