Quote:
Originally Posted by Kepler 2009
Hi Scott,
Also another question, should I be looking at a specific brand for dobs or u think all are equal?
Cheers
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Hard to give you a definitive answer and there are many people that develop a "brand loyalty"...I've got a "plain vanilla" reflector badged as Bintel but manufactured by GSO.
Most of the entry level reflecting telescopes (refractors now too) will be manufactured in Tawain or China (or both) and may even come from the same factory...
Some may use pyrex mirrors and others a different type of glass...there are some technical differences in thermal expansion (cool down) between glass and pyrex but in the moderate climate of Sydney/Newcastle, I wouldn't think this would be a big issue.
Fans on the mirror to help cool down and scrub the boundary layers are also nice to have...
The dobsonian mounts (bases) are made from particle board and are the "weak link" especially in the larger sized scopes (they can be a little too flexible with a heavy scope when you want rigidness in your mount)...there is also the concern about longevity if used regularly (they are particle board and getting them wet will decrease their life span)...This should not be an immediate problem in my opinion.
A crayford style focuser is a nice addition (most I think have this standard now) and better than a Rack and Pinion style. Finder scopes...some have right angle finders...I removed my finder scope and use a Telrad (my preference).
So in short, I don't think there is a lot of difference between brands...
For me, I was as interested in the service and support of the local retailer as the brand I bought.
While others may disagree, I value the advice I received from retailers... Heck, they (in this case Bintel) even showed me how to collimate my scope before I got it home. While I understood the "theoretical" process, it gave me a lot more confidence to collimate with them in the store the first time. They also answered a lot of questions for me and offered some sound advice. That to me was worth a fair amount.
Cheers,