What's the difference?

[Trido]

I think some of the eyepieces are different in the below links, but I think both scopes are made by the same company aren't they? If so, then why pay an extra $100 for the Bintel? BTW, I am looking at the 12" Dob.

http://www.andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm
https://www.bintelshop.com.au/Product.aspx?ID=6994

[madtuna]

with the Andrews you get 3 extra eyepieces as well and yeah..save $100.
Delivery is going to be the killer to QLD

[Karlsson]

From your second link:

"Every Bintel Telescope has been given a full checkup prior to sale. The Optical Tube Assembly is thoroughly checked and collimated to ensure your new telescope is going to perform as you would expect.
Not only can we supply an excellent telescope at a fantastic price, we offer the after service support to ensure years of happy observing. You get piece of mind with our comprehensive 2 year guarantee. "

In my personal experience this statement can be relied upon - and there are many threads in this forum that will confirm Bintel's excellent service.

I have never dealt with Andrews though.... Anyway, my two cents :)

[Scooter]

Transport for me from Andrews to Brisbane was $80 for next day delivery of the 12" Dob.

Can't argue with that I thought :thumbsup:

[Trido]

Yeah, I live in Toowoomba and I wondered what the freight cost would be.

Bintel do seem to have a great name though. Is it true that Bintel are just rebranded GSO?

[madtuna]

I've dealt with both Andrews and Bintel and found both pre and post sales service to be excellent.

I have had a couple of minor hickups with advice from Bintel, not withstanding I would still rate them as excellent and have no hesitation dealing with or reccommending them again.

When it comes to parting with cash though, I have a problem with paying $100 extra for the same product. Yes Bintel justify it by offering excellent after sales service and garrentee. But honestly, I've got the same after sales service and garrentee from Andrews..for free.

[Kokatha man]

Hi Trido - have dealt with both these companies in recent times and my appraisal goes like this.....

Without question Bintel are superior in terms of their knowledge and their ability/readiness to "tell it like it is" from an experienced AA's point of view. (Don in Sydney's Binel shop is especially knowledgable/ frank and ready to converse.)

On the other hand Andrews, whilst not "unhelpfull" are less enquiry/customer/back-up oriented (or possibly capable re expertise) but they are cheaper in most similar stock items!

Their "free freight" Australia wide deal on certain products at the moment is also really hard to ignore!

Recently, purchasing an HEQ5 Goto SynScan mount from them, I afterwards rang and spoke to Lee re the need to "re-factor" for time zones etc for Sth Aust & NT's peculiar half hour timezone. He then put the question to Luke (their telescope "man") - neither of them could answer what I thought was a pretty basic question on a (not inexpensive) piece of equipment.

Now, I realize that this is only one instance and this is in no way intended as some sort of damning criticism of Andrews: it's just that anything and everything I ring Bintel for is answered to the utmost without any reservations. Maybe service is worth that bit extra.....

At any rate, I should state that I have no intention of not dealing with Andrews again!

GSO optics/equipment is sold by both companies and also comes under "brand names" that aren't just local badging - Bintel does make the claim (and I believe it to be true) that its' re-badged stuff is checked/quality controlled by them here in Aust.

Cheers, Darryl.

[madtuna]

Reading the replies it seems different people have had different experiances with both companies but both are respected and reccomended.

Either toss a coin or go with what your wallet says :)

Basically the same product, 1 is $100 cheaper and has 3 extra eye pieces, the other has a shiny sticker that says Bintel

Bintel possibly has the edge in the knowledge and after sales service area though both are excellent.

Not much goes wrong with a GSO dob

[Trido]

heh That makes it a really tough decision. I am not too worried about a lack of knowledge in the sales people as we have this wonderful resource and I would never buy anything without talking to you guys first. Aftersales support is important to me, especially since I am not local so I would rather someone who would make it as painless as possible to rectify any potential problem.

[CoombellKid]

Do Bintel sell the straight (unbadged) GSO version too?. In all honesty how
well will a massed produced newt stay collimnated after traveling halfway
across the country on a truck. Especially after it has to do the first few
hundred kms on NSW roads :eyepop:. Your still going to have to weak it once
you get it.

I've dealt with both companies too, although I had a hickcup on one ocassion
with Bintel. I find both retailers to be excellent to deal with. I'd reccomend
either. But in the end I would go the cheaper deal. On things a bit more
specialised I'd more than likely go with someone like Bintel, Star Optics....etc...

regards,CS

[kljucd1]

Hi,

The one time I went into Andrew's I was told by Lee that a set of OTA rings would cost me about $40,000 as the guy who he was going to get to make them hadn't called him back; that is after telling me that he did have some :shrug:. Didn't seem to be joking, so I am not sure why he said it.

Regards

Daniel...

[JethroB76]

$40,000....bargain!

