A Dob That Won't Give Me a Hernia

[LukeTheNuke]

On 01/05/2024 at 21:45, Piero said:

Well, if I were you I would either wait or get a temporary solution from the second hand market until you have moved to your new house. Doing so, you will be sure that you invest money in the right instrument for the place where you will live for a while.

Thanks, Piero. Or is it Master Yoda? Very wise words.

We're hoping to move to Dorset, and if it happens, I will pile on the pounds in cream teas. But it could be years away, or never happen. So I was starting to think whether we should e.g. delay getting a big dob to see if we make it to Dorset. But I hadn't yet thought about the obvious, which is to buy used and resell if needs be. I wish I could call you a genius, but the truth is perhaps closer to that I am a dunce. Perhaps both are possible.

I'm surprised by just how flexible Sarah is with what we get. She even mentioned possibly getting a used Edge 11 today, as that would work for star parties as well. I was really surprised by that! I'm not sure it gains us a lot on the GSO 10, though I think it would tempt me back to lunar imaging. It is a bit heavy, but I think it would work for us as I'd be okay lifting it up to the mount, while Sarah secures it to the mount. The trouble I had with our old C11 was trying to do both on my own.

I think really I just want to see what the used market has to offer in the coming months, unless there's a really aggressive price reduction on a new scope. Thanks again for the thoughts, and apologies that I thought I kinda knew what I wanted in general terms. I'll have a bit more of a ponder, and perhaps some sense will return to me at some point. The biggest gap does still seem to be a bigger dob really. Or a solar scope, as we're not enamoured with the Quark. I think deep down I might want the VX14 really. Which I think is compatible with getting a 20 inch in Dorset. I just need to work out the money bit for the move (there's always a snag).

Edited May 4 by LukeTheNuke

[Louis D]

Just saw this beautiful Matthias Wirth 16" Dob come up on CN classifieds for € 3650.  The scope is located in The Netherlands:

Looks to be quite lightweight and compact to store.

[LukeTheNuke]

Thanks, Louis, that looks nice, though I'm looking for something in the UK.

Hmmm. I think a scope that might work for me, if I could find one at the right price, is an Obsession 18 inch. What do you think, folks? Although I wanted something that won't give me a hernia, I am now cool with the idea of it being quite easy to set up for two people - Sarah can help me. And it's a fairly big bonus if it can be taken to star parties.

It would be nice if it felt like an upgrade of sorts on our lovely old Skywatcher 400P Goto. So I'm wondering if the Obsession 18 would be a winner on all of those counts?

There is one for sale, and I could just about squeeze in the £4,750 asking price. But is this a good price for one? I have no idea. Looks like it was made in 2010. Any issue with that age? Does it affect value much?

https://ensoptical.co.uk/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=14915

Does the fringe report look good?:

Thanks for any thoughts.

PS the funds are due very shortly, touch wood. Budget is £5K at a push for the right scope, though £3K is more comfortable.

Edited May 29 by LukeTheNuke

[John]

I'm certainly not in the market for a big dob - my policy over the years has been to have a look through other peoples, where possible 🙂

If I was though, I think this is the sort of thing that I would look at:

U.K. Astronomy Buy & Sell (astrobuysell.com)

It actually looks to be at least movable on that trolley and Pulsar Observatories are a decent retailer.

Obsession dobs do have a large following though, especially in the US. Ed Ting did this review of a 20 inch one:

A "Classic" Big Dobsonian - The 20" Obsession Telescope - Go Big or Go Home! (youtube.com)

 

[Louis D]

Obsession 18" Classics were going for about $4500 pre-Pandemic on CN Classifieds.  I can't find even one listed since 2021.  Figure maybe $5000 to $5500 today.

Obsession 18" UCs have been going for about $5000 to $6000 over the past two years.

[LukeTheNuke]

Thanks John and Louis, sorry for not responding sooner. I thought I was following this thread, but I wasn't, and have only just noticed your replies! I'm following the thread now. 🙄

John, £3K for a 20 inch is tempting, and I see that one has a new Astro Tuff Truk. And they say it will fit through a standard 30" door opening. Hmmm. Do you think those poles are easy to take off? I have the storage issue. Sarah is not keen on it being in the house unless it's packed away in our cupboard under the stairs (where our 400P FlexTube was stored). And fully assembled I think it's going to be too tall for our shed.

Louis, thanks for the heads up on Obsession prices.

I should have the funds hopefully within the next 7 to 10 days. I think Sarah and I don't mind waiting for the right deal, we'd just like something in time for the new season. Sarah is fairly keen we get something to cover us for star parties.

I did have a chat with Sarah if she'd prefer to get a new solar filter / scope instead, as she struggles to do late nights at the mo. But she loves the variety with night-time observing.

And I had a think about going for a smart telescope instead. I like the idea of the easy imaging aspect, but I think I will stick with solar and lunar imaging. I think imaging during the day better suits me. I'm not much of a night owl, my brain shuts down at 8pm. So keeping it simple with observing works best for me I think. Maybe if I one day get an obsy, I might think about DSO imaging.

I did pick up a cheap USB camera for my solar and lunar imaging, and that hasn't eaten into funds much (I sold my cameras a while back, but had the itch to get back into it).

[LukeTheNuke]

Wohoo, funds are through at last! I think I will have a proper look at the latest used stuff on sale here on SGL and at astrobuysell. Thanks everyone for your thoughts.