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Used cars and scratched mirrors
I've been building, testing and using telescopes for 40 years ( God I hate saying that, "Help!!I'm only a 30 year old trapped in an aging body" ( anyone interested in getting some T shirts printed!)
The point with scratched mirrors:
1. If you're really lucky and they are small scuff marks, it maybe just the coating and when you re-aluminise they come good ( believe in fairies syndrome)
2. The glass IS damaged; it won't "grow" better, it's always there and will affect the performance to some degree or other ( If this wasn't the case why would I spend SOOOOOO much time re-polishing during the final manufacture) ( " It's only a little scratch! ...B@#$%)
3. It's like a pimple on the end of the nose; you see it first and distracts you all the time. (Never perfect syndrome); and will get blamed for every other "fault" you find with the scope. (If it wasn't for the scratch syndrome.)
4. If and when you try to sell, guess what the FIRST thing they say/ see/ comment on! (The used car syndrome.) Geee I can buy a new one for THAT price.
5. Life's to short at the best of times, if you've already got one; use it enjoy it and accept it, JFDI.
I've seen some REAL crook mirrors in my time everything from partly polished, crappy figuring, crappy star images, scratched, dinged, chipped you name it, and everyone of them had a "happy" owner ( at the time!) It's a bit like kids..... they're never 100% perfect; but they're yours.
My 2c worth.
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