[gaseous (Patrick)]

Hi Ed,

I've got an 8" model. In my experience, if you're a perfectionist then you'd probably want to collimate every time you use it - I find it's normally out by a smidge every time you extend/retract the poles. I can't say for certain how badly this slight non-collimation affects viewing, but in all honesty it only takes a minute or two to tweak it back so I'd say it's not a big deal. Make sure your laser collimator is properly collimated itself! I've got the goto version so I'm not constantly nudging it into position, so I still find collimation is pretty good at the end of a viewing session. A trick (which I've not tried yet) is to have the laser collimator in the focuser as you extend the tubes, then lock them into place when you've got your red dot in the middle of the primary - it might take a bit of jiggling the pole positions, but it might be easier than collimating if you're not a fan of allen keys.

As far as focusing goes, I find that 2" eyepieces only just have enough outer travel, requiring the eyepiece to be only just held inside the outer rim of the focuser, and using an extension tube (which I tend not to do), means you have not enough inward travel. Again, not a major issue and I may need to get a different extension tube not so long. The focuser itself is serviceable - the 14" and 16" models have a dual speed focuser, whereas the 6"-12" models are single speed, but generally do the job. 1.25" eyepieces work fine. Overall, and having not used/owned any other scopes, I really enjoy the relative simplicity and ease of movement - it's easy enough to move as one piece, or easier if you take it out of the base. I'm currently awaiting arrival of the 16" version so the ease of movement might be a thing of the past.

Cheers,
Pat.