celestron xlt150 vs. skywatcher explorer 150p

[hellokitty]

Hi guys,

Have got my choice of scope down to two, the celestron omni xlt 150 and the skywatcher explorer 150p. It looks like your get more eyepieces with the explorer but the xlt tube seems to be made of metal rather than plastic, also the mount seems to be more substantial than the skywatcher one which sways me to choose the celestron scope. The celestron looks much better than the skywatcher in my eyes but its around £100 more with less eyepieces.

So really would like to know which scope you would you go for and how much extra the eyepeices for the celestron would cost me to get a similar package to the skywatcher. Are the eyepieces with the skywatcher low quality and once up and running would look to replace them anyway?

Any thoughts or advice very welome...thanks

[Cornelius Varley]

There should be no difference in the two telescopes optically, they are basically the same tube as they are made by the same company who owns both Celestron and Skywatcher. Both OTAs are metal, the Skywatcher has a dual fit crayford focuser and the Celestron has a 1.25" r&p focuser. The CG4 mount might be better as this has ball bearings, I think the EQ3-2 has phosphur bronze bearings but I am not certain on that. Both the CG4 and EQ3-2 are copies of a Vixen mount and all the acessories for the EQ3-2 fit the CG4. The eyepieces supplied with most Skywatcher telescopes tend to be of a low quality and replaced, a couple of reasonable eyepieces would cost about £40 - £50 each.

Peter

[hellokitty]

Thanks Peter,

I really like the look of the celestron but the extra cost of this scope over an optically identical skywatcher plays on my mind and its around £100 different.

What warrants the extra cost, is it the mount or just branding or a bit of both?

[PhoenixRising]

If the Skywatcher has a 2"/1.25" Crayford focusser, and is £100 cheaper, then its a no-brainer. Plus, the £100 you save can go on accessories.