Moonlight or Feathertouch

[Curt]

Rightio.
I had approval from the boss to get a new focuser for my lightbridge. I have used barrys (sn1987a) feathertouch on his lightbridge and was blown away by the rock steady views that come with it. It's a hefty price tag but you pay for quality. I've noticed that they sell cosmetic seconds for a little cheaper. Has anyone bought one. If so how bad do they really look.
The moonlite has the filter slide panel which l thought was a great feature. No more fiddling around in the dark. I have never used a moonlite so l have nothing to compare it with.
Just wanted to see what some users of both focusers thought, pros and cons of each.
Either way l can't wait to get a nice focuser on to improve on a nights viewing.
Cheers Curt.

[Curt]

Well after talking to Wayne this morning I put an order on a feathertouch. Nice bloke to talk to even if he did find my Aussie twang a bit hard to understand. I don't think Americans get greeted by "how ya goin bloke" very much. Anyway 3 weeks to build and ship.
Now I'm waiting for the clouds to roll in.

[barx1963]

Curt
I have a couple of Moonlites. I originally installed one on my old GSO 12" dob and then shifted it to the 20" to replace the 20 year old JMI focuser that was on that.
Have not used a Feathertouch so comparison is hard but I am sure you will be happy with it.
Moonlite make an excellent product with lots of options. I decided when I moved it to the 20" I wanted a filter slide so I had to change the drawtube. Very easy to make changes like that.
Customer service from Moonlite was excellent and I have since bought a second one for my little travelscope 8".

Malcolm

[brian nordstrom]

:)Hi Curt I had a cosmetic 2nd ?? FT3035 on my ( now sold ) 127mm triplet , best focuser I have ever used and on the 2nd thing , I could not find a defect , it was perfect in my eyes .
Good choice , you will love it .
Brian.

[WingnutR32]

I cannot comment on Moonlite, having not used one, but I absolutely love my feathertouch.

[pgc hunter]

I have both. IMO you can't go wrong with either, both are fantastic and very smooth. The Moonlight has an 8:1 reduction, the FT 10:1 and the FT seems to be a tad smoother.

[jamespierce]

When they are new they feel much the same, though I personally prefer the feather touch feel. The moonlites however run wheels against the anodised tube which cut in and wear overtime... Ultimately the feathertouch is a better long term design because they moonlight will get loose, and you can only tighten it so many times before it gets out of sorts.

[Curt]

Thanks Brian


That's what Wayne said this morning that it was almost impossible to find the anodizing fault under normal light conditions. Still comes with the full warranty. I thought why not save the extra $50 and get it. It's going to be used at night anyway.

[Curt]

Thanks Malcolm


The slide filter was almost a clincher. Great idea. I have lost count how many times I have fumbled around and dropped a filter in the dark. There is a slide filter on astromart now for $75. I'm sure that they are both great focusers. Judging by the reviews for both. I would like to try one someday.
It was a hard decision because I like the look of the moonlite.


Cheers Curt.

[Curt]

Thank pgc hunter. That's what I wanted to hear.


Cheers Curt

[Curt]

Hi James.
I have seen this on a cloudy nights post when I was researching focusers. By the sounds of things it looks like feathertouch are just a little step ahead of he moonlite.


Cheers Curt.

[Curt]

Still waiting for this focuser. Mid to late January. A 3 month wait all up.
I might have to buy another ethos to put under the Christmas tree this year.

[Allan]

Curt, I bought a Moonlite filter slider and focuser base plate, then had Wayne machine up a spacer so I could attach the Feathertouch focuser to the Moonlite base plate. The filter slider then attaches to the base plate from inside the tube. It's a nice setup and sure beats screwing filters in and out of eyepieces.

[Allan]

Oh yes, definitely buy more Ethos. :D

[Curt]

That's sounds like a nice setup Allan.
I think Wayne is sick of my emails asking "is it ready yet". I might wait till l receive it first before l go changing the orders on him. He is really busy at the moment.
And yes it is a good excuse to buy more ethos.