Pre-owned for beginners. Is it a good idea?

[SwiMatt]

Is it generally a good idea to buy a pre-owned telescope from retailers such as FLO, as a complete beginner, considering that I don't want to do any tinkerimg to start? Or are there inherent risks, such as possible early repairs to be taken into account, or things I cannot imagine yet?

Edited June 23, 2023 by SwiMatt

[Carbon Brush]

FLO are a retailer with a very good reputation. They have many happy customers over many years. Me included.
I have bought new and open box/returned items. The returned items have always had an honest description of condition.
In conclusion, I have no hesitation in recommending them for any purchases.

Now other retailers can be a completely different situation.
Stick with a specialist astronomy retailer who has good reports on a reputable astronomy forum.
Take a look at the supplier review section of SGL for example.
Absolutely avoid general retailers, ebay and Amazon Warehouse.

If you have a particular type of scope (or other equipment) in mind, ask around on SGL for user reports.
The sale section on SGL is a god place to buy used equipment.
We all want to continue to use SGL so are not going to offload rubbish or known problems without being open and honest.
If you look at the items for sale you will see known defects and problems described.
I have made a lot of purchases from SGL members and always had a positive experience.

HTH, David.

[SwiMatt]

That helped a lot @Carbon Brush, thanks! 

[Cosmic Geoff]

Depends on the retailer. FLO only sell new, and sometimes sell customer returns which are fully refurbished, checked and as-new, AFAIK.

Other retailers selling second-hand astro equipment may provide gear that they have not checked and tested. I bought a used SCT from a certain company for an attractive price. The seller pointed out that it had superficial scuffs and dents. I found that it was well out of collimation, and the power plug was making poor contact, causing erratic failure of the GoTo.  Rather than launch a complaints procedure, it seemed less bother to set-to and fix the problems.  Since then, the scope has performed as well as a new one.  But if I had been a clueless newbie, I would probably have ended up trying to return the scope. for a refund.

In conclusion, if you don't have a clue how to fix or adjust a telescope, don't buy one that might require attention.  Also be aware that there is not much that can go wrong with a telescope in the way of in-service failure, other than the electronics.  The chances of the electronics failing at some time are the same whether the scope is new or used, but if it is under warranty at least you have a come-back.

I had issues with one mount which required re-loading of the mount firmware to restore it to operation.  This required a certain familiarity with adapters and computer operation on my part, otherwise it would have meant an expensive encounter with a specialist repairer. 

Lesson 2: don't buy a GoTo model unless you are confident with computer operations. 

[Elp]

If you don't want to do any tinkering to start, get a good refractor. I think a lot of us like to take things apart when they don't work, if you're not used to this better to get a type of telescope which hardly if ever needs any tinkering.

 

Edited June 23, 2023 by Elp

[SwiMatt]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I am looking at a pre-owned mak from FLO, and I might pull the trigger earlier than I was planning based on your and their answers 

[The60mmKid]

Hi there,

A Mak can be a great scope, and FLO is top-notch. I'd recommend keeping in mind, though, that a Mak takes a little more effort to use than a refractor. It requires occasional collimation, thermal acclimation before use, possibly dew management, and the view it provides will likely suffer more when the seeing is poor. This isn't to deter you from purchasing it, but these are things that I didn't understand well when I was starting out. I love Maks, but you may want to consider a refractor if ease of use is a top priority.

[Cosmic Geoff]

28 minutes ago, The60mmKid said:

It requires occasional collimation, thermal acclimation before use, possibly dew management,

Maks rarely if ever require collimation. I have not had to touch mine even after several years of ownership.  The design has been used for gunsights on tanks, which suggests a certain robustness. 🙂 

Even quality refractors can be collimated, if you are determined to tinker. 

Maks DO require a dew shield.  Refractors also require a dew shield, but they mostly have one built-in and less conspicuous.

If FLO are offering you a customer return Mak, buy it quick before it goes out of stock. I'm sure it will perform exactly the same as a new one.  A no-brainer unless you have a fetish about pristine packaging or clamp marks on the dovetail.

