Phenix telescopes

[Voyager]

can anyone tell me if the phenix line of telescopes are any good?

Phenix 114mm 4.5" Reflector Telescope - complete set. on eBay (end time 12-Mar-10 17:17:01 GMT)

[russ]

I know it's an extra £30 but personally i would go with a Skywatcher 130P for £130. I really have no idea what the optics are like in those Phenix 114's but i know the 130 has superb optics plus you get some extra aperture to boot. It would be worth the peace of mind for the extra £30.

Reflectors - Skywatcher Explorer 130

Russ

[Brett]

Hi voyager,

I would go for the skywatcher 130 as Russ has suggested. I have the skywatcher and have no complaints.

Regards

Brett

[John]

I would not buy that Phenix scope. I believe it's a catadioptric newtonian design which use a field corrector in the bottom of the eyepiece drawtube and a spherical rather than parabolic primary mirror. These are very difficult to collimate and the additional lens elements can introduce abberations into images seen though them. Additionally (a lesser issue) the secondary mirror support vanes are rather too thick and will further degrade image quality. These scopes are similar to the Seben ones which don't have a good reputation I'm afraid.

Go for the Skywatcher 130 as the others have suggested.

[haitch]

I had it confirmed a while back by Sky's The Limit that they use spherical mirrors in the Phenix reflectors. From what I've heard their refractors aren't too bad though.

[sgazer]

I would also strongly advise you to buy a scope with a known quality, such as the Skywatcher, which is only a little more money.

I don't know about the Phenix scopes so can not comment on them, but I've read a lot of stuff saying that short reflector scopes with a barlow/corrector in the focuser can be really poor and if so, it might put you off astronomy for life. They come under several "ebay" names, but look pretty similar.

Definately go with the Skywatcher, then you know you are getting the best for your money. eg. this one would be great....

http://firstlightoptics.com/proddetail.php?prod=SW_explorer_130

and apart from known good quality optics, it will also capture 30% more light as it is 130mm. 114mm is a little on the small side for a reflector.

[Voyager]

thanks