Quote:
Originally Posted by mental4astro
Hi Kim,
I can understand where Barry is coming from with his dramatic words (  ), but I wouldn't be so harsh.
Scopes that are mass produced do serve a purpose. They offer people with a moderate interest in astro, people with a keen interest in astro but limited funds, and people with a keen interest but not wanting to spend too much, all the opportunity to access large apertures. But remember, these scopes are built to a price, always.
The 'Dobsonian' is not just a style, but also an entire design philosophy. Appropriate material selection, large bearing diameters in both axis, balanced instruments, and a smooth and easy action. And to achieve this ends up costing more to produce. Mass production scopes don't follow this and they cut corners in manufacturing to reduce cost.
Kim, if you are happy with your scope, that is fine. But when you do get the chance to handle a 'true' dob, you will come to understand the strong bias expressed by Barry. Scopes like those made by Telekit, Obsession, and yes my own Gondwana line, do follow the ideas laid down by John Dobson. That is why they are more expensive, and why their action is so much nicer and consistent action. In the end, you get what you pay for.
Note, I have not mentioned mirror quality. One thing that mass production techniques have undergone is refine their production quality. Today you will get fine optics from specific mass production companies. But really high end optics are still the domain of a handful of smaller firms, because such optics are very expensive to produce (sometimes twice the price of the custom dob they will be put into). Yet the quality of the mass produced mirrors can still merit being placed into custom dobs. |
thanks for explanation alex
i am a bit more clearer.
mass production scopes do make it more affordable to get people in astronomy.
astronomy is such a niche subject there's not that many people interested in it .
look at the number of astronomy shops closed down.