Stephan's Great beginners 3" goto scope

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

To stick to the rules I'll start a discussion here about Stephan's Great beginners goto telescope for sale on the Buy & Sell forums, instead of posting comments on the for-sale thread.

This appears to be exactly the sort of scope we warn beginners not to buy. Purchase price of $669?? You have got to be kidding me!! This is a 3" Newtonian - a tiny tiny scope! - on what appears to be a wobbly tripod and mount. Search info on CN about this telescope to see what experienced astronomers think of it.

There is no way I would recommend this telescope to a beginner. Stephan, if you are reading this I am sorry to muck up your chances of selling that scope here, but I could not in good conscience sit idly by while some unsuspecting newbie parts with their hard earned just to get a typical "first mistake" scope.

Excellent great value for money first scopes include:
6" Dob for $300
8" Dob for $400-500 (depending on accessories)
10" Dob for $600-700
These are all so far ahead of the supposed $669 3" goto that there is just no comparison!

[Starkler (Geoff)]

Well it looks like a big can of worms has been opened so heres my 2c.

Do i think its good value and something I would recommend to a beginner? Definately not !

From where I sit, his ad should be acceptable provided the ad is not deliberately misleading eg. quoting an inflated R.R.P.
An opinion such as "I think this telescope is very much suited for a beginner ", is just that, an opinion and there are plenty of people around to ask for a second one

In short assuming he is not breaking the TOS, I feel he has a right to try to sell a scope at a price that he chooses to ask, as long as there are no deliberate misrepresentations.

On a positive note, creating a discussion thread on the merits of an item for sale is something I would like to see happen more often.

[wavelandscott (Scott)]

Can of worms indeed...

As with all things...Buyer beware...

While there can be merit in a discussion thread there is also great danger in becoming a free for all. I urge caution in where this is heading...after all one peron's "pig in a poke" is another person's teasure.

As long as everyone sticks to facts we should be okay but the moment we begin to descend the slippery slope of subjectivity without proper caution we will find ourselves in chaos and maybe open to litigation...

There are incorrect statements of subjectivity that are made from lack of experience...When I first looked through my GSO plossls I was tickled pink and thought they were the best things since sliced bread...and compared to my previous experince with .965 eyepieces they were...now having moved up to higher end gear I would describe the GSO's differently...Had I sold my GSO's soon after I got them I would have "raved" about them...now I would talk in terms of value for money...

In this instance no ill will would have been meant through my maybe misleading statments...

However, it is rather easy to adopt the marketing "Hype" to sell some other gear even when I know better...that is different and wrong.

After all, we all want to get the best price that we can...didn't the movie Wall Street teach us all the "greed is good" and drives our society...

How can we ever determine from here if an over exuberent poster is acting maliciously or out of inexperience?

Wow, what a potential can of worms...but no different than some recent discussion on Astromart about a set of eyepieces...it is a curly one...

Again, buyer beware and everyone be nice!

[mick pinner]

l recognise everyones right to an opinion but to start a thread to openly bag someone elses thoughts on an item is to me not on.
As for value for money, that is subjective, when you take into account the versatility or lack of it that comes with a 6" dob then l find that very little value for money, the mentioned scope in my opinion would ride rather well on it's tripod and with it's go-to capability would keep children or adults keen to look at new objects for a long time.
As for being a tiny scope, not all newbies will want to immediately see the Horsehead and faint objects, it's all about starting somewhere.
Even at it's full price l think it's a good buy, at half price as advertised, a bargain.

[janoskiss (Steve H)]

Sorry Mick, but I strongly disagree. This is just the sort of scope that most experienced astronomers will warn newbies against.

You are right that a Dob is not for everyone, and there is nothing wrong with a 3" scope. There are some great 3-4" scopes out there but IMO this is not one of them.