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Dob questions

GordonCopestake

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GordonCopestake

GordonCopestake

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I'm looking at buying a dob for winter. I currently have an ED80 and came to the dawning realization that because i'm purely a visual observer i would be a lot better off if i swapped my tiny APO for a not so tiny reflector. On the cheap side I could go with the GSO dob, although telescope house have stopped selling these, Telescope-service in germany still sell them. There is also the synta skyliner dobs, i have no experience with these and have not really heard anything about them. There is also the Orion intelliscope dobs which I quite like the sound of due to the DSC's. I'm thinking that the 10" would be a nice size thats still portable and large enough to impress me.

What are peoples thoughts about these 3 sorts of dobs, any personal experiences? Other than the obvious differences in price, what are the relative merits of each sort?

Any thoughts appreciated!

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FLO

FLO

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Can't comment on the GSO range as they are only available from outside UK(?).

Have sold many of the 8 and 10" Skyliners and had nothing but positive feedback.

Don't sell Orion's but from what I can tell, they have the same Synta mirror-sets as the Skyliners.

More recently, Meade's Lightbridge Truss Dobs seem to have found their feet. They are receiving favourable reviews and becoming increasingly popular. The Lightbridge range use the same mirror-sets and focusers as the GSO models but better construction, finish and finder-scope. The argument for a Truss Dob increases along with the aperture size so, not surprisingly, the 12" is the most popular.

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/products.php?cat=31

http://www.firstlightoptics.com/products.php?cat=36

Hope that helps.

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GordonCopestake

GordonCopestake

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As I only observe from my back garden, i have no need for the portability that I would pay so much for in the lightbridge scopes

The skyliners seem just as good as the gso's but i've not seen any reviews yet and i wonder how useful the dsc's would be and if they are worth the (massive) extra cost. The skyliner 10" is £379 and the 10" Intelliscope is £835. Plus p&p

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GordonCopestake

GordonCopestake

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I've just checked Telescope Service website. You did notice that the price was 899€. That works out at about £600 (including Intelliscope)

Andy

Sorry yes the Orion 10" is £600, i was looking at the 12" hehe. The 10" is £599 from SCS also so the same price.

The 12" is £899 from SCS and £835 from TS so a little cheaper.

Russ, i value you opinion and you were not brand bashing just sharing your experiences of different brands. I agree that Orion stuff tends to be better than skywatcher stuff

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russ

russ

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Russ, i value you opinion and you were not brand bashing just sharing your experiences of different brands. I agree that Orion stuff tends to be better than skywatcher stuff

that was the jist of it. Basically although it appears Orion USA and Skywatcher roll down the same production line, the finish article suggests otherwise.

Having owned the ED100 from both brands, it's immediately apparent Orion have paid Synta a little extra for a higher standard product. Orion are also far more cautious to release a new Synta product. It took them the best part of a year before they were ready to release the ED120.

Orion also have a reputation (certainly Stateside) that's second to none in the industry. To guard that reputation you can bet they ask Synta for that little bit extra.

Was that about it Gordon? It seemed longer before? I must of padded it out with waffle :?

Russ

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fmeireso

fmeireso

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As I only observe from my back garden, i have no need for the portability that I would pay so much for in the lightbridge scopes

The skyliners seem just as good as the gso's but i've not seen any reviews yet and i wonder how useful the dsc's would be and if they are worth the (massive) extra cost. The skyliner 10" is £379 and the 10" Intelliscope is £835. Plus p&p

Don't forget your domestic supplier Gordon ,Orion Optics.... for 659 £ you have a fine 10 inch dob....

I would not care much about that intelliscope outfit. But that is personal...

This said my own 10 inch Skywatcher is a very fine instrument but i am not so sure for the skywatchers mounts though. They seem to move rather stiff. The lightbridge moves very smooth but has other drawbacks, too much white paint around the scope and for a 10 inch i don't see the need for an truss design....

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fmeireso

fmeireso

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Freddy, I haven't forgotten OO, but whilst they have excellent optics their mechanics tend to be overpriced IMO. Best of all worlds would be OO optics in a GSO body. I have considered building my own dob but the last one i made, whilst it worked wasn't fantastic hehe

I am not so sure. True i had my difficulties with my Crayford but their rack and pinions seem Synta stuff. Not the best of the best but they still work very good. The tube? better then my Skywatcher. The OO is far better blackened. The spider, is great and is about thesame value of an synta spider. IMO

I don't know for their dob mounts. I have seen one, moved it and it seemed rather nice, but that is a first impression, rather limited value of course...because i did not use one in the field.

What i don't understand why the other manufacturers have heavier tubes(mirrrors) and OO does not? Is a thinner mirror not always an advantage? Cools down quicker no? and weight is always an issue with scopes, at least to me it is....

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GordonCopestake

GordonCopestake

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Well I now have a buyer for my ED80, and after some careful thought (and resisting some temptation by Arthur) I have decided to purchase a 12" Lightbridge. I initially didn't think that i needed the portability but thinking about it the truss design means the whole thing is lighter than a solid tube which means less weight when dragging it out of the shed. Plus should i wish to move the scope to a dark site, i can do so much easier. The Lightbridge is more expensive than a solid tube but after thinking about it im sure it's actually worth it. I might have more problems with collimation but thats not a hassle to me. I'll write a review when I get a chance.

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