Hey everyone. Due to recent life events I have come into a tiny amount of money from which I want to allocate an absolute maximum of $10,000.00 to buy the last telescope I'll ever need. I'll probably never again have this amount disposable so I want to take the best advantage of it and get my best value for money.
So I'm putting the question to all you guys because I highly respect the wealth of online knowledge out there. What - within the following parameters - constitutes the best equipment I can afford? Looking for recommendations from personal experiences as well as general discussion..
Constraints: Equatorially mounted. I am highly leaning towards the EQ8 after closely following other users experiences in IIS threads. Potential cost new $4,500 though would happily buy second hand if available already to save cost and allocate the maximum possible to OTA.
Refractor: 6 inch or (dreams...7 inch), short as possible focal length, ED apochromatic. I'm expecting to only be able to afford second hand equipment but if something new and around the $5,500 residual after EQ8 budgeting is known out there then I'd love to know about it.
Hey everyone. Due to recent life events I have come into a tiny amount of money from which I want to allocate an absolute maximum of $10,000.00 to buy the last telescope I'll ever need. I'll probably never again have this amount disposable so I want to take the best advantage of it and get my best value for money.
So I'm putting the question to all you guys because I highly respect the wealth of online knowledge out there. What - within the following parameters - constitutes the best equipment I can afford? Looking for recommendations from personal experiences as well as general discussion..
Constraints: Equatorially mounted. I am highly leaning towards the EQ8 after closely following other users experiences in IIS threads. Potential cost new $4,500 though would happily buy second hand if available already to save cost and allocate the maximum possible to OTA.
Refractor: 6 inch or (dreams...7 inch), short as possible focal length, ED apochromatic. I'm expecting to only be able to afford second hand equipment but if something new and around the $5,500 residual after EQ8 budgeting is known out there then I'd love to know about it.
Your thoughts..?
Hi Sharpiel,
A decent 6" refractor is my dream scope too, but that is only a dream and unlikely to ever become reality.
I recently got a price on the Williams Optics FLT 152mm fluorite refractor and you would get little change out of $10,000, landed, assuming you could actually get one. A Tak is around $15,000, just for the OTA, let alone all the Tak specific accessories you would need to also allow for, and they aren't cheap either. If you pay $4,500 for a mount, I doubt you will pick up a "decent" 150mm refractor for $5,500, although there are plenty of cheaper refractors, in this size, around, but I suspect that the quality may be a little lacking. You may want to consider a WO FLT 132mm, but even that, landed, will still be well over $5,000. I have a WO FLT110 and it is my favourite scope, but I wished I had gone for the 132mm, but I couldn't justify it, at the time.
Explore Scientific are bringing out a 6", but I haven't yet got a price. For that, you would need to call Extravision in Queensland, as they are the agents. I was speaking to their managing director today and he thinks one may have just come in, but he wasn't sure if it was a 5" or 6". He didn't have a price handy when I called.
As has been mentioned, it depends on what you want to do with it.
Hope you can get what you want.
Cheers Pete
PS: I forgot to mention that a Tec 180mm (7") will set you back US $19,000!
Last edited by Stardrifter_WA; 27-11-2013 at 11:26 PM.
My experience I bought a 18" f4.2 Zambuto Plettstone off Astromart for $6900 with Servocat and ArgoNavis. With freight and GST it landed here in WA a shade under $10000. An Equatorial mount for dobs is available (see faintfuzzies website) around $1000 although I've never used one. Just an idea for you to consider.
I already have an 18" setup and an old 12" LX200. And a Lunt solar scope. So now I want the best refractor I can get. Always wanted one. Never been able to afford a real quality one. So that is what I'm looking for. Stardrifter understands as do many others. I know other configurations can perform magnificently but I don't want them. There's a certain romance and mystique about great refractors.
And I REALLY want 6" aperture. Again, a long held dream. Searching...searching. Guess it'll have to second hand to be be remotely possible.
I already have an 18" setup and an old 12" LX200. And a Lunt solar scope. So now I want the best refractor I can get. Always wanted one. Never been able to afford a real quality one. So that is what I'm looking for. Stardrifter understands as do many others. I know other configurations can perform magnificently but I don't want them. There's a certain romance and mystique about great refractors.
And I REALLY want 6" aperture. Again, a long held dream. Searching...searching. Guess it'll have to second hand to be be remotely possible.
Hi Les,
You will be lucky to find a 2nd hand 6", they come up rarely, and from what I have seen, when they do, they still go for big bucks anyway, well, the good ones do anyway.
Buying a big refractor has been a dilemma for me, as I could justify the cost of the OTA, but then I couldn't also justify the cost of the mount, or I get the mount, but then couldn't get the OTA to go with it. Damn! Just couldn't justify the both, due to competing priorities. Isn't that always the way? Life is full of compromises anyway.
The only astro item still on my list now is a Lunt 80mm PT Ha scope, but that may still be a couple of years away, unless I get lots of work next year
Hi Les-I think I have the last telescope I will ever buy-a Takahashi TSA120.
Smaller than 6" of course, but still a fairly large premium refractor. Going 6" means a big, heavy tube and an equally big, heavy mount-do you really want to lug that around as you get older?
