[mic_m (Michael)]

Thanks for the heads up.

While a new telescope is always exiting news, I can see some issues with the design of the SW 16.

I have serious doubts about the rigidity of the strut design over a conventional truss like the LB or the Orion XX series. Especially given the problems that many owners appear to have encountered with tube and strut flexure in the parallel strut design of the GSO 16. Hopefully this SW will not be a “flextube”. Time will tell.

Trusses are an inherently rigid configuration; a triangle cannot shift or collapse. Trusses are well proven in telescope design (and more largely in engineering in general).

I suspect that the decision to go with the strut design over a truss is marketing related; because Orion’s equivalent Synta manufactured telescope will likely be using a truss. What a shame.

With a large telescope it is often beneficial to be able to disassemble the telescope structure for transport. However it appears that one will have to move the LTA, UTA and connecting struts in one go, as is the case with the smaller models. That could be quite a challenge; the SW 16 looks like a heavy telescope.

Indeed, the SW 16 LTA looks to be far larger than the LTA of the LB 16, as does the base; based on the fact that SW and Meade (GSO) use similar material to construct their telescopes, it stands to reason that the 16” SW will be not only larger than the LB 16 but heavier too. Further, based on the specs for the SW 14 its tube weight is as heavy as the LB 16 LTA – 26kg (the LB 16’s heaviest component). Assuming that the SW 16 will be heavier than the SW 14, it follows that SW 16 will be somewhat heavier than the LB 16.

Its interesting to note that while Orion reduced the size of the LTA between the XX12 and XX14 models it looks as if SW has actually increased the size of the LTA, it seems to keep the length of the connecting struts short (to help minimise strut flexure perhaps).

I was hoping for a SW telescope that would be lighter and more compact than the LB 16. However, it is clear that many of the impediments that have prevented people purchasing a LB 16 (size and weight) are very much existent within the SW 16 design.

I think that companies like SW really need to start listening to what their customers want if they want successful products. While the SW 16 appears to have a collapsible base and a duel speed focuser, which is very positive, it also appears to be unnecessarily large and heavy.