[Naughty Neal]

With FLO preowned means literally the owner opened it tried it maybe once or twice and found it not to their liking , probably size or two heavy for them.

Sometimes listed as preowned by FLO because  it was an ex demo  item used by themselves.

If it is from FLO then one can be assured it is in  very good working order.

 

 

 

[The60mmKid]

7 minutes ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

Maks rarely if ever require collimation. I have not had to touch mine even after several years of ownership.  The design has been used for gunsights on tanks, which suggests a certain robustness. 🙂 

Even quality refractors can be collimated, if you are determined to tinker. 

Maks DO require a dew shield.  Refractors also require a dew shield, but they mostly have one built-in and less conspicuous.

If FLO are offering you a customer return Mak, buy it quick before it goes out of stock. I'm sure it will perform exactly the same as a new one.  A no-brainer unless you have a fetish about pristine packaging or clamp marks on the dovetail.

Note the word occasionally in my post that you quoted. I've received and owned maks that have required occasional collimation, as have plenty of other people. It isn't frequent, but it is sometimes needed.

[SwiMatt]

52 minutes ago, The60mmKid said:

Hi there,

A Mak can be a great scope, and FLO is top-notch. I'd recommend keeping in mind, though, that a Mak takes a little more effort to use than a refractor. It requires occasional collimation, thermal acclimation before use, possibly dew management, and the view it provides will likely suffer more when the seeing is poor. This isn't to deter you from purchasing it, but these are things that I didn't understand well when I was starting out. I love Maks, but you may want to consider a refractor if ease of use is a top priority.

Thanks for the heads up! These sre all things that I have considered. This being said, a Mak is still the best option for me because of how compact it is, as well as what I feel I can get the most use out of in my city skies. Later on I will consider a compact refractor for wider DSO views, probably

And thank you all for the answers! I am almost ready to pull the trigger 🤣

[bosun21]

I second what @Carbon Brush has already stated. Whatever you buy from FLO you have complete peace of mind. The Maksutov 127 I previously owned was great for planetary and lunar observing. It also never needed to be collimated even with heavy use. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[Procyon88]

I used to have a SW Pro 4 inch apo refractor, but the skies here are poor (on a clear night you can see third magnitude stars towards the zenith) it was no better than my SkyMax 102 Maksutov and I sold the apo. The Mak has no provision for collimation and hasn't needed any. 

[SwiMatt]

Well, I finally pulled the trigger on a pre-owned Sky-Watcher SkyMax 127 and I'm very excited, although skies in Sweden won't be great for observation until August 🤣 I can't wait to take it out for a stroll!

[Carbon Brush]

Good choice. The SW127 will delight with views of the moon when the sun is just set. Right now Venus is in a good place around sunset.
OK your sunset timing in Sweden varies a little from UK. I don't know how far north you are.
What I'm saying is that you can get started with the scope straight away.
Become familiar. Review the finder choice. Maybe think about a different eyepiece.
Then, in 3 months, you will be ahead of us with longer nights.
Enjoy😁

 

[Nik271]

Some good targets for a Mak in twilight: Venus (for the next few weeks), the Moon, a few famous double stars (can be seen when Sun is 6 degrees below horizon or more): Mizar, Albireo, Izar, the double double in Lyra, Rasalgethi.

If you get up early you can also catch Saturn about an hour before sunrise. Saturn and Jupiter will get even better at the end of the summer.

Edited June 23, 2023 by Nik271
typos

[SwiMatt]

Thank you all, you have been so helpful in my short stay here! 

To your comment, @Carbon Brush I took the opportunity and cheaper price of the scope to buy also a BST 15mm and a Barlow, so to have more views available. I know it is normally suggested to wait, but I felt that just the 25mm and a (notoriously) not-so-good 10mm that I might not be able to use on most nights (because of how much magnification it provides) were somewhat limiting. And I got a dew shield of course.

@Nik271 thanks for all these, you are always so helpful. I've been looking at the Moon and Venus every time I could with my binoculars, I have half an idea to start the Lunar 100. So looking forward to start observing!