The gso's are available with a crayford focuser which is a very worthwhile thing to have. Apart from allowing a more accurate collimation, it makes the scope feel so much nicer to use.
The right angle finder is another usability feature which I wouldnt want to live without. This size of dob is most comfortably used from a seated position, and to crane ones neck to use a straight through finder becomes old quickly.
Having said that, with a right angle finder you'll want to add a pointing finder such as a rigel or telrad.
The information going around about gso vs synta optics I think is quite old now, and may be outdated. Synta may very well have caught up to gso these days? Has gso quality slipped? Who knows
I have seen comments made on CN that GSO are sorting their mirrors into
best and
the rest, for certain North American dealers. Is this true? I dont know
In favour of the GSO
- Crayford focuser option
- right angle finder
- primary collimation thumbscrews as opposed to recessed philips head screws and hex grub lock screws on the SW
In favour of the Skywatcher
- friction control knob on the altitude axis combined with rollers, giving a superior altitude motion. (the gso can modded easily enough)
- Better paint finish on the optical tube