Cheap ebay filter wheels

[luka]

Hi,

Does anyone have experience with the cheap ($120-ish) manual filter wheels available on ebay (or even cheaper on aliexpress)? How good are they? Do they leak light?

I have seen comments that the cheap manual wheels with brand names like Orion are actually identical, apart from the label.


Considering the prices of the proper motorised wheels, I was thinking of motorising one of those. There are several solutions for this on the net, including ASCOM drivers and this can be easily done for under $100.

Thanks in advance,
Luka

[traveller (Bo)]

You might be better off getting a second hand EFW Luka (there is one for sale at the moment in the classifieds).
Manual wheels are more exposed to the elements and therefore prone to condensation etc. A sealed EFW won't have that issue.
Bo

[luka]

Thanks Bo. I have seen the one in classifieds but I already have several 2" filters so I need a 2" filter wheel.

The cheapest new one I could find in AU was around $600 or slightly cheaper if shipped from Telescope Express.