Is this a good deal?

[katosan]

Hi forum I'm new to the hobby and from what I've read this will satisfy me for a while: http://www.telescopeshop.com.au/Dobsonian_Telescopes/Skywatcher_Dobsonians/

8" Dobsonian delivered to Sydney for $450.

It looks like a good deal to me any advice appreciated?

[taminga16]

Paul,
A dobsonian mounted telescope is a great start in astronomy that provides plenty of bang for your dollar, aperture, ease of use, stability.etc, but I cannot seem to find any reference to eyepieces in the deal that you noted so check with the dealer first. There are a couple of retailers in Sydney that have sound reputations and a range of telescopes.

The binocular and telescope shop and Andrews Communications, both listed in the links on this forum and I wouild hazard a guess that there would be few members who have not in some way had contact with these retailers.

Regards,
Greg.

[katosan]

Is it a good buy at $450?

[Ian Robinson]

No.

You can get a 6" on a dual axis driven basic German Equatorial with free shipping see http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/showthread.php?t=38597&page=3 post 56

Dobs aren't for everyone and the base boards and rocker boxes on these cheaper mass produced versions are made from laminated particle board , you know what happens when moisture gets into particle board ???
Tracking stars and planets will be very fustrating with a dob , expecially at higher magnifications.
The extra 2" of aperture will be good , but see above.

That's my 2c.

[katosan]

I'm a little confused because if you read your 2 posts carefully you are not being clear with what you are trying to say... You are almost contradicting yourself:) Give me 5c please not 2 :)

[Craig.a.c]

You will get many different opinions.
$450 for an 8" dob is a good price. Even if the base is made from particle board and begins to swell up you could always make a new one.

Its not a bad deal at all in my opinion.

[Craig.a.c]

Just realised they are Skywatcher dobs, not a bad brand. Although most dobs are mass produced with the same materials and just re-badged in individual shops.

[JethroB76]

Yes, $450 delivered is a pretty good price for an 8" Dob.

Check that it includes some EPs that the Skywatchers normally come with though
(10 & 20mm IIRC).

Don't be put off by the comment about tracking objects; many, many people worldwide manage (its not hard) and are very happy using Dobsonian style scopes. If they were so hard to use half the people on this site wouldn't own one.
IMO, a Dob base will be much more pleasant to use than a GEM, especially for a beginner.

[Hagar]

The simple answer is YES. So much dribble when you asked a simple question.

Andrews are a similar price for the GSO and you would also have delivery or pick up yourself.
Both Skywatcher and GSO Dobs are of a similar quality. Buy one and enjoy.

[firstlight]

I think that this is a pretty good deal. 8" over 6" gives it 50% more light gathering. A dob is THE best way to introduce yourself into the hobby. 5 minute setup, easy to use... although hard to track :), and as your experience increases... easy to accessorise... Argo Navis, good eye pieces, equatorial mounting for imaging etc. Check with the dealer about eyepieces, but you may need to fork over a few hundred for a set of cheaper eyepieces. Their site sells a 40mm, 26mm, 12.5mm Super Plossls, and a 2x barlow for something like $260 + freight... total cost around $700. Their Plossls are a bit more. I have no idea of the quality, but for that money I bought a 10" mirror in 1994... nothing else (and I had to send it back to get it refigured)

Check with you local dealer... I respect Mike at Bintel, but there are others, their scopes would very likely come out of the same factory, see what eyepieces are packaged and go from there.

After you master this you can upgrade to another scope, or as mentioned earlier, mount the 8" on a driven equatorial mount. Personally I think having an easy setup scope for spur of the moment viewing is great after you upgrade.

Any help?
Tony

[iceman]

Yes.

An 8" dob is an excellent scope for someone starting in astronomy. Equatorial mounts are confusing for newbies to learn, and the eyepiece gets in all sorts of weird positions.

Dobs are simple, low-fuss, easy to maintain, easy to customise. You can't go wrong.

There are a number of telescope shops that sell dobsonians, so just shop around and get the right deal for you.

Being in Sydney, you can go into Bintel and actually check them out and see how it "feels" to you.

[katosan]

All advice greatly appreciated thanks people:) I'm just trying to weigh up the value proposition. On paper it looks like a good deal but I'll need to investigate it further to see if there are any major catches. Thanks again all:)