Starter kits?

[bombassa]

All these 'I just bought a new scope' posts and my own recent experiences got me thinking.

I think it would be nice if you could get a 'Newbie Kit' with a collimating device of some sort, a few decent eyepieces, perhaps something for cleaning, a few easy to understand manuals etc.

Or perhaps it's already out there?

[Danz0o]

Not a bad idea bombassa, as a newbie myself i would certainly buy one if such a product existed.

[mayberts]

I agree, I would buy one

[Jakstaar17]

Same

Just looking at buying my first telescope and could do with something like this to go along with it.

[andyr]

That's really a good idea, I'd have bought one for sure, instead I'm left researching for weeks before taking the plunge, my next purchase is going to be a cheshire of some description, or maybe a laser collimater depending on price.....

[thesatanbug]

This does seem obvious doesn't it? Whenever you see those business advice programs, the “experts” tell any hobby shop proprietor to bundle a beginners kit together to get new punters in the door. I think the problem with these starter kits, is that they are easy for the opposition to pull apart. Whatever the kit is comprised of, someone is bound to say that you are wasting your money on x or y component so would be better off putting your own set up together to suit your particular needs. The margins on some of the extras (books for example) might be so small there isn't much room for movement.

Added to that, what is a beginners kit? I had a little extra cash to splash some months abck so spent about £600.00 on my first scope. That might be two to three times more someone else would spend on a first purchase, but only half the budget for someone else.

I think a better option is for retailers bundle all the bits n' bobs you need together, but price bracket them into say £250.00, £350.00, £500.00 kits etc... but add ALL the stuff you need to get you going so you know what the outlay will be from the start and can jump in at the level you want.

[benjy85pb]

I'd like to see a real good starter pack that comes with a decent pair of bino's, but one where you get a large planisphere, books on observing night sky, maps of the night sky etc, because with all that information in one pack the beginner can start off on the right track, instead of wondering what the hell they are doing the first time they go out stargazing.

Granted you can get all that stuff now, but its all got to be purchased individually. If it was available in one easy pack then the beginner can start getting to grasps with astronomy quite quickly instead of going straight for a telescope then wondering where they should be pointing it.