ALWAYS pays to ask first.

mental4astro (Alexander) · #1 22-07-2019, 09:45 AM

Hi all,

Thought I'd share a little cautionary tale of the importance of needing to see what you are getting first before laying your money down. Buying sight unseen can be a very risky exercise.

A set of 9" Intes Maksutov Optics came up for sale via the grapevine. Of course I jumped at the chance, and asked about them. First reply I got had no photos attached. Fair enough I thought. When I asked for photos, oh my, what a shock I got! I've attached the photos I received.

* First, pay close attention to the corrector - there are chips along the blackened edge.
* Second, look carefully at the secondary - it is damaged on its left side, and a hairline fracture arcs out from the damage across the whole face of the secondary!
* Third, the primary is filthy. Really well looked after, not...

And this bloke had put the word out that he had a set of Russian optics available!

One less Unicorn left in the world... Very sad as they are not breeding any more.

Alex.

PS, the secondary mirror is the small separate mirror in the first & third pics. In a Gregorian Maksutov the secondary is a silvered spot on the corrector. In a Rumak Maksutov, and secondary is a separate unit altogether, like that of an SCT. This allows the manufacturer greater flexibility in parameters in desiging the scope.

N1 (Mirko) · #2 22-07-2019, 10:21 AM

C'mon Alex this isn't gonna faze you is it

Agree secondary is shot, but do you reckon the rest is landfill material as well? Primary might clean up OK or even warrant recoat. How's the surface of the meniscus? That just leave the small matter of purchase price...

mental4astro (Alexander) · #3 22-07-2019, 10:35 AM

What upsets me is that the set was implied as being pristine, with no mention of the condition. Then there was his reply to my observation of the condition of the optics that his photos showed. And with the set being overseas, not a chance. Makes me more sad that this fellow is listed as a "vendor" on CN too.

Have a crack at making a secondary for a Rumak Maksutov? How hard can it be? After all the Russians made it...

Rainmaker (Matt) · #4 22-07-2019, 10:57 AM

This is why I only buy if I can inspect and pick up in person.......
(or it is from a trusted seller.......)

N1 (Mirko) · #5 22-07-2019, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mental4astro

Have a crack at making a secondary for a Rumak Maksutov? How hard can it be? After all the Russians made it...

Well, someon'e obviously had a 'crack' at that one

Points take though. Caveat emptor as usual

Atmos (Colin) · #6 22-07-2019, 11:06 AM

Send it to Lewis, he enjoys a good spit shine

LewisM · #7 22-07-2019, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atmos

Send it to Lewis, he enjoys a good spit shine

Stop talking out of school buddy!

There is a clamshell chip there too, not just on the blackened edge. You COULD make an aperture mask and cut that bit out of the light path.

Oh, plenty of vendor "experts" on CN - one keeps on claiming his SW 120 doublet is an apochromat and that I need to stop saying otherwise. OK mate, sure, it's an apo...believe all the fairy tales you wish.

Ukastronomer (Jeremy) · #8 22-07-2019, 09:23 PM

I am an A+++ seller on ebay and only a person NOT a business, I have 100% perfect feedback on 1,500 items, why HONESTY.

But I also buy and always ask.

1. Is what you are selling in perfect working order / condition
2. Is what you are selling damaged in any way

If they reply yes and no I buy as I am 100% covered, if they lie I am covered, if they don't reply I don't buy

I also ask for additional photographs to be sent to me, if I am happy to accept some faults then it is down to me to decide

...

mental4astro (Alexander) · #9 26-07-2019, 12:59 PM

By the way, there is a fellow on CN with a set of 9" Intes optics. This is the set of optics he has that is in my first post below! When I called him out on the condition of the optics following the pictures he sent me, he offered no explanation on how the optics came to be damaged! And of course, he has made no mention of the crap state the optics are in in any of his posts there in CN. He's hoping to get someone to buy the set off him sight unseen, and then when the buy finds the smashed optics he'll say "not my fault! They were in perfect condition when I packed them...".

I've had a couple of people PM me about there being a set of 9" Intes optics on CN. THIS is that set! And by the sounds of it, this fellow is still looking for a sucker to take them.

BEWARE!

Alex.

mental4astro (Alexander) · #10 07-08-2019, 07:15 AM

Well, someone got burned for not doing their homework first:

https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/6.../#entry9545711

Same set of optics I was offered below. And the photos in the above thread are even more damning of the dishonesty of the person who had them for sale. I was never told about the true state of the secondary by seller, and it took a keen eye on my part to tell things were amiss. To try to re-create a secondary for this Mak, good luck.

And now someone else is now sipping on daiquiris paid for by a sucker.

Wavytone · #11 07-08-2019, 08:38 AM

Nor did he appreciate what has to be done mechanically to construct a decent OTA for one of these - that’s a harder task than making the secondary - which should be finished last once the whole set is assembled and can be tested.

LewisM · #12 07-08-2019, 10:52 AM

Some things just should be thrown away... is it my imagination or did the damage get worse as he showed more pictures?????