Gear you sold but wish you hadn't...?

[FLO]

I think the Synta ED80 and ED100 should be considered modern classics...

Particularly the Evostar ED80. Its impact on amateur astronomy has been huge (even I've bought one!). In a roundabout way, it has also been responsible for the current wave of sexy Taiwanese APOs. I mean, when a compact, sturdy refractor with Japanese fluorite glass and a Crayford focuser becomes available for around £300.... Whats the competition to do?

[GazOC]

Very true Steve. A couple of years ago I wouldn't even look at refractors due to price, these days a decent 110mm Apo is not so much of a wallet buster.

[John]

Another major change for the better with regard to astro equipment was the arrival of russian scopes - TAL, Intes etc. I can remember reading the 1st review of one (Astronomy Now - the 11cm TAL1 Newt I think) with some disbelief then I saw the TAL100 refractor being advertised in AN for £250, EQ mounted, including delivery in late 1999 - so I took a flyer and ordered one .... it arrived about 3 weeks later in it's coffin-like trunk and had come overland from Siberia. Mine was serial 0075 and was a great scope - not glossy but really well engineered. It's only drawbacks were i) it's mount was not as good as the OTA and ii) the limited focusser travel.

If I saw a TAL100 OTA at a good price I might be tempted again - great optical quality for the £'s.

John

[SteelRat]

If I saw a TAL100 OTA at a good price I might be tempted again - great optical quality for the £'s.

I'm KEEPIN mine

[Whippy]

So that's two of us that are after one now...

[James]

This thread is fantastic - now I know to keep my EQ5 and 24mm Panoptic (well, I was intending to anyway) and start saving for an ED100.

Does a Soul count?

My wife's in charge of mine...

[Astroman]

"Of all the things I've lost in life, I miss my mind the most"

[SteelRat]

[Stormwatch]

I bought a 2" Meade 26mm wide field EP without realising it was 2". So I sold it at a loss. Only to buy a Celestron scope about a week later that takes 2" EP's! DOH!

[mrdjscsc]

Hi all,

My one regret was that I had to sell my Cave Astrola 8" f6 Newtonian. It was a beautiful scope for its time, and was my first real astronomical telescope (I had previously had a cheap 4.5" reflector which was not brilliant). This was 1983, and I was about 18 when I sold it, so it was many years ago. The scope was one of the last built by Cave in LA before they went out of business. Since then I have always had a desire to find that 'classic scope' like a Cave, a Starliner, or orange tube C8s in good condition. I currently have an Orion Optics 14" f4.7 Dob, and an ED-80 on a Televue Gibraltar mount here in the UK, and a Skywatcher ED-100 on a Vixen Porta Mount back home in Australia. But adding a classic scope to the collection is high on my wish list.

I've included the original Cave Astrola ad for those too young to remember the good old days.

Malcolm

[Macavity]

Skymax MAK 90 - OK, it's a Maksutov, with attendant "negatives"...

But that modest little scope really was "Tack Sharp". (Regd.TM?)

My (beginning) set of Vixen Lanthanums, An Antares 1.6x 2" Barlow

and (perhaps) even my Antares Speers-Waler 10mm (But I'll live!)

[KaStern_Former_Member]

Hello GazOC,

I wish I never had sold the UO Klee Barlow.

At that time I had owned of these I was too inexperienced an my eyepieces were too bad.

I think I have to buy me a new one in the USA, most certainly the 2,2x version.

Regards,Karsten