How good are the Altair 👋 Wave refractors?

[900SL]

The current 115mm f7 Wave sounds pretty good, and is tempting me.

Fpl-53, tested, enhanced QA during production, certificate in green, nice focuser and components, sounds similar to the TS CF APO range. A step up from the standard 115mm FPL51 models.

Only issue is the somewhat patchy customer service that seems to be reported from some Altair clients (I'm assuming they are a smallish outfit)

I've had feedback from a couple of users who seem pretty happy, anybody else out there with the 115mm or 130mm?

[900SL]

Rare birds, it would seem..

[The Lapwing]

They are excellent scopes 

[heliumstar]

All these scopes I think are  the same. Altair, TS, Starfield, Tecnosky, WO, etc. I had 3 Altair scopes and all were excellent both mechanically and optically. One of the best out there. I still miss Altair 80ED-R I sold. It was on par with Takahashi 76. And I mean completely on par - no difference whatsoever. Amazing star test in both and you could see less purple in Altair actually. Tak 76 has nothing on it apart from being slightly lighter but Altair has shorter tube and is 4mm wider. 

I am sure you would be very happy with any 115mm you get - no matter if Altair, TS, Tecnosky or whichever brand you buy. Go with the cheapest imo...

[Clarkey]

I have the 115mm Starwave which is FPL51. I have found the correction excellent and use it for visual and AP. I would therefore assume the Wave would be better. I am picky about CA and I am happy with the cheaper version, so logic says the Wave should be superb.

FWIW, I have purchased a few things from AA and they have been very helpful. So no complaints from me.

[Cjg]

On 16/11/2023 at 17:13, 900SL said:

The current 115mm f7 Wave sounds pretty good, and is tempting me.

Fpl-53, tested, enhanced QA during production, certificate in green, nice focuser and components, sounds similar to the TS CF APO range. A step up from the standard 115mm FPL51 models.

Only issue is the somewhat patchy customer service that seems to be reported from some Altair clients (I'm assuming they are a smallish outfit)

I've had feedback from a couple of users who seem pretty happy, anybody else out there with the 115mm or 130mm?

Owner of the 125mm EDF here. 

It's the doublet rather than the triplet, so perhaps not helpful to you, but, very happy with the views, and quality of fit and finish.

Mine came with three pages of a test report that shows lots of figures that don't mean much to me, as I'm a visual observer.

The important Strehl ratio is 965.  

My version didn't come with a handle, so invested a small fortune with FLO to purchase the William Optics Handle which transformed the attaching to the mount (especially the unattaching after a long observing session when tiredness and cold sets in!!)

Despite living in Norfolk, 25 miles or so from Altair, I purchased mine from Tring Astronomy, as at the time they were regulars at the Astro Camp in Wales and I wanted to support them.

The Telescope Express version looked identical, and could be configured with the larger focuser too, so suspect that they come from the same factory in China.

Good luck.

Chris

 

[tomato]

I had a Altair Starwave 107mm APO, it was a fine scope, I only sold it as I had moved on to larger Esprit refractors. I think it is a rebranded scope, somebody more knowledgeable than me can perhaps tell us from which presumably Asian manufacturer they all originate from.

[900SL]

On 19/11/2023 at 22:00, heliumstar said:

All these scopes I think are  the same. Altair, TS, Starfield, Tecnosky, WO, etc. I had 3 Altair scopes and all were excellent both mechanically and optically. One of the best out there. I still miss Altair 80ED-R I sold. It was on par with Takahashi 76. And I mean completely on par - no difference whatsoever. Amazing star test in both and you could see less purple in Altair actually. Tak 76 has nothing on it apart from being slightly lighter but Altair has shorter tube and is 4mm wider. 

I am sure you would be very happy with any 115mm you get - no matter if Altair, TS, Tecnosky or whichever brand you buy. Go with the cheapest imo...

Thanks for the feedback, appreciated. Yes, the 115's share some similarities. The  Altair seems to have better glass and QA/QC though, similar to the TS CF line. It's more a case of can I trust Altair in the event of any issues in shipping/collimation. It's a major PITA to return stuff to the UK post Brexit..

[900SL]

On 24/11/2023 at 00:58, Clarkey said:

I have the 115mm Starwave which is FPL51. I have found the correction excellent and use it for visual and AP. I would therefore assume the Wave would be better. I am picky about CA and I am happy with the cheaper version, so logic says the Wave should be superb.

FWIW, I have purchased a few things from AA and they have been very helpful. So no complaints from me.

Thanks Clarkey, good endorsement, appreciated

[tomato]

My Altair 107 mm Starwave APO which was purchased via Modern Astronomy, came with an optical test report. I posted this with the ad in the for sale section of SGL: