127 Mak v 127 Mak :confused:

[Orion_the_Hunter]

Ok, me again. After reading a few posts on here recently, I'm still a bit confused.

The S/W Skymax 127 goto and the Celestron 127SLT are pretty much the same OTA, however:

I have read posts recently about people having problems with the Celestron (even though the Celestron goto is supposedly easier to use).

Also a couple of posts state that the Celestron mount is very wobbly.

Therefore, which one has the better/sturdier mount?

Which one has the better goto? (I wasn't keen on the Skymax 127 as I can't see Polaris/North from my viewing site. Does this matter when setting up the Skywatcher goto?)

Is there a better choice?

I'm unable to use an EQ mount due to disability.

Thanks again!

[KevG]

You do not need to polar align the S/W GOTO mount, it uses a Two star alignment method, which you can choose relevant to your view of the sky. Sorry cannot offer any advice regards S/W vs Celestron.

[Steep]

I've not seen the SkyWatcher 127 but I've read that the two are pretty much identical except for the software in the handset. Certainly the tubes are the same, the tripods will be much the same, i.e. wobbly, as will all portable mounts in that size/type range. If you want stability you need to make a solid non portable mount of your own.

My own problems with the Celestron have been caused mostly through not rtfm and not reading advice on the forums before trying it out.

[AndyH]

I once put a Celestron SLT mount on top of my solid Tal wooden tripod and it made a hell of a difference to the stability. So, getting a better tripod down the line would be a good upgrade. You may need to get an adapter made up, but that's not difficult. The SLT mounts are decent and can carry a Tal 1 ota, which is no light weight(the motor clutch needs tightening up a bit tho).

Andy

[Cancer56]

Being new to star gazing I brought skywatcher 127 goto set up and found it very easy to use. I did purchase plastic pads for the tripod which made it a lot more steady, not cheap mind you, especially on grassor soft ground.

The scope was easy to set up with eigther a bright star alignment or, for the more experianced, 2 star alignment.

Have to admint for someone who has or had no idea about telescopes, it was a piece of doddle to set up. Played around the other night and kept going back to Jupiter to see how accurate it was and it found it every time. :hello2:Found the cheapest at the time on Amazon belief it or not.

Sorry don't know anything about the Celestron 127

[bigglesdad]

I have the Celestron 127 and it does wobble a bit when you touch it. I just leave it for a second or so and it settles down. Once you get the latitude & longitude set up it's fine for finding things. Cancer56 - where did you get the plastic pads?

[metz]

The celestron go to system in my opinion is better than a skywatcher but skywatcher make nice scopes, this is my 2nd 102 slt as i sold the first , however at the price you pay ,you get what you get... a decent little scope for a beginner or for thoose that just like to dabble now and again:) good luck with whatever scope you go for.

[Nexus 6]

I have the Celestron 127 and it does wobble a bit when you touch it. I just leave it for a second or so and it settles down. Once you get the latitude & longitude set up it's fine for finding things. Cancer56 - where did you get the plastic pads?

Hi,

FLO do the pads you mention

firstlightoptics.com

[bigglesdad]

Many thanks for the info.

[Cancer56]

Brought my pads on ebay £19 approx

3 Anti Vibration Tripod Foot Pads Heavy Duty-Skywatcher on eBay (end time 18-Mar-11 19:35:57 GMT)

[bigglesdad]

Nice one! Thanks for that.

[Steep]

Let us know how you get on with those, I hope they are good but the seller seems to backtrack a bit in his actual description. Auctioning them as Anti Vibration then saying "From customer feedback we have been told that they also provide some degree of vibration absorption between the tripod and the ground." doesn't gel for me.

However, if nothing else, as long as you can fix them permanently in the ground you will never have to hunt for a level spot again

[Cunhaval]

I doubt that there's much difference. I got the Skymax 127 on GoTo, and so far, it's great.

Steel tube tripod, but it can be wobbly if abused, as to be honest, can any mount short of an HEQ5/EQ6 - and even they can have problems if the scope is big enough. Keep the tripod as low as you can, and don't fiddle in use! Andy's suggestion of adapting the mount to fit a wooden tripod sounds a very good long term improvement. If only I could track down a TAL tripod!!

No polar alignment required - but follow the manual carefully, and aligning the GoTo is not at all difficult. Can't comment on whether the Celestron is even easier.

Go on - you know you want to