I've found Andrews fine as a kinda no frills service, whereas bintel offer perhaps more of a full service on products; they have also on occasion sent out small parts such as teflon etc free of charge...great customer relations

[Zuts]

Hi,

Here is an example of service I received from Bintel

http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=26415

Paul

[jjjnettie]

I bought my 10" GSO Dob from Andrews Communications.
At the time it was $70 delivery to Kilcoy.
It was a totally problem free transaction.

[GTB_an_Owl]

free delivery and $100 cheaper heh

how much would it cost you if you had to send it back because there was something wrong with it ? (given that Bintel open the box and check the scope out before they send it to you )

but I am biased

geoff

[GTB_an_Owl]

sorry - did i misread that ?

3 extra eyepieces then and pay for delivery

same kettle of fish

and the further i was away - the more i would want that box opened before it was shipped

geoff

[madtuna]

Andrews will gladly open the box and check it for you free of charge on request.
Andrews have no problem discussing a possible purchase over the phone for 35 minutes and no problem assisting on the phone for 40 minutes after your purchase aswell as mailing out a comprehensive instruction sheet with links to different websites.
I bought a wrong item from Andrews,(my fault) rang them up a week later to ask for an exchange and the new item arrived the same day as I posted off the original item.

I went to buy an EQ6 from Bintel. I took in my C8, showed them and asked what else I'd need to fit it to the EQ6.
They informed me I'd need a Losmandy dovetail and quoted me a price.
By the time I got to the register the price had increased by $20.
I mentioned it and he said it was the wrong one, even though it was the same one he showed me and had the price on the plastic wrapper.

I ended up not buying the EQ6 that day from them because they do not take cheques so opted for delivery, and would pay via bank transfer, the deliver fee changed 3 times.

I discovered I could get it $200 cheaper from Andrews and $20 cheaper delivery. I told them I bought the Losmandy mount from Bintel and he said I didn't need to as the EQ6 came with one suitable, which it did.

Saying that, I still buy certain things from Bintel and for the most part have only had good service from them.

[CoombellKid]

Ok I will bite! How many GSO's purchased through Andrews have needed
to be sent back?

I know of one or two Bintel GSO have, just search the forums. One recently
had crap all over the mirror and another had a big scratch on the mirror
and had to be replaced??? quality control must of been down on the
purchases:thumbsup:

regards,CS

[CoombellKid]

Dang! I had a set here you could of had for $20,000.00.... but sadly I already
sold them for $40.00

Obviously $40,000 is incorrect or mistakingly said, it aint rock science :thumbsup:

regards,CS

[Glenhuon]

I've dealt with both companies over the last 12 months and found both to be extremely helpful and giving good service. Andrews in the main are cheaper but I've found the quality of supplied goods to be on a par.

Bill

[Starkler]

For a complete newbie it could be worth spending the extra $100 for the support and service from Bintel. Do ask for a frieght quote from both though.
I do get the feeling that Andrews tend to just "sell boxes" and do it cheaply, which is fine if you are confident and competent of being able to identify any issues with the supplied equipment.

[dannat]

yeah they are both made by the taiwanese( i think) company - GS or GSO or Guan Sheng.
There are many telescope suppliers around the world selling their stuff. BIntel might put different acces on thiers, or they might have there technician check it over to make sure it's ok. Also if you're in bris or Melb bintel are local so you don't have freight (though sometimes andrews offers free freight).
On customer service i prefer one over the other - but I 'm sure veryone will have their own preference. I like Bintel's customer service, but andrews doe have rock bottom prices. I have gear from both places

[Zuts]

Hi Guys,

If the price difference is so small, has anyone ever asked either company to price match? Maybe they will.

Paul

[Trido]

Yeah, the price from Andrews is appealing, but being pretty noobish, the after sales support from Bintel would be nice. Perhaps they would price match, although I would kind of be surprised.

When it comes time to buy my scope, I think what I will do is call them up, talk to them, get shipping quotes, ask some questions and see who I get the better feel from.

[GrahamL]

I find them both great to deal with , though with both I have found
back orders and follow up enquires fall through the cracks at times .
A straight up order of any in stock item ?.. both are
fast and I wouldn't hesitate to deal with either of them .

Matt Lovell from telecopes and astronomy I find good also , his site seems to me a little cryptic to
navigate around, but prices are comparable or cheaper than the other two for some items .

[dannat]

yes, the bintel brand are just GS with their own sticker on them

[Starkler]

If a certain woman answers the phone, ask to speak to somebody else. This woman put me off that particular vendor for a long time due to her absolutely atrocious attitude to customer service. I believe she is the wife of the proprietor.

eg1: I rang with credit card in hand ready to order an ed80. She said "im busy, order it from the website".

eg2: I rang for a quote on an eyepiece. When told the price i mentioned that the competition had them at a much lower price. She launched into an emotionally charged tirade about the high rent they have to pay. Sorry, thats not my problem!

