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14" Bog Standard Dob?

Mamsoth

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Mamsoth

Mamsoth

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Hi Guys, I see the Orion xx14i is out, it's priced at about £1250 ($1800), does anyone know of a good 14" dob without the "intelli" part (i.e without object location). I can't really afford to stretch to £1250 at the moment so a 14" bog standard dob with no bells and whistles is really what I'm after (truss or solid tube).

I've been searching around for ages and can only find the xx14i or a 14 incher from websters which is £££. Could anyone help me with some suggestions for a 14" inch dob, sub £1250? (if such a thing even exists?)

Clear Skies :D

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NGC 1502

NGC 1502

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Hi, If you could compromise down to 12" then the Revelation 12 at Telescope House has a good reputation at half the cost. Not exactly what you are after I know but the views thru a 12 is very similar to a 14. Cheers, Ed.

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johninderby

johninderby

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:eek:There's plenty of 12" dobs around which means the prices are pretty low. However 14" dobs have really only been available from the premium manufacturers until now. SkyWatcher will have a plain basic version when they release their 14" dob (same optics as the Orion) so it might be worth waiting to see what the SkyWatcher will be priced at.

Unfortunately the Orion xx14i is priced at £1699.00 here in the UK so I don't think that it will sell that well as SkyWatcher always undercuts Orion's prices by a big margin here.

John

PS

I would shudder to think what it would cost to have a Orion xx14i shipped over from the US :D

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Mamsoth

Mamsoth

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Thanks for all the replies, I guess I will have to wait for the 14" sky watcher. I have a 12" skywatcher at the moment (I know, I know, is it really worth the hassle for an extra 2" aperture) theres only one true way to find out and thats to sell my current scopes and get the 14 incher.

On the subject of the 14" skywatcher, does anyone know when it will be released, I saw it on their website roughly 1 million years ago and it still isn't here : S

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Moonshane

Moonshane

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Wasn`t there a 16" Light Bridge for sale on astrobuysell recently?

Alan:)

I agree on this, you see them go for maybe £1200 or so used occasionally so it may be worth waiting for one of these.

if you definitely want a 14" now and new then I would strongly recommend the Orion Optics UK one as the optics will be at least comparable, possibly better (and definitely so if you go for the HILUX option) BUT importantly the base is made of aluminium and will never fall apart if it gets damp which I understand can happen eventually to the 'chipboard' ones. the OTA may also be substantially lighter but not sure if this is still the case.

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johninderby

johninderby

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I went from a 12" dob to a 16" Lightbridge and then finally upgraded to a 14" OO UK with the better than 1/10PV optics (actually 1/11 PV and 99 Strehl) and a StellarCAT system. With the Hilux coatings you actually get a little bit more total light transmission than the 16" Lightbridge, so the performance is equivalent on DSOs but then on planetary / lunar the OO is in a different league. I find that the 14" OO gives me the best of both as it's nearly as light as the 12" dob, but outperforms the 16" Lightbridge, and then of course there's the StellarCAT drive system. :D It's not that I don't think that the 16" Lightbridge is a good scope, but it's just so £$&^% heavy and big and bulky.

The 14" OO dobs with the 1/10PV optics don't come up for sale very often, but the ones with the >1/4PV or >1/6PV mirrors do show up from time to time. Even the cheapest most basic version has optics that are actually about 1/5 PV, which is slightly better than the Meade or SkyWatcher mirrors which are usually about 1/4 PV or 1/4.5 PV. The >1/4PV mirrors don't usually come with the Hilux coatings though, and I wouldn't buy one unless it had the Hilux coatings, not just for the increased performance but for the fact that the coatings have a 25 year life expectancy.

However on price v performance nothing can match a regular 12" dob as they are manufactured in such relatively large quantities that the prices are incredibly low for what you get. As with APO refractors etc. moving up to the next level does cost a LOT more but only you can decide if it's worth it.

John

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Mamsoth

Mamsoth

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I appreciate all the advice, perhaps a secondhand 16" lightbridge is the way to go (although god knows how I'll lift her, I'm quite a slim guy). There is a very small chance I may have some money coming to me in the not so distant future in which case I'll just fulfil my dream and buy an 18inch Obsession....Soon my pretty....Soon :D

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Mamsoth

Mamsoth

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Ajg I'll give you £600, do we have a deal??? Could you imagine, Yes I'd love to sell my £1100 scope to you for nearly half what Im asking, and here take one of my kidneys too while you're at it.

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ajg

ajg

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Erm ... No deal! :D

If I were you, I'd probably stick with the 12" - IMO you'll be disappointed upgrading to a 14".

Generally, recommendation goes in 4" increments, eg. 6-10-14-18, 8-12-16-20 because the inbetween values don't have enough difference in light grasp to make it worthwhile.

If your budget is £600, you're going to struggle to get a 14. Not impossible (you can always drop lucky), but don't hold your breath ... :D

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Mamsoth

Mamsoth

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Thanks for the advice ajg. For the 14" my budget could be stretched to £1250. If I had that sort of money on me now I would have bitten your arm off for your lightbridge and snapped it up instantly (I was looking at it a couple weeks ago online wishing It was mine 8^) ), it's just I won't be able to get hold of the funds for at least a good few months (and thats being optimistic). Alas I'll have to make do with my skywatcher for now, such a hard life, lol. Cheers again and clear skies to you

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