Same manufacturer ?

[robindurant]

In the Sky @ Night mag this month they are reviewing some Reflector Scopes. On looking at the Celestron & Skywatcher they are almost identical. The Labels are stuck on the same place and all the fittings are the same. One is Black and the other Blue. That is the only difference I could see. The mount is different but again the Tripod is identical. Am I being cynical in thinking they are both manufactured by the same company. However one got a better rating than the other !!

[blinky]

I think they are one and the same as you suspect both manufactured by Synta.

[GordonCopestake]

Yup Synta manufactures lots of kit for Celestron (they own celestron) they also are resold by skywatcher and orion as well as a few others. Most chinese stuff is synta these days.

[SteelRat]

I have read here that the CG5 although practically identical to the EQ5 has better quality gears. Would there be any difference in QUALITY between the Skywatcher and Celestron reflectors?

[GordonCopestake]

possibly, i've heard it said that Orion demands a higher quality control from Synta than Skywatcher demands and I wouldn't be surprised if Celestron demand the same high quality as they charge a premium for their products.

[SteelRat]

Cheers Gord. That may explain why the Celestron 102 f5 refractor OTA is £40 dearer that the ST102 OTA - better optics, baffling or paint though? Perhaps just a little tidier all round? Worth the extra? or go for the cheap one and spend the difference on an eyepiece? I dunno :?

[FLO]

I have read here that the CG5 although practically identical to the EQ5 has better quality gears.

My understanding is that the current Celestron CG5 has roller bearings on both axis whereas the EQ5 only has them on its RA axis only - whether this matters and justifies the price difference is for the customer to decide.

Would there be any difference in QUALITY between the Skywatcher and Celestron reflectors?

Not that I have noticed.

i've heard it said that Orion demands a higher quality control from Synta than Skywatcher demands...

I have also heard that but assume that it is a rumour launched on a forum somewhere by an owner of an Orion telescope. The Skywatcher brand is Syntas's own brand - I think it unlikely that they would downgrade thier own products. Possibly, as a result of variations in quality control, one might come off the production line better aligned/finished than another...

Now, where's my flame-proof suit!

[SteelRat]

Spend the difference on an eyepiece then?

[John]

I have owned an Orion ED80 and a Skywatcher ED80 (the original blue one) and, apart from the colour scheme, they were identical in both build quality and optical quality. Personally I preferred the dark metallic grey colour of the Orion but that's entirely cosmetic.

That said it's quite possible that companies with the buying power of Celestron and Orion could demand a higher specification from the manufacturer for some products. An example of this is the Telescope Service Wide Angle range of eyepieces which look more or less identical to the Skywatcher Ultra Wides but do have better quality coatings and internal blackening I found.

John

[GordonCopestake]

shrug

without looking at the exact item you were buying i doubt you can make a decision on if it is high quality or not. Unfortunately you dont always get the chance.

[robindurant]

An interesting response to a post that I thought would be of little interest.

My reflections on what has been said is; Being in enginering all my working life, I am sure that it would take a manufacturer more effort to manufacture the same item at different levels of quality than not to. I, in my profession have known many items "Badged" so to say on the same item of equipment. Look around in Comet or even food stores to see the same item under different labels. Why should Astronomical equipment be different? I said at the opening that I may be cynical, believe me I am !!!

[audiobull]

spend the extra on celestron 102 then get the eyepieces.superb bit of kit.the optics are great on the celestron but the eyepieces let it down.plossl's turn it into a much better scope.