where to buy online

[cat]

Help please I want to buy my husband a " beginners" telescope but dont know what and where to buy online for security and reliability. I plan to spend up to @ £200.

[Cornelius Varley]

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Peter

[coxie]

yeah first light optics without a doubt very reliable and helpful and the cheapest, if you find cheaper elsewhere they will match it but you wont find cheaper lol. Also ask peoples advice on what scope to buy, i just got my 1st scope the skywatcher explorer 130p very happy with it and its in your price range

[LukeSkywatcher]

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Peter

Yep. Seems like a good place to start. Great team of people at FLO.

[Helen]

Hi,

Welcome to SGL!

We have a suppliers' review section Supplier Reviews - Stargazers Lounge which would be good for you to read (don't just read the top few, read through to make sure you get a balanced view).

Personally I'd go with First Light Optics (click on the banner at the top of the page) who give great advice and service. I'd recommend calling them for a chat as you can then let them know your requirements (size, space, interests etc).

For £200 you'll get a good starter scope which should give your husband lots of great views! and you can direct him here so that he can tell us all about it!!

Helen

[Bizibilder]

Use FLO - (They are the sponsors of the site) Their service is exellent - you tend to get stuff by return. Give them a ring, they are most helpful and will sell you what you need NOT whatever they can!!!

[pvaz]

If you want people to recommend a specific telescope you can provide us with some information as:

- Do you have a nice backyard without much light pollution (stray light from nearby citys)? (It's important to know whether your husband can observe from home or not as some scopes are too big/heavy to be easily transported).

- What objects may interest your husband? (Planets, Galaxies, Nebula, star clusters, a bit of all)

- How much weight will be comfortable for him to pick up? (any back complications?)

There's a lot of choice out there. And some good suppliers in which FLO is included (and no, they don't offer any of us a bonus for recommendations. Steve and James are just 2 nice guys and active amateur astronomers who offer their advice and company on this forum). As Helen said, the supplier review section is a good place to chose where you'll buy from.

[orionhunter]

the skywatcher explorer 130, the 130m or the 130p should do you ok. and well within your budget.

or the Skywatcher Skyliner 150P Dobsonian.

a lot of scope for your money.

[cat]

many thanks everyone , the sky watcher explorer 130 was what I had in mind - so that is what I will probably go with and I will definately contact first light. Thanks again

[LukeSkywatcher]

The SkyWatcher 130 certainly seems to be the most popular choice as a starter scope recommended by most people (who know what they are talking about). The SkyWatcher 130P would be the model to go for. The Parabolic (P) optics are deemed far superior to non-parabolic optics.

[coxie]

yes i got the 130p the parabolic mirror is superior to a spherical mirror

[ashenlight]

I have a skywatcher 130PM (the 'M' just means it has a motor, so you can track objects as they move across the sky as the earth turns). It is a great scope, fantastic views of planets (remember, you will not get views like the Hubble space telescope, but they will still blow you away!) galaxies and nebulas, although they are in shades of grey and are quite faint, they are still amazing. Clusters of stars look like jewel boxes and you can have some real fun hunting down the famous open clusters that look like objects/animals.

Wishing you all the best with the scope venture the 130 will be an excellent buy. You will have some cash left over from the £200, a good starguide, alot of people recommend 'Turn Left at Orion', could be a good bet

[Moonshane]

I agree with the comments so far here but do consider a used purchase from someone reputable - I would suggest placing an add in the wanted section once you decide what sort of thing you want and then checking out the postings of those that reply and see what sort of feedback/comments they get.

you can get some serious bargains but of course you have to be careful that the person is reputable. this appears to apply to the people that sell on this forum.

if you buy new then I'd personally recommend a 6" dobsonian, or possibly a small refractor.

[Astro_Baby]

And steer clear of ebay telescopes as well - theres plenty of junk on ebay.

I'd give Steve or James at FLO a call.

I'd spend a teeny bit more and go for either this one Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 150P EQ3-2

or stay in budget and maybe buy a few extras with this one

Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 130P

Do let us know how hubby gets on.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I'd give Steve or James at FLO a call.

Two GREAT GUYS.

I have bought 3 times now from FLO (in the last 2 months) and each time they have emailed me at every stage to tell me the transaction was approved, product was shipped etc.

I have asked questions about the gear i have bought from FLO here on SGL and they have given me the answers i wanted.

Seriously.......................you can not go wrong if you GO WITH THE FLO.

[brantuk]

The only thing I'd add to the above comments is to spend your money on the optics (this means aperture and optical quality). You'll get a very good manual scope with eq mount and tripod for £200. I'd go for 6" aperture with parabolic mirror.

If he gets into the hobby then he can purchase motors, goto, cameras, lenses etc later - and he'll still have the best "bang for buck" in your budget. The 150P EQ3-2 fits the bill very well, is very versatile, and easilly transportable when looking for dark sites.

All the other stuff is personal preference and personal interest, but you will have got him the best possible optics within budget and he'll be thankfull for that.