Naglers, UWANs or Nirvanas...

[arad85]

OK.. I'm convinced that WA eyepieces are "my thing". I can't afford Ethos' so don't even bother suggesting them . Anyone any opinions of the above three.. I'd be thinking of spending around £500, so 7, 16 and 28mm for me if I went the UWAN/SW route. The Naglers are more expensive, so I'd only be looking at two. If you were me (see 'scopes in sig) which would you go for...

Also, assuming purchasing the cheaper UWAN/SW an additional Q.. WOs or SW's... they seem "the same". Anyone any opinions why I should spend an extra £75 for them over the SW.

Thanks in advance

[Doc]

Easy you get 10% discount on WO from FLO you don't get anything on SW from FLO.

I know people say they are the same, maybe they are but WO to me has a better name then SW, maybe a little snobbery, I don't know but believe me the WO ooze quality.

[alfi]

hi

the uwans and nirvanas are exactly the same, i dont see the point of paying more for a name.

i have 7mm and 16mm nirvanas, and a 28mm uwan coming on monday, took that since my scopepusher was out of nirvanas, and i got the uwan for the same price.

i dont think the televues are that much better, and i would go for tree rather than two in that case.

alfi

[GazOC]

The UWANs and the Nirvanas are the same. IMHO the only reasons to pay the extra money would be if you had more faith in WOs QC checks than in Skywatchers for some reason or for the resale value. I'd guess UWANs will hold their price better if you ever decided to sell them on.

[alfi]

yes, on resale value the WO may be a little better.

i dont think in those terms myself, but it is a thing to think of if you think you may sell them on.

alfi

[johninderby]

The Nirvanas are identical to the UWANs. On most scopes of f/5 or more they would perform about as well as the Naglers. It's only when you get down to a really fast scope that the higher quality of the Naglers starts to show. Nirvanas second hand might go for a bit less than a UWAN, but probably not as much as the price difference new, so you shouldn't lose out in resale value. Naglers of course do retain a large percentage of their value second hand as Naglers have been around for a while and will simply work well in any scope.

Observers are really getting spoiled now by the great eyepieces that are becoming available at bargain prices compared to just a few years ago.

John

[arad85]

So in summary so far... in a 'scope F/5 or above, Naglers are expensive compared to the competition. UWAN/Nirvana choice is purely down to perceived brand value... Hmmm...

[John]

I'm a fan of ultra-wide eyepieces as well and I've used a 16mm UWAN and the 28mm Nirvana and they are very nice indeed. Having been lucky enough to find Naglers and an Ethos at good prices that's what I've now got and don't regret a penny I've spent on them

For info I've got the 3.5, 5, 7 and 9mm Type 6 Naglers, a 13mm Ethos, a 22mm Type 4 Nagler and the 31mm Type 5 Nagler. It's a collection that I intend to keep for as long as I'm in the hobby and, IMHO, will work very well with any scope, which is just as well because I'v owned around 25 different scopes since I started the hobby

Whilst they are normally more expensive than their WO and SW counterparts, Tele Vue stuff holds it's value very well - when I have sold on their products in the past I've almost always got the money I paid for them back. Although I agree you don't buy these things with this in mind and I usually buy 2nd hand.

The performance difference between the Naglers and the UWAN / Nirvana's (they are the same eyepiece IMHO) is too small to justify the performance differences between them at the new prices although I guess thats a personal decision.

John

[arad85]

Hi John/all,

The performance difference between the Naglers and the UWAN / Nirvana's (they are the same eyepiece IMHO) is too small to justify the performance differences between them at the new prices

I think that sums up what I'd been thinking, so nice to actually see it written down.

One final question: I currently have an F/5 12". If I were going to change it (which I'm not thinking of doing, but you never know!), it would be to an F/4.5 16" lightbridge. Is that fast enough to make a significant difference between the TeleVues and UWAN/Nirvanas or are we talking about the 'scopes that are around F/4 before there is something noticeable.

[johninderby]

At f/4.5 you can tell the difference, the Naglers (and not to forget the Pentax XWs) are just that bit sharper and with a bit more contrast. It's not a huge amount, but it is there, and when you're after every last bit of performance many observers are willing to pay more to get that bit extra. Also with more experience observing you start to pick out subtle differences.

One other factor to consider is the quality of the optics the eyepieces will be used with. With premium optics the Naglers or Pentax XWs can show what they're really capable of. Any optical system will be limited by it's weakest link.

As I have mentioned before I think that the Nirvana/UWANs are a fantastic bargain that I would highly recommend to anyone, but you have to realise that as good as they are, there are better eyepieces out there if you're willing (or can afford) to pay more.

John

[John]

Tele Vue eyepieces are designed to work well down to F/4 and, according to their website, each unit is tested at this focal ratio before despatch.

John

[johninderby]

Tele Vue eyepieces are designed to work well down to F/4 and, according to their website, each unit is tested at this focal ratio before despatch.

John

Proper quality control isn't cheap.

Joh

[irishbloke]

About the uwan and nirvana similarities I read a thread on cloudy nights about this and they came up with the manufactures website that makes them and sells them on to different companies with their brand marks. Have a look.

UAW_Eyepieces

The cloudy nights discussion is here:

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=Eyepieces&Number=3024718&Forum=,,,,,,f75,,,,,,&Words=UWAN&Searchpage=6&Limit=50&Main=3024681&Search=true&where=bodysub&Name=&daterange=1&newerval=5&newertype=y&olderval=&oldertype=&bodyprev=#Post3024718

[arad85]

Thanks for the inputs all... Now, where's me credit card

[ombos]

I have the full set of uwans and am very pleased with them, the 16mm is the gem, the worst (no there is no worst at all that sounds bad) the least used is the 28mm.

I have a fast scope and a med scope, the uwans are great in both me duck.

Now I dont want to upset anyone BUT when I bought mine Greenwitch came in with a far better price than FLO, who yes I buy items from so dont start that one and yes they are normally the cheapest around, but cash in my pocket is better than in Steve's lol. Sorry bud.

[FLO]

Win some, lose some

Odd though as their online price today is the same as FLO's.

BTW, WO issued a new dealer price-list last week. There are a number of price increases so anyone thinking about buying WO kit would be wise to do so now rather than later while dealers still have pre-increase stock. The price of the FLT-110 in particular has increased significantly.

Edit: The price of UWANs has not changed.