I have since decided to move away from strictly grab and go and have decided to get a scope for planet and Luna viewing. So, I am down to deciding between a Tak FC-100DL and an Orion Optics UK 6" F/8 with 1/10 Wave optics.
Tak:
- On the larger side but still grab and go, kinda airline portable not that I have any current plans on taking anything other than a pair of 10x50 binos on a flight.
- Cools marginally faster (15 minutes?).
- No need for collimation unless something seriously goes wrong.
- Fluorite, for its seemingly magical properties
- Less maintenance.
Orion Optics UK:
- Would not consider it grab and go, not unless compared to my 12" dob anyway
Still small and light.
- Cool down is a bit longer but not substantial (20-30 minutes?).
- Has 2.25x light grasp.
- Has better resolution.
- At F/8 collimation is very forgiving.
- Not fluorite but still good quality optics.
I am still nudging a bit more over to the Tak at the moment. It is considerably more expensive but it is more portable if I want to take somewhere other than my back yard, has better resale value (not that I am planning on selling either of them). Has the "But it is a Takahashi" draw to it
Has a nice chunk of protected fluorite.
Ultimately though, is it worth spending that bit extra? Especially when on paper a good newt with a small secondary (~22% on this one) should out perform.
It is this quandary which has me wanting to head to the Tak Party
