[Profiler (Profiler)]

I will add my own experiences into the mix.

1) Firstly, Televue eyepieces are very good but IMHO they are over-rated dollar for dollar in comparison to other top tier EPs that are also available. Keep in mind the bulk of TV EPs are now made in Taiwan (there are some exceptions). Consequently, Televue in general is a good brand but there are equally good alternatives. So - simply don't go into this thinking a TV EP is the only way to go.

2) The Televue 17mmT4 is a great EP to look through and I had one for many years but it suffers from one significant hick-up - It is probably the most solid and thus heaviest eyepiece I have ever encountered relative to its size. I am not saying it is the heaviest or largest EP around but when you consider the overall size of the EP it is surprisingly weighty for its relative size. Consequently, it became a increasing annoyance to continuously rebalance the scope to use it.

3) The Televue Delos are also excellent EPs but once again are over-rated in terms of price and marketing. I am not saying the Delos are in any capacity bad or inferior eyepieces but if you are seeking an eyepiece which has virtually identical if not better attributes to a Delos then there is an obvious alternative high-end EP that is cheaper and is rapidly approaching collectors status - I am referring to the Pentax XW range which can be purchased cheaper overseas at around $300 including shipping.

4) The Televue Nagler 13mmT6 - basically hard to fault - relatively small, light and easy to use, great optics, one of the few Televue EPs that are still made in Japan. The only catch is the eye-relief which is about 11-12mm.

5) If ER isn't an issue, under $500 and you want 82' fov then Nag 13T6 is the pick of the bunch. However, if you are happy with 68 fov then Pentax XWs cant be beat in terms of price, quality etc.

6) There is one final catch - there are some concerns in the 14 and 20mm XWs when used with "some" (not all) fast scopes. I personally have not encountered these problems - however I mostly use refractors. So you need to be mindful of this contingency and test the EPs in your particular scope. However, even if your scope does have curvature with a 14 or 20XW it isn't the end of the world as the problem is rectified via the use of a Parrcor,

However, IMHO what is probably the best kept secret in the EP world at the moment in terms of a high quality amazingly cheap eyepiece are the Pentax XFs range (the little brother to the XWs) - there are only two of them a 8.5mm and 12mm. You can get them for roughly $160 including shipping from o'seas. They do only provide a 60' fov but if either of these are suitable to you they are hard to fault.