Caution: Orion Illuminated 20mm Centering E/P

[Astro_Bot]

Hi folks,

I bought one of these from Bintel recently (they're available elsewhere also).

This is by far the worst eyepiece I've ever seen:

It doesn't achieve a crisp focus anywhere in the FOV in either scope I have.
The glass with the reticle scored onto it also has imperfections that catch the red illuminator, so you end up with distracting red flecks across the FOV.
The 1.25" nosepiece is held on with a collar that is abnormally large and rather unnecessary when you look inside, but worse is that the tapped threads for the illuminator are rough and at an angle - really poorly tapped.
The illuminator is "nasty" cheap plastic and overly large compared to the other type that comes with, say, the Skywatcher 12.5mm illuminated reticle eyepiece
There are no instructions.


I'd return it, but in the process of dealing with those poorly tapped threads, the threads on the illuminator are now wrecked ... and no, that wasn't me cross-threading - I could not have been more careful.

I know these eyepieces are cheaply made for a simple purpose, but this one is woeful and not even that cheap - $129!

Unless you're desperate for an illuminated reticle eyepiece at exactly that F/L (20mm), stay away from this one.

As for me, I'm figuring out how I can fix it (drill and re-tap the illuminator hole and use an insert, then get an alternative illuminator; maybe polish the glass with scored reticle?) but I may just end up binning it.

[LewisM]

I have one. I improved it - a LOT.

First, most of the red flecking is actually dust. Clean it well. Mine shows next to none now.

Mine is threaded well, so no issues there.

Mine focuses reasonably well, but I don't expect it to perform as a normal eyepiece. So long as the central image is OK, I am happy enough with it.

My main issue is the parallax. Even a MINOR shift in eye movement or head movement and the crosshairs start their dance. You really have to concentrate at keeping it centred.

I have an Orion illuminated reticle finder. It performs well, but again the crosshair parallax when the illuminator is on is very annoying.

I paid $79 for my Orion illuminated ret. eyepiece from Sirius in Brisbane. Same one as Bintel.

[Astro_Bot]

I've already cleaned it. I checked with Sirius Optics before Bintel.

Edit: There is quite alot of parallax with this E/P - more than the 12.5mm one I have. Thanks for pointing that out.

[MattT]

I have this one....:thumbsup:
http://agenaastro.com/agena-1-25-wireless-illuminated-reticle-eyepiece-20mm.html

[Astro_Bot]

The Orion one is single crosshair; the Agena one is dual. So, although they look similar, they're obviously not identical.

Maybe the Orion is a "cheap" clone of one that actually works? (Orion doesn't make things, AFAIK, they just buy and re-brand).

[LewisM]

No, my Orion illuminated ret eyepiece is DUAL crosshair just like the Agena one (though look externally nothing like the Agena one)

Maybe you got old Bintel stock RG? Orion must have changed supplier.

[BPO]

The Stellarvue finderscope (1.25") EPs with Rigel pulseguide are very good.

http://www.stellarvue.com/Accessories/eyepieces/finderscopeeyepieces/finderscopeeyepieces.html

[Astro_Bot]

Mine is definitely single cross-hair, so not the same as yours. You may have the more common plossl 12.5mm E/P, which is dual crosshair and does indeed look nothing like the Orion or Agena 20mm SWA reticle E/Ps and does sell for about $79 at SO ($59 at Andrews). The Agena and my (nasty) Orion ones look very similar on the outside. I also own a Skywatcher 12.5mm illuminated reticle E/P, which is also sold as Celestron, Orion and "no name" brand.

Edit: The the one thing I'll give the Orion 20mm E/P credit for is eye comfort - the eye relief is reasonable (feels like about 20mm) and the rubber eyecup is just the right height. Shame about the rest, though.

[mikerr]

Have you contacted Bintel about the problems you are having? I would think that the poorly made threads should be a warranty issue.

Michael.

[Astro_Bot]

It had crossed my mind. But, as mentioned, the threads on the illuminator are now toast, and whereas I'm sure it's not my fault, how do I convince Bintel of that? Still, I suppose it's worth a try.

I eventually got rid of the flecks - tiny droplets of glue, I think - by various cleaning solutions and a lot of rubbing.

[blink138]

heh rg i think you should have aired your grievances with the supplier first.... they are extremely reasonable people and you should have given them the courtesy first of rectifying it before you buggered it up further!
pat

[Astro_Bot]

Maybe that sounds reasonable from where you are (and not knowing/seeing what I can). But from where I'm sitting, it sounds like you've misread or misinterpreted what I've written.



Those threads got wrecked despite my being careful - the material is very soft. Was I supposed to conduct hardness tests or measure threads before assembly? With another similar item, I would do everything the same. And who the hell visually tests an illuminated reticle eyepiece before assembly?

If my item had problems then how many others do? IMO, it's important to get this information out so people can make informed choices. God knows there are enough glowing reviews out there for items that I eventually find to be rather mediocre. A few more frank and fearless problem reports might serve us all well, IMHO.

Just for the record, I don't expect the retailer to pre-assemble or QC every item they sell, and I mentioned it was also sold elsewhere in post #1 (i.e. not specific to Bintel). I thought it was obvious enough that I was focussed on the item and the specific problems it had, not the retailer.

[blink138]

sorry rg i know you must be upset as i would be
if i paid $129 of my hard earned and when i received it it looks like that it would have cost the manufacture a couple of bucks to produce, well......
there is never an excuse for high price and poor quality
but despite you saying directly above that you were "focussed on the item and not the retailer" the latter is clearly mentioned in your opening address as it were, so i do stand by what i said in regard to that
no argument intended!
i would still contact them regarding at least a credit and i am sure (i hope) they will do the right thing
pat

[Astro_Bot]

I only intended to mentioned it once, in the opening as you point out, mostly to distinguish which item is being talked about. I suppose I could have used a link, but that would have immediately revealed who the retailer was so I figured I may as well just mention it and get it out of the way. I was merely being factual.

I've seen plenty of glowing reviews that mention a retailer as well, with equal relevance, so I don't believe it to be out of place.

Anyway, I don't think there's anything more that can be usefully added here.

Merry Christmas to all.

[MikeyB]

I've had one of these eyepieces for about 3 years, which I use solely when aligning my go-to scopes at the commencement of an observing session. It's specifically intended as a centering eyepiece, so I've never even considered it for observing use.

Eye relief is excellent and the reticle is crisp and clear. The variable brightness illuminator attachment is made from nicely finished, silver anodised, CNC-machined aluminium - there's no plastic in my example. The whole eyepiece has a solid, quality feel to it and works brilliantly as an alignment aid. I have attached a copy of the instruction sheet which came with mine.

It's more of a luxury than a necessity, but helps to make what can be a frustrating time of the night, a much smoother and faster experience. The wide field of view makes it far easier to use for precision aligning an SCT than the typical higher magnification illuminated reticle eyepiece, where alignment stars typically drift across and out of view as you struggle to centre them. From my own experience, I can recommend the Orion 20mm Illuminated Centering Eyepiece as a means to improve go-to accuracy.

[brian nordstrom]

:shrug: I just looked at the photo of Bintels 20mm and it looks the same as yours here Micheal , with the nice alloy illuminator , so if yours RG has a cheep plastic one it is not the same as advertised , grossly inferier I would think reading your reports .
I have delt with Bintel alot over the years ( as most of us have ) and even with the stripped thread I almost %100 guarentee they will replace it , they are very good like that , and another thing I am sure they would like to know of this , wouldn't you ? ( looks like a lemon slipped thru )
Have a great christmas .
Brian.