I mention this not to vendor bash, but to advise those who cross paths with this person not to judge the entire operation based on a potential bad experience with this certain individual.

[GrahamL]

Very true geoff.. I was fortunate to of spoken to some of the very helpfull staff there on occasion ..before..I came across madam lash .
I can really understand how somone would think twice about doing buisness there.. which is a pity as that one person no way reflects the genuine and helpfull service you'll encounter most of the time.

[CoombellKid]

This happened to me too, and it put me off them for a whiles as well. Hence
I ended up spending my $1500.00 at Star Optics who are also very pleasent
to deal with. When I ordered my first premium ep I couldn't decide whether
to get a 10mm XW or a 13mm T6 so I emailed both Star Optics and Bintel
and the order would go to whom ever was first. Star Optics replied within
an hour or two. Bintel replied about a week or so later.... I figured I must
of email the granky old lady. Anyways That how I became an XW fan lol.

However I have dealt with Bintel since and have found their service to
be as good as anybody elses.

regards,CS

[kljucd1]

Yeah I got that bit but this was on the back of a whining session about everything that had nothing at all to do with me. Sometimes you get this type of thing but it is usually some idiot kid who couldn't care less. On this occasion it was the owner!!

Really both stores are good, as are others, but everyone has their preferences for their own reasons. I like like Bintel and Myastroshop, they do the job I need and so I will stick with them.

Regards

Daniel...

[Trido]

Do I need a store with excellent after sales support though? And by that I don't mean in the case when things don't go well out of the box. I expect most stores (And the 2 I am looking at at the very least) will be good about returns on faulty equipment. I am talking about the support on things like eyepieces, filters and everything else. How much would I use that when I have a resource such as this place? If I lived in Sydney, it would be different since I could see these things, potentially in action too, but not living anywhere near a real astronomy store, I can either hear them tell me about stuff (And potentially try to upsell me) or I can come here where I get multiple viewpoints. And let's face it, I would trust the users on this forum before I trust a sales man, no matter how good/honest people find them.

Obviously I don't just trust everyones opinion I read on a forum (Wow, wouldn't that make your head explode), but if multiple people are saying the same thing (For instance, that Dobs are great scopes for newbies) then you tend to believe it. These are people who were newbies once and know what current newbies are going through. They also have the benefit of having more advanced stuff and just being all around more knowledgable.

[Kokatha man]

Well - after reading a couple of recent posts and respecting Trido's desire/need to hear it like it is; I'll put my two-bob's worth in again (further to my previous.)

Haven't had the good fortune to meet the aforementioned lass, but maybe I've encountered her fiancee - but afore I go too far I should emphasize that there are 2 with the same moniker. I too formed the opinion that this character was the prorietor, due to the fact that he knew very little and was pretty off-hand!

However, I allways make a point of asking to speak to Don - and if he's unavailable I'll ring back later when he is! I can't speak too highly of Don.

As for the other firm, I've had the big cheese giving me his (extended)version of why he only hires young people: not necessarily the most tactfull when talking to an "oldie!" (especially when I was paying for the call!) That said, I've never found him unwilling to have a yarn, but neither him nor Luke could hold a candle to Don.

But, price is allways a factor when you're on a limited budget; and although Andrews don't stock as extensively they are cheaper........

As a last comment, Steve et al at My Astro Shop are good people to deal with as well.......

Cheers, Darryl.

[Gargoyle_Steve]

When I was a fresh faced noobie :eyepop: nearly 2 years ago I had likewise decided that a dob was the way to go, again based on all the excellent advice offered by folks on this forum (and they were all dead Right too!)

Anyway I had done a lot of research, even had a spreadsheet with 14 diffrent makes and models of dobs as available from all the different retailers I could find, with features, included "extras", etc, all listed. I was pretty sure I knew what I wanted to buy, but I somehow needed to hear at least one human voice answer some basic questions to reassure me that I was on the right track.

I phoned two retailers (neither of which were Andrews nor Bintel) and got little more than "insert credit card here" out of them, so the 3rd company on my list was Andrews Communications.

The phone was answered by Lee Andrews himself, and after my initial sentence to explain that I "thought I wanted to buy a dob, but didn't know much as I was a brand newb" ;) Lee gladly took the time to explain all the things he thought I should or might need to know (and in doing so answered every question I had written down in front of me, plus a few more). We spoke for about 25 minutes with Lee really taking the time to give advice on things that were obviously not even related to this imediate sale, ie at no apparent monetary benefit to his company.

In short Trido you mentioned above that you might ring a few places and see who/where you get the best "Feel" - well that's absolutely what I got from Lee that day.

I ordered my 10" GSO dob (which arrived here the following day) and I have never looked back since then.

I want to point out that I have bought other items since from both Andrews and Bintel, as well as A.O.E., MyAstroShop, etc, and have had fantastic service from all of them with no hassles at all, but I WILL be ringing Andrews again for my next GSO dob purchase! ;)