[mic_m (Michael)]

Thanks for that info.

The 8-12” SynScan dobs have actually been on the Sky-Watcher website for some time and in some places they have already been sold to the public. Here is a short review of the 12” SynScan that was posted on CN a few months ago.

A 14” Sky-Watcher dob was advertised back in 2008 when the collapsible dobs were first released (here is the original ad), there has been no further official mention of them by Sky-Watcher until now. However, it should be noted that there is still no 14” dob in the dob product category (where all the other dobs are including the newer Synscan 8-12” versions).

Hopefully the reason that Sky-Watcher has taken so long to release their 14” is because they are doing something innovative with the design, not because they are trying to force an unstable configuration. While I look forward to seeing Sky-Watchers offering, I can see several potential problems with a 14” that is designed in the same stead as the 8-12” versions. The collapsible design looks as if it is about at its limits with the 12; can you imagine an Orion XX14i connected with struts instead of trusses – the Flextube name may ring true for the 14 if it is that configuration.

While the collapsible three strut design used by Sky-Watcher certainly has the advantage of fast setup and perhaps less of a need for collimation than conventional truss dobs, I think that a key benefit of the traditional truss design is that the scope can be moved in components. Because the sturts on the Sky-Watcher are fixed in place permanently this means one has to lift the weight and bulk of the UTA, LTA and the connecting struts in one go. While this may be OK for the smaller versions, in the 14” size range this might present a problem. In the past Sky-Watcher has used the same telescope OTAs that Synta manufacturers for Orion. If this is the case for the 14” the weight of the Sky-Watcher OTA would be about 30 kg (the weight of the assembled Orion 14” OTA), this could be quite a challenge to move about. It would be heavier than the heaviest component of the LB16 (26kg). Let’s hope that Sky-Watcher has engineered the design around these issues.

In a more general vein of discussion regarding the collapsible dobs, I have not yet seen a shroud, commercial or homemade, that fits the collapsible dobs properly. They seem to either sag into the light path or do not cover the area where the struts connect the LTA and UTA. Orion make a shroud for their XX12 and XX14, Meade make shrouds for their LB series (and now apparently include them with the purchase of the telescope). The Sky-Watcher Flextube dobs have been out for 1.5 years and Sky-Watcher is yet to offer a light shroud, which given the preceding is rather disappointing.

There is also the issue that none of the Sky-Watchers dobs have duel speed focusers, Sky-Watcher are really lagging behind on this front; Meade, GSO and Orion dobs all have duel speed focusers. Also, no Sky-Watcher dob comes with a fan, again Meade, GSO and Orion dobs all have fans as standard equipment. At 14” in particular a fan would be a real asset. While these issues have not been addressed in the new 8-12” scopes I hope that Sky-Watcher addresses some of these shortcomings for their 14”.