Brand loyalty

[JeremyS]

23 minutes ago, Stu said:

Stop teasing us Jeremy, what’s in the boxes?? 😀

Takahashi sparkles.

No, I’m just adding a bit of colour Stu. 😊

[HollyHound]

3 hours ago, F15Rules said:

 

..and not a tube ring in sight..😋

Dave

Ah ha… so that is where they come from… a Takahashi tree… they grow them and presumably pick them when ready 🤣

Edited March 13, 2022 by HollyHound

[ollypenrice]

10 hours ago, Stu said:

A bolt in the top end of the dovetail, with the bolt head protruding downwards is the usual solution to this.

Or in both ends, since, when fiddling about with telescopes, we can end up with them pointing downwards. (Bitter experience!)

12 hours ago, F15Rules said:

..and not a tube ring in sight..😋

Dave

Imagers do not love the clamshell. It's a likely source of differential flexure since it holds the tube only in the middle.  It can help to put the guide scope on the main OTA but tube rings are the real solution.

Olly

[Stu]

54 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

Or in both ends, since, when fiddling about with telescopes, we can end up with them pointing downwards. (Bitter experience!)

Yes, very true! I do do this on some dovetails but it can be a problem when you have a shortish dovetail in a long saddle. I got caught out recent being unable to fit my FC76DC to the AZ100 and didn’t have an Allen key to remove the bolts. The answer, of course is to have longer dovetails which do fit, and have bolts both ends.

[ollypenrice]

7 minutes ago, Stu said:

Yes, very true! I do do this on some dovetails but it can be a problem when you have a shortish dovetail in a long saddle. I got caught out recent being unable to fit my FC76DC to the AZ100 and didn’t have an Allen key to remove the bolts. The answer, of course is to have longer dovetails which do for, and have bolts both ends

You can also use a flexible teather (eg string!) but under no circumstances would I settle for a system which could slide out of the dovetail.

Olly

[niallk]

On 12/03/2022 at 15:52, Paz said:

I was considering options for a bit of astro kit recently and there's so many options sometimes it's hard to choose. So I narrowed it down to the brands I trust the most based on experience, in this case Baader and Televue and made a decision between their offerings.

I used to have no loyalties to any brand (because I had no experience to go on) but now it appears I have developed some.

Do you have a loyalty to any brands, where you would pick their products without considering the competition too deeply, or buy a product of theirs and not worry that you might get a lemon or that it might not live up to expectations?

I spent > €150 on an EP kit from TS when I first started... money down the drain!  I eventually took the plunge on a TV N13T6, and wow!  I was hooked.  Twice the price, but still a favourite 10 yrs later.

I deviated once and bought an ES 20mm 100°... edge aberrations and false colour led me to purchase a 17E- which I love.

I have confidence that if I invest in a TV item, I'll get a quality, high performance product, and I think I get a fair sense of pros and some cons to set expectations from reviews on SGL etc.  They offer the most complete ecosystem too - eg Paracorr, and I may end up getting Dioptrx.

That's not to say other brands aren't top notch - but in a world of buying on-line, and a poor 2nd hand market in Ireland, I personally choose to 'buy once, buy quality'.  And I do like the backstory and the repeated innovation from TV.

I would say they've earned my brand loyalty!

Edited March 14, 2022 by niallk

[MalcolmM]

42 minutes ago, Stu said:

but it can be a problem when you have a shortish dovetail

Just discovered this looking to implement your suggestion  I use a very short dovetail on the 60CB to keep size and weight down but begining to think false economy!

Malcolm

[Stu]

1 minute ago, MalcolmM said:

Just discovered this looking to implement your suggestion  I use a very short dovetail on the 60CB to keep size and weight down but begining to think false economy!

Malcolm

That’s exactly the situation I have! I bought the short MoreBlue dovetail to keep things compact, and it is supplied with little Allen bolts to do just what we are talking about. Works fine with the Scopetech Zero, less well (ie not at all!) with the AZ100/75 or GP-DX with ADM Saddle. Fortunately I almost always use it on the Scopetech.

[Neil27]

Brand loyalty is a difficult concept that I struggle with and I guess it comes down to, for me anyway, if your happy with a product then I’ll continue to buy from that product range / manufacturer. One of the reasons i bought another esprit telescope after selling my esprit 150, both exceptional scopes and product range for the price.

I can add a little to the Tak appreciation, the only scope I wish i hadn’t ever sold was my beautiful TOA 130, but personal circumstances unfortunately won the day on that one. I still look out for one when they come up on the second hand market and one day I will pull the trigger. Something about that mottled green paint and glorious optics evoke wonderful memories of my first glimpses of the planets.

[F15Rules]

2 hours ago, ollypenrice said:

 

Imagers do not love the clamshell. It's a likely source of differential flexure since it holds the tube only in the middle.  It can help to put the guide scope on the main OTA but tube rings are the real solution.

Olly

I'm not an imager

Dave

Edited March 14, 2022 by F15Rules

[JeremyS]

1 hour ago, Neil27 said:

Something about that mottled green paint and glorious optics evoke wonderful memories of my first glimpses of the planets.

It’s blue these days  Neil. Took me a while to get used to, but I love both the Tak blue and the Tak green (later available on 2nd hand market of course).

Anyway, I do hope you can get a TOA 130 again one day.

[Neil27]

4 minutes ago, JeremyS said:

It’s blue these days  Neil. Took me a while to get used to, but I love both the Tak blue and the Tak green (later available on 2nd hand market of course).

Anyway, I do hope you can get a TOA 130 again one day.

Thanks Jeremy, as do I one day. I’m fairly patient so will bide my time, unless the right numbers turn up of course then the gloves can come off 🙃😉

[Ian McCallum]

I was relatively brand loyal to SW, till Astro Essentials and the like came out - same accessories, but a bit cheaper.

[ollypenrice]

2 hours ago, F15Rules said:

I'm not an imager

Dave

No, I just threw it into the clamshell conversation for the sake of diversity. I like the clamshell for visual because it's quick and neat.

Olly

[Telescope40]

23 hours ago, Stu said:

A bolt in the top end of the dovetail, with the bolt head protruding downwards is the usual solution to this.

Hello. Think I may have to sort this out for a couple of my scopes. Anyone kindly confirm bolt size to use for SW dovetails. 
Thx. John