I have the Tak mounted on a Vixen GPD2 mount with Synscan go-to, and the whole caboodle is a quite manageable weight.
Years ago, I had a 6" Starfire on a G11 mount-beautiful scope, but I am 68 years old now and could not manage the weight any more.
If you want your last ever scope, it would be a pity to have to eventually sell it and downsize if you could no longer handle it.
This new 6" refractor from APM has been attracting a lot of attention in various astro stores, mags and online chatter especially with its break-through price of roughly 4k. However, it is a doublet
I don't think $10K is sufficient for this job. Were I to dispose of all my scopes and just have one remaining for the rest of my life, it would be something like a AP140 on a T Rex mount. In fact, I may just do this in 10 years time.
I don't think $10K is sufficient for this job. Were I to dispose of all my scopes and just have one remaining for the rest of my life, it would be something like a AP140 on a T Rex mount. In fact, I may just do this in 10 years time.
Better order the AP140 now, John-It'll take ten years to get one!
Hi Les-I think I have the last telescope I will ever buy-a Takahashi TSA120.
Smaller than 6" of course, but still a fairly large premium refractor. Going 6" means a big, heavy tube and an equally big, heavy mount-do you really want to lug that around as you get older?
I have the Tak mounted on a Vixen GPD2 mount with Synscan go-to, and the whole caboodle is a quite manageable weight.
Years ago, I had a 6" Starfire on a G11 mount-beautiful scope, but I am 68 years old now and could not manage the weight any more.
If you want your last ever scope, it would be a pity to have to eventually sell it and downsize if you could no longer handle it.
Hi Laurie,
You raise a great point Laurie.
Due to the weight of 8" SCT, and its piggyback scope, I found it wasn't getting used enough, as my back problems continue to exacerbated, as I get older. So, I simply bought a Sirius observatory and set it up permanently. It sure is nice to walk out back and flick a switch When I bought my FLT110, I did consider the weight and physical size, as I bought it as my transportable rig, but, I have to add that the EQ6 mount isn't what I would consider light either, but certainly not as heavy as an EQ8 though. The WO FLT 151mm isn't a light OTA, coming in at 14kg, whilst my WO FLT 110mm comes in at just over 5kg, a much more manageable weight.
However, and I have yet to confirm the weight, the Explore Scientific 6" triplet is carbon fibre tube (CF) and that should be considerable lighter than the FLT151. ES chose CF to keep the weight down, for the reason you mention. The ES 6" will probably be a little cheaper than the FLT151, but I am yet to confirm. But, the ES 6" is still a big scope, so it isn't just the weight you have to consider, it can also be a little awkward to handle, when mounting it, particularly if you have back problems. Mind you, if I could justify a bigger mount and the 6", I would move my SCT on and replace it with the 6", permanently setup. Oh well, it is free to dream.
May I suggest a Vixen NA140 ....... on a Mount of your choice.
My ' dream baby ' is on her way....beautiful she is.....silky smooth white....with 5.5" inches of Japanese optical goodness ......can't wait to caress her all over and admire her fine lines..........she's a real Vixen she is.
Flash.......
Last edited by FlashDrive; 29-11-2013 at 07:15 PM.
Yeah, depends on what you want to do and portability may be an issue
However, mount is king IMHO. Great OTA on crap mount = disappointment. Great mount means lots of options and fewer frustrations, especially if you want imaging options.
If it was me, I'd buy an MX or equivalent and whack an 80mm refractor on it to start with rather than have a poor mount. I faced a similar dilemma in that I had an MX and a one time opportunity to move up, OTA or Mount. I now have an ME II, will never need another mount and I can wait a little while to set it up. MX's are coming up for sale, Logan has one up for sale now and I'd highly recommend it.
As for EQ8, dunno. Had an eq 6 and endless problems. Same company and by the looks of it, some lessons not learned. You can get a up-kitted G11 for less. Build is amazing.
If it is going to be the last telescope you ever buy I think this would also have to 'factor' in the 'one scope that can do it all' dimension. In this contest I think there is only one true contender
Televue NP-127is
Sitting on top of a good mount
Tak's are great but they do seem to come up for sale a lot more than Tv scopes. I don't think I have ever seen a NP-127 ever come up for sale here on IIS and if it does (or anyone has one they want to sell) please let me know
I'm curious PlanetMan, why do you pick the NP127is? In the land of the super premium APO's can one really tell the difference between a TV, Tak or AP.
I'm thinking it must be something to do with the size or the "is" factor of the TV, because surely the optics can be no better than a Tak for example, and vice versa. Or is it brand loyalty, which I can understand when it comes to TeleVue gear.
Just keen to learn. I wouldn't want to accidentally buy the wrong refractor one day.
Left field - buying is only one option, if you are really into imaging- you would definetly be better to rent time on a large professional scope that costs millions and is situted under perfect dark skies.
The economics are pretty simple if its only the end result you are after. $10,000 would buy a lot of viewing, and you could chase targets others can't even dream of.
If its not about imaging and you want eyeball time - then a large dob is probably your best friend.
The simple truth is you need to give folk a few more parameters on what you want to do and where you want to do it - then good advice can pour in!
