~ Advice on 10” Dobs ~ New Member – First Scope ~

[Arc]

Hey Guys,

I’ve been lurking here a few days, wearing out the search button over my very first scope.

Well after quite some reading and changing of my mind, I’m sure the majority of you would be pleased that I have settled on a 10” Dob.
The last few days has taught me that ICEINSPACE is a friendly place and I think it’s time I asked a few questions.

There are two 10” Truss Dobs that I am looking at;

One is from Star Optics 10" Truss Dob

And the other is from Andrews Communications 10" Truss Dob


Now to me they look almost identical however, the one from Star Optics is branded Star Watcher and is stated to ship with a Crayford Focuser and the one from Andrew’s is unbranded with a different base and advertised with a Crayford 'Style' focuser.

My gut reaction is they are the same scope and focuser but this language is often used when talking about a genuine item vs. a copied item.


So there you are, a nice easy question to start with.


Happy to hear other suggestions for a beginner scope if you have them.

My searching has revealed that I have come into this a couple of months too late. Am I correct that 8”, 10” and 12” dobs have recently gone up in price?

Does anyone have any preferences for shipping companies? I've read a couple of threads where members have received beat up boxes with dented scopes; little scary.

Oh, I'm in Central Queensland btw, plenty of starry, starry nights up here.

Cheers

[dannat (Daniel)]

the dobs both look like they are from skywatcher - same company which is itself a brand made by Synta - a chinese optical giant.

or are you looking at the GS one on andrews page - it comes from taiwan.

the collapsible dobs are more than the standard tube ones, but most companies have put prices up a bit after the dollars fall

[Ian Robinson]

Unfortunately, because the bottom has dropped out the AUD , so yes , you'll find you need a lot more $ to a scope of any size , unless you find a seller who has old stock which he has not marked up.

An 8" or a 10" dob would be good versatile starting point.

Most the offerings are much of a muchness , and the big brands and most others use particle board (few use kitchen / wet area grade MDF) in the rocker box and base construction. Watch it swell and disintegrate when the moister gets in through the laminex or plastic tartup coating.

[Kevnool (Kev)]

Hi and welcome Just to touch on the crayford style focuser most dobs will have the crayford style focuser on them as standard but look for a 10:1 crayford cause its better to fine focus Happy hunting....cheers Kev.

[Arc]

Originally Posted by dannat

the collapsible dobs are more than the standard tube ones, but most companies have put prices up a bit after the dollars fall

Thanks for that dannat, I was referring to the Sky Watcher at Andrew’s.

Originally Posted by Ian Robinson

Unfortunately, because the bottom has dropped out the AUD , so yes , you'll find you need a lot more $ to a scope of any size , unless you find a seller who has old stock which he has not marked up.

Yes some of the older prices I have been reading about certainly made me take notice. Oh well...

Originally Posted by Ian Robinson

Most the offerings are much of a muchness , and the big brands and most others use particle board (few use kitchen / wet area grade MDF) in the rocker box and base construction. Watch it swell and disintegrate when the moister gets in through the laminex or plastic tartup coating.

That’s o.k. I have some skill and a large workshop, if necessary I could build a better base. I considered building my first scope from scratch, but I think that would be better left as a second scope project.

Originally Posted by Kevnool

Hi and welcome Just to touch on the crayford style focuser most dobs will have the crayford style focuser on them as standard but look for a 10:1 crayford cause its better to fine focus Happy hunting....cheers Kev.

Thanks Kevnool, I wasn’t sure if Crayford was a specific brand or whether it was a certain type/style.