Feather Touch V Moonlite

[Solar B]

Hi Folks

After having read some "Fantastic" remarks about FT focusers a month or so ago on SGL i took it upon myself to try one

alongside a Moonlite.

Now this is not some indepth comparison but just a quick review

of my findings.

The FT i found to have a very controlled and precise movement,akin to a souped up WO focuser.

The ML has a completely different feel,it has a smoothness and fluidity about it that make it a joy to rak in and out.

So either focuser would more than suffice,or a WO for that matter,so to say that one is better than the other is a nonsense

in my opinion.

Brian

[mike bacanin]

Hi Brian,

I would say there's not much between the FT or the ML focussers.

Both are superb.

However,the engineering on the WO focusser i had last year which allows the focusser to be rotated,was poor.

It consisted of 3 plastic grub screws bearing into a channel. When the focusser rotated, you could see it deviate out of true.Tightening the screws merely made the action stiff.It could also affect the centring of the optical axis.

The engineering on the Moonlite that replaced it was of another level altogether.

Of course, there was about £100 difference, but you get what you pay for.

Mike

[Ben Ritchie]

So either focuser would more than suffice,or a WO for that matter,so to say that one is better than the other is a nonsense

in my opinion.

I have both, and would agree - they're both very good (as is the Baader steeltrack) with slightly different 'feel' to them, but no significant difference in use.

One minor advantage for me is that it's easier to fit Robofocus to a Feathertouch or Steeltrack than a Moonlight.

[George]

I have the Moonlight on my newt, all I can say is its a work of art

[Solar B]

Gentlemen not wishing to appear pedantic but its MoonLITE

Brian

[Ben Ritchie]

Gentlemen not wishing to appear pedantic but its MoonLITE

Brian

You're quite right! I've had four, and never noticed...

[Solar B]

My Mate Andy still refers to them to as Moonlight and ive already

had to correct him once or twice Ben.

Brian

[calibos]

While I can't attest to the smoothness of a Moonlite because I have a motofocus version on my Dob, I can attest to the beauty of it and the highly accurate machining tolerances, ie perfect fit of a well machined Glatter laser in the well machined focuser drawtube and/or 1.25" adapter.

Its also very modular, where I was able to purchase a new mounting plate and spacers when moving it from my older scope to my newer one. It was also very easy and simple to disassemble it completely and re-assemble it when I was switching the orientation of the motor from right to left.

[johninderby]

I've owned both, and FeatherTouch and MoonLite do indeed make superb 2" focusers. The 2" FeatherTouch is their cheapest bottom of the range model and they also make 2.5", 3.0" and 3.5" focusers.

While there isn't a lot of difference in performance betwen the two 2" focusers the FeatherTouch is however more durable with better materials used in the key wear points and more precise machining.

One focuser that really did surprise me was the Baader SteelTrack, very, very close indeed to the FeatherTouch and MoonLite in performance.

John