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A constelation of Mead 16" lightbridge sales on Fleabay

Bigwings

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Bigwings

Bigwings

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Hi Doc

There were two last week or just before and I think one went for under £800 and the other for 1200.

The two on at the moment are about £1000 with no bids.

Quite a few extras as well.

Could be tempted but want an Orion xx14i....well I can dream

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John

John

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Having owned a 12" Lightbridge I can quite understand that the 16" version is not for the faint hearted !. Perhaps they get bought in haste by relatively well heeled newcomers to the hobby who read that "aperture is king" then go for the max that is readily available - eg: the LB 16".

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johninderby

johninderby

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One of the 16" LB's just sold for £1,000. There was one bid only in the last 30 seconds !!

Quite a bargain really against the £1,800 retail price from new

They could be picked up brand new for £1,099.00 just over a year ago so the seller has probably got back most of what they paid for it.

I can't imagine Meade is selling many of them nowadays at £1,800.00, that's just too much for the scope considering all the mods needed.

John

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DarkerSky

DarkerSky

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They could be picked up brand new for £1,099.00 just over a year ago so the seller has probably got back most of what they paid for it.

I can't imagine Meade is selling many of them nowadays at £1,800.00, that's just too much for the scope considering all the mods needed.

John

I find that surprising that you could get them for £1099 new a year ago. Retail outlets in the UK have pretty much a fixed price on these that are not under £1790 as far as I can make out.

You *could* get them shipped direct from the U.S. at a lower price around the amount you say, as you can do on ebay, but not through official Meade retail channels due I guess to regional reseller agreements. That would be too much of a risk IMHO

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johninderby

johninderby

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The suggested retail was £1299.00 and quite a few official Meade retailers discounted them by £200.00 or so.

I know prices of astro gear have gone up in the past year but I can't believe the massive price increase on the LB16 in just a year.

John

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arad85

arad85

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Well, the prices then were:

8": £390.51

10": £518.71

12": £684.12

16": £1075.61

Compared to todays prices (from FLO)

8": £379

10": £579

12": £799

16": £1799

Comparing prices (then:now) we have the following %age increases:

8": -3%

10": +12%

12": +16%

16": +67%

Hardly a linear progression...........

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Bigwings

Bigwings

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I guess the 16 LB is on its own and if you want one there aint many to choose from.

It will be interesting to see what happens now Orion have a n xx14i and look like going fully goto. Skywatcher are getting bigger??? and motorised ..possibly going goto.

Mead will not sell their outdated spec at those inflated prices.

The rash of 16 LB's might reflect (pun intended) a move to higher spec even at smaller aperture.

The writing is on the wall for Meade and I hope their profiteering will be remembered.

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acey

acey

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As others have said, the reason why you see lots of big (12"+) used scopes for sale is because people buy them without realising what a handful they are. If you're thinking about an Orion 14" I would seriously advise you to get a look at one in real-life first, otherwise you might end up selling on eBay too. The one thing that is definitely non-linear is weight of scope versus aperture size.

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Doc

Doc

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As you know I have one of these beasties and they are huge. The base itself doesn't fit a standard doorway and is very heavy indeed.

I can see why people get fed up off them, I'm quite lucky as my patio is only 10 feet away from where it's stored but my dark site is a car trip away and then it's a big pita to strip down and move it.

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Bigwings

Bigwings

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As others have said, the reason why you see lots of big (12"+) used scopes for sale is because people buy them without realising what a handful they are. If you're thinking about an Orion 14" I would seriously advise you to get a look at one in real-life first, otherwise you might end up selling on eBay too. The one thing that is definitely non-linear is weight of scope versus aperture size.

Yes thats true to a point but the thread started with why the cluster of sales now. Havent seen any that I can remember over the last year.

I would love a BIG dob but I only have to move it 6 feet from the conservatory to the observation point.

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DarkerSky

DarkerSky

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Well, the prices then were:

8": £390.51

10": £518.71

12": £684.12

16": £1075.61

Compared to todays prices (from FLO)

8": £379

10": £579

12": £799

16": £1799

Comparing prices (then:now) we have the following %age increases:

8": -3%

10": +12%

12": +16%

16": +67%

Hardly a linear progression...........

+67% is a huge margin !!

But then in terms of choice for 16" aperture or higher, there isn't much - unless you go to someone like David Lukehurst and get a spec built. At least you feel he has justification for his pricing as each one is built indivdually to order. He's got some fantastically portable designs too :(

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johninderby

johninderby

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At the current price of £1,800 the LB16 is only £100.00 less than the standard Orion Optics 16" dob which has a bit better optics with a low expansion glass mirror and the OO aluminium base and needs no mods and is a lot lighter and easier to move about. The LB16 bought used is an alternative, but at the new price?

Of course with the OO, as each one is custom made to order, you can have OO modify it in any way you want. (tube length, heavier gauge tube, colour, fit any focuser etc.).

John

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TopHouse

TopHouse

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I roll it on its side with rubber gloves for grip. Makes it much easier to negotiate those pesky door spaces :D

I bet you look a beauty prancing round the house with a telescope and a pair of pink marigolds on! What must the neighbours think!! :(

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