My eyepiece collection including a 21mm Ethos

[spaceboy]

I just bought myself a Pentax XO to add to the collection. I've been hoping one would show up for months but to no avail. They never seem to turn up used so I just had to buy new in the end.

I found this the case when looking for a 9mm Nagler. Put up wanted ads with no luck. Searched archives to see if any had ever been sold. Gave up in the end and bought new. A week later and.... you guessed it "9mm Nagler for sale":eek: 3-4 days after that another:icon_eek: A week after that

I am blessed with good health but that also came with what could be considered bad luck

[Kef9]

Yes you can bet that will be the case

Glad you managed to sell the 20mm Nag.

Just looking at your eyepiece collection and was wondering how you felt the 5mm TMB and 6mm Radian compare?

[spaceboy]

TBH IMHO the TMB Clone knocks it's socks off. I have ordered a 4mm I like them that much. The radian is great don't get me wrong but there is a hue of colour to the view which to be fair I have found to be the case in most TV's. The extra 0.2' of the radian is not that noticeable. The TMB was like looking at you car head lights on full bean through black piece of card with pin holes in. The image was so bright even though at these magnifications it's usually getting duller.

I have been toying with the idea of getting rid of the radian and replacing with a 6 & 7 mm TMB but as I have said in my reviews before.... what works for me may not for someone else. I think since joining the forum it comes across that eye piece collections are as much a hobby as astronomy it self and for this reason cheaper ep's like TMB's can be neglected as not being such a good ep due to its lack of status (£38 price tag) OK there are plenty of people who recommended TMB clones to me and I thank them for bringing these ep's to my attention. But I also see that those who have them often replace by a more £££ ep. Longer focal lengths I can understand but for shorter focal lengths I can't think why anyone would want to get rid of them.

Granted a TMB clone 58' can never compete with a TV 82' simply because TV's have ££££ spent on them to make them the premium ep they are but this is reflected in the price we pay. If you are on a budget or new to astronomy I would have no hesitation in recommending TMB clones to anyone and I'm not usually one for recommendations on some thing so particular or to personal taste.

Bit long winded but hope this answers your question Kef9

[Kef9]

Yeah I noticed that you had added the 4mm. Cheers for the feedback. You should cut and paste that out and submit a review.

If an eyepiece performs then cost doesnt come into it. My TV plossls and speers waler are great and were relatively cheap. They do a great job.

[spaceboy]

I'm not usually one for recommendations on some thing so particular or to personal taste.

If someone asks advice then I am happy to offer my personal view but this is all it would be...my personal view. I would not consider myself qualified in anyway to offer an accurate opinion on an eye piece to the extent it would influence someone to put their hand in their pocket. In this case I found £ for £ I could recommend this eye piece as I personally feel this cannot be classed as a budget EP. The price dose in no way reflect the actual quality you are getting. I will tread very carefully now.... £38 for a TMB clone or £77 for a Celestron X-cel now these are an example of 2 eye pieces with the price tags on the wrong way around!!! "lets hope Alan don't read these threads"

I think the X-cel comes with £40 worth of lettering on the side.

My 4mm came today and I will soon be ripping the foam from my flight case to add it to the collection. The only criticism I would add is it appears the new shipment came with a bit of additional paint to the mix. Again down personal taste but I preferred the uncluttered look of my 5mm over the attempt to put a brand on the new clones.

Sounds more like a pro biotic drink to me