First Telescope Suggestions and Advice

[Atomic_]

I am new to the hobby and are planning to get a 6INCH Dobsonian. However, I am stuck between choosing a brand, at the moment these are what I'm choosing from:
https://www.opticscentral.com.au/saxon-6-dobsonian-telescope-6-inch.html - Saxon 6 Dobsonian Telescope -6 inch
https://www.opticscentral.com.au/skywatcher-6-dobsonian-telescope.html?___SID=U#.XqOynv0zbIU - Skywatcher 6-inch Dobsonian Telescope
https://www.ozscopes.com.au/dobsonian-telescope-saxon-6inch.html - Saxon DeepSky 6" Dobsonian Telescope

From what I got from a a thread I posted on reddit (Here), they are fundamentally the same. But apparently the quality of the eyepieces & finders may be slightly different, and the availability of upgrades and accessories may be harder to find for the Saxon's as they are apparently an Australian brand.  

I am wondering if the quality is that different between the eyepieces, and finders. and if the upgrade kits are compatible between brands, e.g. can I use a Skywatcher upgrade kit on the Saxon.

[DAT]

Someone on your thread mentioned Bintel, they seem to make the GSO scopes where you are. Maybe consider the 8" if you can handle the weight and have space to store it (not that bigger than a 6"). Going by what they said, the 8" will have a much better package to start off with so an upgrade on many thigs is not that important. I bought mine from flo, this site's sponsor, and its great. The finder and focuser it came are really good, especially if just are starting out. Maybe have a look to see how packages  here compare to where you are . I think Bintel is the same as Stellalyra in the UK. 

Edited May 17 by DAT
spelling

[Atomic_]

10 minutes ago, DAT said:

Maybe consider the 8"

I've looked at some 8" Dobsonians but going from the 6 to the 8, the price pretty much doubles (from ~$600 to ~$1300), this is from FLO. From Bintel, OpticsCentral, and OzScopes this goes to around $800-$900.

I was planning to spend around $600, but I am willing to go to the 8", however as a teenager I do not have a good source of income and will have to wait a couple more months.

Currently I am using a 10x50 pair of handheld binoculars that are like 20yrs old and broken, so really anything is an improvement. If the difference is that significant between the 6" and 8" I might wait a couple months and go for the 8" instead.

[DAT]

Yes, budget is an issue but consider what the upgrades would cost and see what others have to say

[Saganite]

Hi there  and welcome to SGL.

Go with the Skywatcher 6" is my advice as it is within your budget, and will  show you so much it will keep you happy for years. You do not need to worry about the larger aperture, it will not make a massive difference and certainly not enough to warrant  twice the price.  The 6" is a very capable scope and was always promoted by the late great Sir Patrick Moore. I used one for a decade and a half, a long time ago, before I felt the need to go to a larger size.  

The money that you save will be better spent on a few better quality eyepieces and for very little money Starguider/ BST  will set you up.

Enjoy your scope when you get it and don't spend excessive time worrying about bigger and better.....not for a good while anyway..

Edited May 17 by Saganite

[woldsman]

Suggest looking closely at two things on 6 inch Dobs. Firstly, the focusser. Secondly, the collimation knobs, particularly for the primary mirror (bottom of the scope). Quality of these varies a lot. A focusser that’s not very sensitive and slips / collimation knobs that can’t be adjusted easily (some are just screw heads) causes frustration. Also the focusser should be a 2 inch one. If you live near a shop that displays stock, pay a visit and take a look. Also buy the biggest scope you can store and move comfortably. I have a 150mm (6 inch) reflector only because it’s used on an equatorial mount that has a limited payload. It’s fine but I used to have a 200mm on a Dobsonian & for visual the difference is very big, especially for these fast f5 to f10 reflectors. They draw in so much light. 

Edited May 17 by woldsman

[Saganite]

Good points, but the Skywatcher 6" Dob has a 2" Rack and Pinion focuser, so no slippage....

[seven_legs]

40 minutes ago, Saganite said:

Hi There  and welcome to SGL.

Go with the Skywatcher 6" is my advice as it is within your budget, and will  show you so much it will keep you happy for years. You do not need to worry about the larger aperture, it will not make a massive difference and certainly not enough to warrant  twice the price.  The 6" is a very capable scope and was always promoted by the late great Sir Patrick Moore. I used one for a decade and a half, a long time ago, before I felt the need to go to a larger size.  

The money that you save will be better spent on a few better quality eyepieces and for very little money Starguider/ BST  will set you up.

Enjoy your scope when you get it and don't spend excessive time worrying about bigger and better.....not for a good while anyway..

This is good advice. 

[Atomic_]

1 hour ago, Saganite said:

The money that you save will be better spent on a few better quality eyepieces and for very little money Starguider/ BST  will set you up.

the Skywatcher comes with:

- Super 25mm and Super 10mm Eyepieces

- 2" to 1.25" Eyepiece Adapter with M42 Thread

- 6x30 Finderscope

What eyepieces/focusers should I be looking at? I'm assuming it would be different for what you use it for, but is there any general eyepieces/focusers to look for?

[seven_legs]

I would just get used of the scope first. You might find you are OK with the focuser.

With hold spending until you know what you need.

 

[PeterStudz]

24 minutes ago, seven_legs said:

I would just get used of the scope first. You might find you are OK with the focuser.

With hold spending until you know what you need.

 

This ⬆️ 

It’s generally advice that I often hear and having been through similar I totally agree, especially if on a budget. Many of these Dob upgrades and additions are personal. Eg I found that using an optical finder on its own far too fiddly and inconvenient. So one of my first additions was adding a cheap red-dot finder to the optical finder - for me it made finding stuff so much easier, but others don’t have a problem. I lived with the bundled 25mm eyepiece for some time as when used I found it perfectly satisfactory. But didn’t like the bundled 10mm and changed that almost immediately. I also wanted to view the sun in white light. I find solar fascinating, especially at the moment, others may not. So one of the first additions was a home made white light filter. Doesn’t cost much to make your own, but do invest in a quality film.

I also agree with the advice of getting a 6” Dob.

Edited May 17 by PeterStudz

[Saganite]

59 minutes ago, Atomic_ said:

the Skywatcher comes with:

- Super 25mm and Super 10mm Eyepieces

- 2" to 1.25" Eyepiece Adapter with M42 Thread

- 6x30 Finderscope

What eyepieces/focusers should I be looking at? I'm assuming it would be different for what you use it for, but is there any general eyepieces/focusers to look for?

The focuser will be perfectly fine , so you will have in this Skywatcher all you need. I would probably scrap the 10mm and replace with a Starguider 12mm ( approx  90 dollars Australian), which will give 100x power and with the 25mm is ample for a good while until you get used to observing and deciding where your main interest is.

[DAT]

For sure you will enjoy this site, there is always good advice and lots of people have and are still helping me sort things out and make the right decisions 

[Second Time Around]

My advice would be to wait a few months and then go for the 8 inch rather than a 6 inch plus accessories.  You can always add accessories later - everyone does.  Doing it the other way round would work out much more expensive in the long run.

Edited May 18 by Second Time Around