Quote:
Originally Posted by Wavytone
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The result being a market dominated by low-quality products that barely do what is expected but don't excel, and most are not built to last long.
The exceptions to this situation are the "craftsman" manufacturers who make high-quality products in small numbers, and a small number of knowledgable buyers are prepared to buy these, for whom quality comes first - and the price is almost irrelevant.
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There was a time when the likes of Celestron did indeed QC test their optics.
I spent quite some time in their Torrance factory, met and chatted with their
Testing and Figuring guys.
While they could not spend a inordinate time figuring a good optical null, they did reject the dud optical sets that could not be saved.
I'd even go so far as to say if you can source a circa 1990 to 2000 Celestron optic you will be rewarded with excellent value for money performance.
That said, there are some manufacturers that deserve kudos: Astro-Physics, Takahashi, TEC, CFF and Alluna to name names....but this is hardly a revelation...and given many of the former will have a price tag you'd normally
associate with buying a motor vehicle, are aspirational purchases at best for many.
Rare birds however do come up from time to time in the used market.....and are often snapped up by savvy buyers that "shock/horror" are prepared to pay more more an excellent (albeit pre-owned) instrument, than an shiny new piece of rubbish.